Alternative TitlesSynonyms: Corpse Demon Japanese: 屍鬼
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 22
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Jun 27, 2010 to Dec 30, 2010
Duration:
22 min. per episode Rating:
R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 8.281 (scored by 25810 users)
Ranked: #2042
Popularity: #160
Members: 51,843
Favorites: 1,347 1 indicates a weighted score
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SynopsisDuring a fiercely hot summer in Sotoba, a peaceful and quiet village with a population of 1300 people, a series of bizarre deaths begin to occur. At the same time, a strange family moves into a long abandoned mansion in the region. After supposedly visiting this strange family, the fashionable Shimizu Megumi goes missing and the entire village goes out in search for her. |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Shiki
Side story: Shiki Specials
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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Archaeon
337 of 440 people found this review helpful
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22 of 22 episodes seen
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| Overall |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
Vampires have been enjoying quite a renaissance in Western media lately, mainly because of the advent of Twilight. In anime however, tales of bloodsuckers have been pretty constant over the years, but like the West there has been an increase in the number of stories involving the children of the night. The only problem is, they all seem to romanticise vampires by giving them kind, gentle personalities, good looks, a reluctance to drink human blood, or some other hook to make the viewer believe that creatures who look on humans as food can be considered friendly.
And then Shiki comes along and blows that whole idea out of the water.
Originally a two part horror novel published in 1998 by Ono Fuyumi (which was later reprinted in five parts), Shiki was adapted for manga in 2007 by Fujisaki Ryu. Set during a summertime in the mid 1990s, several people in the small town of Sotoba in rural Japan are afflicted with a strange and incurable wasting disease, and the local doctor fears an epidemic may be starting.
Around the same time a new family moves into the newly built Kanemasa mansion .
Shiki may not look the part at first glance, especially because of the colour scheme, but don't be fooled as there is actually quite a deep plot to this series, and while there is a degree of predictability about the storyline, this is balanced some good scripting and a more reasoned narrative approach. One of the things that separates this anime from more recent offerings is that it harks back to older vampire tales, so unlike Fortune Arterial, Rosario + Vampire, and other titles of that ilk, the undead in Shiki are unable to venture out into sunlight, nor are they able to enter a home unless invited, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
In addition to this there's an intelligence about the story that materialises in some interesting ways, from the doctor's logical approach to the town's crisis, to the strangely normal reactions of the local women at the beginning of the penultimate episode. Shiki could readily be compared to Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni as it explores certain aspects of human psychosis over the course of the series, and it's pleasing to watch an anime that doesn't assume that the audience are blithering idiots.
The thing that may put people off though, is how everything looks. The town and rural scenery are nicely detailed and varied, but viewers may initially wonder at the incongruity of the bright colours, or even the European styled mansion sitting on a hill overlooking the town. Rather than a whimsical approach to the design, this is a purposeful nod at the stereotypical hilltop "castle" that is prominent in a number of European horror stories.
This slightly methodical approach to design also manifests itself with the characters as it seems as though there has been an attempt to include just about every body shape into the series. Now while this adds a nice touch of diversity, there are some rather ludicrous additions which seem a bit out of place in a rural setting (one example is Ookawa Tomio, the owner of the liquor store, who looks like he was built in a shipyard). That said, the one glaring issue is that the vampires are easily recognisable because of their eyes, which is a bit of a shame as there are several scenes where the effect would have been heightened if there was less of a difference between the undead and humans.
As for the animation, the production company Daume isn't really well known in the West, but the work they've put into Shiki bodes well for the future of the studio. The characters generally move well, and while there are some slightly ridiculous body positions and actions at times, there's also a bit more realism about the series since none of the undead can leap over buildings or fly through the air. The action sequences also benefit from this more realistic approach, but there are still a small number of scenes that "bend" the laws of physics at the very least.
One thing that does bear mentioning is the quality and impact of the visual effects, especially the colour scheme, partly because of the variety, but mainly because they provide a number of scenes with some much needed emphasis.
Speaking of which, Shiki features some pretty decent acting, and a number of seiyuu really do put effort into their roles, even if they only have a minor speaking part. Now one could argue that this is to be expected from professionals, but sadly this isn't always the case as there are many anime out there that simply haven't understood that a poorly executed supporting role can spoil the performance of the leads.
The downside is that there are times towards the end of the series where the actors and actresses seem ... a bit too enthusiastic. Fortunately the seiyuu playing the main roles are there to steady things, and their performances are very good indeed.
Shiki is well served by a variety of incidental music, ranging from quiet yet slightly ominous music box pieces to haunting choral anthems, all with some slow techno beats thrown into the mix to round everything out. The series has two opening and ending sequences that, in all honesty, are a bit of a mixed bag. The first OP, Kuchizuke by Buck-Tick, is a pretty angry piece that actually fits well with the theme of the show, but sadly the second OP, Calendula Requiem by Kanon x Kanon, doesn't really work as it's a bit too J-pop for its own good. As for the EDs, the first one, Walk no Yakusoku by Nangi, is a slightly bittersweet track that echoes of triumph, and in all honesty it's difficult to judge how fitting the song is with this anime. On the other hand the second ED, Gekka Reijin by Buck-Tick (again), really does work well with Shiki, and the track is reminiscent of the music produced by some of the "darker" European rock/pop bands of the 1990s.
As for the effects, they're suitably gory when the occasion demands, but even poor effects would be raised by the quality of the choreography throughout this series. Everything from the music, including the OPs and EDs, to the pitch and cadence of the speaking roles, is timed very well, and it's clear a great deal of effort has gone into making this anime an aural experience as well as a visual one.
Now one of the things that is clear from the opening sequence is that Shiki has quite a large number of characters. Normally this would mean that much of the developmental aspect of the storyline would focus on the leads, with the supporting characters reinforcing this growth, but Shiki takes a different line, and it's one that will hopefully be seen a lot more in the future. The main strength of this series is characterisation, and from the bit parts on up, every single role is clearly defined. The advantage to this method is that it's not always necessary to develop a well defined character, and Shiki follows this path almost religiously. While some growth does occur over the course of the series, what's most interesting is how each character adjusts and adapts to the events in the town. Probably the best example of this ethos in action is in the latter half of episode 14, and the methodical approach taken by the local doctor Ozaki Toshio is reflective of the fact that there is a degree of logic and intelligence in the plot.
In all honesty Shiki managed to surprise me. After the recent run of poor horror anime it's pretty obvious that I ventured into the series half expecting more of the same, so when I encountered actual intelligence in the plot, it came as something of a shock. That doesn't mean this anime is perfect though, as aside from the more obvious audio and visual flaws (like not washing off blood), there are several elements in the story that could have been resolved. That said, it's nice to watch a show that sets out to tell a story without assuming that the viewer is afflicted with the moe bug.
The main reason I like Shiki though, is because it doesn't fall foul of the drivel produced by authors of "dark romance", but instead postulates some moral and ethical dilemmas for the viewer to ponder. In addition to this it also highlights the human capacity for adaptation, something which is often overlooked in anime. If you're looking for an intelligent horror, then this series is right up there with the likes of Ghost Hound, Ghost Hunt, and other equally worthy shows.
Given that this is effectively a throwback to the type of horror that epitomises Bram Stoker's Dracula (without certain supernatural shenanigans), Shiki is something of an oddity in anime as the general trend leans heavily into romanticism and moe, and in all honesty I haven't seen a vampire tale this good since Kurozuka, which says a lot more about the anime industry than I can put into words. read more
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pilipino101
249 of 358 people found this review helpful
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22 episodes
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
I've seen my fair share of vampire anime; and I have to say, it was under vast number of genres, as well as themes. Shiki however, pulls you back in to what the traditional myth of vampires; added to it that it's a thriller, it will move anyone who's a vampire fan.
Story: 10
Compared to many other vampire themed animes, such as Blood+, Rosario + Vampire, Vampire Knight, and Trinity blood; this anime comes back to the roots of vampires and their myths. In this anime a town is plagued with death with no reasonable explanation; though thought of a possible epidemic, Doctor Ozaki, the head doctor of his clinic cannot find any actual symptoms related to any known disease, besides Aplastic Anemia, which is the loss of red and white blood cells. As the body count rises, he becomes desperate to find an answer until he comes up to a conclusion, albeit a far fetched one, that it might be a work of Okiagari, or vampires. His next problem then is to convince the village; of course such a mythical conclusion would "never" exist in the rational world. As he tried desperately to prove the existence of okiagari, death sweeps through the town faster and faster, until soon, more than half of the population has been wiped. Still they did not believe him. That is until he killed a vampire, named Chizuru, in front of everyone. Then the vampire hunt begins. There are mini plots within the whole series that I will not divulge, go watch it to see. At first, the anime's plot progression might come up as slow to most people. Even I had a hard time dealing with the first 3 episodes. But it get's really good. The fact that the anime went back to the original vampire myths alone made me smile, such as that they can not enter a home until they are invited in, or that they die if stabbed with a stake at the heart, and the fact that they are UNDEAD; just including those classic myths already got me hooked. This anime has definitely gave back the respect of vampires that Twilight has taken away. And contrast to the other animes I've mentioned, very little gore is shown, at least until the way later episodes, even then, it was there as part of the ambiance, and not for its own sake.
Art: 7
The lines were sharp, and the colors were almost fluorescent. The art of the animation just didn't look like it fits with a subtle setting and plot like that. Not to mention the crazy hairstyles that almost every relevant character had. It was like watching bakemonogatari but with better details. The animation would be more fit for shounen anime in my opinion.
Sound: 9
The1st season OP got me the first time I heard it. It was almost celtic, and goes perfectly with the whole theme. The BGM, it was not intrusive, but yet it'll make you want to jump at times; some even sound like something out of the catholic church, which is awesome due to the ties of religion to vampires;the good thing about it is that they also barely use BGM. The 2nd season OP for some reason reminded me of one of the OP's of Rozen Maiden, i don't know why, but I didn't like it as much. The 1st season ED is that like something off a romance anime though, but once you get to the later episodes, you will figure out why. The 2nd season ED I liked because it was indie/soft rock for me, and it was calm yet eerie, which what the anime was about.
Characters: 8
There were really only 4 main characters in the anime; Sunako, Ozaki, Seishin, and Yuuki. However, you will definitely be able to tell that EVERYONE is important, even the ones who died, or risen. This is because of the sub-plots, as I mentioned earlier, and they are awesome. However as much as that's a good thing, the downside is that no one really has any room to grow. The viewer really can't see if there is any character progression. However, that really isn't necessary due to the big-picture nature of the plot.
Enjoyment: 9
Like I said in the Story section, it is at first slow, but as the people die, and the vamipres close in to the main characters, it becomes a classic thriller. At one point I actually jumped off my seat. This take on the classic vampire is really something that needed to be done.
Overall: 9
Basically, if you hate twilight, you would love this. It puts back the vampire's reputation of being mysterious, scary, and are considered "monsters". It went back to the classics of vampire myths, and made it work quite well. I really do hope that this anime becomes a classic; in case everyone needs to refresh that vampire actually DIE under the sun, and not sparkle like a disco ball.
read more
Recommendations
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Both are very enticing supernatural murder mysteries
Higurashi and Shiki are similar to each other in that both take place in small villages where mysterious deaths occur. Higurashi, however, contains slapstick comedic scenes to a degree, which is kept to a minimum in Shiki.
Small village , mystery , serial murders ...
Similar gore, violence and wicked development
When i watched Shiki i felt from the very start the same atmosphere that Higurashi was used to give me. The more the story was going on, and the more that feeling was becoming stronger.
Yep, both series really have many similitudes:
- in both stories everything starts in those little and "calm" villages
- both series' main subjects are the weird deaths (murders) that will shock the villagers
- both anime have quite a well-made mystery atmosphere; whenever someone finds something, another thing will happen and you wont have to finish to realize all hints yet, until the end. The mystery affects both pubblic and characters, which i think is another good thing that both have in common
- still, both stories have supernatural factors leading the events
- and, even one of the main female characters are similar in both series (Sunako and Rika), be it in look and personality
So, to conclude: personally i advice to see both, since both are very well made.
If you liked the mystery in one of the series you'll surely like the other too!
ps: as personal opinion i especially liked Shiki's art style, since is quite particular and different from any other anime.
Both anime gives the same feeling overall, both plots start off mysterious & similar, in Shiki an unknown case of illness spreads around in a village while in Higurashi mysterious serial murders occur.
In both, the male protagonists (Natsuno & Keiichi) move from the city to the village thus more clueless than everyone & both are around the same age.
Both anime are set on a village far away, with a small population & surrounded by the woods.
Both involve supernatural genre while Higurashi also has some extreme realistic violence.
Both have a wonderful ost, though Shiki has better art.
Both animes have the same initial plot: a peaceful rural village that is suddenly surrounded by deadly mysteries.
They both carry the mysteries they hold very well, and go gradually solving them and at the same time throwing other hints at the viewers.
Coincidentally, Rika Furude (from Higurashi) and Sunako Kirishiki (from Shiki) share an strong resemblance. Both girls have blue-ish hair, both change moods from cute little girls to wise leaders, and also both are revealed to have a similar dark secret.
Also, both animes verge on the supernatural when showing the solutions to the crimes/mysteries.
The culture of the people, revolving around legends and myths, is also a subject that both animes bring. Higurashi's people believes in the Oyashiro-sama, a goddess that lays curse on people so that they are killed during an annual festival. Shiki's people on the other way, come with the legend of the Okiagari, people that die and come back to the world of living as a demon.
Other similarities related to characters, their jobs, and experiments, may come around too. Both animes are a masterpiece in the mystery genre. The only problem is that Shiki is shorter. :(
These animes are very similar .Peaceful villages where starts to happened very weird things.People that are dieing/disappearing.And many atoher similat things.
The three seasons of Higurashi are having the same dark atmosphere as Shiki and both anime contain an ''illness'' all over the village.
Both are set in an extremely small town where mysteries are appearing. Both seem pretty innocent and calm, but actually have deeper meanings in them involving death. Also, in both animes there is a type of illness or disease that only effect the people of the village.
Both Shiki and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni both take place in similar settings, country side villages. There is peaceful atmosphere waiting to shatter, however that is about where their relations end- other than the death and suspense, of course. Shiki is more of a mysterious string of murder cases that have a definite antagonist, whereas Higurashi is the tellings of a small group that switch off the role of the antagonist.
They really look like each other. If you like vampires.
Part of me feels like Shiki is trying to be Higurashi. Both are very psychological, filled with Horror, and set in a small villiage removed from the general world. Shiki also has moments of violence rivaling Higurashi.
Both are about remote villages that start to experience strange deaths.
They're both horror mystery anime.
The first few episodes both of these animes seem to have a calmer feel to them, but as they open up reveal something much darker. Both are packed with blood (At least in the last episodes of Shiki) and have a more psychotic side to them. They also have a good amount of mystery in it, too.
Both anime take place on a isolated village, where strange things start to happen, with a great plot behind everything.
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Both give a similar feeling: New guy arrives to a little village, and certain dark events start happening that are somehow related to a young mysterious girl. Slow and creepy atmosphere that makes you want to find out what´s going on. Brilliant ost and VA´s.
Well, both series are Mystery genres..
They give the same scary feeling due to the lots of creepy deaths all over the stories.
Yet, both show the main male character wiling to stop this "supernatural phenomenon".
Also a special mention to the cure of the music, which both serie have.
If you enjoyed one of those, you might probably enjoy the other as well!
The atmosphere is quite similar and so is the supernatural mysterious girl and a myth that's not fully revealed at the beginning of the series.
The difference in shows is that in Another we don't know what is happening and why so it has to be investigated. However, in Shiki we know the cause of the deaths from the start and are simply observing everything from the distance, watching how characters will deal with the issue.
Other than that, shows are very similar. In both shows people suddenly start to die.In Another people from one class die and in Shiki in one of the villages.
In both shows characters try to find the cause and stop it. Both shows start slow but eventually end up in blood bath. Both shows have quiet a lot of under developed characters though in Another it is more eye burning.
Same felling, Similar story
These both feel very alike. People die without anyone knwoing the reason for it, the mystery is slowly revealed.
Also, there are almost no action scenes
Both fall under the horror genre and give off similar vibes by establishing a slow-paced mystery in order to create suspense. Shiki focuses on character and buildup, while Another uses foreshadowing and atmosphere.
Perhaps creepy at times, and shocking at others.
Worthy of mentioning is that the writer for Another is the husband for the writer of Shiki. Truly, the greatest love story ever told.
While Shiki is more of a thriller than a horror, they both take place in a small rural town. Mysterious, supernatural deaths are also something the two series share. The protagonist in each show tries to uncover the truth behind the deaths.
Both series involves events in small village involving deaths surrounded by mystery. Both anime(s) have that thriller like atmosphere that leaves cliffhangers and horror themed conclusions.
A great series for viewers interested in horror fiction and mystery alike.
They have the same setup, which is a small town. Although, Shiki is more about vampires while Another is more about a curse.
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Opening Theme#1: "Kuchizuke" (くちづけ) by Buck-Tick (eps 1-11)
#2: "Calendula Requiem" by kanon x kanon (eps 12-22)
Ending Theme#01: "Walk no Yakusoku" (walkの約束) by nangi (eps 1-11)
#02: "Gekka Reijin (月下麗人)" by Buck-Tick (eps 12-22)
Fansubbing Groups
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