LobsterRyoma's Blog

ARENA 01: Ayatsuji Tsukasa Merry Nightmare [Itsuwa]
ARENA 02: Haramura Nodoka Busujima Saeko [Elucia de Lute Irma]
ARENA 03: [Akiyama Mio] Yamamoto Nanako Iwasawa Asami
ARENA 04: Yūno Arashiko Misaka Mikoto [Last Order]
ARENA 05: [Saginomiya Isumi] Tainaka Ritsu Chrome Dokuro
ARENA 06: Ayuzawa Misaki [Sendō Erika] Ikaros
ARENA 07: Erza Scarlet [Yuno] Shinonono Hōki
ARENA 08: [Shana] Yagami Hayate Himeji Mizuki
ARENA 09: [Aragaki Ayase] Saten Ruiko Ryōgi Shiki
ARENA 10: Nymph Segawa Izumi [Takamachi Nanoha]
ARENA 11: Kawashima Ami Suigintō [Charlotte Dunois]
ARENA 12: [Nakano Azusa] Shinku Amae Koromo
ARENA 13: Katsura Hinagiku Celty Sturluson [Oshino Shinobu]
ARENA 14: [Sakurano Kurimu] Ika-Musume Amano Tōko
ARENA 15: Hoshina Utau Kiriya Nozomi [Shiomiya Shiori]
ARENA 16: Hiiragi Tsukasa [Huang Lingyin] Konjiki no Yami
ARENA 17: [Aisaka Taiga] Hanato Kobato Nanasaki Ai
ARENA 18: Shirai Kuroko Hirasawa Ui [Amatsume Akira]
ARENA 19: Kamio Misuzu Illyasviel von Einzbern [Kasugano Sora]
ARENA 20: Kirishima Shōko [Kushieda Minori] Kuronuma Sawako
ARENA 21: Enma Ai [Nagato Yuki] Serizawa Fumino
ARENA 22: [Suzumiya Haruhi] Kuroi Mato Inami Mahiru
ARENA 23: Nakamura Yuri [Index L. Prohibitorum] Mōri Ran
ARENA 24: Lucy Heartfilia Haibara Ai [Maria]

Anime Relations: Shiki

After I finished Shiki, it really got me thinking. Who were the more righteous? The Shiki or the villagers? Could all this have been avoided?

Up to now, I'm still thinking none of them were better than the other. Or worse.

Though, the cause of all the ruckus? Sunako's plan, of course.

First off, we have the Kirishiki family entering some random rural village. Obviously they wouldn't nestle in a bigger city - a hush-hush town would be a perfect place to execute "the plan".

Sunako wanted to turn the whole village into Shiki. To what purpose? I don't know. So that she won't feel lonely? Or what?

First, let's take into account logistics.

Logically, when feeding, you have to take notice of your livestock. I know Sunako doesn't view humans as livestock(anymore), but think of it this way: When you eat a cow, the cow can't turn into a human. And a cow will last a whole crowd about a week at best. But in the case of Shiki, their "cows" have a pretty okay chance to turn into their own kind, that's to say another Shiki in a short span of time. And how long will one human last them? About 3-4 days per Shiki at best. So, the more they eat and multiply, the faster the food will diminish.

So, even in the case that the villagers never noticed their existence, they'd run out of food pretty quick. And if they want to find another source of food, they'd have to move into another village. And think of the impracticality of dragging half a village with you and counting. Unless they all turned into Jinrou, this'd be a major problem.

Now, let's take a look at the target.

When a butcher takes one cow from a whole herd, the rest of the cows will not retaliate. They may weep, sure they'll get scared but they won't run over the barn or something. But the problem with the Shiki is: kill a human, another human related to that one you killed will retaliate if ever he finds who the killer is. Their prey is intelligent, sentimental and sentient; a big fat minus for them.

I'd like to compare the situation to a small army conquering a big kingdom. The small army may be powerful and they are unknowingly taking over the kingdom's territory, but if the kingdom discovers who's conquering their land, that small army better be ready for hell. To make matters worse, Shiki can only be active at night and can't retaliate in the morning without getting cooked first.

As seen in the series finale, the remaining villagers managed to run over a whole lot of Shiki before sundown without a problem. Sure, Seishirou, Tatsumi and the cute maid Jinrou are able to do stuff midday, but that's just three of them. And apparently, removing the "peaceful" from "peaceful village" can be a really horrible thing, both sides considered.

Then, consider what kind of people turn into Shiki.

They may have had a noble vampire like Ritsu(She didn't even eat anybody!) and kind-hearted ones like Tohru. But what of Shiki like Megumi and Chizuru? Some of the Shiki were quite bloodthirsty and outright sadistic. Try to recall the scene where two guys chase down a pretty old guy who runs into a house for refuge, only to discover the inhabitants were also Risen. To me, it just seemed like they were chasing a runaway chicken and the worst is, they looked pretty gleeful to me. While others respect human lives, the other Shiki just hunt down humans like they were some sort livestock on the loose.

And of course, don't forget that Megumi just took down Kaori and Akira's parents just to have fun. No matter if you liked her or not, that was still a pretty terrible thing to do.

From the start, the idea of a Village of Shiki was just bound to fail, especially if you have to convert the human villagers by attack. What irks me is Sunako's idea of "killing to live" while she plans to convert the village into Shiki.

Of course, this isn't to say it'd be better if they humans whole because that would be on another scale of... evil.

In the end, you can't blame the humans for counterattack nor the Shiki for trying to survive. But a foolhardy plan like Sunako's was plain stupid and was bound to backfire.

Real bad.

ARENA 01: [Shana] Misaka Mikoto
ARENA 02: Katsura Hinagiku [Aisaka Taiga]
ARENA 03: [Katsura Kotonoha] Saionji Sekai
ARENA 04: Ayuzawa Misaki [Yui]
ARENA 05: Oikawa Tsurara [Ōkami Ryōko]
ARENA 06: Princess Peach [Princess Zelda]
ARENA 07: [Kawasumi Mai] Ryōgi Shiki
ARENA 08: [Charlotte E. Yeager] Gertrud Barkhorn
ARENA 09: Cleao Everlasting [Momomiya Ichigo]
ARENA 10: GinRei [Sayla Mass]

ARENA 01: [Katsura Hinagiku] Saber
ARENA 02: Nagato Yuki [Sanzen'in Nagi]
ARENA 03: Hirasawa Yui [Aisaka Taiga]
ARENA 04: [Sakagami Tomoyo] Suzumiya Haruhi
ARENA 05: Morimiya Aono [Shihō Matsuri]
ARENA 06: [Korone] Hattori Junko
ARENA 07: Hiiragi [Hinagiku]
ARENA 08: Yagami Hayate [Yūki Mikan]
ARENA 09: [Evangeline A.K. McDowell] Kikyō
ARENA 10: [Asakura Ryōko] Isayama Yomi

My Votes:

True Neutral- A true neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. He doesn't feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. Most true neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias rather than a commitment to neutrality. Such a character thinks of good as better than evil after all, he would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, he's not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way. Some true neutral characters, on the other hand, commit themselves philosophically to neutrality. They see good, evil, law, and chaos as prejudices and dangerous extremes. They advocate the middle way of neutrality as the best, most balanced road in the long run. True neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you act naturally, without prejudice or compulsion. However, true neutral can be a dangerous alignment because it represents apathy, indifference, and a lack of conviction.

Detailed Results:

Alignment:
Lawful Good ----- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (20)
Neutral Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (21)
Chaotic Good ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXX (13)
Lawful Neutral -- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (23)
True Neutral ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (24)
Chaotic Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (16)
Lawful Evil ----- XXXXXXXXXXXXXX (14)
Neutral Evil ---- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (15)
Chaotic Evil ---- XXXXXXX (7)

Law & Chaos:
Law ----- XXXXXXXXXX (10)
Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXX (11)
Chaos --- XXX (3)

Good & Evil:
Good ---- XXXXXXXXXX (10)
Neutral - XXXXXXXXXXXXX (13)
Evil ---- XXXX (4)

http://easydamus.com/alignmenttest.html

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