Of any genre, horror seems to be one in which what works for one person is not going to work for another. There’s a reason why horror fans never seem to agree what pieces of horror media “get it right”-- everyone’s opinion on what makes “good” horror is vastly different in a way you tend not to see with other genres. So, it makes sense that while Shiki is often labeled as “one of the good ones” by many people I’ve talked to, it has its detractors as well. Honestly, I get it. It’s certainly an anime that isn’t going to be for everyone. The pacing is going to turn people off, as will the campy gothic character designs. However, it’s been a favorite of mine for years, and upon recent rewatch, I wanted to delve into why I love it so much. I’ve never really seriously reviewed anything, so it may be a bit rusty, but here we go.
Firstly, just to start with a broad stroke, I’d like to give an overview of the plot. At this point, with how well-known Shiki is, I feel like basically everyone reading this knows it’s a vampire show. If I were to give a one sentence summary of the show, I’d describe it like this: An unsuspecting small town is slowly taken over by a group of vampires that moved in at the beginning of the summer. In fact, Shiki is an adaptation of a manga adaptation of Fuyumi Ono’s novel of the same name, which in of itself is a retelling of Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot, a story many horror fans are likely familiar with. There are, of course, plenty of major differences, however, the basic premise of the story is essentially the same. This is to say that Shiki is a fairly straightforward, albeit very well-executed, classic gothic horror vampire tale, following many of the traditional vampire rules (for example, they must be invited in).
As you may have gathered from that synopsis, the first half of Shiki is a lot of build up as the shiki (the in-show name for the vampires) try to gain the upper hand, while some of the humans begin to catch on. While this pacing is going to bore a lot of people, I love the first half. It creates a fantastic and suffocating atmosphere of dread, hopelessness, and solitude– it’s hammered into the viewer again and again that the village is dying off, people are sick, and the villagers are too stuck in their own ways to acknowledge it as a problem. Its atmosphere is strengthened by the methodical nature of the first half, almost as sleepy and restrained as the town of Sotoba itself, in which the characters slowly come to realizations as Sotoba fades away around them. This thick atmosphere is assisted by the phenomenal soundtrack composed by Yasuharu Takanashi, which often follows different variations of the same melancholic humming.
Even with the campy character designs, there are several scenes that I find earnestly haunting from this slow-burning first half. There is one ominous scene in which a vampire is invited into a character’s home, and later on, this leads to the first real scene in which the viewers see the shiki in action. These scenes are particularly effective, and create this sense of paranoia, claustrophobia, and being watched that is rarely handled so well in horror anime. Some other particularly effective early scenes include one in which a shiki ambushes a character from above, dropping down on him as it dawns on him what is happening, and one in which a character which is catching on to the shiki is lured out of her house under the guise of helping someone being attacked.
In terms of the characters, there are really five main characters–Toshio Ozaki (the worn out town doctor), Natsuno Yuuki (the aloof teenage outsider who recently moved to Sotoba), Sunako Kirishiki (the head of the shiki), Seishin Muroi (the town priest), and Megumi Shimizu (a moody teenage girl who has big aspirations, but is often viewed as an oddity by the other close-minded villagers). In many ways, these characters are not particularly likable. Ozaki is the closest there is to a true main protagonist, especially in the final half, but he is cold and abrasive, and often gets so caught up in his work and the mystery of the “pandemic” that he ignores the feelings of others. Yuuki is equally relevant for much of the show, but he is aloof and snobbish towards the villagers of Sotoba. Likewise, the various villagers tend to be gossipy and judgmental. On the other hand, the decent and kind villagers rarely speak up or challenge the change-resistant masses, and if they do, they’re immediately dismissed. However, if you’ve ever lived in a small town, you would know that this is often how it can be, especially if you feel as if you don’t fit in. While some may think the villagers are foolish for not catching on to the shiki sooner, I think this anime perfectly captures the “it could never happen to us” mentality often found in small towns.
Oftentimes, the characters represent moral dilemmas, which fully develops by the final few episodes of the show. While I understand that this style of character writing will not work for everyone, I quite enjoy it in Shiki. With its large ensemble cast, Shiki explores so many different points-of-view from characters with a lot of grace. It doesn’t stray away from the hatred, jealousy, and cruelty that humanity is capable of when they are pushed to their limits. However, it showcases the full spectrum of human emotions as well– the characters are capable of mercy and kindness as well, and the way all these characters tackle their problems is engrossing.
On a slightly off topic note relating to the characters, I’m one of the few people who actually enjoys the art style. It perfectly caters to the side of me that loves campy, gothic aesthetics, and on a narrative level I feel like the varying character designs actually work very well, as it allows the viewer to tell apart the large cast. Also, it’s just fun to see what Megumi, Sunako, and Chizuru are wearing every episode. Come on now.
While the show is often discussed as a “who’s the real monster” narrative (and certainly there are aspects of this in the show), to me it’s more of a conflict between people, showcasing the tragedy of a small village–making us bear witness as hope for a positive future for Sotoba grows dimmer and dimmer. One of the major differences between Shiki and ‘Salem’s Lot is that the shiki are fully sentient, and retain their humanity once they rise up. In this way, they are ultimately human in their thoughts and actions, though they are forced to resort to violence to survive. Likewise, it’s impossible to blame the humans for their retaliation–they don’t want to die, and they don’t want their town overrun. The shiki refuse to compromise, and the humans don’t have much of a choice. It’s truly a clash of ideals in which most of the characters will never see eye to eye, a raging maelstrom of hatred and revenge and sorrow and tragedy and things falling apart. To me, the ending of the series is perfect, thematically lending itself to the story and tying up the story of Sotoba and its people in the only way it could truly end for two groups that refuse to see each other more than something to be hunted. On this note, I also want to relay the importance of WATCHING THE SPECIALS, as they deal extensively with these themes. Seriously, it’s so strange that they are even specials in the first place, as they are plot relevant and should be watched between episodes 19 and 20 and 21 and 22 respectively.
Shiki is certainly not perfect, and I have my issues with it. Some of the characters’ motives *cough*SEISHIN*cough* can feel a bit underdeveloped, and at times, I wish it toned down the camp for some scenes. However, despite this, I think it’s one of the most effective pure horror anime ever made–for each of these gripes, there are dozens of aspects of Shiki I could rave about, with so many powerful scenes. It understands how to build an atmosphere and how to hone its gothic aesthetic to create a morbid and moody setting. It has a great grasp on crafting its road to tragedy, and the characters’ various dilemmas culminate into something truly special. If you’re looking for a horror anime with gothic sensibilities and a slower, atmospheric pacing, you should check out Shiki.
