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[HEADING=2]Review: Shiki[/HEADING]
Studio: Daume
License: FUNimation Entertainment
Original Run: July 8, 2010 - December 30, 2010
Episodes: 22
Genre: Mystery, Horror, Supernatural
Rating: 17+
2010 was the first year I've ever watched an anime from when it first releases, and keep track on today's animes, so it's been a really fun experience, and I've seen a few shows I generally enjoyed. Like Angel Beats!, the moe-tastic K-ON!!, the fanservice-filled yet still entertaining High School of the Dead, and the ridiculously strange and unique Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt. These are my favorite titles of the year, but of course, I couldn't watch every show that came out this year, so it's not surprising that I missed a few great ones. One of them is Shiki, or Corpse Demon, an anime that I've never heard of until recently, and was the last anime I finished in 2010. I just finished this and I feel like writing a review on impulse while I still have it in me.
First of all, what's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word "Vampire?" Don't try to hide it. With the reputation vampires are getting in this day and age, you're all thinking the same thing, even if you don't want to. Through the rest of this review, I refuse to make even the slightest reference to that series that will not be named. Now, with that out of the way, what do you think of vampires in the anime world, the typical anime fan is probably thinking of this guy [http://shagart.ru/uploads/posts/2010-10/1286820076_1261775501_hellsing-ultimate.jpg], or some other famous anime vampire. Vampires in anime are usually depicted as super-powered action heroes, or just plain monsters, which to say that's not a bad thing, but they all seem to be leaning more towards action than horror. So is there any decent horror animes out there that feature those lovable blood sucking freaks? This is where Shiki come is.
Warning: Contains small spoilers.
Story
Based on the light novel by Fuyumi Ono, Shiki takes place in a small, quiet village called Sotoba. But during a hot summer, a series of mysterious deaths began to spread throughout the village, and at the same time a strange family moves into a long abandoned mansion. The story mainly has two main protagonists; Toshio Ozaki, a owner of the only hospital in Sotoba, who suspects the deaths as an epidemic, but as further investigation and deaths continues, he finds out that this is the work of something far greater, and Natsuno Yuuki, a 15 year old boy originally from the city who doesn't enjoy his life in the village, who gets caught up with the event. Eventually, they both find out the true reason behind the deaths: Okiagari, or Vampires.
The show starts out a bit slow, in fact it's a bit hard to get into at first, but as it goes on it starts to get more and more interesting. As more and more people die, Ozaki gets desperate for the answer, which he eventually finds, while Natsuno is haunted by strange occurrences which he suspects is the work of Okiagari. It's a really dark anime that just gets darker, with little to no humor, and gets pretty disturbing at times. There are some moments that were even hard to watch, especially in the last few episodes, which I believe are the highlights of the series.
But what I find more interesting are the vampires themselves. They aren't the overpowered super demons like in most other animes, like Hellsing or Blood+, they're more realistic, traditional vampires. They burn in sunlight, unable to enter a house unless invited, they die when staked in the heart or decapitated, are warned away by religious artifacts and areas, and most importantly, they're actually undead. Anyone they bite becomes ill, and eventually die as the vampire continues to feed on them, only to rise up a few days later, with cold skin, no pulse, and no breath, they still have they're old memories and personality, the only thing that changed are their appetites. The old formula is familiar, yet at the same time feels refreshing. These creature actually feel like real vampires, yet they still seem human. Most of them know what they're doing is wrong, but is necessary to survive.
[sub]Good luck sleeping tonight.[/sub]
Art / Animation
My only problem is with this anime is the art style. While it looks creepy at times and moves normally, The actual design I find a bit wierd, and not in the good sense. Most of the characters eyes look strange, especially at the pupil, and some characters hairstyles are just ridiculous, so much that I couldn't take some of the characters seriously. It just looks wrong for this kind of show. I might even be enough to warn some people away. On the other hand, the colors were vivid, the visual effects were cool, it can look creepy, and the vampires looked great (Most of the time.)
[sub]Although the majority of the anime isn't particularly violent, the later episodes get quite gruesome[/sub]
Sound
I'll be honest in saying Japanese voice acting is difficult for me to judge, since it's hard to tell good / bad dubbing in a language you're not used to or can't understand, but I do know that it features Japanese pop artist Gackt making his first cast debut here. I guess the actors did a decent job, but I can't go into greater detail. The music is aright, but not anything memorable. The opening and ending themes fit the anime nicely, and sounds pretty cool. In the end I don't have much to say about it except that the music is eerie and fits the show.
Characters
This is where things get a little interesting. Almost every character seems to have at least some sort of important role, be it big or small, and don't just seem like simple background characters. This is one of the shows strong points, but it can get a bit hard to keep up with if you're keeping track of all the characters. Most of the time I get some of their names mixed up. And like I mentioned before, their hair is just distracting.
There are a few characters that stand out more than others. Aside from the two main characters, there's Megumi Shimizu, a young, pink haired girl who hates her life in the village and wants to go to the big city, who has a crush on Natsuno and stalks him. There's also Seishin Muroi, a priest and friend of Ozaki who helps him in his investigation, who also writes novels, and later befriends a little girl name Sunako Kirishiki, who moved into the mansion with her family, who are later suspected as the cause of all the deaths. You can pretty much make a flowchart for all the characters and they're relationships.
Overall
It's a great series that gets better as it goes, and really becomes something else at the last few episodes. If you're a fan of vampires or horror, you should definitely give this a look. It's one of the better horror animes I've seen since Higurashi. It's not perfect or the best ever, but still very enjoyable, if you can get passed the slow pacing and art style. Check it out if you've got the chance.
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Anime Review: Puella Magi Madoka Magica [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.275533-Puella-Magi-Madoka-Magica-Review#10684887]
Anime Review: The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.302913-The-Disappearance-of-Haruhi-Suzumiya-Re-review]
