Shiki

Title: Shiki
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Supernatural
Episodes: 22 (+2)
Aired: July 2010 - December 2010
Studio: Daume
Director: Tetsuro Amino
Writer: Ono Fuyumi, Ryu Fujisaki
Music: Yasuhara Takanashi

Tatsumi, a servant of the Kirishiki family

Every once in awhile a show comes along and redefines a genre.  Sometimes this is accomplished by telling an exceptional story; sometimes it's done by bringing a fresh and thought-provoking perspective to an otherwise familiar tale.  In Shiki's case, it's a bit of both: by providing a unique rendition of the classic tale of a village overrun by vampires while simultaneously offering a distinctly philosophical take on the vampire legend, the series manages to breathe new life into the oversaturated and generally monotonous vampire genre, and in so doing establishes itself as an instant classic.

Natsuno and Megumi

Shiki starts with a common premise. During an especially hot summer in the small and isolated village of Sotoba, a string of unusual deaths occur just as the strange Kirishiki family moves into the old Kanemasa mansion on the outskirts of town.  Although the villagers believe a summer cold is going around, the viewer quickly discovers the real cause: the Kirishiki are vampires (okiagari, or "corpse demons" to be precise), and they've decided to make Sotoba their home.  This, of course, means killing every last villager.  Yet rather than simply glossing over this point and focusing on one or two main characters to the exclusion of others, Shiki details the okiagari's systematic takeover of the village by acquainting us with each villager and their family and then making us sit through their demise.  This has the nice effect of making it easier to care about the villagers' losses and the difficult choices they must make, particularly when the dearly departed come knocking on the door, or when the dead must decide whether to attack their loved ones in order to survive.  The one downside to this method is that the story sometimes feels slow and drawn out, especially on replay.

Natsuno and Tohru

If the show does have main characters, they are undoubtedly Toshio Ozaki, the village physician, and Seishin Muroi, the village priest, whose diametric views on the nature and deserts of the okiagari are representative of the village as a whole.  As the village physician, Ozaki approaches the series of deaths from a medical perspective, and when he discovers the okiagari's existence and that it is "kill or be killed," he doesn't hesitate to fight back in order to save the living.  By contrast, the religious Muroi is troubled to the point of inaction by the fact that the okiagari are essentially human and only feed upon the living in order to avoid an unbearably painful hunger followed by death.  His interactions with the kind and tragic Sunako Kirishiki lead him to question not only whether the okiagari's actions are truly murder, but also whether the notion of sin applies at all to those forsaken by God.  Whereas Ozaki sees murderers deserving punishment, Muroi asks why such beings exist in the first place, and whether there can be murder without an uncoerced intent to kill.  These constrasting perspectives are revisited throughout the story in the experiences of the individual villagers, who must choose whether to kill the okiagari (often family members), and in the experiences of the okiagari, who struggle with the morality of their actions.

Megumi standing before Kanemasa mansion

Shiki's other major element is psychological, displayed through the villagers' unwavering denial of the spiritual and their gradual evolution in thought and response.  This aspect of the show is not only original, but also refreshingly realistic in its portrayal of resistance to belief in the supernatural.  Even as the facts begin to pile up, the villagers search for any explanation other than "mere superstition" and refuse to believe what is happening.  Yet paradoxically, while clinging to science and rationalism their actions are also guided by a base fear of the worst, so that even late in the series when most still dismiss fears of the okiagari as backward we find virtually no one willing to walk the streets at night (when the legend says the okiagari come out to kill).

Chizuru and Seishirou Kirishiki

In addition to Ozaki, Muroi, and Sunako, the show features a large cast, many of whom are well-developed and fun to watch.  Notable among these are 15 year-old Natsuno Yuuki, arguably a secondary main character alongside Sunako; Megumi Shimizu, Natsuno's stalker classmater; Tatsumi, the Kirishiki's main servant, and Chizuru and Seishirou Kirishiki, the purported heads of the household.  Generally the characters are very nicely animated (some, like Natsuno and Ozaki, reminded me fondly of Code Geass) and many have highly original, love-it-or-hate-it hairstyles and eye designs.  The background animation also really shines with detailed, scenic shots and some very cool experimental scenes.  On the downside a couple of character designs are confusingly similar, most notably Seishirou and the man who visits Sunako in the past.  The soundtrack, while a bit limited and repetitious (many of the tracks are simple variations on the main theme), is definitely one of the better and more memorable ones I've heard, and it fits the dark/horror/slightly lighthearted mood of the show quite well.  Shi-ki in particular captures perfectly the story's sense of sadness, moral ambiguity, and despair.  The voice cast is generally excellent, with special praise to Cherami Leigh as the sad yet determined Sunako.  

All in all Shiki is superb, offering a well-produced, original, and highly provocative take on the vampire legend.  Perhaps most surprisingly, it turned out to be one of the most philosophical anime I've seen.  Hopefully in time Shiki's unique take on the nature and deserts of the vampire will have an impact far beyond anime.  In the meantime, I encourage everyone to check it out.

Story: 9.3
Animation: 9.5
Audio: 8.3

Overall: 9.2 (Masterpiece)

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