Is Shiki good? Is it worth watching? Complete Review

The anime Shiki is based on a hugely popular novel series written by the Japanese novelist Fuyumi Ono, who has written many popular horror-thriller novels like The Twelve Kingdoms, The Ghost Hunt and Shiki.

Then, the distinguished manga artist Ryu Fujisaki started creating a manga, based on the novel on the magazine Jump S.Q. Because it became a raging hit, an anime adaptation by the studio Daume, aired in 2010.

The company Funimation then distributed the anime and made it available on DVD & Blu-Ray format.

1. Quick Review

The anime is a horror-thriller and psychological suspense anime. It accomplishes the remarkable task of making the viewer feel a sense of dread, suspense, and a looming sense of impending disaster.

The plot doesn’t progress swiftly, it teases and reveals very little but enough to keep the viewer hooked. Its vibrant and loud visuals and colors are a stark contrast to the morbid and dark things transpiring in the background.

2. Is it worth watching?

The anime Shiki is definitely worth watching. It offers a lot of excitement while keeping you anxious and curious to know what sort of malicious presence or entity is plaguing them and why.

Shiki Trailer

That being said, its plot is something that may be found enjoyable by a small section of horror and thriller genre fans and not by everyone.

Its slow progression may be tedious to many who aren’t used to such anime.

I. Plot

The plot is centered around a remote Japanese village in the countryside called Sotoba. As many bizarre and horrific deaths plague the town during an unusually hot summer in 1994, a strange family moves into a grand mansion built in European style.

This mansion, which lies on top of a hill, is revered by the pink-haired Megumi Shimizu, a young high schooler who is fed up of her village’s lack of modern life.

One day she decides to visit to the mansion. Subsequently, she disappears and hours later, is found lying in a bizarre posture in the forest by a hunting party. The next day, she passes away.

As many other unusual deaths follow hers, Toshio Ozaki, the only doctor of the village, makes very disconcerting speculations about the possible causes and culprit.

Though he initially suspects an epidemic, it is later revealed that the deaths are the work of Shiki, the Japanese folk version of vampires, who are haunting the village. Natsuno Yuuki becomes the new target of this malicious entity.

The plot of Shiki is remarkably slow. But the statement “slow and steady wins the race” couldn’t be more apt. Every episode of Shiki reveals very small details, which help build up the intensity of the climax.

While most parts of the anime are drawn in lively, loud, and bright colors, the skill of the creators is in making us feel a sense of unease and impending danger in spite of that.

Also, the anime explicitly shows decaying corpses in a very thorough manner, which is quite unnerving.

II. Characters

The characters of this survival horror anime, Shiki, are very diverse. They range from the most annoying one who thinks everything is fine to the mostly young one who rightly realizes the enormity of the problem and fight back.

The death of Megumi, a young high school girl, sets off a series of bizarre and disturbing deaths, which point to a huge crisis. But much to the annoyance of viewers, the villagers are either in denial or prefer not to recognize the problem. They meet their own tragic deaths ultimately though.

However, the anime too does have several characters who are strong, confident, and industrious. Their warnings are largely ignored and even mocked. One such character is the doctor Ozaki, who leads the reasonable horde into extreme survival tasks. His leadership skills are admirable and help cement his likability.

3. Final Thoughts

The anime offers a dazzling platter of survival horror, thriller, and amazing visuals to get you hooked to it. It is not your typical vampire popular entertainment but, in fact, refines a lot of the tropes.

The characters are memorable, multidimensional, and exciting. The plot is engaging and is an “episode-turner.” You won’t be able to resist clicking on the next episode. I’d definitely recommend it! Do watch it.

4. Grade

5. Info Card