LogFAQs > #969038977

8/10: GREAT TIER

60. Shiki
https://myanimelist.net/anime/7724/Shiki
Summer 2010 (22 episodes) plus 2 OVAs
My Score: 8/10, MAL Score: 7.74/10
Best Character: Kirishiki Sunako

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZZ9eJ7KK1g

Premise: Tragedy strikes the small town of Sotoba when a young girl mysteriously dies, and she's only the first of many. The town doctor Ozaki Toshio tries to figure out what is going on, before it's too late.

The Good: Shiki is a supernatural horror anime about a small town where many people start dying under mysterious circumstances. I unfortunately couldn't rewatch this for the ranking because it's no longer on any streaming service I have access to. I also don't remember when certain things are revealed. This write-up will be more vague than usual because going in blind and watching the situation unfold was a big part of what I enjoyed about Shiki, and I don't want to ruin that for anyone. Regardless, I really liked the story this turned out to be. I remember it being a slow burn, but once it got going it really got going. The situation had a surprising amount of nuance, and I liked most of the characters. Sunako was still easily my favorite, as I'll cover in her spoiler character write-up.

The Bad: The characters in Shiki have some of the craziest hairstyles I've ever seen, and that's saying a lot given how crazy anime hair can get! On the one hand, it was a unique visual style and it helped differentiate the large cast of characters. On the other hand, it was distracting until I could get used to it. This is an incredibly petty complaint, and it shouldn't deter anyone from watching Shiki. The things I really want to complain about are all huge spoilers, though, so this was all I could talk about here.

Overall: I feel bad for being so vague about Shiki. I want to rave about the story it sets up, because it's incredibly interesting and has a surprising amount of nuance. This isn't a show with a first episode twist or anything like that, however. It takes its time getting where it's going, and going into that blind really elevated my enjoyment of it. If the idea of a town beset by mysterious deaths sounds even slightly appealing to you, just take my word for it and check Shiki out! It has its flaws, but I still thought it was a neat horror story.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/6/3/AAcDcBAAD043.png

CHARACTER: Kirishiki Sunako (Shiki)
https://myanimelist.net/character/30477/Sunako_Kirishiki
Voiced by: Yuuki Aoi
TOP 100 RANK: 48th

SPOILERS FOR SHIKI

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2OxMgFIMmM

I'm sad I couldn't rewatch Shiki for this, mostly because that means my write-up for Sunako won't be as thorough as she deserves. Once the full plot was revealed, that she's an ancient vampire-type creature trying to create a place where her kind can live openly without fear, I thought the story introduced some intriguing moral dilemmas. That video I linked to for her was one of the reasons why I love her as a character. Sure, she's killed lots of people, but she had to in order to survive. It's a great scene where she wonders if she should've let herself starve instead, and... that's a hard question. I couldn't do it, and I don't think I would believe anyone who claims they'd have the willpower to starve themselves to death, no matter the circumstances. Yes, Sunako is an inhuman monster, but she never asked to become one. Once she became one, I can't begrudge her for doing what she needed to survive, or to create a lasting home for herself in the town. Then again, I also can't begrudge the humans for fighting back. Like I said, it was an interesting moral dilemma.

Beyond that, Sunako was just a really relatable character. Going back to that video I linked, I like how she wonders whether or not the hunters will be able to kill her in one blow. All hope seems lost and she's reduced to grasping for anything she can, even if it's nothing more than the hope that her death won't be agonizing. Damn. While I could see both sides in the conflict, I eventually sided with Team Shiki against humanity. Sunako won me over, and I wanted to see her create a place for herself and her kind. The ending was a bit disappointing because of that, but I was happy Sunako made it out alive at least. She deserves another chance to keep fighting for her right to live, even if the things she has to do to stay alive turn her into a monster. Shiki told a really compelling story, and a lot of that came down to how relatable Sunako was.