Shiki: Comprehensive Thoughts
I've been thinking a lot about the show (which goes to show it did have an impact on me, it even gets a tag) and I wanted to write out a post on my many thoughts on the characters, themes, and events of the show. These thoughts are very random and not in any particular order. Although I don't really expect many people to read this anyways so I guess it doesn't matter. :)
Unlike my last post this post is filled with SPOILERS for the ending and everything before that. you were warned
Natsuno
Natsuno was one of my favorite characters in Shiki. I didn't like him much at first because he was way too cold even though I understood his annoyance with Megumi and the noisy villagers: But when he started showing feelings for Tohru, and Akira and Kaori he started to grow on me.
However I have mixed feelings on how his story ended up. On one hand I think Fuyumi Ono killed him off too soon even though he would of had a nice tragic ending but I think the anime didn't really know what to do with him when they brought him back. Sure he looked cool and had cool moments but he ended up feeling more like a device to move the plot forward (or a character that helped others out of situations) than a character. He also ended up being the only character that didn't seem to have any moral issues and it was somewhat convenient to have him not on the side of the Shiki or humans. His character seemed to have it too easy, and easy is never interesting.
Ritsuko & Masao
Ritsuko seems to be the most righteous character of anyone. She unlike the others refuses to kill to survive. Of course while that seems noble for one person to suffer like this can we really expect all the other Shiki to do the same? It did seem Ritsuko and Tohru were at peace at the end because of their decision but Ritsuko certainly suffered. Is it right to expect anyone else to suffer like that?
Masao is another character that is unable to kill but he is actually a hypocrite. He doesn't kill but drinks the blood of another human that is killed. He has no problem unless he doesn't have to see the murder on his behalf (it does make me think of humans eating meat. We eat it up after it is [packaged and nice but we don't have to see the animals killed. I guess in a way that makes us non-vegetarians somewhat hypocritical too (and I do eat meat so I am speaking out against myself).
Toshio
First of all it was so great to hear Toru Ohkawa again and he did a great job as this character.
It is interesting to see him develop from a doctor who wants to save lives to someone who is trying to kill the Shiki (even go so far as experimenting on his wife).
Of course I am not exactly sure what he could have done differently. He really was alone, his best friend was no help and the villagers didn't want to believe what was happening. Although to Seishin's credit he did try to warn Toshio but at first even he didn't want to see the truth. Did Toshio wait too long to act? Should he have tried harder to convince the others?
More importantly when he saw how blood thirsty the villagers were becoming he didn't try to stop them? Maybe he couldn't. Toshio almost is the most tragic character to me because while he survived & the Shiki were stopped it doesn't seem like he saved anyone in the end but instead was surrounded by death. Again this is very ironic for a Doctor.
Seishin
I think Seishin is an interesting character but his inactivity and judgment of Toshio (when he wasn't offering better suggestions) definitely annoyed me.
I was initially sort of upset that Seishin off all characters ended up surviving without consequences but thinking about it (and thanks to a blog post I read) I guess that isn't true. Throughout the story Seishin seems to have thoughts of suicide. He even tried to kill himself once and it seems likely he wanted to act as martyr to save Sunako. But in the end after all that he is the one to survive. It's definitely ironic.
Someone on the blog did make an interesting point about Natsuno becoming a Jinroh it did take a little from Seishin's transformation (although it was still a nice twist in the ending).
Sunako
Sunako was another fave of mine, she sort of reminds me a little of Kirsten Dunst in Interview with the Vampire. However of all the characters I feel the least sorry for her, it is more that I find her fascinating. I understand wanting to survive, not wanting to be alone, wanting to be accepted but she lived for many years already. I thought it was very noble of her to want to die in the fire, of course Seishin ruined that. With them driving off together will the cycle just start all over again? It seems likely and I don't think Sunako will be happy for it.
I also don't agree with Sunako that there is no especially terrible death. There is a difference between someone living their life and dying at an old age VS a child dying.
The Villagers & the Shiki
So who was right and wrong. In the end it seemed both sides were monsters. The Villagers even come off as worse because they slaughter with no mercy (even killing people who are hypnotized or people they assume are working for the Shiki).
Although I can't exactly blame the Villagers for not believing they were being attacked by vampires. It might have been the easiest explanation but realistically who would believe that?
And the fact of the matter is the Shiki attacked first. Yes both groups attacked for survival but for me the difference is this:
Shiki kill humans for food and will have to continue to attack humans for food even after everyone in the village is dead. The humans attacked the Shiki only because the Shiki attacked them. So I don't think the issue with the humans is that they tried to rid their village of the Shiki (which were a menace) but that in doing so they became blind and would attack & turn on anyone even their own. The fact that killing was so easy for many of them was also scary. The humans reasoning might have been more justified than the Shiki in my opinion but they still in many ways became worst monsters than the Shiki. We sometimes become what we fear as they say.
I will say that while I liked the themes & what transpired in the final episodes I think the direction of these episodes were a bit over the top for me. It went from subtle build up (which I loved) to all out slaughter.
Another thing I like about Shiki is that while the Shiki were not all out monsters (they retained their human personalities) I appreciated that vampires were not romanticized at all in this series. It's not pleasant to be bit by a vampire and it is certainly not pleasant to become one.
Unlike my last post this post is filled with SPOILERS for the ending and everything before that. you were warned
Natsuno
Natsuno was one of my favorite characters in Shiki. I didn't like him much at first because he was way too cold even though I understood his annoyance with Megumi and the noisy villagers: But when he started showing feelings for Tohru, and Akira and Kaori he started to grow on me.
However I have mixed feelings on how his story ended up. On one hand I think Fuyumi Ono killed him off too soon even though he would of had a nice tragic ending but I think the anime didn't really know what to do with him when they brought him back. Sure he looked cool and had cool moments but he ended up feeling more like a device to move the plot forward (or a character that helped others out of situations) than a character. He also ended up being the only character that didn't seem to have any moral issues and it was somewhat convenient to have him not on the side of the Shiki or humans. His character seemed to have it too easy, and easy is never interesting.
Ritsuko & Masao
Ritsuko seems to be the most righteous character of anyone. She unlike the others refuses to kill to survive. Of course while that seems noble for one person to suffer like this can we really expect all the other Shiki to do the same? It did seem Ritsuko and Tohru were at peace at the end because of their decision but Ritsuko certainly suffered. Is it right to expect anyone else to suffer like that?
Masao is another character that is unable to kill but he is actually a hypocrite. He doesn't kill but drinks the blood of another human that is killed. He has no problem unless he doesn't have to see the murder on his behalf (it does make me think of humans eating meat. We eat it up after it is [packaged and nice but we don't have to see the animals killed. I guess in a way that makes us non-vegetarians somewhat hypocritical too (and I do eat meat so I am speaking out against myself).
Toshio
First of all it was so great to hear Toru Ohkawa again and he did a great job as this character.
It is interesting to see him develop from a doctor who wants to save lives to someone who is trying to kill the Shiki (even go so far as experimenting on his wife).
Of course I am not exactly sure what he could have done differently. He really was alone, his best friend was no help and the villagers didn't want to believe what was happening. Although to Seishin's credit he did try to warn Toshio but at first even he didn't want to see the truth. Did Toshio wait too long to act? Should he have tried harder to convince the others?
More importantly when he saw how blood thirsty the villagers were becoming he didn't try to stop them? Maybe he couldn't. Toshio almost is the most tragic character to me because while he survived & the Shiki were stopped it doesn't seem like he saved anyone in the end but instead was surrounded by death. Again this is very ironic for a Doctor.
Seishin
I think Seishin is an interesting character but his inactivity and judgment of Toshio (when he wasn't offering better suggestions) definitely annoyed me.
I was initially sort of upset that Seishin off all characters ended up surviving without consequences but thinking about it (and thanks to a blog post I read) I guess that isn't true. Throughout the story Seishin seems to have thoughts of suicide. He even tried to kill himself once and it seems likely he wanted to act as martyr to save Sunako. But in the end after all that he is the one to survive. It's definitely ironic.
Someone on the blog did make an interesting point about Natsuno becoming a Jinroh it did take a little from Seishin's transformation (although it was still a nice twist in the ending).
Sunako
Sunako was another fave of mine, she sort of reminds me a little of Kirsten Dunst in Interview with the Vampire. However of all the characters I feel the least sorry for her, it is more that I find her fascinating. I understand wanting to survive, not wanting to be alone, wanting to be accepted but she lived for many years already. I thought it was very noble of her to want to die in the fire, of course Seishin ruined that. With them driving off together will the cycle just start all over again? It seems likely and I don't think Sunako will be happy for it.
I also don't agree with Sunako that there is no especially terrible death. There is a difference between someone living their life and dying at an old age VS a child dying.
The Villagers & the Shiki
So who was right and wrong. In the end it seemed both sides were monsters. The Villagers even come off as worse because they slaughter with no mercy (even killing people who are hypnotized or people they assume are working for the Shiki).
Although I can't exactly blame the Villagers for not believing they were being attacked by vampires. It might have been the easiest explanation but realistically who would believe that?
And the fact of the matter is the Shiki attacked first. Yes both groups attacked for survival but for me the difference is this:
Shiki kill humans for food and will have to continue to attack humans for food even after everyone in the village is dead. The humans attacked the Shiki only because the Shiki attacked them. So I don't think the issue with the humans is that they tried to rid their village of the Shiki (which were a menace) but that in doing so they became blind and would attack & turn on anyone even their own. The fact that killing was so easy for many of them was also scary. The humans reasoning might have been more justified than the Shiki in my opinion but they still in many ways became worst monsters than the Shiki. We sometimes become what we fear as they say.
I will say that while I liked the themes & what transpired in the final episodes I think the direction of these episodes were a bit over the top for me. It went from subtle build up (which I loved) to all out slaughter.
Another thing I like about Shiki is that while the Shiki were not all out monsters (they retained their human personalities) I appreciated that vampires were not romanticized at all in this series. It's not pleasant to be bit by a vampire and it is certainly not pleasant to become one.