Shiki (2010–2011) User Reviews

It's better than one might think

[Breitschleif · 8/10 · 19 July 2013]

When I saw the rather high ratings on this anime here on IMDb and some anime related forums I decided to give this series a try even though the story line sounds admittedly rather shallow and uninspiring.

Now that I have finished watching the series I was surprised to experience that the plot and characters are indeed a lot deeper and more interesting than I would have expected them to be. It's hard to talk about the series without spoiling a lot so all I will say is: "Shiki" is a well written, creepy and exciting story without any unnecessary fan service or romance (which I really appreciate nowadays...) and worth the watch if you aren't just looking for a "quick anime fix" but want to be told a gripping tale about which actions are or aren't morally acceptable when threatened by impending death and misery.

8/10

Everything I want in a vampire series.

[xodanielcasterox · 8/10 · 27 September 2014]

Out of all the vampire movies/TV shows I've seen in my years, this is the show that really made me ponder. Yes, they kill people. To live. That's it. There may be some who enjoy the hunt and eventually they do but to live is is their priority. And they made the point that it's no different than humans killing animals for food, and I can't argue with that. So what is evil? Wanting to live? In a way, when you think about it, we are vampires too. No food is ever given without taking a life. Animals, plants, and even our own people. Look at the Donner Pary, for example. This kind of reminds me of 'Salem's Lot and Interview with the Vampire; Vampires come to a quiet little village and some vampires don't always agree with the method or the sacrifice they have to make to survive, but they eventually become what they are. So after watching the whole series, who are we suppose to root for and who to blame, the humans or the vamps.

There are some scary scenes but mostly just visually. The voice acting is decent. There's some sad moments that actually surprised me; I didn't think those situations would hurt my heart. The music is haunting, beautiful and unforgettable. Shiki is one of my favorite anime and the perfect way to address the harsh realities of vampires and also relating to them. I hope it will have an impact on you because it did to me. Bigtime.

A well thought anime that grows on you

[tusharlalmohan · 8/10 · 13 September 2014]

At first I read about Shiki on various rating sites as I was looking for an anime on horror and dark themes. Little did I realize that I was going to stumble upon a vampire story. If I would had known it was a vampire story I am sure my interest would have faded out, and I am glad I didn't. The story starts slowly, but doesn't bore the heck out of people with unwanted episodes. It is direct and it grows on you. The music is also really well matched, as it suits the darkness that is there in the anime. The series makes you wonder whether the plight to survive can make us all into monsters, or is it just that there is a monster waiting to come out in each and every one of us? Happy watching! ;)

Not a simple good v/s evil story

[juujuuuujj · 10/10 · 29 July 2012]

Shiki is a story that gathers pace and becomes more and more interesting as it goes on. I haven't read the novel, but having seen the anime, this wasn't immediately obvious after the first couple of episodes. It's a relatively simple premise at first - vampires trying to take over a small village, protagonists teaming up to stop them. Some of the characters are shallow and stereotypical at first and their behavior is often counter-intuitive. But as the plot and characters start to develop, as the story unfolds, everything changes very quickly for the better. In the end, it's a profound and deeply engaging experience.

To backtrack a little, I was expecting something like "Higurashi no naku koro ni" (When Cicadas Cry), and although Shiki isn't as complex, it keeps your mind moving, and, very importantly, it doesn't become preachy or easily predictable. Without spoiling the story too much, there's a very satisfying moment near the end, which is followed by a graphic turnaround (the hunt in the sewers) that makes you rethink your position completely. Personally, I love this game with the reader/viewer's moral compass - to make them choose a team, to make them cheer, and then to show another side of the story that totally changes their perspective. I don't doubt this was well done in the novel, and I love how it was done in the anime. I would recommend Shiki because it's a surprisingly deep story.

Nothing is pure, not even evil

[SrdjanFesovic · 10/10 · 3 March 2014]

Shiki is a piece that treats Vampire Culture differently than you would expect in western cinematography, providing a deeper insight to personality afflicted by eternal living, and slowly pulling you inside a questioning of human soul and nature. Can you be corrupted life form that has usual wish to pursue happiness? Can you be "normal" life form, but still be cruel and evil, selfish and a beast? This is not just an anime about vampires, this is a piece that slams big questions about life in your face without hesitation. Are you a traitor if you cherish and accept every person as they are cut out to be, and why do we have to choose sides from the start of mankind's existence, determined to root-out everything we assume to be different from ourselves? Is it just the fear of death that turns us into animals, or it's life as we imagine it just a mask behind which a beast slumber...

Shiki will not provide answers, but it may make you think a bit deeper about human nature.

Great anime, makes you think.

[kelechiegbezor · 9/10 · 6 August 2015]

First of all, the soundtrack for 'Shiki' is wonderful which really adds to the experience. Shiki started off a little bit slowly, but it's definitely worth the wait. During this time you'll get to know the characters and most likely take sides. However, it quickly changes paths. I have never been into vampires, werewolves or anything of that sort and if I had known beforehand that this would be a vampire anime, I probably wouldn't have given it the time of day. I'm happy that I didn't know and that I did watch it. (Possible spoilers) You start off siding with the humans (Of course) However, towards the end of the anime you'll definitely find yourself questioning who the true monsters are. You might find yourself thinking about things such as eating meat, and whether it's so different to the vampires/humans. I don't want to go into too much detail as it will spoil the anime for those who haven't watched it, but this anime is definitely worth a watch all the way through.

A brilliant portrayal of small town mentality.

[nihilsibelius · 9/10 · 5 April 2020]

Shiki is a brilliant take on the mentality of small towns and how it relates to mob justice.

It's portrayal of the ethics and morality of critical choices is second only to that of Monster.

Interesting, but flawed (minor spoilers)

[taikero · 6/10 · 22 July 2019]

I enjoyed this as a slow burn thinker, and as a meditation on human nature and our natural dismissal of the extraordinary, however I cannot empathize with the Shiki. The central argument made in support of the Shiki is that they're just hungry, and eating to live is supposedly not a sin. However, due to the fact that their food source is not human meat, but human blood, their food source is entirely renewable. Even with this supposedly insatiable hunger, we do see civilized moments at a dinner table of Shiki drinking human blood out of wine glasses, so they don't absolutely need to drink blood straight from a human. Even if that was a requirement, they could easily just drink 1-3 times from the same human, then move on to another one while allowing their previous dinner to recover. This approach obviously makes sense and is humane.

I categorically reject the insipid argument that the Shiki killing humans is the same as humans killing animals for food. Shiki don't eat meat, unlike humans. It's entirely different. The show even specifically illustrates exactly how the Shiki can avoid immorality, and yet tries to justify genocide as a matter of hunger anyway. How utterly irrational and ghastly.

The Shiki precipitated their own demise through an abundance of recklessness and lack of care in their selection of humans to attempt to bring into the Shiki fold. Had they shown even a modicum of restraint, I'd be more sympathetic to their slaughter, and yet they began the carnage by refusing to seek more peaceful options for expanding their numbers slowly over time. When you have an eternal life, you can afford to play the long game, and the Shiki did not understand that fundamental reality.

The humans committed atrocities at the end, yes. There is no question about that. In the same breath, I can't blame them nearly as much as the Shiki because the humans had spent months with their fellow villagers dying left and right, and their "dead" loved ones were often the perpetrators. That sort of betrayal doesn't sit well in the human psyche. We repeatedly see that nearly all of the Shiki felt no regret for their murders. Further, regret does not excuse murder.

Ultimately, I appreciate that the show's creators attempted to create philosophical musings for its viewers, however the argument is fundamentally flawed, and I think it's important to call it like it is. There wasn't just another way, there was an easy way to survive without committing genocide against humans. This method of survival was covered much more rationally in Blade II. I have no problem with the Shiki deciding to live, and even thriving. What I do have a problem with is the reckless abandonment of morality just because the Shiki are able to exercise power over humans in a predator-prey relationship. There are consequences for murder and genocide, and to think that their actions would not come back to bite them was incredibly naive of the Shiki.

For me, there is no grey area here. The humans defended themselves from a deadly, immoral, wasteful predator. I would defend myself also.

slow but good!

[rexicola · 8/10 · 1 May 2014]

At first i was just watching TV when i saw the first episode of this show i didn't know, i liked the design and it was an anime which you can describe as weird but that's precisely the kind of anime i love, so i gave it a chance. It's an anime with a very slow narration but the whole process is actually enjoyable ( weird to creepy to....) And the end is very good and philosophical: it is about foreign people, struggle to be accepted, human emotion. In the end you may be crying for the evil and hate the good ones. It's all about perspective. A good one which i will remember, it's good to have some novel i would have never read being available in a TV format.

Mediocre

[chacham · 7/10 · 10 June 2020]

Pros: Character depth Colors Human side of things Mood

Meh: Story

Cons: Plot holes Many important events to move the story happen off screen.

This anime is a strange one. The story itself is average and much if not most of it makes no sense. The plot holes are bigger than the plot, and i almost stopped watching it in middle because of that.

Nonetheless, the mood and music are nice, the story is slightly interesting, and not everything can be guessed with regard to what will happen next. The characters are drawn interestingly and with much color, so it's not boring to watch.

There is a human side to the story, and they take the time to develop many of the characters insofar as it is possible. That is the show's saving grace.

If you don't watch this anime, you won't be missing much. Conversely, if you do watch it, you probably won't regret it too much.

Slow starter, big finisher, dramatic throughout

[paul-psr-ryder · 8/10 · 29 September 2014]

Dramatic throughout, unlike most anime this isn't based purely on teenagers at school being promiscuous, in fact there are no school scenes involved at all which makes for a decent story without wondering about if there were going to be style changes in the animation or overly exaggerated almost nudity.

There are some very good character build ups, which leads to tense moments in the series. This series got to me in a slow burning way, characters die who you don't expect too, things happen that way too, which is what should be expected of a good horror plot.

The story line is almost as expected towards the end of the series, however it gets a lot more graphic as the mysteries unfold. Nicely put together guys, I'd look forward to another possible season of this..

Good Horror Anime, But slow.

[thebeastlordof · 7/10 · 10 October 2021]

The anime was good and interesting; the characters, some good ones and useless ones, and the animation was good too.

The plot was a typical vampire plot. New people come in, people mysteriously die, vampires turn villagers into their minions and try to take over the village as their base home.

They did not properly explain some things.

Megumi did not meet Natsuno when he became a risen, yet they made a big deal about the two, which became pointless.

Overall, it's a good horror anime, sad deaths, some you feel sorry for, some you don't. It could have been so much better if the vampires, werewolves, and humans worked together.

Could be a lot better

[Koumiho · 5/10 · 9 March 2019]

Did I enjoy this show? Yes. It was entertaining. Could it be a lot better? Heck yeah. I like some of the themes it displayed, but the whole "humans are monsters" thing really bothered me. The characters in this show are really pathetic, there's hardly anyone you can root for, and most everyone is a jerk. It's really conflicting, because on one hand I feel bad for some of these guys. On the other hand, I don't really care. I can't say anyone acts very realistic. In the manga, when the humans are forced to murder the shiki, only some of them start going axe-crazy and enjoying it. In the anime? Forget that. Everyone's awful. The character designs could be a lot better as well. Honestly the only characters I were interested in were: blond guy who felt bad about being a vampire, green haired nurse girl, that mom who went crazy after her kids died, and the vampire lady who killed her entire family and felt bad about it. In short; not very many people are really likable or act realistic, some look ridiculous, fanservice was a bit off-putting, and I thought the priest with glasses was a hypocrite for getting mad at his doctor friend (cause doctor guy killed his own wife) then proceeded to help out a vampire (who's killed people). I liked the manga better tbh, it was much better. It had these elements, but it still pulled off certain stuff better (especially the pink haired chick). Would I reccomend this anime? Eh.

excellent anime

[mohsin-mohsin6 · 10/10 · 20 June 2015]

I started this anime on april 2015 and finished on the same month so here is my review.

At first 2 episodes i was about to discard this anime but god i didn't because if i did i will be regret.

This is one if the excellent anime based on vampire .acting os superb in both eng sub as well as dub.

The strong point is music which is so damn good and story wise anime grabbed 10 out of 10.

The movies like let me in and let the right one in has same concept but the anime easily beat those movies.

Summary:- Small village surrounded by mountains is isolated with city and other towns suddenly mysterious death occurs .doctor unable to found the cure but soon realize its a bampire attack and dead one are rising back to life and the horror and gore started with the dark nightmare.

By far the best horror anime I have watched

[gwloose · 10/10 · 16 August 2018]

Shiki is a wonderful anime and manages to build suspense while also having a more slow-burn approach to horror. I have seen many horror anime/anime in general, and Shiki is one of the only ones where I find myself revisiting scenes or listening to the soundtrack regularly to relive it.

Superb anime, with great plot, characters, soundtrack and pacing.

[aljaz_popovic · 10/10 · 9 April 2019]

After first coming across this anime, years ago, as a vampire fan, I was more than excited to give it a try. That evening, without even noticing, I ended up watching three episodes in a row.

The story revolves around an isolated community, becoming embroiled by a creeping mystery. The series has a nice group of characters, with different personalities. Unlike some anime, which have characters that are borderline annoying, this one makes sure that even those characters who appear like that, end up hooking you and making you care for them.

The soundtrack that accompanies it, reminds you, that it is still a horror mystery anime, at heart, and it is definetly the highlight of the whole series from start to finish.

Without spoiling it, the ending of the series is definetly what sets it apart from other, more mainstream anime, and really forces the viewer to take a few moments and things about what they saw.

It is definetly a series, which I pick up every year, to rewatch, which. I for one, do not do often. I just wish it would be much more recognized by more mainstream media.

Here's to hoping that Netflix, or some other producers find an anime, and make a live action series out of it.

Solid, slower paced anime based on storytelling

[dameon_green · 8/10 · 28 April 2020]

Those seeking action and quick resolutions I'd suggest skipping this, but anyone who enjoys a well crafted tale should really take the time to watch this.

The animation style is a bit dated, but it holds up pretty well.

Great anime with some amazing music

[grandraysphere · 9/10 · 10 December 2021]

I can't gush enough about how great this anime is, and how underrated the story might not be out of this world, but the themes and characters are amazing.

Also freaking amazing haunting and evoking music.

A super-realistic supernatural show really got me into thinking...(light spoilers)

[yue-88888 · 10/10 · 6 March 2020]

This is a show about vampire/zombie/shiki("living" ex-human with memories, characters, and intelligent just like their old human form except they feed on human blood now), this is a fictional show with some supernatural elements but yet it feels very ralatable, it feels so REAL!!!

I watched this show during the COVID-19 outbreak, the ignorant of the general public when the hidden dangerous approached was captured so realistically in this show, the fears; the denies; intentional ignores the unnatural; and the alienation to the whom dare to speak the truth...

And the moral shifting in this show is always brilliant!!! we have seen the Shiki and the villagers struggled during their first kill to the Casually Daily Massacres. A peaceful and highly family based village with good moral standard can easy transfer into a killing machine just casually killing those who are different with us(thinking about the different nationalities or races) or even our own innocent kind just because we feel like it.

It made me chilling when everything seem like to back to "normal", when the steroid faded away, men and women peacefully laughing and chatting like their normal daily during a work break, except they are all covered in blood while eating snacks with their bloody hand, and their work is casually massacring the shiki and killing some of their own.

What made me thinking the most is regardless the supernatural parts everything can and has happened in our life, and how easy to lower people's moral standards and killing others your kind is even easier than that.

Good, But slow

[schanzaysohail · 5/10 · 6 February 2021]

The show was written very well every part of it was written extremely well you could see how much effort was put in it the characters weren't written as well but the gorgeous animation ops it all off. The plot was quite boring at first was going way too slow but it gradually picked up the speed. The ending looked quite cliched at first but the last episode(ep 22) was quite mind twisting. They kind off ended it on a cliff hanger but the show was based off a novel and this was where the novel ended too so im not mad at them for that. The show contained a lot of bloodshed and no swearing.

I don't know how to rate this

[animallover-34820 · 8/10 · 24 January 2021]

This could have easily been one of my favorite animes if the ending hadn't been the way it is. It isn't a happy ending if that is what you're looking for. I will still give it a 7/10 because up until the last episode I loved this anime but the ending completely ruined it for me.

Shiki-horror

[chyanilk · 9/10 · 22 August 2023]

This anime was really something else.

The pacing is a bit slow in the beginning, but nevertheless watchable. I personally thought it was quite necessary for one to see how the shiki affected the lives of normal people living in the village and how much they had suffered when their loved ones were dying.

Then we have the doctor and the monk's relationship, two men with different views on the shiki. I personally rooted for the doctors side as I could feel his resentment towards himself and that anger when he wasn't able to save his patients and how they seemed to die so randomly. The monk on the other hand is deeply attached to the shiki- 'sunako' and feels that they shouldn't kill shiki without any reasoning as they too killed only to survive to live.

Then we had the mini story with Natsuo( bless that kid, he's the one who remained stoic and unmoved by his change till the end). I felt that Natsuo's character had more potential although and wished to see more of his side stories.

This anime puts light on the two sides who suffered- the shiki and the villagers and you can't help but feel sorry for the shiki in the end. The last few episodes were both awsome and saddening at the same time.

In my opinion I wouldn't really watch the mini side episode of ep-20 as it got way too bloody for me. At this point the villagers were just turning into wild animals. Although if you're still curious as to how the mysterious fire at the end of the story started, do give it a watch.

Who's the bad guy? What's moral or immoral?

[gnatoos · 8/10 · 6 February 2022]

First I want to praise the character design. It's authentic, modern and yet has its own unique stamp by which the characters can be recognized and distinguished from characters of other anime.

The beginning is not the most interesting and the first few episodes didn't draw me in the plot and characters. From the start It was obvious that there are vampires and that the culprits are newcomers that have moved in the Kanemasa mansion. Villagers and the doctor didn't know the cause of deaths of the local people, but to me as a viewer the cause was obvious, so It definitely lacked a good mystery.

It was hard for me to kind of bond with the characters and to care about their life course, cause l didn't see enough of their personality, like habits, hobbies, traits, attitudes, friendships, past, the way they think and feel. I only cared for doctor and only started caring for Yuuki and two of his friends when the anime was near the end.

What I appreciate the most in this anime is It's turn of events. The fearsome hunters were now humans which raised a moral dilemma about whether is It right to kill and end a life even of a nonhuman. Who're the monsters? Human killers who kill for revenge, or nonhuman ones who kill in order to survive.

I enjoyed the last episodes the most. Al though, the mystery element was missing in the beginning, It was surely present near the ending. I even managed to empathize with shiki and feel sorry for their suffering. The ending was satisfying.

Sad story

[vadtemer · 10/10 · 19 November 2022]

This anime is really a real masterpiece that tries to convey one simple truth. But some individuals cannot understand this truth. Everyone considers the dead, who can only feed on the blood of people, that is, they are forced to kill them in order to live (the same as with ghouls), merciless monsters. But the fact is that if the deceased did not kill people, they would die. People also kill animals just for food. Only people can do without meat, but the dead have no choice. That is, here the situation is kill or die, both in relation to vampires to people and vice versa.

Spoilers ahead!

That is, as a result of the work, as a lover of vampire themes, but also a connoisseur of human lives, I cannot say whose side I am on, and how I would behave in this situation: I would become a fighter like Toshio Ozaki, who did not even spare his wife Kyoko Ozaki, really, for the sake of saving humanity and his life, he would have given or rushed about for a long time, and in the end he decided to help a standing reader and part-time main anime loli from the lynching of his friend as Seishin Mura, or if I was still turned, I would become a killer like Sunako Kirishiki, but not because you like to kill, but because you want to live everyone, but for this you need to eat, or tried to accept that the choice was already made for you as Toru Muto, and you don't even have to kill, but maybe after the conversion I took the Hippocratic oath, but and he doesn't intend to kill for his own sake like Ritsuko Kunihiro, or in the end you were very lucky and you not only came to life after the conversion (rather survived the conversion without dying), but also became the strongest "werewolf", so to speak, took all the pluses from both species (humans and vampires) as Natsuno Yuki, but decided to fight for the sake of people, writing a review, and thinking if there would be a "werewolf" character in the anime who would go away from sin away from this village, with his family if she was, and would begin to live for herself, drinking blood from a blood bank without killing, then most likely I would have acted the same way as "any murder cannot be justified" - in my opinion I heard this phrase somewhere and I liked it.

Not the Vampire Anime you're Looking for

[dramatrixAO · 5/10 · 24 February 2022]

STORY: 5/10 Promising story, but the development is the worst/slow (IMO). Average plot, lack of effort on development. Too many plot holes, too many important events off screen.

Animation/Art: 5/10 Average, could be better.

Sound: 6/10 Average

Character: 4/10 Characters are so lame and dumb, even the main characters, at the middle of the anime I couldn't feel any sympathy for any character. Character development sucks. Worst character is the Pastor Seishin Muroi

Enjoyment: 4/10 I was excited at the beginning, but from the middle to the end this was painful to watch, the characters and the development are the main reason, it's not scary, even if it was scary wouldn't make it better, but would be more interesting, or at least it should have a darker atmosphere.

Rate/Overall: 5/10 This one doesn't belong on my top 10 vampire animes, and I will never re-watch this.

CONCLUSION Watch this if you like vampire stories, if you're looking for a great story, plot and great development, this is not for you.