(L) Shiki

[henwy]

Registered just to be able to comment on Shiki. It was an interesting series for sure and it hooked me despite the fact that I usually try not to watch anything that's still airing since the suspense of waiting for new episodes drives me nuts. At first I watched week to week just to boggle at the villagers' willful blindness. I was starting to wonder if it was some sort of character defect in the Japanese that they just took something so stoically. Forget the various hints that there might be something darker than just a sickness. If an unknown disease broke out in their neighborhood and reams of people started dying, I'd think most people would freak out a little. Demand answers? Inquire of the equivalent of the CDC? Maybe take the family out of town? Instead, everyone in the village just continued along like cows, which is what the shiki ended up treating them as. The doctor was the only sane man among the adults and that's just baffling.

As far as I'm concerned, there's absolutely no moral equivalence between the shiki and the humans. The former deserved everything they got and more besides.

Spoiler for :

It's a travesty that loli death machine managed to get away without paying for her crimes seeing as she's the one responsible for all the bloodshed. At the very least Megumi got what was coming to her and I couldn't help but grin as her legs continued to flail around after she kissed the tractor.

As for the priest....there simply aren't enough words for what a weasely backstabbing traitorous little maggot he was. I'm only glad that his mom died without ever knowing what sort of monster her little boy had become. His little speech at the end was some of the most noxious self-justifying tripe I've ever heard. Sunako is beyond moral laws or rules simply because God dosen't chat with her? WTF? There has never been any reason for the shiki to kill to live. In fact, it's more dangerous for them all around to go around killing people. There are always going to be fools like the priest who would happily serve as fodder, even without mental compulsion but that wasn't the point. She didn't just want survival. She wanted control. Control over the world around her so she could do whatever she wanted and damn whoever had to die and pay for her ability to prance about in the open.

All in all, the ending was a mixed bag and I'm not sure whether to be upset or satisfied there won't be any more additional episodes since the ones coming out with the dvd's will be in between rather than aftermath. I'm not sure I could handle some episode where Sunako sets up in some new town with her lackey in tow and tries this crap all again or something of the sort.

[v1cious]

Eh, the ending could've been better.

Spoiler for 22:

I didn't like that there was no Kaori/Megumi confrontation, I also didn't like the way Seishin Sunako were able to just walk away from everything. Not to mention Seishin being a Jinrou made Natsuno's sacrifice completely pointless Also the final scene was kind of pointless. They never did explain how Akira got away.

Overall it was a great series, even though the ending left a lot to be desired. I'd give it about a 9

[totoum]

Wait WHAT?!!

Spoiler for last episode:

Someone tell me if I'm interpreting that line wrong but this line has me going WTF?! "there's nothing that protects you"
What?She had all kinds of people protecting her (Tatsumi was the head of suneko's personal army),and even if she didn't,she might look like a little girl but she's far from defenseless

[Nayrael]

Originally Posted by serenade_beta

Spoiler for last episode:

Ehhhhhhhh! That's it?! Damn, talk about not tying things up and giving viewers this feeling... of needing more, I guess?
Anyways, the end of the episode just felt so... open. Too open.
For one thing, it would have been good if they showed what the characters were doing afterwards. You know, like Sunako and the monk, Toshio, etc? But no, the two Undead drive off, the end. Toshio talks about losing, the end. And there was an "epilogue" in the ED, but WHAT kind of epilogue is that?! It doesn't tell anything. Especially the Dad! When did you become sane again?!

Natsuno and Tatsumi was done well though. Then again, they both supposedly died, after all.

And more personally, three more things I didn't like:
1. Damn, that *beep* monk is still alive.
2. Damn, that *beep* Shiki is still alive. KILL HER! KILL HER! Let her go and they'll spread like cockroaches again!
3. OOOOOOOOKAWA-SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN! I loved his little speech towards that brat. He is so right. If he really killed her and made it out alive, it would have been perfect. But he got killed! That monster of a man... got... killed?!


But, it was nice they showed all of the Shiki that died. Like Nao or Masao, whose death were never shown.
Seishirou................. Kind of pitiful.

PS: The Tanaka siblings lived. Best thing this episode, indeed. Yay~

Spoiler for final thoughts:

The end was... kind of unfortunate, but it didn't completely ruin the series.
The anime was very, very, very interesting. To be honest, the most interesting anime these two seasons. Every episode made me want more and more.
Then again, this was partially due to the fact the Shiki were winning for most of the anime, which isn't that good... You know, it isn't fun watching a one-way match?

The characters were all great and colorful. Wonderful.
Of course, there were ones that were really annoying though.
Sunako and that monk made it out alive. Shame.
At least Megumi died. IT IS just so hilarious watching her try to earn pity, after being such a b**** throughout her Shiki life(?).

But anyways, it was fun watching the Shiki all die. Well, they are already dead, sorry.
After all, absolutely no pity for them.
Putting aside the facts that they are all dead or the other stuff that makes the villagers attitudes towards them reasonable, there is one major thing...
That is...
BECAUSE THEY ATTACKED FIRST!
*spits*
Self-defense, you may say.
We're all living our peaceful lives and one day, you come and start killing off the village?! You think that isn't enough to take revenge?! You do all you want towards us, and when we attack back, you are all "Oh~ Save me~", eh?! You think we'd just sit there and let you kill us off?!
EVERYTHING JUST DESERTS
Now die, Sunako and Muroi.
There will be a happy end only then.


Anyways, 11/10.
I hope the manga does something about this open end.

2 more episodes are supposed to be available on DVD's so maybe they tie up some of loose ends.

[Blaat]

Spoiler:

Wow goth loli and priest made it, and the lame priest killed the gar character that is what I call a bad ending. Ah well the way they made Megumi shut up was hilarious.

BTW the preview you saw during the ending song, is there going to be an episode 23 (I'm aware that there are going to be two in between episodes) or is that closest thing we'll get to an epilogue?

[Bern-san]

that's it? really?

Spoiler for 22:

what happened to ozaki and co. afterwards? i mean where are they going if sotoba was their town and covered of blood...
i suspected that sunako was going to survive, damn acting like a poor innocent girl after all this
megumi got what she deserved
natsuno looking at rit-chan and tohru natsuno had to survive, to die in such place with all the corpses and tatsumi...
the woman form the restaurant looked fine, what happened to her grandmother?

in conclusion, it made me want more and that epilogue was useless, the only interesting thing we got from it was that natsuno's father came back to normal

how does the novel end?

[Kaoru Chujo]

Excellent anime. The ending could not have been better.

Spoiler for ep22:

Well, it could have been better if Megumi had survived, but that's just me. Her life is certainly a reasonable exchange for Ritsuko and Touru's. But it made me sad that neither she nor Natsuno got away to the city.

As for the old sake-merchant, he is the worst person in this show. I had to laugh when he gave his little speech about things that can be done and can't be done. Like beating on your son for no reason all the time, and being a generally brutal man? I guess that is okay. He horrified me from start to finish.

I loved the moral indeterminacy of the ending. The doctor's fighting back actually destroyed the village more than if he had just let things go on. The fact that the "good guys" were covered in blood for most of the last two episodes was very appropriate. Well done by the author and/or the director.

Seishin decided in the end that Sunako was beyond good and evil, but loved god. Whether one agrees with that or not, it's a pretty sophisticated idea that helps give some shape to the show's moral universe. Hard to know how Seishin and Sunako can survive, just the two of them. But Seishin is a pretty determined guy, especially as regards Sunako, the only person to understand him, so maybe. They (and Ricchan) were my favorite characters in the show.

The doc and the guys in the flatbed were leaving town, I believe, since town was destroyed. There is also the little matter that the authorities will come and question people about the carnage, so I wonder how the doc and the others will fare? Ending the story here avoids having to deal with those unpleasant and possibly boring details.

[totoum]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

Spoiler:

I had to laugh when he gave his little speech about things that can be done and can't be done.

Spoiler for last ep:

Oh yeah,I forgot to point out that I had a WTF moment during that speech as well when he said something about the old dying before the young,saying that to Sunako who died when she was really young seems completely out of place to me.
That whole speech reminded me of this , it also shows why megumi hated the village and in some ways makes me understand her.

[ninja_pintu]

Spoiler for final episode:

Well, the ending certainly wasn't satisfactory.
But episode was still awesome. Loved the exchange between Tatsumi and Natsuno. I have to say, I didn't really care about Natsuno much before, but after this episode he raised himself in my eyes. He pretty much said my feelings there. His end was pretty good too. I guess he doesn't just look cool
Sunako and the monk surviving just didn't feel right though(considering how brutal this series can be, I just don't see why they had to survive, not to mention it looked forced-_-). Sunako getting away with another jinrou just makes Natsuno's sacrifice look pretty pointless. Well I guess we can't have everything we want-_-

Originally Posted by henwy

As far as I'm concerned, there's absolutely no moral equivalence between the shiki and the humans. The former deserved everything they got and more besides.

Spoiler for :

It's a travesty that loli death machine managed to get away without paying for her crimes seeing as she's the one responsible for all the bloodshed. At the very least Megumi got what was coming to her and I couldn't help but grin as her legs continued to flail around after she kissed the tractor.

As for the priest....there simply aren't enough words for what a weasely backstabbing traitorous little maggot he was. I'm only glad that his mom died without ever knowing what sort of monster her little boy had become. His little speech at the end was some of the most noxious self-justifying tripe I've ever heard. Sunako is beyond moral laws or rules simply because God dosen't chat with her? WTF? There has never been any reason for the shiki to kill to live. In fact, it's more dangerous for them all around to go around killing people. There are always going to be fools like the priest who would happily serve as fodder, even without mental compulsion but that wasn't the point. She didn't just want survival. She wanted control. Control over the world around her so she could do whatever she wanted and damn whoever had to die and pay for her ability to prance about in the open.

All in all, the ending was a mixed bag and I'm not sure whether to be upset or satisfied there won't be any more additional episodes since the ones coming out with the dvd's will be in between rather than aftermath. I'm not sure I could handle some episode where Sunako sets up in some new town with her lackey in tow and tries this crap all again or something of the sort.

Said everything I wanted to. I just don't see why so many people keep saying that no one in Shiki is to blame since both Shiki and humans act to survive. Since when is killing many people and raising an army of undead is necessary for survival(Put this line in some character's description and you have your own generic villain ready). No matter how I see it, Sunako is the one at fault. She comes to a village and kills people, get those people to kill even more people just so that she can have her own village. Then she sings how she has to die because she chose to live. Yeah right!

Spoiler for final impressions:

So yeah, didn't end how I would have liked it to. Sunako surviving just ruined the fun for me. But the series was still fantastic. It's just amazing how solid execution can turn even a simple story into such a fun watch. Just proves how you don't need random and extreme plot twists to make an awesome series, how you execute what you have is the key. I just wish they had made the epilogue bigger. Anyhow end to a great series. Certainly a contender for best of the year.

btw has the manga ended, or was this end anime original?

[Shiroth]

What a fantastic ending. I'm completely satisfied with that last episode, especially knowing that we'll get two DVD only episodes next year which will cover events we didn't see from episode 20 and 21, which will be about Natsuno's side of the story.

Spoiler for Episode 22:

It could come across as rushed, though thankfully i didn't see that at all. Everything you expect to see in the finale happened, leaving no loose ends. Sure Seishin and Sunako leaving at the end was open, though you don't need to see what happens next with them. It's better then just leaving them in the fire, and wondering if they survived or not.

I've said countless times that Megumi shouldn't survive, though that doesn't mean i enjoyed what happened to her. How she was killed together with her dialogue was very heart destroying. For a second there i thought her Father was going to appear, though i'm glad he didn't. That would have been a bit much to handle.

Natsuno and Tatsumi was handled rather nicely. I actually really like the sudden end. Could have been more Natsuno, though we have the DVD only episodes for that.

Final thoughts will come later, though easily the best show of 2010, and one of the best from the past 10 years.

[Squarecrow]

Did not like that ending at all.

Spoiler:

Don't mind Seishin living but the loli should have be killed. Seishin's final speech was lame and where did he even get that cleaver? Ookawa took things a little too far but I really didn't want him to die. He was protecting everything he had ever known.

The village burning also sucked. I was hoping that the humans would finish off the shiki and be able to go back to their homes, not go around killing their loved ones and friends for absolutely nothing.

And RIP Natsuno. I really wanted him to live. I don't get why he was so suicidal, oh well.

[konart]

Originally Posted by ninja_pintu

Spoiler for final episode:

Well, the ending certainly wasn't satisfactory.
But episode was still awesome. Loved the exchange between Tatsumi and Natsuno. I have to say, I didn't really care about Natsuno much before, but after this episode he raised himself in my eyes. He pretty much said my feelings there. His end was pretty good too. I guess he doesn't just look cool
Sunako and the monk surviving just didn't feel right though(considering how brutal this series can be, I just don't see why they had to survive, not to mention it looked forced-_-). Sunako getting away with another jinrou just makes Natsuno's sacrifice look pretty pointless. Well I guess we can't have everything we want-_-

Said everything I wanted to. I just don't see why so many people keep saying that no one in Shiki is to blame since both Shiki and humans act to survive. Since when is killing many people and raising an army of undead is necessary for survival(Put this line in some character's description and you have your own generic villain ready). No matter how I see it, Sunako is the one at fault. She comes to a village and kills people, get those people to kill even more people just so that she can have her own village. Then she sings how she has to die because she chose to live. Yeah right!

Spoiler for final impressions:

So yeah, didn't end how I would have liked it to. Sunako surviving just ruined the fun for me. But the series was still fantastic. It's just amazing how solid execution can turn even a simple story into such a fun watch. Just proves how you don't need random and extreme plot twists to make an awesome series, how you execute what you have is the key. I just wish they had made the epilogue bigger. Anyhow end to a great series. Certainly a contender for best of the year.

btw has the manga ended, or was this end anime original?

Manga is still running, but you have to consider that it's an adaptation too.
PS: the original novels doesn't have Natsuno as one of lead characters though...

[moichispa]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

Spoiler for Ep22:

As for the old sake-merchant, he is the worst person in this show. I had to laugh when he gave his little speech about things that can be done and can't be done. Like beating on your son for no reason all the time, and being a generally brutal man? I guess that is okay. He horrified me from start to finish.

Spoiler for Ep22:

Yes, after he killed a human at the end of Episode 20

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

Spoiler for Ep22:

I loved the moral indeterminacy of the ending.

Spoiler for Ep22:

I loved that too. It was the thing I enyoed more of the entire series .

Spoiler for Ep22:

I have to say that The last scene with muroi in the car was perfect. It was an open ending but not a 2nd season possible one. (or I think that a second season would be stupid at this point)

[Manic]

Excellent anime. The ending could not have been better.

hmmm well i thought it was uttter crap. The 2 ppl who needed to die ended up surviving. The ending really didnt end anything since things are just going to continue since sunoko and now a twisted priest are still alive. Nats was the only one who turned that wasnt morally corrupted, but since he is assumed dead theres no one to combat the other 2 now. I say assumed cus you can never say for sure both are dead since off camera deaths are not conclusive, if they can show someones head being ran over with a tractor they could have shown 2 guys blowing up. I actually felt sorry for megumi a bit since she had one of the most horrific deaths along with toshio's wife. Was also a pitty she never saw nats again

As i said before i havent really liked this show since the 2nd half started, i thought the 1st have was vastly superior. I'd almost love to see a part 2 with Nats continued story.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by Lord Crow

Spoiler:

And RIP Natsuno. I really wanted him to live. I don't get why he was so suicidal, oh well.

Spoiler for Episode 22:

He did say in a past episode that he wanted to destroy all Shiki, including himself. If you keep that in mind, his actions in the last episode make perfect sense.

[onna-chan]

Spoiler for for final thoughts:

This series could have ended better, way better.. I hate that Megumi died and she never got to confront Natsuno. I'm glad the monk survived as well as Sunako and damned well tickled pink that, that scary mean bearded guy got what he deserved! I would've wanted to buy the series if Megumi survived, but fck that now.
The extra dvd eps, it would be fantastic if they played an alternative ending but I highly doubt that they will.
I couldn't even bear to watch the whole ep, I forwarded through a lot of it and my heart broke when it came to Megumi's death scene.

[maplehurry]

But anyways, it was fun watching the Shiki die. Well, they are already dead, sorry.
After all, absolutely no pity for them.

BECAUSE THEY ATTACKED FIRST!

Other than Natsuno and Rit-chan of course, and maybe Toshio's wife (though I really doubt she can resist the urge).

As far as I'm concerned, there's absolutely no moral equivalence between the shiki and the humans. The former deserved everything they got and more besides.

Other than Sunako's core group, all those shiki were former villagers. What this means is that, for the purpose of this show, the majority of the villagers would act just like them if they are in their positions.

[Zeroryoko1974]

The Saki shop owner learned a hard lesson. Never monologue in front of your enemy, it almost always means certain death

[Squarecrow]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

Spoiler for Episode 22:

He did say in a past episode that he wanted to destroy all Shiki, including himself. If you keep that in mind, his actions in the last episode make perfect sense.

Spoiler:

I know, but I was hoping that it was before he knew that a jinrou isn't like other shiki and can continue living as a normal human. Seems pointless to off yourself for being a shiki when you're really just a human that gets superpowers from drinking blood, which you don't need to survive.

[wandering-dreamer]

Spoiler for final thoughts, this could get long, hope it makes sense:

Well, contray to what most people here seem to think, I actually liked how the series ended, probably because there weren't any characters I especially wanted to die or survive.
And I thought that everyone's fates worked well within the story, the older people who were more attached to the village died and the village itself died out (I wasn't expecting the village itself to survive the end actually, just didn't think it was going to be wiped out due to the fire) and the younger people/those of those from out of town or those who wanted to leave the town were the ones who survived. Neither Toru or Rit-chan wanted to leave the village and they died, old beard guy gave a huge speech about the village and died and even Seishin, who didn't think he could leave the village, sorta died. Toshio seemed to care about the village less (to me he sounded angry that the vampires were killing "his village," not that they were killing off Sotoba, true he was cutting trees until the end but at that point I think he lost a few of his marbles and didn't want to admit defeat to the shiki by losing the village, not that he wanted to protect the village for the village's sake). Akira and Kaouri only came back to the village after Natsuno put them on the bus since they knew their relatives anyway and now they have to leave since both their parents are dead. Natsuno's dad was from outside the village and with his son and wife dead and I don't think he wants to stay, same for Masao's sister. And, since Seishin really isn't dead (and I really wasn't expecting him to die, even with all the changes made to the story he was the main character in the novels so this whole story is about his growth and change as a person, it just happened to come in the form of a vampire attack on his hometown), he was able to be "reborn" and leave behind his old self that was too scared to leave the village and too scared to die, so in that way it makes sense that he lived too. As for Sunako, I doubt Seishin would've lived if she hadn't and her life being in danger was what really caused Seishin to man up and choose how he wanted to live his life.

In addition to all of that, the story wouldn't have worked if either all the shiki or all the humans died in the end. If the Shiki all died then the humans "won" and vice versa if all the humans died, but I don't think that's what this story was about. It was about people discovering what lengths they will, or won't, go to to stay alive and in the end this was an encounter that will leave the humans and the shiki much more cautious in the future (and again, if Sunako, the ringleader, wasn't alive then that would take away from it.