Shiki

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.

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.

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..

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

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.