Review of Shiki

Alright this is my first review. I would first like to say that I had different expectations from Shiki. I started watching this anime knowing nothing more than the sypnosis written, and was expecting epic guns-blazing demon-exorcising action. But I did not get any of that. The first few episodes dissapointed me as there is literally no action going on, and then it soon dawned upon me that this is a dark mystery genre of anime. Shiki starts out slowly(snail's pace until episode 7 or so) and the first few episodes were almost identical to me. There was nothing exciting going on other than the mysterious deathsthat happen frequently. Just when i was about to give up...BAM the anime starts heating up and I was suddenly pulled into the distorted world of Shiki.

I think that this is a very unique anime and is unlike other vampire animes I have seen. It focuses more on the human emotion and ethicity, from both the humans and the Shikis side. Should I kill others to survive myself? Is killing humans a sin as a Shiki? Can I ever enjoy a pink-frosted chuncky chocolate donut? Yes, serious dilemmas surfaces and it is just interesing to see what horrible choices the characters 'chooses'. I found myself constantly associating Shiki with Higurashi, due to the smiliar setting and the genre of dark mystery and gore. Though I don't think it compares to Higurashi, it certainly holds its own charms.

Story: 8
Now I wouldn't say that the story is amazingly original, because I'm sure we have all seen such scenarios where a isolated village gets terrorised by monsters. However, what differs this from other typical storyline are the characters.

Characters: 9
The regular Shiki, or vampire or walking dead are not like the ones we see in movies. They don't mindlessly feed on humans. Instead, they have the exact same personality and emotion when they were human and this is transfered to the Shiki persona, which is what makes Shiki interesting. Honestly, I cannot give a damn to most human characters. They just strike me as boring, with the exception of the doctor. The real main characters, in my opinion, are the Shikis as the portrayal of the Shikis bring life to the anime.

Art: 9
Just stunningly beautiful, and when the main hero Yuuki looks like the same hero from a Shonen Ai manga, you know the art is good. Just kidding, but seriously, the village is very detailed and the lighting in the day and the night differs tremendously, displaying different moods so you can really be absorbed into the anime.

Sound: 8
To be honest, I was not really paying attention to the background music, and the OPs and EDs aren't exactly my type of music, but i guess the use of silence to create suspense is pretty masterful in this anime

Enjoyment:8
HELL YEA-...well I guess I enjoyed it mostly even though the ending is a cliffhanger and it makes me mad that they did not give a proper ending to satusfy the viewers. Even though Specials Episodes were made, it only serves to explain certain events, but not all, and I feel a little bit cheated out of the experience. However, I did enjoy all the suspense created and the good ol' bloodfest.

Overall:8
Shiki is the kind of anime you would watch for five minutes and wonder "Did that just seriously happen? It delivers all its 'messages' well and at the end of the anime, you will feel that you have learnt something and come to understand the drastic changes in almost all the characters. And I just like a good gorefest and Shiki gives it to me rather excessively.Everything is refined and leaves the viewers wanting more.

In conclusion, if you think you can stomach some blood,(who am I kidding, I'm talking tons of blood, heck I wouldn't be surprise if the amount of blood fills a swimming pool) and just loves mystery and suspense genre of anime with beautiful art, then watch Shiki. If you can withstand its slow takeoff,you will find yourself immersed in the world of Shiki in no time.

Warning: If you had just watched a straight-up full-blown comedy like Gintama or Baka to Test, DO NOT watch Shiki. You may not handle the rough transition from laughs to screams. Well,enjoy it anyway :)