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| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
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| Buy | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 10 |
 Silence
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[series:2308#2939] |
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Who is right, the predator or the prey? That is the ultimate question that this series leaves us with. Shiki starts off rather effectively as a horror show, quickly establishing our fear and hatred for the shiki. They lurk in the shadows, using hypnosis and your friends and family to get to you. However, in the second half, the show starts to question this mentality. It started with Ozaki's experiment on his wife. It extended to the murder of the people who are still alive. It ends with complete sadism in some people. It almost seems that the shiki are nobler: they feed those who do not want to hunt; some of their relations are based on respect, not power. Their wish is very simple, to have a home safe from the scorn and destruction of humans. So who is right? Shiki is a very thought-provoking show, and its development is extremely intriguing, capturing my full attention every step of the way. Its music is hauntingly beautiful. The wide range of characters are realistic and interesting. However, there are some threads that are left hanging, and certain events that are not explained. Though they are not extremely important, these loose threads are very noticeable. Other than that, Shiki is a very high quality show, belonging to a rare breed of intellectually stimulating shows. Last updated Friday, August 05 2011. Created Friday, August 05 2011. | ||||||||
| Buy | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 |
 Ggultra2764
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[series:2308#1552] |
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This was quite the horrific little treat. Shiki started off as a mystery-suspense title for its first half slowly unraveling the true nature of the so-called "epidemic" killing off the town's population. The show drops a number of hints alluding to the exact nature of the threat faced in the town implying it may not be as mundane as one would think. Also during this time, the series introduces a number of various characters living in the village. The show give enough sense of the types of characters that these people are and some even having their own personal issues that are explored. These characters are either infected with or have family members that become afflicted with the so-called epidemic. This helps enhance the personal connection viewers have with the villagers as they struggle through the first half of the series. The second half of Shiki is where the show gets to its most intense moments. The truth behind the epidemic is now known to a few of the show's prominent characters and the show turns into a game of survival where those knowing of this truth are trying to convince the villagers of the reality of the threat and those responsible are trying to kill them off. Eventually, the survival focus also mixes in some ambiguous morality to the justifications of both sides in the matter regarding how far they go with their self-preservation. Those responsible for the "epidemic" get their characters focused on in the second half as well which leads to Shiki not being a simple tale of "good vs evil". It is a story that forces the viewer to decide for themselves who was really justified in their actions as they have both their positives and negatives between killing for self-preservation or killing indiscriminately. The visuals of the series are clean and polished with a good amount of visual detail. Color brightness does do well at reflecting settings and the nature of events surrounding characters within the series. Character designs are varied with the villagers appearing normal enough in most instances (other than the hairstyles of some characters like Natsuno and Kaori) and those responsible for the issues in the villages with some flamboyant and revealing attire. The presentation to Shiki isn't all perfect. The ending episodes appeared to rush their pacing at points as they left the fates of some characters hanging and never bothered exploring how they managed to overcome their situations when they later appear and details on some elements to the series like character thoughts and aspects to the supernatural element of the series. Plus, I did feel at points that the show's insert music was a bit too overwhelming in emphasizing the dramatic situations faced by characters throughout this series. Beyond these minor issues, I did greatly enjoy Shiki thanks to the slow buildup of its first half exploring its characters and revealing bit by bit the reality of the town's situation which eventually turns into a moralistic story of survival. I can easily declare this series to be one of my personal favorites for this year. Last updated Thursday, December 30 2010. Created Thursday, December 30 2010. | ||||||||
| Unevaluated | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
 21
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[series:2308#3223] | ||
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(Eight episodes watched) Eyes and Hair the anime! A very interesting title, I recommend everyone check out at least the first episode. I was a bit bored by the middle of it but the end really paid off. The series has been improving ever since. The characters in this series are very strange. Most of them aren't particularly likable in my opinion and they look weird (especially the eyes), but the series still interests me in spite of this. The doctor character is very interesting in contrast, and hopefully the series will continue focusing on him. The OP is groovy and the ED is okay. I haven't really noticed any other music so far. Episode 7: A lot of things were revealed. I'm not so happy with Masao getting more airtime but oh well. Episode 8: The characters are realizing what's going on. I'm not so happy the doctor didn't get any airtime but oh well. Last updated Saturday, August 28 2010. Created Monday, August 02 2010. | ||||||||
Other Sites
| Name | URL |
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| Japanese Series Web Site | http://www.okiagari.net/ |
