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[Note: This review contains minor spoilers.]

To say that the vampire’s image is but a shadow of what it once was before the massive influx of “twilight vampires” would not be an inaccurate statement. Slowly but surely, vampire’s have turned from sexy, murderous beasts into little more than humans that sparkle with no fangs. However, there have been a few shows that have truly re-established the old dynasty and mystique of the vampires that people used to fear. I can confidently say that Shiki is one of these shows.

Shiki (or 屍鬼, if you prefer) is a suspense/horror show adapted from a novel that surrounds the town ... of Sotoba, a quiet town secluded away from the rest of the world. When a new family (known as the Kirishiki, ironically) moves in, people in the town mysteriously start getting sick, dying off, and otherwise disappearing when they shouldn’t. As the doctor of the town, Toshio Ozaki, begins to panic and look for a solution to the supposed mass outbreak of this ‘killer disease’, many of the other members of the town fear that something much more sinister than an epidemic is at hand. From here, we meet NatsunoYuuki, our main character who desperately searches for an answer as to why he keeps seeing a girl, Megumi Shimizu, who supposedly died. A Fair warning to those who do not like slow-paced stories: Shiki starts out very, very slow. The first 3-4 episodes are filled with the Exposition, and it can be tedious to watch, especially if you’re expecting something that hits the ground running, like Deathnote. Think Monster when watching this. The story moves to go at a slow, crushing pace, and each episode has eagerly had me awaiting the next as one mystery is solved, only for another to be introduced. Overall, the plot so far has kept me on the edge of my seat, and I can’t want to see the conclusion.

In terms of the characters, I would say they are the weakest aspect of Shiki. There are 20+ characters that play some important role in the show, and with a majority of them being introduced in the first couple episodes, it can often be hard to keep track of just who is who, or who they’re related to, or what exactly they’re trying to accomplish. Additionally, many of the characters are fairly two-dimensional. Natsuno is a typical male ‘ice-queen’ lead with a girl hopelessly in love with him, Seishin is a failure at life and completely useless (never seen that before), and there are many other characters that all act very predictably throughout the series. Not that this is a bad thing, as you can sometimes feel yourself rooting for a character to (not) do something, and yet they do it anyways. However, none of the characters seem very memorable aside from the insane (literally) Toshio, who I greatly enjoy watching.

As if a complete opposite, the music is one of the higher points in the show. The first OP, "Kuchizuke" (くちづけ) by Buck-Tick, is one of the better openings I’ve heard, and the lyrics are quite relevant to the show. The second OP, "Calendula Requiem" by kanon x kanon, is also an excellent opening, but weaker than the first. Neither of the ED’s are especially good, although they give off a nice ‘evil’ feeling for the end of the episodes.. The background music is fairly well done, and the strange, melodic chorus’ that Shiki features add a lot of depth to some of the scenes. While the music isn’t especially top notch, it makes sense, although I still would have preferred something a bit more involved with an orchestra.

The animation seems to fall in the middle of the pack. It’s not great, but it’s not terrible either. There have been a few times when I’ve noticed the animation getting a bit jittery, however there are not many action-packed or frame intensive scenes in the show, so it hasn’t really been a problem so far. The character designs also seem to be just okay (personally, I despise the long, lanky characters, but I know that many people enjoy them.) On the whole they aren’t inherently bad, and they fit the style that Shiki was aiming for. One thing that was very impressive were the eye designs. They range from interesting to downright creepy, and they make watching the show just that much more enjoyable. They’re also a key plot element, so pay attention.

While the show isn’t completed yet – Shiki is a very strong show based on the 17 episodes that have aired so far. If it keeps up the way it has been (and I plan to update this review when it finishes) Shiki may just be the best suspense show I’ve ever seen. It certainly rivals the ‘big’ suspense shows such as Deathnote and Monster, and I am eagerly awaiting the conclusion of this show, as it’s been one hell of a ride so far.

[To the Reviewers that didn’t find this helpful (or even if you did find it helpful) – feel free to drop a comment on my profile suggesting anything that I could improve upon.]