Great TV While High: Shiki

I’ve got another awesome show for anime loving weedists. Shiki is by far one of the best depictions of vampires (shiki) I have ever seen in any fantasy universe — so if you’re into the vampire scene you’re in for a treat.

The show is adapted from a horror novel by Japanese author Fuyumi Ono. The novel was later rewritten and adapted as a manga series illustrated by Ryu Fujisaki, and then finally adapted into an anime by Daume which began broadcasting on July 8, 2010 on Fuji Television.

Shiki is a series about the inhabitants of Sotoba, a small isolated village in Japan, and the mysterious family who move in to the long abandoned Kanemasa mansion on a hill overlooking the village. A series of deaths begins occurring in the village, which coincidentally coincides with the strange family moving there.

Doctor Toshio Ozaki, the head doctor and director of the villages only hospital, first fears the deaths are a result of a new epidemic disease. But as more and more deaths stack up and superstitions arise among some of the villagers, he becomes convinced the deaths are murders committed by shiki — vampire-like beings who feast on the blood of the living until they eventually die (shiki can be translated as ‘corpse demon’ or ‘death spirit’).

A young student named Natsuno Yuuki, who moved to the village also becomes suspicious and learns of the shiki’s presence in the village.

Shiki has a dreamlike quality and mystical elements that will transport you into the show. The music in the show does a great job at conveying a dark and mysterious atmosphere and the opening theme song is just awesome.

This is definitely not a simple show to watch when you’re just in the mood to turn off your brain (although I’m sure it works for that too). The show deals with important moral dilemmas such as whether it is wrong to eat other beings to survive and the equality all face in death.

“Death is terrible for anyone. Young or old, good or evil, it’s all the same. Death is impartial. There is no especially terrible death. That’s why death is so fearsome. Your deeds, your age, your personality, your wealth, your beauty: they are all meaningless in the face of death.”

What I particularly enjoy about the series is the humanization of the vampires, who are depicted as only hunting humans to survive and wanting a place of their own they can dwell in peace. Many of the shiki in the show regret that they must feast on others, but they are overcome by hunger and must drink blood to survive. If you are up for a dark vampire mystery series with awesome artwork that deals with various moral dilemmas, I’d really recommend packing a bowl and giving Shiki a watch.