Shiki

The premise of the story is intriguing and rather refreshing. The story has a certain draw to it that kept me reading chapter after chapter. Unfortunately, the characters destroy any suspension of disbelief I had. It’s been a while since I’ve encountered such an entirely retarded cast of characters. I feel the story could have ended in 10 chapters if only the characters had a minimal IQ of 80. The characters are rather bland with limited development, but not completely uninteresting. For example, the bond between Natsuno and Tooru was fun to read about. It’s a tragedy that it wasn’t further explored though. Somany characters were introduced, then killed off without elaboration that 95% o f the cast was forgettable. The main characters suffer an overabundance of tropes and lack depth. The art is passable, but won’t win any awards/ At times, the characters’ bodies are so elongated that you wonder if the artist drew this while laying down. Overall the manga felt shallow and predictable with a few redeeming qualities. 6/10

The Host. The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The Lord of the Flies. Take all these three novels/movies, twist it to make it darker and more complex, and there you have it. The manga, Shiki, is born. Story: 8 The plot itself isn't very original. However, what makes Shiki unique is the flow of the story and its characters. The beginning starts out a little slow in order to add suspense and mystery to the story. However, mystery isn't one the strongest point of this manga. What is truly amazing is how the chapters are often told in various perspectives. The chapters aren't necessarily episodic, butevery few chapters or so are told in the perspective of one of the supporting characters. This helps add definition to the characters and allows the readers to understand the characters more and what they are going through. Although the general plot may seem simplistic at a glance, Shiki is much more complex. Readers will be astonished at how dark and primitive human nature can be, how fragile humans are as they begin to de-evolve, and how complex "good" and "bad" really are. The lines between good and evil, right and wrong are blurred within Shiki and readers are left wondering, who is truly "right" in the end...if there is one. The ending is generally satisfying as there are no plot holes or mysteries left unsolved. Nevertheless, the survival and deaths of certain characters will undoubtedly upset readers who felt close to those characters. Art: 7 The art is fairly unique and actually quite fitting for this type of horror story. The fact that the colors used are generally black, white, and gray contribute to how terrifying the situation is within the village. The mangaka successfully added to the mood of this story with his art. The style adds quite a haunting effect to the story. The backgrounds are realistic, whereas the character designs are more memorable. The shading and the backgrounds flow together to bring focus onto the characters. The way the characters look and how they are dressed are used to bring attention to their personalities and their reactions to their current situation. Readers will find that how the characters look fit perfectly to how they act. Each character looks unique and memorable in their own way so that readers won't have any trouble confusing one of them with another. Character: 8 All the members of the village will be introduced at the beginning of the story. The numerous characters introduced will bewilder and confuse the reader at first, but soon the major characters will come into play and the confusion will dissipate. The main characters and many of the supporting characters have detailed personalities and the chapters that revolve around the supporting characters help create definition to those characters. Given their situation, the characters acted realistically. The various responses from the villagers to their situation reveal how people will act in many different ways, depending on who they are and how their personalities were developed. The antagonists were also given depth as their backgrounds and motivations were explored in the later chapters. In general, the characters were well made and overall memorable. Enjoyment: 9 Many readers will find the beginning slow and slightly tiresome, but as they continue to read Shiki and unravel the mystery, action and trouble are discovered and readers will not be disappointed to have read Shiki. Personally, I enjoyed this series because of the depth in the plot, the character development, and the exploration of human nature in this manga. The complexity of Shiki will definitely have readers remembering it in the future and the topics on human nature involved in the plot would make a good discussion among readers. Overall: 8/9 Shiki is a wonderful manga that will leave readers reflecting on human nature and good vs. evil for hours on end. There is absolutely no doubt that those who have read Shiki will enjoy it and want to recommend it to others.

Shiki is a great manga because it keeps the stakes personal. A series of deaths occur in a small traditional japanese village, Sotoba, and it all started after a certain family inhabited an abandoned mansion, it turns out they are vampires. It's a bit slow paced at the beginning, because of its focus on world building, but the mistery is ever present, and pays off in the end. The struggle of the village is all the more enjoyable because of its small scale, we get to know everyone and every nook and cranny (with details about the national road, the temples, houses) and we are moreinvested in the story because of that. Another great aspect it achieves, is the suspense in which it slowly builds upon, the bigger picture is never clear and as the story progresses, every character intertwines and the conflict tightens. It brings up numerous memorable and shocking scenes and leaves no plot points loose. The diverse personalities of the characters responding to the terror in different ways makes it all interesting. We have two factions, the villagers who try to understand what is happening, trying to survive; and the Shiki, a group of undead who are responsible for the misery of the vilage, and we care about the fight that happens with both, who will survive and be the dominant species. Human nature is a constant theme, the fear of not being the dominant species and the struggle for survival, keeps us questioning who is truly achieving the right thing. The art conveys the story in an unique and haunting way. I struggled to enjoy it and didn't find me staring at a page admiring the drawings, just finished reading and went to the next page. But it sets the atmosphere and suits the horror theme. The lack of detail is made up for with the shading and facial expressions (you truly feel their fear and discomfort). All the characters have exaggerated traits that keep them unique and memorable. I was not expecting to be so engaged, and was quite surprised about how it told a classic concept such as vampires, the events are well thought out and are so intriguing, plus you are fully invested in the characters, their fate, and the fate of the village that you keep on reading.

Man, this is my favorite manga of all time. It is by far not the best written, the most insightful, nor the best drawn. However, it is the only manga that has duped me before I dumped it, and it is also the manga of my favorite character and my most hated character! Now I must confess, I don't really feel anything when I read. I can tear up a little at sad parts and laugh at funny parts, but it's not powerful emotion. Even in Berserk, at the betrayal's climax, I was like, "meh, this dude is so ungrateful." But boy, oh boy, Shiki isbrilliant. Fuckin' awesome. I felt elation. I felt rage! The story takes you on a journey, through stupidity, to imminent extinction due to stupidity, to the most satisfying death I've ever read about, then to a fuckin' party, then at the finale, to the greatest betrayal--of the author, against you. And you never would have seen it coming, unless you actually stopped and thought about the symbolism but no one does at gory! action! death! scenes, so you can't even chuck the book away before the author nabs you. Because it ends right there. Anyways, I don't really think it's spoilers to go ahead and say I'm a die-hard Toshio fan, and sometimes I surprise myself with my unfounded vicious hate of the Shiki. Then, I have to step back and think, hmmm, why do we have such great potential for cruelty and disgust? What about fear robs us of our compassion, our reason, our apathy? And then I reflect upon myself...but not really 'cause Toshio is my favorite character w00t Abraham Lincoln, vampire slayer