“Halloween” Anime Review: Shiki

Death takes hold of the rural village of Sotoba in “Shiki,” a Japanese anime series in which Dr. Ozaki Toshio, the director of Sotoba’s clinic, and 15-year-old Koide Natsuno struggle to track down the origins of a mysterious disease that is taking the lives of Sotoba citizens.

Sotoba is  “the village surrounded by death” because the trees that grow around the village are used to create grave markers.

Natsuno has moved to Sotoba with his city-born parents. Accustomed to the urban life where people often do not know much about others, Natsuno adapts poorly to the inquiring looks of village elders and the romantic advances of Shimizu Megumi, a self-centered, pop culture-loving girl who wants to attend college in Tokyo.

After Megumi dies suddenly, Dr. Toshio is called in but cannot perform an autopsy. Toshio suspects that anemia has taken Megumi’s life, but lab results from Megumi’s blood test do not add up.

Shortly after Megumi’s passing, the death toll in the village begins to climb, alarming Toshio and the clinic employees, who believe that Sotoba is facing an epidemic.

Natsuno believes otherwise.

Along with Megumi’s childhood friend Kaori and her little brother Akira, Natsuno notices that the bizarre deaths in the village coincide with the arrival of the Kirishiki family who live in a Western-styled castle on the outskirts of Sotoba. Kaori mentions that Megumi started showing symptoms after returning from visiting the Kirishiki estate and meeting the matriarch of the household.

Natsuno is also tormented by nightmares of Megumi. Instead of the sassy classmate he grew to tolerate, Megumi is pale and her eyes are completely black with red rings where her irises should be.

Meanwhile, Toshio’s companion Muroi Seishin, a monk and novelist who serves at the Sotoba shrine, befriends Sunako, the daughter of the Kirishikis who suffers from a sickness that prevents her from traveling in the daytime.

As Toshio and Natsuno desperately search for answers, Seishin, after observing how Sunako behaves and listening to her jaw-dropping philosophies that should not be known at her age, concludes that Sunako and her family are “okigari,” or “shiki,” walking human corpses that drink human blood for sustenance.

The battle against the supernatural force that is tightening its grip on the humans living in Sotoba grows as Toshio refuses to allow the “shiki” to overrun his village. He decides to take drastic measures to eradicate the source of death and the origin of the epidemic.

“Shiki” is a heart-stopping and horrific anime series that deserves a spot on everyone’s Halloween show playlist. With unsettling imagery and a sense of foreboding throughout, the show will have horror fans shifting in their seats and closing their eyes in fear. Along with its scare factor, the series will have viewers questioning the concept of coexistence and pondering over what is truly needed for survival.  

“Shiki” is recommended for mature audiences for grotesque imagery and brutal violence, especially near the end of the series. Those who are faint of heart, easily frightened or put off by violence should refrain from viewing the series.

The show can be found on Hulu and Funimation.com.