Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Shiki 09-10: They're on to you


Oh my. Just when we thought our protagonists have the advantage of knowing the nature of the creatures they're up against, Shiki went and turn the tables against them. Ozaki's attempt to save the life of his patient, the gentle old lady Setsuko, is in vain as the vampires, led by the devious, overalls-wearing Tatsumi,  work together and attack the clinic, cutting off the electricity, knocking out Ozaki and eventually succeeding in snuffing out Setsuko's life. Also, we find out that it's not only Masao but basically all these villagers who have been turned retain their memories and sentiments from their previous life, which poses another interesting, albeit tried and tested, dilemma for our protagonists. The enemy isn't just a monster. He used to be human who still retain vital human sensibilities. What's more, he used to be your closest friend -- your mother, your father, your brother, your sister. Can you kill him? Natsuno finds out the answer to that...the hard way.

But then Shiki doesn't stop there as for the first time, the story reveals itself from the perspective of the vampires: Megumi who was turned as early as the first episode and still has a helpless crush on Natsuno, Nao who only wanted to be with her family any way she can even if it kills them, and Taro who was a nice guy in life and the same nice guy in his afterlife, but could he deny his nature? Could they all deny their nature? When their very existence depends on killing someone -- even somebody closest to them -- not to mention the political dynamics that govern their new lifestyle.

Ah, it's starting to unravel now and I'm very interested in what comes next.
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