“When you became isolated from the world, you were excluded from God’s jurisdiction at the same time.”

Shiki is a show with many faces, wearing comedy, horror and drama on its sleeve simultaneously. After all, in what other show would you have a person speaking candidly about fears of their own demise while dressing like a member of a glam rock band? However, any and all of these facets are subsumed by its central message that it will stop at nothing for the viewer to internalize deeply: When one is refused even the paltriest recognition of agency by a society, what are they to do?

Shiki is one of the best psychological horrors that exist in the medium of anime. Tinged with an air of mystery that is punctuated by the activities of both Natsuno Yuuki and Toshio Ozaki, the lingering uneasiness that builds throughout every episode is unparalleled. Of course, a story about vampires is nothing new, but the methodical way with which Sotoba palpably begins to decline, further demonstrated in the excellent OVAs to the show, under the gradual weight of an increasing vampire population, really brings home the deprivation that the village folk are forced to contend with and ultimately demonstrate the source of the ensuing cruelty.

Despite being a limited production, Shiki is oozing with personality that is accentuated through the creativity of the team led by series director Tetsurou Amino. Sotoba is a sleepy town in rural Japan, and yet through the constant motioning to distinct areas throughout the village, as well as a story that does not hesitate in showcasing the lives of the various families that live throughout the rural area, the viewer feels an intrinsic connection to the people of the show, and thereby an attached sentiment of empathy for their plight, as well as horror for how they choose to resolve it. Also, the directing of the show makes up for any shortfalls in its productions, with incredibly expressive color design and shots with an uncomfortable or eerie focus that serve to unsettle the viewer.

One of the more remarkable aspects of this show is the lack of reticence in showcasing wanton violence and cruelty. Ultimately, when the people of Sotoba choose to fight back against the vampires, they do not hesitate in rapidly dehumanizing them to justify their actions. In a manner akin to a pogrom, the people of Sotoba transform into monsters, with their dragging screaming vampire women and children with ropes from their hiding places before silencing them with a stake, taunting them all the while. In bringing about a deep sense of familiarity of loss with the people of Sotoba, the utter devastation wrought by these people makes the viewer question whether their preconceived notions of justice are correct, or whether the vampires and humans, who ultimately are just trying to survive, could have been solved in a more amicable way.

More than anything else, what is most frightening and revelatory about Shiki is its ability to show the depravity of the human spirit. The events of Shiki are fundamentally predicated on a mistrust of any group that differs from the ingroup, and the resulting paranoia, refusal to engage, and subsequent commitment to violent action only serve to further sever any ties that could be made. In an era where vilification of any strange minority group can be transmitted instantaneously across machines the whole world over, it is prescient that we look back a decade at the caution that Shiki throws our way and learn to accept, rather than fear.