Forum - View topicREVIEW: Shiki LE Blu-Ray + DVD 1
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mpg13
 Posts: 61 |
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I really enjoyed this show. I watched it online and bought it when it became available. I can't comment on the dub as I've only watched the subbed version.
I'm curious that you didn't review the whole show as it's been out for a while now. |
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dragonrider_cody
Posts: 2541 |
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I have only watched the first half so far and I'm not sold on it yet. The story line is very cliched and predictable, as are most of the characters. It's not terrible; just not very original or interesting. I hear the second half gets much better, so I will likely check it out at some point in the future.
I can say the dub was pretty solid. It was well cast and the actors did pretty well overall. I'm usually not a fan of Funi's dubs, primarily due to their inconsistent casting, but Shiki didn't have those issues. My only small complaint were some issues with the pronunciation of some medical terms. They were really mispronunciations, but it's pretty funny when you hear a Texas VA using a proper (British) English pronunciation for a word with a non-British accent, especially when 95% of the American medical community pronounces them differently. They certainly weren't incorrect, but if you have a medical background, it made for some inappropriately funny moments. |
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Surrender Artist
 Posts: 3264 Location: Pennsylvania, USA |
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This series seems very promising. I can easily get past oddball design and I like slower stories, although it depends upon the reason; the ones described in this review do give me pause.
I'm not usually one to fret over the scores, but were the overall Sub and Dub scores reversed? As it stands, the Dub is B overall and the Sub B-, which seems at odds with the text describe the English cast as getting it, "almost right." Last edited by Surrender Artist on Tue Jul 03, 2012 9:51 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Jaymie
Posts: 915 |
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This is a perfect description of why Shiki is such an amazing series. I would also recommend Another, which was written by the husband of Shiki's author and then adapted into a manga/Anime duo just like Shiki was. |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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Don't worry, relax. I know what you're thinking but as much as I hate Shiki I'm not going to derail this thread. Besides, all of the discussion I want to talk about really belongs in a discussion thread for the second half of the show, heh heh heh.
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shamisen the great
 Posts: 658 Location: Oregon, USA |
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I only just finished this show. I think it's one of the better anime of recent years that I have seen. Maybe some of the elements in it weren't completely original, but the overall presentation felt fresh. One of the only complaints I have is with how the end played out. That discussion can wait until the review of part two though.
Also, I love the first opening song(the second OP is okay, but isn't as over the top awesome as the first). |
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Animegomaniac
Posts: 4159 |
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My only complaint with Shiki is how the creators messed with Vampire rules or basic lore or however you want to consider fictional mythological concepts. That is, they're doubly not real yet still somehow everyone knows what they are. Weird. Anyway...
spoiler[1 Vampires only turning victims into other vampires or not when its benefical to the plot. It's narratatively weak. 2 Super vampires! Yeah, when your Renfield should be your Dracula, you've got problems. But I have to admit that it's very Japanese in both what it represents and how its used. 3 Vampires come to the only town in Japan where they bury their dead - and they bring their own shovels. In Salem's Lot, the vampires did the same thing only they didn't bring shovels. They didn't need them. Why? 'Cause they're vampires. I guess Shiki don't like getting their fingernails dirty.] But as Shiki are Shiki and Vampires are Vampires, I'll let fictional monsters be fictional monsters. My biggest complaint with the review? I loved the hair, wouldn't change it. |
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ElectricDork
Posts: 73 |
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I own the first BD + DVD set and have watched up until episode 12. I'm not sure I'll be going any further.
Trouble is, I'm not feeling the oft-mentioned sense of dread, nor much atmosphere at all for that matter. Shiki was intriguing at first, when there was still a certain air of mystery, but then characters I didn't care about kept getting offed and the most visible antagonist in these first 12 episodes is just too goofy looking to carry any real menace. Without atmosphere or any real scares to speak of (and no, Shiki slowly descending from trees or floating at windows does not make me crap myself), all I'm left with is a show that feels oddly-paced and, well, a bit boring. The stiff character movement hardly helps either, brutally diffusing what little tension the show is able to build. At least the ridiculously OTT Masao, who managed to stink up every scene he was in and whose voice in both languages was like nails on a chalkboard, didn't stick around for too long. But I fear the show hasn't seen the last of him... |
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pachy_boy
Posts: 1341 |
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I think I've said this before, but I'll mention it one last time. Carlo has provided great reasons for the slow pacing, but I think it's something else as well. Aside from the over-the-top hair designs, which I can definitely agree are over the top, I think Shiki was meant to be a realistic approach to how people within a small village would deal with a vampire problem. The real point as to why it takes everyone so long to get around to the idea of vampires is because--IF this happened in a real life, in the real world, would any sane person automatically and easily think that vampires are the cause? Shiki may be a fictional series, but why do all fictional series have to have the exact same treatment just because it's fictional? Wouldn't that make it just as cliched? If anything, when one of the lead characters finally does get the idea, it may have all started happening just a little too fast, but then again it would've made things too much longer than they needed to. I was surprised at how much I liked this show. I liked the pacing, the buildup, the ensemble cast of characters with all their own stories. I also like how some of the characters, the women especially, have more "realistic"-looking physiques, like some of the nurses, which we just don't see often enough in Anime. There are other reasons to like it, but since they pertain to the second half I guess I'll save these quick comments for the next review. |
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Maidenoftheredhand
 Posts: 2634 |
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After initially being wary of it I though Shiki turned into a pretty good series. I did think the direction at the end was too over the top but the build up & atmosphere of the series was great.
I am honestly sick of vampires in fiction but I liked that Shiki brought back the "horror" aspect to vampires. Have not bought the series yet but I plan to. |
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The Human Spider
Posts: 334 |
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I thought that was one of the best things about it; it's great how it brought back the association of vampires with fears of plague. The thing I really loved about SHIKI was it was basically a pure traditional horror show, which is pretty rare in anime. |
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prime_pm
 Posts: 2372 Location: Your Mother's Bedroom |
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This Japanese Salem's Lot creeped the shit out of me. Or at least the manga did. Yet to see the anime, just the first episode.
Not gonna lie, the animation feels a little obtuse. Out of place somehow. |
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Anime_Otaku35
 Posts: 74 Location: USA |
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I really liked the show, and I am happy to have it on my shelf. However, the early episodes seemed really similar to Salem's Lot to me.
That's funny, you posted this while I was typing up my post. 
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TarsTarkas
 Posts: 5936 Location: Virginia, United States |
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An enjoyable take on the vampire mythos. Worth watching.
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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I don't know that I'd call this a fantastic show but so far (I'm maybe 2/3 through) it is a pretty solid show. I'm certainly enjoying it.
In regards to the character designs: I actually like the designs themselves. However, I don't think they work for this particular show. These same designs could have worked I think in a different show with a different mood and a different overall look but they don't really fit with the rest of what this show is doing. The village itself, and a lot of the side characters, have a very simple, realistic look. Hence, it looks especially strange to see the handful of main characters with their really odd, extravagant appearances. It really doesn't mesh. |
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