This episode wrapped up the stories of some of the side characters of this series. None of the main characters made any appearance, and I can understand why it was cut for the sake of the TV-series’ main characters. Yet, it’s great to see this part animated and that the creators somehow managed to find a way to squeeze this in, because this episode once again was just amazing.
One of the strengths of Shiki was that it didn’t just make its main characters come alive: it did this with the whole village. It’s because of that that this episode worked so well; they even introduced a new central character whose context in the series only makes it even richer. With the Awesome Beard Guy out of the way, the squadron that hunts down the remaining Shiki all have their own way in which they go on their rampage.
On top of that, the blue haired Shiki also received an amazing end. It’s especially her development that works well here, especially considering how she used to be one of the major side villains in the first half of the series. She completely changed now that none of her family members ended up rising back up.
Rating: *** (Awesome)
OK, I haven’t seen the show yet, but plan to do so soon (after the exams…).
Question: Should I see this between ep. 20 and 21 or will that break the flow of the original series?
Wow…This held even more impact than in the manga! I felt so many emotions from the Shikis’ end: I especially felt (and by the end, loved) it from the human couple’s focus too having to be involved in this.
@darkerthanblackswordsman
Answer: Shiki is a very atmospheric anime that uses a lot of buildup with a dramatic payoff in its finale.
I would say that watching this in between episode that is placed near the end of the series would spoil much of the earlier build up and would make the story have less impact on its audience.
@darkerthanblackswordsman
This episode, episode 20.5, takes place during the first half of episode 20. Watching it before episode 21 spoils nothing.
While true that it doesn’t spoil anything by watching it betwen 20/21, it did have a different feel and atmosphere than the last block of Shiki episodes when it all hit the fan.
I think that it’s much calmer (though still on the tragic theme) and heightened sentimentality could be to the detriment of the power of the last 5-or-so episodes that were just a stunning payload for the preceding series-long buildup.
This might have been the best single episode of Shiki for me. Having marathoned the series over the last two days, I just had to stop watching after this; I was too choked up, and had to take time to collect myself afterwards. It takes two relatively minor figures (well, Blue-Haired Shiki had been marginalised, and the Cafe Guy had never been prominent)and gave them both arguably the most thorough and focused character development of the series. At the same time, it pretty much refutes the argument that the humans don’t go to far at the end of the series, and that the Shiki just get what’s coming to them. The ‘resolution’ of Cafe Guy’s arc shows just how detached from their humanity the other humans have become.
If anything, I found the following episodes a bit of a letdown after this one. Still extremely good in their rush to the inevitable conclusion, just never as finely honed, disturbing, and heart-wrenching…