Shiki simulwatch [RS] (15th September)

[Lordhippos]

Heh you're too kind and have to remember that I've seen this before. Though I do try and re-watch by removing hindsight bias as much as possible which is very conveniently helped but the fact that I do forget most of the finer plot points of what I've seen

How long has it been since the last time you saw it out of interest? if it's been a few years then I often forget a lot of the events as well

Well, let's just stick to human madness in this work of fiction in the upcoming & very anticipated episodes (I bet the wacky hairstyles all seem perfectly normal now eh?).

I did quite like the art style of the show in general, the wacky designs go well with the themes.

Episode 19 will be posted later this evening

 

[Geriatric hedgehog]

Heh I really didn't like the wacky art styles initially, Sunako's notwithstanding as I think her's is spot on, and was expecting something much more bleak. But they do fit with the show as it varies from the required comedic interludes to the downright scary & terrifying horror. So yeah, I concur that they do work well for the show overall despite initial reservations.

I last saw it a couple of years back so long enough to forget the finer plot intricacies I guess heh. Looking forward to the next episode also and hoping I don't miss it as a result of the TV is being hogged till late!!

 

[Lordhippos]

Episode 19

So we have the village rising up against the threat in the first serious way. Good to see most of them were on board with taking the fight to the vamps.

The kind of tragic end to gourmet-vamp, but she wasn't exactly best known for treating the villagers well

I wasn't sure how the priest would operate in the big house, but from the looks of him, he has made a bit of a snack of himself. His father is nowhere to be seen. It would probably be a stretch to say that he went there so he could get closer to Sunako in order to kill her. To me it feels a little more like he has decided to join the vamp cause.

Doc was almost too upfront about how he committed war crime levels of experiments on his own wife, there is such a thing as being too honest!

Megumi really showing Masao who is boss, I loved the way she switched up from being bad-ass smack down talker, to yandere "yuuuukkkii"

Good on you Ritsu for sticking to your principals, although it's still early yet, I hope she doesn't succumb to the hunger and kill the other nurse.

gournet-vamps husband is not best pleased, and he is one of the few pieces they have that can move about in the daytime, he is also pretty handy with that sniper rifle from what we've seen so far, I would not rule him out from causing some serious mayhem.

Poor Kaori, having to bash her own father in the head. Megumi may well indeed be coming, I think these two are going to have a show-down before the series is out.

We end the episode on a proactive note, taking out the trash, so to speak. I don't think the vamps will fold so easily. Neko-boy is out and about and he's been fed, and let's not forget the sniper. In the terms of a battle, the humans have the day, but the vampires rule the night.

Heh I really didn't like the wacky art styles initially, Sunako's notwithstanding as I think her's is spot on, and was expecting something much more bleak. But they do fit with the show as it varies from the required comedic interludes to the downright scary & terrifying horror. So yeah, I concur that they do work well for the show overall despite initial reservations.

Not just the art but I also quite like the music choices, the background stuff is the right level of eerie. I don't really find the show scary at all as horrors go, but it does have an eerie atmosphere to it

 

[Geriatric hedgehog]

Sorry dude, will be combining the next two episodes tomorrow evening hopefully so be back with my take on them then.

 

[Lordhippos]

Sorry dude, will be combining the next two episodes tomorrow evening hopefully so be back with my take on them then.

Absolutely no problem at all sir!

Hell I've done that a couple of times when other stuff got in the way hehe. Take it easy and we shall catch up tomorrow!

 

[Lordhippos]

Episode 20

So we're going floor-to-floor looking for vamps

Docs mother is dead, he didn't really seem that bothered, maybe he organised the hit!

Gotta hand it to the liquor store dude, he leads by example, staking his own son is not something a lot of people can do.

The count dudes reason for siding with the shiki is a bit weird, because he wants to victimise people? Good on Yuuki for stopping him, but we don't see if he gets shot at the end or not.

Sunako is an interesting one, she has killed a lot of people and admits it was for survival, but actually we learnt a long time ago that shiki don't kill people in just one feeding session, it takes 3-4. Whilst she was wondering about, I think she could have gotten away without really killing anyone if she wanted to.

It seems that the priest is very much a collaborator at this point.

Poor Ritsu, but she is sticking to her guns, and saving her nurse friend whilst she's at it. Toru can't say no to her either. I was thinking at this point that she probably will give away their position, but Toru could have asked her not to do so for a little bit to give them a headstart.

We get the first counter-offensive where people are being used as weapons, I don't think this is the only such example we'll see.

Hard to say how this will go with just 2 episodes left, I like to think the shiki and humans may even be able to come to some kind of compromise, for example they could run a blood-bank that the villagers donate to, instead of just being food.

 

[Geriatric hedgehog]

Episodes 19 & 20 - Shiki are meant to be the monsters? Don't make me laugh! This world's true apex predators just demonstrated why they're just that. The horror previously touched on with the sadistic experiments and agony-filled death that Kyoko suffered turns full tilt in these two episodes. Number 19 opens with the same fate for Chizuru, whose death no doubt wrecks Sunako and her husband? Seishuru. The human numbers and power were grossly underestimated in the lead up to now, with one of Tatsumi's first suggestions on the villagers becoming aware being to escape right away. And yet the Shiki numbers are now too great to make that a simple affair. The transfer of terror, switching from humans to the Shiki, is nicely reflected in the terrified Kaori mustering up the will to fight whilst the fragile Sunako now feeling the terror posed by the human mobs rampaging through the village.

Another few great lines from Seishuru and Sunako on humans and Shiki. Seishuru had the perfect line on how Shiki are regarded as the evil monsters by conventional definitions, with a repeat of the need to survive justification from Sunako's lines. All the while humans are stated to be quite happy to kill their own for sport, and in the case of the villagers shown to do so out of fear &/or just plain old hatred (they're bloody collaborators with the enemy - off with their heads!!). Great end to Sunako's speech on how the Shiki, being murderers (regardless of whether it is by necessity) are just that and for that sin considered forsaken and irredeemable. Nice attempt at a theological & psychological link to the vampire fear of religious rituals/objects. As Ritsuko wondered, why did she have to rise up when she was already dead - life is just not fair to the Shiki. Speaking of Ritsuko (what a champ!) & Toru, their end (or at least that's how I interpreted that scene) using the dawn sunlight was framed rather lovingly and a far gentler portrayal than I imagine it really would have been. The Shiki's deaths are really gruesome ultimately, as if their very existence wasn't a punishment in itself...

I wasn't sure how the priest would operate in the big house, but from the looks of him, he has made a bit of a snack of himself.

Heh he has greatly overestimated his abilities as a Shiki blood bank! And yeah I do wonder if his dad never rose up, that is if the Shiki even indulged him.

Doc was almost too upfront about how he committed war crime levels of experiments on his own wife, there is such a thing as being too honest!

He certainly is very black & white here isn't he - anything & everything goes for the Shiki as they're no longer human, but clear lines drawn when it comes to murdering humans.

Megumi really showing Masao who is boss, I loved the way she switched up from being bad-ass smack down talker, to yandere "yuuuukkkii"

Heheh she's great, probably one of my unlikely favourite characters, just for delivering hard truths alongside regular beatdowns to Masao the Wingeula! They really have used her to great effect for comedy with him, whilst at the same time I found her incredibly creepy when she was stalking Yuuki in classic vampire mode. And I'm all for a Megumi/Kaori showdown!

Not just the art but I also quite like the music choices, the background stuff is the right level of eerie. I don't really find the show scary at all as horrors go, but it does have an eerie atmosphere to it

Yeah the music is great, very on point with the spooky scenes and likewise for those with emotional gravitas. And you're right, it's not got the "jump out of your seat" type scares, but the far more effective creeping, eerie scare factor that gets under your skin. And as for the horror, well, I definitely find it pretty horrific but as you would've gathered, not because of the Shiki!

Docs mother is dead, he didn't really seem that bothered, maybe he organised the hit!

Iz all parta da game yo! But yeah maybe he just got fed up of her rattling on about duty to the clinic and his father's legacy and blah blah blah, and put her to better use!

Gotta hand it to the liquor store dude, he leads by example, staking his own son is not something a lot of people can do.

That guy is just comedy man, he just about managed to express some sympathy in not wanting his son to suffer before getting fed up with the son's weak-ass, wimpish behaviour and shoving a stake right in with his bare hands. Chizuru picked the wrong friggin' Ookawa to turn! At least he cried some tears of blood after doing in his son, oh wait not his blood - ignore that heh.

The count dudes reason for siding with the shiki is a bit weird, because he wants to victimise people?

Yeah it was a bit odd but likely just nihilistic as I guess he implied he'd seen even suffering doled out at the hands of his own father (whom I was suspecting was paedo-vamp - actually no, too old, maybe that was his great, great granddad or something!) that he just wanted revenge on humanity as a whole. Like the priest, he could see the humanity and accept the Shiki, perhaps because at least for them it was a matter of necessity for survival.

Whilst she was wondering about, I think she could have gotten away without really killing anyone if she wanted to.

And likewise why make more Shiki when all they will do is murder more people and live as ostracised rejects, potentially racked with guilt. Perhaps again it's her desire to have a family and home that she was robbed off at such an early age.

Hard to say how this will go with just 2 episodes left, I like to think the shiki and humans may even be able to come to some kind of compromise, for example they could run a blood-bank that the villagers donate to, instead of just being food.

Heheh I like your optimism though I doubt the villagers will be taking any prisoners at this stage! And the mob rolls on.

By the way, I've checked all four of my discs now and I can't find these extra mini-episodes that were mentioned earlier in the thread. Ugh, will have to see if I can find them on YouTube or something...

 

[Azar]

By the way, I've checked all four of my discs now and I can't find these extra mini-episodes that were mentioned earlier in the thread. Ugh, will have to see if I can find them on YouTube or something...

You have the Funimation DVD/blu-ray don't you? The episodes should be on disc 4, mixed in with the final 2 episodes.

Spoiler

 

[Geriatric hedgehog]

You have the Funimation DVD/blu-ray don't you? The episodes should be on disc 4, mixed in with the final 2 episodes.

Spoiler

View attachment 21174

Ah yes you're right, thanks for clarifying! I kept looking in the extras section and didn't think to check the episode list heh. I needs to get meself some sleep...

 

[Lordhippos]

@Geriatric hedgehog do you want to add the specials in to the watch? I guess we'd need to do 20.5 and 21 today, then 21.5 and 22 tomorrow to not extend the deadline. No worries if not as it's more time needed to watch them!

 

[Geriatric hedgehog]

@Geriatric hedgehog do you want to add the specials in to the watch? I guess we'd need to do 20.5 and 21 today, then 21.5 and 22 tomorrow to not extend the deadline. No worries if not as it's more time needed to watch them!

Yes please, definitely want to include the specials and that sounds like a plan. I certainly remember the final parts of the show being really good which would've included the specials during my first watch without my realising heh.

 

[Lordhippos]

This world's true apex predators just demonstrated why they're just that

For me, I don't entirely disagree, but I also think that most humans don't just kill other truly intelligent species to eat them, although we as a species are capable of killing for even worse reasons. Whether it be other humans, or poaching for things like ivory, humans are capable of both better and worse things.

Should we be faced with the opposite situation, I think there would be a vocal group who would be calling for co-existence, it seems in the shiki camp there isn't much room or though for compromise. Hell, people even sacrifice themselves to stop things like trees/habitats being cut down.

Great end to Sunako's speech on how the Shiki, being murderers (regardless of whether it is by necessity) are just that and for that sin considered forsaken and irredeemable. Nice attempt at a theological & psychological link to the vampire fear of religious rituals/objects

Yeah this show really does a great job of treading into the morality angles of things!

As Ritsuko wondered, why did she have to rise up when she was already dead - life is just not fair to the Shiki

Is it life? or is it undeath that isn't fair?!

Speaking of Ritsuko (what a champ!) & Toru, their end (or at least that's how I interpreted that scene) using the dawn sunlight was framed rather lovingly and a far gentler portrayal than I imagine it really would have been.

I did get the same impression and I also hope that was how to interpret that scene, it looked calm but in reality it was probably fire and blood everywhere.

regular beatdowns to Masao the Wingeula!

Anyone who beats down Wingeula gets my vote!

Chizuru picked the wrong friggin' Ookawa to turn!

Man he'd make for an unstoppable vampire wouldn't he? that is terrifying!

And likewise why make more Shiki when all they will do is murder more people and live as ostracised rejects

I kind of suspect she didn't realise it early on, becoming a vamp with no "school for vamps" opener would have justified a lot of it I suppose. That is of course very different now, and probably partly because Sunako doesn't want the new shiki to be confused and lost the way she was.

 

[Geriatric hedgehog]

Heheh good points. On the human behaviour aspect I agree that at our best we can be saints but at our worst we can be worse than any monsters imaginable, especially in the case of mob mentality that is chillingly demonstrated here. The potential is very much there in us for either. In terms of the Shiki not trying coexistence, I would assume that Sunako, being as old as she is, would have tried already and failed, hence wanting to carve out a separate Shiki community, though then again when has segregating yourselves away from the larger world ever been for the better? Looking forward to watching some more tonight!

 

[Lordhippos]

Episode 20.5

We see a much more hopeful earlier version of Nao here before she decided to try and drag everyone else down with her, "for their own good".

The tunnels make for the main focus of this episode, going underground like this would certainly have been a terrifying affair. Sunlight can't reach in the tunnels so it's a little like taking the fight into the vampire territory. After a brief tutorial mission, the crew find their mob mentality. First to go is tree-camper vampire if I am correct.

After a while the hunters really do become the hunted, and there is no way out. Tired of killing vampires, the humans get their monsters confused, after all zombies and vampires are hard to distinguish. To this point I don't think we've seen any suggestion/belief that being bitten once turns you into a vampire. Benefit of the doubt on this, there is not. Not even a "let's check with the doc".

As they tried to escape into the ever-shrinking tunnel, I think that was definitely the most tense section. Can you imagine trying to escape and the tunnel in front of you just gets smaller and smaller, whilst behind you your comrades are being taken one by one? Nao finally seems to feel a little guilty for what she's done.

The villagers all singing along as they work adds a certain normality to a series of events that are very much not normal at all.

Not content with staking the vampires, they decide to torture them with the sun. I think staking the vampires was the right thing to do as a show of mercy.

Episode 21

The ladies look like they are enjoying their corpse party? stop for a spot of tea, business as usual. Should wash those hands!

Writing this after I watched the episode, I was quite sure that the big boned nurse lady went from the frying pan to the fire escaping the vampires and then being attacked by dogs, but inexplicably she actually winds up being basically fine later on.

Sunako and neko-boy try and plan their escape, with the priest in tow they attempt diversionary tactics.

Wingeula actually faring better than most with his weasel tactics. Until he has a run in with his sister who is in no mood to put up with him normally, let alone when he is a vampire!

No way is Megumi dead at this point, I don't think she'll survive the series, but I am hopeful she'll make it to the last episode.

It seems that Yuuki got the better of the husband-of-gourmet-vamp who was instructed to help kill the jinrou. Possibly the jinrou he meant was actually neko-boy, but any jinrou will do.

Everyone seems pretty used to genocide by now, I am reminded of something like the Nazis here, finding more efficient and better ways of disposing of the vampires. It's fairly distasteful, if pragmatic, stuff.

Another vampire stronghold discovered we have another day of murdering ahead of us. It looks like Toru and Ritsu did in fact die as we saw. I kind of wanted to see bad-ass Ritsu vampire though, I think she would have given Megumi a run for her money.

I'm amazed the priest got as far as he did really, he just seemed to avoid most of the people until he ran into the guy with the knife. He was kind of to blame for his mother dying, by leading the hunters to the temple then hiding, they wrongly assumed she was hiding him. We end the episode with the daylight waning, and Sunako hidden ready to wake.

Random Thoughts

I am not really sure how this all end, but I think that any compromise that could have been made is long gone. The priest will probably die from his wounds after leading the hunters away,

Sunako is probably gonna be really mad, and we haven't really seen her powers yet. If age makes a vampire more powerful, she may be very powerful indeed. I am expecting vengeance rather than flight here, although ultimately I think the vampires may lose, I don't think Sunako will go down without a fight.

Not seen what happened to Kaoris little brother yet really, he hasn't made an appearance in a while.

It's not 100% that wingeula gets smashed to death yet, he may yet surprise us.

 

[Geriatric hedgehog]

Episode 20.5 - a very good one with some more focus on the very tragic Nao, whose motivations to kill her family were not just for survival's sake, but rather her desire to return to being a whole family with them again. Chizuru had also questioned whether she actually wanted to go back to being human and that none of them really chose this fate. And yet it's not like their victims are offered that choice either... Human adaptability here to cope with the mental strain of snuffing out a life, is to lose your marbles and start singing what sound like nursery rhymes. One nefarious individual takes pleasure in picking on those he hated in normal life - he'd have continued as an upstanding member of society and not sinister at all I'm sure but alas paranoia and fear had him snuffed out as well after he got bit. The poor cafe owner struggled with the whole sorry affair but at last took action to euthanise the Shiki left out to burn in agony.

Episode 21 - the Shiki extermination continues and where we once thought the Shiki had easily overrun the village, here they are conclusively finished off. It seems Ritsuko & Toru were still alive and did get staked in the end. More human collateral with the priest's family after being tried, judged & executed by mob life. Yuuki continues his strategy by influencing the Kirishiki dad to deal a deadly blow to another jinrou. Nice enquiry from the priest about jinrou being the superior Shiki with a great retort from Tatsumi about an individual's innate ability not making them superior in society. And we finally get clarity on how the priest's new story relates to his own feeling of being trapped in the role his family and society assigned to him and his attempt to break free.

First to go is tree-camper vampire if I am correct.

It was indeed! I would've expected a lot more human casualties given the Shiki need not worry about the sunlight in the tunnels though a very human fear & dread likely inhibited the Shiki significantly.

Can you imagine trying to escape and the tunnel in front of you just gets smaller and smaller, whilst behind you your comrades are being taken one by one? Nao finally seems to feel a little guilty for what she's done.

The tunnel experience sounds utterly terrifying. Poor Nao was racked with guilt and haunted by the ghosts of her loved ones that she selfishly tried to "remake" in vain.

The ladies look like they are enjoying their corpse party? stop for a spot of tea, business as usual. Should wash those hands!

That was pretty funny - cuppa tea love? Don't bother washing those hands, just pat the blood dry on your clothes and grab a handful of rice ball!

but inexplicably she actually winds up being basically fine later on.

Me too, I was sure she was done for and what was the point of letting her out but hey she managed with just flesh wounds heheh.

Wingeula actually faring better than most with his weasel tactics. Until he has a run in with his sister who is in no mood to put up with him normally, let alone when he is a vampire!

He actually showed a bit of spine there for once! But how on earth did he think his sister in law would welcome him with open arms?? Clearly has a short memory on the flowery speeches he has been dishing out to her. Yeah Megumi's fate but revealed but with her life of the big city life, she really should've split once the **** started hitting the fan.

Everyone seems pretty used to genocide by now, I am reminded of something like the Nazis here, finding more efficient and better ways of disposing of the vampires. It's fairly distasteful, if pragmatic, stuff.

The very depths of human behaviour on show here, as much as the Shiki are a threat to human survival, their gruesome fate is very distasteful indeed.

I kind of wanted to see bad-ass Ritsu vampire though, I think she would have given Megumi a run for her money.

Heh in looks & style definitely but in nature, goodness no. Megumi is a spoilt badass whereas Ritsuko was such a kind and gentle soul and the only Shiki shown to resist and refuse to kill a human to stave off the pangs of starvation.

On your random thoughts, I too expect the priest to die of his wounds, or need to be turned into a Shiki to survive (he is shown to have Shiki eyes in the opener), and yeah Kaori's or her brother not shown at all whilst who knows what with Wingeula - he's such a wuss that I expect him to be killed in two seconds but then he's also no very sneaky that he could equally trick someone to their death. As for Sunako, whilst she is revered as these Shiki's leader & progenitor, given their nature thus shown I don't think she has any special powers or abilities otherwise I would've expected her to take the fight to the humans earlier. But she has been just petrified with fear in hiding so I don't think things are looking too good for her, or any Shiki, at the moment and the best outcome possible for her would be an escape. Two more episodes to go now and I wonder if mob-life will turn on themselves Lord of the Flies-style to establish a new hierarchy.

 

[Lordhippos]

Episode 21.5

On the whole I don't think this special episode was as good as 20.5 with the tunnels, but it does set up an important event, the fire.

There is no way that is Kanami's mother, she's like half her size lol!

I don't want to spend much time on this one, I don't think it was a bad episode, but consequentially it didn't really do much except for setup the fire being started, which gained importance in the final episode.

Episode 22

So this is the end, Sunako gets out of her suitcase and flees hunted into the night.

Even neko-boy isn't immune to the hunting, at least his suit is red to better cover the bloodstains. Even being shot a bunch he's still kinda fine, goes to show how tough the jinrou are.

Megumi-chan had but one dream, to get out of the village and go to the city, Sadly a series of unfortunate tractor events put a stop to that dream. Man she didn't have an easy time of it, being battered around by several tractors, I can see why those were mentioned early on in the thread now

We have a jinrou throwdown, even with neko-boy being injured he's still more than a match for our boy Yuuki. Ultimately the fight ends in stalemate, with Yuuki deciding that going out with a bang is the best option. I think Yuuki had the upper hand generally in this season though, he caused no end of trouble for the shiki.

Ultimately the priest reaffirmed his side, Sunako was of more importance to him than the humans. That old liquor store owner was one tough mother though!

I was glad to see Kaori was alright in the end, I don't think we saw how her bed-headed brother really survived though? did I somehow miss that?

Final thoughts

I enjoyed this show a lot, but I didn't like how it had an open ending, we don't have a definitive end to what happens with Sunako and the Priest, and presumably them escaping opens up more chance for them to start the whole thing over somewhere else.

I was also missing some of kind of Kaori/Megumi grudge match, that just never happened, despite what Megumi did to her family.

We never did see what became of wingeula either, though I assume nothing good (though that depends on your perspective of good).

 

[Geriatric hedgehog]

So the show comes to a very fitting end. The penultimate episode gave an interesting perspective of a relative outsider's view as the events we now know well are shown to unfold. The previous extra episode focused on a tragic Shiki mother and in this one we have a tragic human mother. For someone already so mentally fragile, I can completely see the loss of a child resulting in a complete and total mental breakdown, poor thing. I wouldn't, however, have expected her to develop the superpower of omnipresence with the dogged determination to find the old man for her vengeance. Her tragic tale ends with the start of the end for the cursed village.

I enjoyed the final episode and especially how the whole bloody, irredeemable place went to hell! It also reminded me of one real strength of this show - it portrays visceral terror incredibly effectively. In particular in previous episodes this was so with Kyoko, Kaori & Chizuru's portrayals. In the final episode it was with Sunako and Megumi, though the latter I'd say is again more tragic than terrifying. Megumi, as caustic as she was to those she despised, I don't feel deserved that end, it was pretty cruel. @Eternal chibi called it with Tractor-kun early on heheh (there was even a hip hop tractor!). Sunako definitely did not have any special abilities and was as helpless as her child body portrayed, especially against the scariest human in the village. Priest Shiki to the rescue though. I had a very Duh! moment when I remembered that the Shiki had been feeding on him, so of course when he died he would rise as a Shiki (I'd forgotten he became a Shiki from my first watch and thought he had remained human and therefore had been finding his Shiki eyes in the second opening confusing heh). Very "let the right one" at the end those two eh.

On the whole I don't think this special episode was as good as 20.5 with the tunnels, but it does set up an important event, the fire.

I did enjoy it quite a lot but yes, the first extra was even better. And on that, especially in relation to the fire, I find it odd that these two episodes are extras, as they flow perfectly in the story and feel very required. I can't imagine watching the show without them.

There is no way that is Kanami's mother, she's like half her size lol!

She may be Makoto's father-in-law's (ie commando vamp!) love child!

So this is the end, Sunako gets out of her suitcase and flees hunted into the night.

This "kid" has the best lines in this show, that tirade in the church was heartbreaking and actually it's important to give credit to all the VAs in this show, it wouldn't be the same without their excellent performances.

We have a jinrou throwdown, even with neko-boy being injured he's still more than a match for our boy Yuuki.

He works out!! But Yuuki shows him brains will always outdo brawn. I was thinking that if in the unlikely event either of these two survived the explosion itself, that would be a pretty horrific existence being buried alive so deep within the resulting landslide into that pit.

Ultimately the priest reaffirmed his side, Sunako was of more importance to him than the humans.

I still maintain my opinion that that was a result of his empathy for one that is forsaken by all others, or the underdog for short heh. If it wasn't for him the Shiki in that village would have been completely wiped out. I do wonder how he will justify the human deaths that will now result from his actions to secure the survival of the Shiki. I can't exactly see him being like Ritsuko who refused to harm a human for her own survival's sake.

I was also missing some of kind of Kaori/Megumi grudge match, that just never happened, despite what Megumi did to her family.

I know, we were robbed!! But I got the feeling with the huge roster of characters and how the individual stories felt curtailed, that it was down to limitations of adapting from a significantly more extensive source perhaps.

I don't think we saw how her bed-headed brother really survived though? did I somehow miss that?

No, you didn't, but I believe he was about to get attacked at the same time we were shown Yuuki jinrou running like mad at the end of the episode, so maybe Yuuki ran to save him?

We never did see what became of wingeula either, though I assume nothing good (though that depends on your perspective of good).

Heheh true dat. But this one we were actually shown for the briefest of seconds in a montage - he had been staked, presumably by his sister-in-law, outside his home.

but I didn't like how it had an open ending, we don't have a definitive end to what happens with Sunako and the Priest

Ah I quite like open endings and I thought this was very apt. As per a great line delivered by an Attenborough lost: life (or in this case shall I say undeath heh) will always find a way.

On second watch, I still hold this show in high regard. For me it took age-old lore, re-presented it at times in a great classical horror style and at other times with humour, and not forgetting the wacky hairstyles. Music was generally great, one very good OP and one good ED. On the latter, now that I think about it, what was Kaori doing in the Shiki Onsen?? She wasn't part of the club! Overall this will remain amongst my favourite horror series with some very nice discourses and portrayals on humanity, morality & ethical dilemmas.

 

[Lordhippos]

Thanks for tagging along for the re-watch @Geriatric hedgehog it's been great having you here!

I'd give this on balance a 7/10, it wasn't perfect, but it was good, and from me a 7/10 is generally a solid score. The art and things weren't amazing, but I think they generally fit the theme of the show, and it's nice to see something different from time to time.

I actually quite liked both the OPs by the end, for different reasons

I think you're right, Wingeula died at the hands of his sister (in-law?), actually not really doing anything of note. I really wanted him to play some pivotal role somewhere, but he was just a coward from start to end.

I had a quick google, apparently Yuuki does save the kid, but it just isn't shown, d'oh! that whole arc actually kinda went nowhere and only popped back up with his reappearance at the end.

If Megumi hadn't been quite so cruel to her friend Kaori, I think I may have rooted for her some more, I still liked her generally, but her malice was misplaced, so I think the end she met was kind of earnt.

I didn't really like the priest or his motives, not just because he joined the shiki, but because he was kind of wishy-washy about everything, and how he betrayed his friends/family. I didn't agree with the docs motives at all times either but I think at least he was taking action and doing whatever he felt was necessary, I can respect that.

I'm OK with moral grey areas being the hook, but I do wish we'd finished a little more definitively than we did for the ending, I think it was a bit of a cop out, trying to find a way to let the cute vampire girl live despite the atrocities she had committed.

In the end both the shiki and the vampires were monsters really, the right solution was for them to start a blood bank and pay people to donate blood

 

[Geriatric hedgehog]

Likewise it's been great to have a buddy to re-watch this with, so thank you very much for organising. I agree with your score, for me it's a great show with its themes & music though the animation & artwork could definitely be better. Also would have been nice if some of the individual stories could have been fleshed out more if I'm being pedantic, but good job overall given the runtime and the number of characters involved.

I concur on Megumi, she was quite cool at times and got a lot of points for the Wingeula beatdowns heh, but ultimately was pretty malicious to poor Kaori & derogatory to the villagers right up to the end. I still feel hip-hop tractor smooshing was a bit much & tragic heh. Wingeula & her so deserved to be together and maybe could've survived as a duo (or more likely Megumi would've survived by throwing Masao to the wolves at the first sign of trouble!) if they weren't such arses!

Interesting points on doc & priest and you're spot on one being decisive and the other wishy washy. However, one could also argue that could reflect a narrow mindedness versus being open to consider the other side's viewpoint. I can't say I liked either character, unlike Sunako whom I could certainly sympathise with, but could certainly respect their respective viewpoints. As you said, moral gray areas galore, which to me are a strength of this show.

Good point on Sunako's escape being viewed as a cop out. In a way, for me, it's a relatively realistic approach given that more often than not, neither side (or perhaps viewpoint) in a battle are completely eradicated and some vestiges always live to fight another day.

And the perfect solution, yet another very pragmatic why-bloody-not?!, to finish this show on:

the right solution was for them to start a blood bank and pay people to donate blood

 

[Lordhippos]

Perfect OST track to end the series on here

Likewise it's been great to have a buddy to re-watch this with, so thank you very much for organising

No problem, you really had your work cut out with the viewing times as well, nice effort!

Hope to catch you on more simulwatches! My next organised one is Ping Pong in early November. Joining for the Garden of Sinners one soon.

I concur on Megumi, she was quite cool at times and got a lot of points for the Wingeula beatdowns heh, but ultimately was pretty malicious to poor Kaori & derogatory to the villagers right up to the end. I still feel hip-hop tractor smooshing was a bit much & tragic heh.

Maybe Wingeula could have met the tractor fate, and Megumi could have been driving it, and then driven the tractor off towards the city to make her great escape!