Shiki 2 – What’s the Diagnosis?

Besides murder, that is. *dodges tomatoes*

I like that Shiki is doing the “*wink *wink* CONSPIRACY” angle with the audience while the characters are fumbling around trying to find the source of the mysterious disease killing people off ’round town. A similar “epidemic” being around 20 years prior, one common symptom among those who have died, mysterious new people who have moved into town . . . wait, that last part hasn’t come into play yet. Baby steps for the amateur detectives!

Teasing aside, they are doing about as well as could be expected for a group that has barely any cards in their hands and a solution that no sane person would guess on the first try. (Cause of death: Vampires.) The fact they are not panicking and running around screaming, “EPIDEMIC!!!!!” is cause enough for celebration. (Followed by dying.)

If I were in their position, I’m not sure if I would be relieved or afraid that it’s not an epidemic. On the one hand, any time you can not have an epidemic — no matter the disease — ripping its way through a population, especially in a small, rural town that is easy pickings for a brutal disease, then it is party time. On the other hand, vampires. Sure, you know how to kill them, because they’ve been written about like five billion times (although the Shiki vamps could be different, who knows?), but still, bloodsucking demons. There has to be some place where they are still effective killers and not, like, foppish, sparkly creepers, right? Right?

Speaking of foppish creepers, Yuuki is still cavorting around like an asshole even after Megumi’s death, so there goes the ready made excuse that she annoyed him into acting like an angsty fucktard the whole first episode. Even though Megumi was a complete annoyance the first episode, skipping out on her funeral is kind of a dick movie, especially since there is basically nothing to do in this town. Turning down the present is a bit more understandable; not sure how comfortable I would be accepting a gift like that if I weren’t friends with the deceased. Of course Yuuki can’t explain it quite like that, though. He has to grind poor Kaori’s face in the dirt first before walking on. Tch.

I shudder to think about how exactly Yuuki will get involved with this plot. If the events in this episode are anything to go by, the neighborhood vampires have their eyes on Yuuki’s tender, bishie neck. (Imagine if Yuuki were turned into a vampire? My god, he would be unstoppable, an androgynous, near immortal angst monster who targets the blood of young women. He’d be stinking rich!) He’ll probably mope and bitch about that for a while, insult the backwardsness of the town a bit more and then — begrudgingly — join up with the monk and the good doctor.

Or he could just barge his way in after hearing about the investigation and try to take over for himself. But that would suck.

This episode is OK; again, I like the atmosphere, and the series does a solid job of making the whole experience suitably eerie. Hopefully, though, it does not take too long to move beyond build up and get into the story proper. The Three Amigos up there seem ready to get things moving, which is nice. Also, I’ll definitely have to brace myself for Yuuki getting even more involved in the plot. I can only handle so much angst at one time!