Shiki 16 – Tatsumi Is a Douche

It’s been simultaneously wonderful and horrible to watch Shiki recently: Wonderful because the show has so many well done scenes of legitimate horror, and horrible because it’s so damn good at twisting the knife that it’s uncomfortable. That scene at the end with poor Akira? I was squirming, and I’m no horror newbie. I’m hoping beyond hope that Akira somehow gets through it, but given how the series has progressed so far, the chance of that is roughly o.0000000001 percent.

And that Tatsumi. What a dastardly way to kill someone — I can’t help but think that Tatsumi is killing two birds with one stone here (so to speak). Not only is he offing someone who is a threat to the vampires (even if only a small threat), but he is also teaching Akira a lesson should he rise. If you screw with Tatsumi, then you’re going to pay. Even a hot-blooded little kid like Akira would probably cower before a bully like Tatsumi.

With Akira gone, is there any doubt that Kaori will be next? Her dad has crossed the line to killing family members, her mom will probably become one of the Risen soon (if the family bloodline deal holds water) and Akira probably won’t be around to give her some strength, given that he’d likely be terrified himself of this crazy new situation. The Magic 8-Ball of anime death says that signs point to yes regarding Kaori kicking the bucket soon. If only she could have completed her education first.

I wonder what sort of creature Yuuki is now? He can walk around in the day time like Tatsumi, but he doesn’t seem to be a werewolf or whatever like Tatsumi is. I suppose vampirism works in mysterious ways. Just because most people turn into one sort of vampire if they rise, it does not mean that all people will become the same type of vampire. It is kind of convenient for Yuuki to be a special kind of vampire, though, if that is indeed the case. :p

If only he and Ozaki had got to the Tanaka children before Akira’s ill-fated jaunt to the vampire house. Alas. At least two people who can be legitimate threats to the vampires on actually on the same page now, even if I still think their battle will be all for naught, particularly due to the sheer numbers the Risen possess. Most people in the village have to be either vampires or dead at this point — the advantage for the Risen is overwhelming.

Another advantage for the Risen: Having an unscrupulous vampire like Megumi around to be a jerk and an instigator. With so many of the Risen being tragic figures (this episode is chock full of them!), it’s fun to have someone who relishes being a vampire because it gives her all the power she didn’t have when she was a human. Megumi is a hateable gal, but hateworthy in the way a good villain is; there’s gotta be someone like that around aside from Tatsumi, right? (Personally, I don’t count Masao because I find him more pathetic than anything. He isn’t even worth hating.)

(Also, is it just me, or is Megumi fairly fashionable? Maybe there can be a noitaminA crossover where Kuranosuke and Megumi become a fabulous fashion team. In other news, I am halfway to becoming a girl. Next step: Hot pink layout.)

Sunako’s story is the big one in an episode full of sad vampire stories. There’s still a bit of mystery with her, such as how she fell in with the Kirishikis, but given how Sunako is such a big shot in the family, it’s pretty clear that she probably started off the family by biting Mrs. Kirishiki. Also, Sunako must have been wandering around for a long ass time if she looked for her real family for so long that they had the opportunity to die of natural causes. We can probably scale back a bit due to life expectancy for the time, but still, she must have been looking around for a good while. Poor Sunako.

(Just to embark on a dumb tangent like last week’s vampire ideas . . . Key has to be kicking itself for not doing sad vampires in snow yet, yes? An eternity of sadness and melodrama. Now there’s a weepie.)