Shiki (屍鬼) is a Japanese horror novel written by Fuyumi Ono. It was originally published in two parts by Shinchosha in 1998, and was then reprinted into five parts in 2002. The story is about a small Japanese village named Sotoba, which is plagued by bizarre deaths caused by what seemed to be an epidemic. However, when Toshio Ozaki, the hospital dean, performs his own investigations, he discovers vampires, known as "Shiki" ("Corpse Demon" in English) living in their midst. A manga series adaptation, illustrated by Ryu Fujisaki, was serialized in Shueisha's monthly shōnen manga magazine Jump Square from December 2007 to June 2011, with its chapters collected in eleven tankōbon volumes. An anime television series adaptation of the manga, produced by Daume, aired on Fuji TV from July to December 2010. The series was simulcast by Funimation on their online video portal and released the series on home video in May 2012.

Plot

The story takes place during a particularly hot summer in 1994, in a small quiet Japanese village called Sotoba. A series of mysterious deaths begin to spread in the village, at the same time when a strange family moves into the long-abandoned Kanemasa mansion on top of a hill. Megumi Shimizu, a young girl who wanted to leave the village and move to the city, pays them a visit never to return. She is later found lying in the forest and tragically dies. Doctor Toshio Ozaki, director of Sotoba's only hospital, initially suspects an epidemic; however, as investigations continue and the deaths begin to pile up, he learns—and becomes convinced—that they are the work of the "shiki", vampire-like creatures, plaguing the village. A young teenager named Natsuno Yuuki, who hates living in the village, begins to be pursued and becomes surrounded by death.

Characters

Main characters

Secondary characters

Media

Novel

The novel Shiki was first published in 1998 by Shinchosha and consisted of 2 volumes. The second edition was published in tankōbon format in 2002 and consists of 5 volumes. First edition: Second edition:

Manga

A manga adaptation of the novels, drawn by Ryu Fujisaki, was serialized in Shueisha's monthly shōnen manga magazine Jump Square from December 4, 2007, to June 3, 2011. Shueisha collected its chapters in eleven tankōbon volumes, released from July 4, 2008, to July 4, 2011. The manga was licensed in France by Kazé.

Volume list

Anime

An anime adaptation of the manga version of Shiki was first announced in Japan in December 2009, with the official website unveiled. Although Aniplex was listed as handling production for the anime, the website stated that the company will be in charge of distribution duties while Daume is responsible for the animation production. Japanese celebrity Gackt made his first regular cast debut on Shiki, as revealed during Noitamina's late-night timeslot lineup. Funimation simulcasted the series on their online video portal and released the series on DVD and Blu-ray on May 29, 2012. Funimation's rights to the series expired on June 30, 2018. The 22 episodes aired from July 8 to December 30, 2010. Two bonus episodes were released in OVA format on DVD the following summer, bringing the episode total to 24. The OVAs are additions to episodes 20 and 21, that are numbered 20.5 and 21.5 and share the same episode titles, except with "and Offense" added to the end.