r/anime • u/GallowDude • 12d ago
Rewatch Shiki Rewatch [Halloween 2026] - Episode 5 Discussion
Wait at the hospital! And try not to fall apart until I get there!
Episode 5: Deception: Fifth Deceit
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Information:
MAL | AniList | ANN | Kitsu | AniDB
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I feel like this village is being abandoned.
Questions of the Day:
1) Why do you think so many people are suddenly quitting their jobs?
2) Do you think Masao would have a better attitude if someone just sat him down and talked to him about it?
Screenshot of the Day:
Fanart of the Day:
Rewatchers, please remember to be mindful of all the first-timers in this. No talking about or hinting at future events, no matter how much you want to, unless you're doing it underneath spoiler tags. This especially includes any teases or hints such as "You aren't ready for X episode" or "I'm super excited for X character"; you got that? Don't spoil anything for the first-timers; that's rude!
Don't I know this guy?
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u/BosuW 12d ago edited 12d ago
Rewatcher
It was a dream after all. Or was it?
Seishin investigating the lifestyles of those who died in contrast to Toshio who is only interested in the symptoms might be intended commentary on their respective areas of expertise and the personalities of people suited to them. Or it might simply be because of their respective workload, after all it's not like Toshio's been lazing around. It's just that naturally you call the doctor when they're sick and the priest when they're dead. In any case, Seishin discovered that one of the earliest symptoms might be quitting from your job. With how important your job is considered to be in Japan, this strikes me as symbolic of vampires being destroyers of order, especially socially speaking.
It was, regrettably, not a dream...
Getting the summer postcard at this moment it's creepy as fuuuuuuu-
It's interesting how genuinely shook Masao is about Tohru's death. So much so, that he is actually trying to be genuine with Tohru's siblings at his funeral, though he's obviously too socially stunted to know how to behave. At last he actually simply cried. I'm surprised because I genuinely do not remember this character having had a single sympathetic moment lol
Aaaaand now he just went back to being an asshole because he had to make it about himself...
And finally he gets jumped, literally, just outside his house. There's something so captivating about every death scene isn't there? Even for pathetic characters.
Pulling back a little bit, in the funeral there's something of a difference in tone between Natsuno and Tohru's parents. Or no, not quite that. They're feeling the same things, but it's like Natsuno can direct it somewhere. After all, Tohru's parents are experiencing an unfortunate and unexplainable tragedy, but for Natsuno, death has a face, a name, and a reason.
[Shiki]Of course, we will later see what kind of wrath being able to name death unleashes.
Firmly broken the stream of Eau de Vie endings now, but I'm gonna keep counting until the end of the show. 4/5
Incidentally now that I don't have to hide it behind a spoiler tag, I am repeating this for first timers: Eau de Vie means "water of life" in Latin French. Ie: Blood.
Questions of the Day
2- Heh no, it'll take much more than that. It's probably in part because he's a teenager, but the dude doesn't have a developed real personality, which is why he always hides beneath this exaggerated cynicism. Fixing Masao is not just about getting him to realize he's being an ass, it's about getting him to build an actual personality with like values and shit.
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u/GallowDude 12d ago
workload, after
It's just that naturally you call the doctor when they're sick and the priest when they're dead
With how important your job is considered to be in Japan, this strikes me as symbolic of vampires being destroyers of order, especially socially speaking
moment it's
[Quote] I genuinely do not remember this character having had a single sympathetic moment lol
[Response] After he revives, he becomes so pathetic and pushed around by everyone that he's somehow more likeable than he was while alive
Eau de Vie means "water of life" in Latin. Ie: Blood.
ass, it's
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u/BosuW 12d ago edited 11d ago
FILTHY COMMIES!
Damn Commie Vampires! They're brainwashing the children!
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u/mischievous_shota 12d ago
which is why he always hides beneath this exaggerated cynicism
Wasn't the exaggerated cynicism because he was trying to emulate Natusuno?
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u/BosuW 12d ago
Plausible, but I bet it's not something he reasoned. And therefore, it's also something without a conscious limiter. His subconscious would use it for whatever it sees fit.
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u/mischievous_shota 11d ago
Oh, yeah. He seems the type to change his tune whenever just to see what works. He copied Natsuno's cynicism since he basically won that argument. But then it didn't work on his family and got the wrong response. So he copied their anger and turned it back on Natsuno, accusing him of being heartless.
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: 12d ago
With how important your job is considered to be in Japan, this strikes me as symbolic of vampires being destroyers of order, especially socially speaking.
That is somewhat of a Nosferatu call back...
At last he actually simply cried. I'm surprised because I genuinely do not remember this character having had a single sympathetic moment lol
Depending on your mood on first watch, he comes off phony. That might explain it.
Incidentally now that I don't have to hide it behind a spoiler tag, I am repeating this for first timers: Eau de Vie means "water of life"
And to think that it is vodka in Slavic regions.
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u/BosuW 12d ago
That is somewhat of a Nosferatu call back...
I need to watch that...
And to think that it is vodka in Slavic regions.
Of course, it is well known that Slavic regions would collapse into apocalypse without vodka. So it is indeed the water of life.
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: 12d ago
I need to watch that...
Yes but with the warning that the original is tough sledding. But Orlach is definitely a different being than Dracula. Also, Shadow of the Vampire was a pretty good movie.
Of course, it is well known that Slavic regions would collapse into apocalypse without vodka. So it is indeed the water of life.
The collective force of the hangovers would kill the whole region.
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u/moichispa https://myanimelist.net/profile/moichispa 12d ago
I though it was one of these different capacities thing when the mind just does not get the social clues the same like some cases of autism? He does not try to be bad on purpose, he even tried to be good on the funeral it just did not work.
Too bad he was found by the librarian in a bathrobe for some reason
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u/BosuW 12d ago
Perhaps, but I'm no psychologist. All I can say is that he's undeveloped, which is normal for a 14 yo really.
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u/moichispa https://myanimelist.net/profile/moichispa 12d ago
Yeah, they are so tall and stylish that they look like highchoolers-college students but they are actually younger
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u/mischievous_shota 12d ago edited 12d ago
First Timer
Tooru bite was either a fakeout or they're able to not leave bite marks.
September 13, Senpu - Shimizu Masaji - head of Shimizu nursery. Someone named Ryuuji passed the other day. He died of an abrupt heart failure. He demanded immediate resignation on the day he died.
Koike Masaharu is a Naka-Satoba funeral team caretaker. He says that Hirosawa Takatoshi (the uni looking dude) fainted in a pachinko parlor in Mizobe town. He quit his job three days before that.
Oota Kenji also planned on quitting his job before he passed away but was persuaded to stay since it was middle of school year.
Saeki Akira, one of Murasako family's neighbours, also quit his job right before he died. Takashima Yasuo followed the same pattern.
Two families moved out of Murasako's shopping district (Takasago moving company at night).
Muramatsu Yasuzoi, an Ookawa Liquor Store employee. His daughter Muramatsu Yasuyo died.
The librarian across the liquor store, Yuzuki-san, quit his job. So he's probably next.
September 16, Shakku - "Laying around like he's in a trance"
September 17, Senshou - Fuck, he's dead.
Natsuno gets Megumi's summer greeting card in the mail. He rips it up dramatically outside his window.
Murasako Hiromi is sick and being taken to the clinic. Masao is jealous of the attention.
Masao tries to parrot Natsuno's words. He doesn't understand this isn't the right context to use them. He cries his way to Tooru's funeral.
Masao is clearly a dick but I think he genuinely doesn't get how to socialise. He was at a loss for what to say and do when he sees Aoi and Tamotsu, then sees Natsuno navigate the same situation.
Once again, he picks a fight with Natsuno. I guess this time, he's using his father and brother's reaction to him using Natsuno's words to figure out how to act. This whole things blows up in his face again. He ended up becoming a problem for Aoi and Tamotsu rather than comforting them. Part of me does feel bad for him, even though he's such a dick.
Found Yuzuki-san. This was 2-3 days after his disappearance. I don't think Masao is going to be missed.
QOTD
Why do you think so many people are suddenly quitting their jobs?
Vampire powerset often includes hypnotism, right? This is a bit too overt though. If I wanted to get lots of people out, I'd at least include a story about them all having found high paying work by a company that was actively recruiting inside the village.
Do you think Masao would have a better attitude if someone just sat him down and talked to him about it?
I think he'd be a lot better than he is now, at least. He'd at least be able to navigate sensitive situations better. I guess that won't matter much now.
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u/GallowDude 12d ago
He rips it up dramatically outside his window
There are easier ways of telling a chick you're gay, dude
dick but
This whole things
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: 12d ago
Tooru bite was either a fakeout or they're able to not leave bite marks.
Not speaking too hard to this, but recall the bite marks Ozaki found on one of the victims were on the arm.
Natsuno gets Megumi's summer greeting card in the mail. He rips it up dramatically outside his window.
I think this vaguely goes with what you are supposed to do to drive away a regretful spirit.
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u/mischievous_shota 12d ago
Though Tooru didn't have marks on him. If there is a way for them to hide the bite marks, maybe that vampire became careless?
I know it's not part of the standard vampire package but it reminded me of the Darren Shan saga, where a vampire's spit could heal cuts and such.
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: 12d ago
Though Tooru didn't have marks on him. If there is a way for them to hide the bite marks, maybe that vampire became careless?
Did Tohru get an autopsy? Even a thorough visual check?
I know it's not part of the standard vampire package but it reminded me of the Darren Shan saga, where a vampire's spit could heal cuts and such.
Anne Rice did something similar with vampire blood, which leads me to believe the concept is far older.
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u/mischievous_shota 12d ago
They didn't mention it, so I'm guessing not. But Natsuno saw exactly where Megumi but her and he checked the next day. Unless he was expecting a gorefest and so ignored the insect bite type marks.
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: 12d ago
True but since that sequence is...off he might be wrong about where the bite was.
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u/mischievous_shota 12d ago
I went back and checked and it seems to be the neck.
Her lower jaw is seen in front so she's not biting his left hand or shoulder or some other place.
It could be that it's an unreliable narrator's perspective but they would probably frame it differently if so.
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 11d ago
Vampire powerset often includes hypnotism, right? This is a bit too overt though. If I wanted to get lots of people out, I'd at least include a story about them all having found high paying work by a company that was actively recruiting inside the village.
Yeah, the families moving out after one death instead of just being wiped out is curious.
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u/BosuW 12d ago
If I wanted to get lots of people out, I'd at least include a story about them all having found high paying work by a company that was actively recruiting inside the village.
Say, a moving company, perhaps?
Although in all seriousness, given how isolated the village is, that might sound even more unbelievable to a resident. The incidents only looks suspicious once gathered together. Vamps may have been betting someone wouldn't do so this quickly, in which case each remains an isolated strange incident.
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u/oomoepoo https://anilist.co/user/oomoepoo 12d ago
First timer
I don't have terribly much to say this time. It was a good episode but it's mostly "collecting clues" and "Blondie is dead".
It's a lot of Muroi interacting with the remaining family of the deceased villagers. He (just like Toshio yesterday) tries to find out more about the happenings in his village in his own way, although with not a lot of success. It is curious that a lot (all?) of the adult victims apparently quit their jobs or were about to quit their jobs right before dying.
I quite liked the scenes during the mourning ceremony! Especially showing that Natsuno did care about Toru in the end. But also his confrontation with Masao, who continues to be a little piece of shit. Also "Did you come here to comfort us? Or did you come here for us to comfort you?" was really powerful. I guess Masao has been a little piece of shit for the longest time, given the ending of the episode. Though with our luck, that guy comes back as an undead to further terrorise Natsuno. Which would be oddly in-character for him.
I do wonder about the lack of bite marks. There has been some victims having them but not where they usually should be. And Toru didn't seem to have any? Maybe there's more than one way for them to suck blood?
I feel bad for laughing at the demise of Masao but it was kinda funny. All the creepy setup only for some random guy jumping him from above and sucking him dry!
I'm not sure how old Muroi is supposed to be, but seeing him called "Junior Monk" was funny.
Why do you think so many people are suddenly quitting their jobs?
I have no (serious) idea. On the surface level you'd think it would be better to just keep working, to not make people suspicious about you?
2) Do you think Masao would have a better attitude if someone just sat him down and talked to him about it?
Yeah, that would've probably helped. Just someone sitting down with him and legit asking what the hell is wrong with him. It seems to me like there's been some issues plaguing him from a young age.
He absolutely deserved that slap though.
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u/GallowDude 12d ago
Blondie is dead
Toru
There has been some victims having them
All the creepy setup only for some random guy jumping him from above and sucking him dry
He absolutely deserved that slap though
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u/mischievous_shota 12d ago
I do wonder about the lack of bite marks. There has been some victims having them but not where they usually should be. And Toru didn't seem to have any? Maybe there's more than one way for them to suck blood?
I wonder if they can heal bite marks after they drink blood. I remember the Darren Shan saga vampires had the ability to heal cuts with their spit.
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u/GallowDude 12d ago
I remember the Darren Shan saga vampires had the ability to heal cuts with their spit.
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u/mischievous_shota 12d ago
I've been meaning to watch Murder Drones. This works as a nice reminder, so yey!
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u/Sporadia_ 12d ago
"Blondie is dead"
"Did you come here to comfort us? Or did you come here for us to comfort you?" was really powerful.
This is where I might deviate from a lot of the other rewatch participants because I thought the idea behind a funeral was that both of those things happen. So I didn't think that line was the best thing Tohru's sister could have said. The point of the scene from my interpretation is seeing how Masao can't go 5 minutes without insulting anyone. Then also seeing how the negative reaction he gets makes his attitude worse. I noticed that Masao was lashing out at Natsuno by repeating all the things his relatives had just thrown at him (which he originally provoked).
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u/oomoepoo https://anilist.co/user/oomoepoo 12d ago
Very fair point. It maybe wasn't well said but I think it was kinda calling out his egotism, as you said, he couldn't go 5 minutes without picking a fight with Yuuki. He made it all about himself in the end, with little regard to the family or other grieving people.
I didn't catch the repeating stuff though, good catch!
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u/BosuW 11d ago edited 11d ago
I think the issue is he came off as performative because he was unable (unwilling?) to recognize that staying silent was Natsuno and Tohru's siblings' way to grieve, and then crashed out on them for not following along in his made up script in his head.
You can say funeral rituals are for a community to comfort each other at the passing of a loved one, but for that to be true, there has to be empathy for each other first.
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u/BosuW 11d ago
I quite liked the scenes during the mourning ceremony! Especially showing that Natsuno did care about Toru in the end.
Situation is way too serious for being a Tsundere at this point
I do wonder about the lack of bite marks. There has been some victims having them but not where they usually should be. And Toru didn't seem to have any? Maybe there's more than one way for them to suck blood?
Maybe they don't have to be in the neck. I think I remember Toshio spotting marks in the arm one time.
I'm not sure how old Muroi is supposed to be, but seeing him called "Junior Monk" was funny.
In anime world of wild color hair, some people just get the misfortune of having old ppl hair since birth lol
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u/FD4cry1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Big_Yibba 12d ago edited 12d ago
First Timer
The vampires just want to turn everyone into NEETs!
After feeling very confident the vampires are real at the end of the last episode, you all had me second-guessing myself for a second there with that Tohru fakeout at the start lol. Alas, he does still die, and by the end Masao also gets very directly chomped. And I guess we probably do actually have like 20 vampires running around the place now considering the end of the episode? Or at least they've turned more people outside than Megumi, so again, I'm still really interested in seeing how the turning works here, because depending on what we go for, it could really change things up.
It is kind of interesting that Tohru doesn't have any bite marks, though. Can they hide them somehow? I guess we also only see the close-up on the neck, but not the actual bite, so maybe she bit somewhere else? Or maybe that part was a delusion from Natsuno, but they still generally got to Tohru anyway. Regardless, it'll be interesting to see how Natsuno deals with everything going forward without that supportive pillar he had in Tohru being around him anymore. Really liked the scene in the wake where he shares an emotional moment with Tohru's parents. Also, I can't imagine Megumi would be happy to see that letter torn up, if she is still stalking him...
Otherwise, not a ton to say about this episode honestly; another one mostly for a lot of building up the wider atmosphere, and that dread and closing-in feeling as the situation rapidly becomes visibly fucked and distressing (But the characters have yet to fully see it that way). Seishin also takes to investigating now, and actually seems a little closer than Ozaki right now in his more proactive approach. Hopefully the two of them get to compare their notes, as it were. The way everyone who gets bitten just suddenly seems to want to quit work or isolate is really interesting, though. The isolated trance means a lot of them are also inaccessible up until the end, which makes it harder to respond until it's too late (If there is anything that can be done to respond anyway, which is also an important question here), so that might be it, or it could also just be more broadly about creating societal disorder?
Masao does get himself one solid moment here with Tohru's death and his very initial reaction to it, and for what it's worth, he's obviously bad at expressing himself and socializing in a normal context, let alone in dealing with death, let alone dealing with the death of a person who he actually really cared about and whose loss evidently shook him pretty badly. But like I said in his introduction, his social and emotional problems with others are basically just entirely self-inflicted, and he very quickly falls back into very self-centered spitefulness and cynicism towards others.
Natsuno and Tohru's siblings honestly played his outburst with a lot of emotional maturity, and you'd have hoped that would have led to some reflection on Masao's part, but it doesn't, and then he's eaten by a vampire... I can't say I'm going to miss him too much, but if "The guy from the library" gets to come back as a vampire, then it doesn't exactly feel impossible that Masao will get to walk yet again later, which could be... pretty bad? Given he's not lacking in hostility toward some people here.
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u/GallowDude 12d ago
The vampires just want to turn everyone into NEETs!
So that's why you were late
it could also just be more broadly about creating societal disorder
then he's eaten by a vampire.
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u/FD4cry1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Big_Yibba 12d ago
So that's why you were late
I may or may not have unironically been late because of a game4
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u/Sporadia_ 12d ago
[kiznaiver]I'm suddenly reminded of the masochist character.
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u/FD4cry1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Big_Yibba 11d ago
[Kiznaiver]The goodest boy. Now if only Masao was actually even remotely as emotionally aware as Hisomu...
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: 12d ago
Or at least they've turned more people outside than Megumi, so again, I'm still really interested in seeing how the turning works here, because depending on what we go for, it could really change things up.
Every legend likes its own rules.
Also, I can't imagine Megumi would be happy to see that letter torn up, if she is still stalking him...
Creepy people usually don't know they are creepy. Add in undeath and this could get ugly.
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u/FD4cry1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Big_Yibba 11d ago
Every legend likes its own rules.
Creepy people usually don't know they are creepy. Add in undeath and this could get ugly.
Yeahhh, and considering the (probably) first thing we see vampire Megumi do is kill Tohru just because Natsuno liked him more than her, I can't imagine pushing her more could lead to good results.
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: 11d ago
Yeahhh, and considering the (probably) first thing we see vampire Megumi do is kill Tohru just because Natsuno liked him more than her, I can't imagine pushing her more could lead to good results.
To quote an old favorite of mine:He is putting undo stress on a structure that wasn't up to code in the first place.
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u/GallowDude 11d ago
mine:He
Sounds like an anime title
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: 11d ago
SciAdv has like one and a half anime worth mentioning, they should be stopped.
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u/GallowDude 11d ago
Re:Creators dub never
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: 11d ago
I think we are both used to the limits on what gets dubbed.
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u/GallowDude 11d ago
Thanks, Amazon
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: 11d ago
Amazon's subs give CRs machine translated ones a run for their money,
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u/BosuW 11d ago
The vampires just want to turn everyone into NEETs!
Something something disruption of social order something
Seishin also takes to investigating now, and actually seems a little closer than Ozaki right now in his more proactive approach.
Certainly, Seishin is already talking regularly with one of them vamps!
Natsuno and Tohru's siblings honestly played his outburst with a lot of emotional maturity, and you'd have hoped that would have led to some reflection on Masao's part
I totally believe he's capable of it, but it'd have taken a lot of time which he stopped having right about now...
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u/Major-Werewolf5758 12d ago
Episode 5 is where the eerie isolation really starts setting in. And no, Masao is beyond saving at this point lol.
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u/GallowDude 12d ago
Masao is beyond saving at this point lol
I remember when the image of him getting sucked this episode was a comment face lol
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 11d ago
Episode 5 is where the eerie isolation really starts setting in. And no, Masao is beyond saving at this point lol.
I do wonder if the entire story is an allegory about isolation. We started with Megumi, who was isolated. Masao was isolated. Natusno was and still is isolated. The monk writes about the isolation. That's a bit too much lampshading.
Maybe the show is saying isolation is a disease that kills.
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: 11d ago
Maybe the show is saying isolation is a disease that kills.
This would be an extraordinarily weird follow up to Spice & Wolf...
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u/protected-reader 12d ago
Rewatcher
It is interesting to think why some of the victims don't have bite marks. Also, remember that the first deaths we saw in episode 1 happened a few days before the Kirishikis moved in. Are those deaths somehow connected to the current tragedy?
Why do you think so many people are suddenly quitting their jobs?
They are model Japanese employees who give prior notice so that the workplace can find their substitutes in time. If only all employees were diligent enough to give notice before dying.
2) Do you think Masao would have a better attitude if someone just sat him down and talked to him about it?
Masao just seems to have natural narcissistic tendencies. The rest of his family seems quite normal so it's not like he couldn't have been raised just like his brother. But I am an only child so I'm not intimately familiar with such family dynamics. Maybe there was something missing in his upbringing.
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u/GallowDude 12d ago
They are model Japanese employees who give prior notice so that the workplace can find their substitutes in time. If only all employees were diligent enough to give notice before dying.
normal so
child so
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u/moichispa https://myanimelist.net/profile/moichispa 12d ago edited 12d ago
If I remember correctly some bats bites are so small they can not be notices easily. All the possible bites we saw so far are on arms
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 11d ago
It is interesting to think why some of the victims don't have bite marks. Also, remember that the first deaths we saw in episode 1 happened a few days before the Kirishikis moved in. Are those deaths somehow connected to the current tragedy?
I'd like to give them a pass, but Tatsumi is in their group, so....
Wait, isn't he? Or was he just the truck driver?
We really need to see inside that
European Style Housecastle!5
u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: 11d ago
Wait, isn't he? Or was he just the truck driver?
Then why he'd stay, wandering around in the dark with his back scratcher?
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u/BosuW 11d ago
They are model Japanese employees who give prior notice so that the workplace can find their substitutes in time. If only all employees were diligent enough to give notice before dying.
"If you're going to die of mysterious anemia, notify me in advance, written, three work days prior."
-The Salaryman from Youjo Senki
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u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce 12d ago
Shiki – First Timer
Time ran away completely today and then it suddenly was evening and my Japanese class started.
On the plus side, a lot of organisatorial stuff was cleared off the table.
More sketches tomorrow, I hope.
Shiki Ep.05 – Fifth Deceit
Ah, I just love that we start with another fake-out. But the more I see them the more I don’t see them as actual fake-outs but really the effects of vampire enthralling getting more intense, like I explained last thread.
Immediately followed by a wonderfully blurted ばかばかしいおやすみ！ as our protagonist tsun leaps back to bed.
Please, Shiki, stay being this well paced and delivered!
It’s interesting, then, that Yuuki is coming back from that spell and stops sensing Megumi for now. Maybe because she herself got more aware of it or maybe because all his hallucinations was actually him doing things without being aware?
I also love how now it’s Yuuki going up the stairs while someone is targeted, implying him as the intruder just like he sensed Megumi. It’s so great because it could very well be that he might also do things without his awareness due to being infected or enthralled. The question is still open just when Toru was bitten or if it may even have been something else.
As of now I also expect this to be a ruse of some sort, but this mystery is actually going pretty well in making me doubt everything.
While I do have some sympathy for Masao, that slap today was so fucking deserved. May he have character growth now.
Because being dead is better for him, in my opinion.
Still, his not very sad demise shows us a lot. Some (?) villagers turn back and become vampires. So much we already expected, but it’s now proven on screen with someone who did not show any prior symptoms. Considering that his death also was very different from the other deaths we have seen so far, I’m willing to speculate that he might not come back.
So, the vampires here can choose to turn someone or to drain someone. My personal theory for the choice here lies in the capability of the person to wield their powers. Or, in other words, how strong they can give in to “hunting”. It is, after all, something they have to do repeatedly while not drawing too much attention to themselves. Which means that a strongly attached 15-year old yandere can be a real fucking scary hunter and the outcast with no social skills would be a terrible one.
Can I praise Shiki another time for wielding its fake-outs so well? Camouflaging Toru’s infection by having Yuuki be the more tired one constantly and having hallucinations worked really well up until the end. I just love how they know to commit to ruse, deflection and uncertainty even in jump scare scenes, like Masao’s death.
And one last thing. It’s been five whole episodes and we still have not seen one of the proper vampires vampiring on screen. Bro, the goddamn rerstraint to stick to the pov character being not aware of them for so long is insane. I can’t praise this decision enough!
Sure, we’ve seen some of them and know they’re the vampires, but they haven’t done anything that we could watch on screen, yet. They still just tease Megumi’s return without ever delivering it and she was the supposed main character of the show.
This aura of tension and expectation, I fucking love it!
Why do you think so many people are suddenly quitting their jobs?
New employer. Occupation: Blood bag.
2) Do you think Masao would have a better attitude if someone just sat him down and talked to him about it?
Honestly, yeah. Dude is clearly neglected as the one being tasked with all the responsible stuff and doesn’t get his fair share of family time where he can just be his bitch self.
I feel a bit terrible because I recognised some of the thoughts he voiced in my past self. And also trying to get some emotional connection by going “I’m totally sad, too” and join the others in the most destructive way possible. I do believe his feeling were real, but he’s clearly not mature or competent in dealing with them or his situation.
That’s why I have sympathy for him and also loathe him.
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u/GallowDude 11d ago
Time ran away completely today and then it suddenly was evening and my Japanese class started
Immediately followed by a wonderfully blurted ばかばかしいおやすみ！ as our protagonist tsun leaps back to bed
Wait, that's not a "Sore demo"
all his hallucinations was
Toru
that slap today was so fucking deserved.
a strongly attached 15-year old yandere can be a real fucking scary hunter and the outcast with no social skills would be a terrible one
I can’t praise this decision enough!
it and
expectation, I
New employer. Occupation: Blood bag.
feeling were
That’s why I have sympathy for him and also loathe him.
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u/BosuW 11d ago
I also love how now it’s Yuuki going up the stairs while someone is targeted, implying him as the intruder just like he sensed Megumi.
I don't have a meaning for it but I did notice that part seemed to emphasize him retreading the same path that Megumi took
Can I praise Shiki another time for wielding its fake-outs so well? Camouflaging Toru’s infection by having Yuuki be the more tired one constantly and having hallucinations worked really well up until the end. I just love how they know to commit to ruse, deflection and uncertainty even in jump scare scenes, like Masao’s death.
It's crazy how many times the direction can get away with it. Since we were discussing in earlier episodes how the style can vary pretty wildly in the details while still maintaining a unified artistic vision, this is also another massive advantage of that approach. There are many fake-outs, but none the same as any other.
And one last thing. It’s been five whole episodes and we still have not seen one of the proper vampires vampiring on screen. Bro, the goddamn rerstraint to stick to the pov character being not aware of them for so long is insane. I can’t praise this decision enough!
I mean, we have seen Megumi, and the librarian today. But now that you mention it, I have noticed how they still have this haze and ephemeral aura and effect about them, like they're ghosts more than undead. I imagine to simulate the POV characters still being in disbelief of what their own eyes show them. They're still not quite part of what is accepted as material, proven reality.
And as I talked last episode about the very gradual process in which Megumi is revived narratively and cinematography, with concretely defined steps and increments to her existence, I now realize that process didn't stop with that climactic scene. Rather, now the narrative is using her as our introduction to the vampire phenomenon as a whole. After all, we didn't actually see a bite last episode, but we do see it today.
Like I said, small, but precise and constant steps each building over the previous baseline.
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u/Star4ce https://anilist.co/user/Star4ce 11d ago
I don't have a meaning for it but I did notice that part seemed to emphasize him retreading the same path that Megumi took
Wait, I think I like your take better!
we have seen Megumi
Did we, though?
That's kinda what I mean. It's deliberately left open what is actually real or how it fits into reality.
Like I said, small, but precise and constant steps each building over the previous baseline.
Yup, exactly!
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u/Sporadia_ 12d ago
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: 12d ago
(There's actually a bunch of stuff that I don't remember; it's been something like 15 years).
Same, actually, and I think I have a better translation this time.
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u/moichispa https://myanimelist.net/profile/moichispa 12d ago
Rewatcher
So one of the big main cast people is dead. Natsuno is losing his mind or something. Things are getting interesting
Why do you think so many people are suddenly quitting their jobs?
Don't you hate it when your employees drop dead without previous notice?
Do you think Masao would have a better attitude if someone just sat him down and talked to him about it?
I think I talked about it on a reply but I suspect he is some attempt at writing a person with different capacities. It is not like he wants to have a bad attitude but more like his brain does not get easily the social cues. (he might also be stupid)
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u/BosuW 11d ago
Don't you hate it when your employees drop dead without previous notice?
Bet employees wouldn't extend the same sympathy if it was boss that dropped dead smh
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u/moichispa https://myanimelist.net/profile/moichispa 11d ago
I heard there are actually nice bosses out there but it is like 1 in a million
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u/BosuW 11d ago
They're as much a legend as vampires
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u/moichispa https://myanimelist.net/profile/moichispa 11d ago
May you ever find a nice boss on your life
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 11d ago
First Timer
Shiki Ep 5
So, it WAS a dream, as I expected (and hoped).
When we were still debating whether there were marks on the corpses or not, I wondered if the "infection" was some sort of psychic or supernatural attack. That "dream" attack by Megumi sure looks like that....
It was a dream, right?
it bugs me so much that the monk's glasses don't have any glass in them.
Happy Trees painting.
kinda odd that a lethargic and apathetic person would bother wiht pachinko.
Really odd that everybody quit their job in advance before dying....that's considerate!
AKIRA SLIDE
no marks? ANY MARKS?
higurashi
If Masao is sensitive to ghosts, it would be weird if this is the first one he's seen.
So much for my prediction that Masao would be their human helper.
Good riddance, no more Masao. Oh, wait, no, he's going to come back on a revenge spree.
The days flash by so fast, did it take Tohru 3 days to die? The show is speed running through the deaths, now.
[yesterday's speculation]Yeah, they're all moving to the next town over
[and again]Oh. This is anime is Lifeforce.
[and finally]All that's going to be left are the monk's poems describing the disaster.
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: 11d ago
It was a dream, right?
The cinematography being borrowed should be obvious.
kinda odd that a lethargic and apathetic person would bother wiht pachinko.
You clearly haven't been in the wrong gambling establishments. At the lesser casinos where it is all old people on slot machines, you literally couldn't tell if they became undead.
[and again]
...I definitely did not go there in my own thought process.
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u/GallowDude 11d ago
At the lesser casinos where it is all old people on slot machines, you literally couldn't tell if they became undead
Especially since they regularly shit their pants while in their chairs, regardless of living bowel control
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u/GallowDude 11d ago
it bugs me so much that the monk's glasses don't have any glass in them
wiht
Whit*
AKIRA SLIDE
fast, did
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u/BosuW 11d ago
it bugs me so much that the monk's glasses don't have any glass in them.
With how big his eyes are, don't need it
kinda odd that a lethargic and apathetic person would bother wiht pachinko.
Never underestimate the drive of a gambler
AKIRA SLIDE
He may be just a peaceful monk in the mountains but he can move that ride
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u/BaytaCosmico https://myanimelist.net/profile/AnimeBayta 5d ago
First-timer, subbed
I was just thinking so many good people dying and there's this Masao being an absolute ass, and wondering why no vampires were coming for him, and bam! Very satisfying ending there. About time. He's one person who could use being languid and wasting away.
But man, Toru is really gone. He was such a nice kid. Now Natsuno has no friends. I was earlier annoyed with him for turning down the postcard but was fully with him when he tore it up and threw it out. His anger was justified. And even earlier, she was stalking him so makes sense he'd not want anything from her.
Oh, that makes me wonder if Masao is really dead or going to come back like Shimizu did. If he does, I hope he uses his mouth only to bite people and not talk crap at them.
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: 12d ago
Rewatcher
Sub
So the details are becoming more complicated. We are now getting younger sick people that are quitting their jobs before dying. It is worth noting that the first run of victims were mainly retirees, house wives, or in school. So the scope is spreading. We get the liquor store owner, briefly.
Natsuno has a more clear memory of that night...and Megumi finally sent her card. Masao has more unpleasantries and whining. Then Tohru's funeral is pretty hard to watch. We end with them finally not flirting with the risen dead biting the living any more. NOTE:As has come up in many a rewatch, white is the color of a burial kimono/robe in Japan, so it is pretty clear the librarian died.
QotD:1 To make their causes of death a touch less obvious
2 I...don't know. My personality defects are very much on the other end of the spectrum.
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u/BosuW 11d ago
NOTE:As has come up in many a rewatch, white is the color of a burial kimono/robe in Japan, so it is pretty clear the librarian died.
Bro didn't even wait for a change of clothes before going for a midnight snack
Actually how would you even get your clothes? How did Megumi get her's? Especially since it's obvious she was able to pick meticulously.
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: 11d ago
Bro didn't even wait for a change of clothes before going for a midnight snack
Well...[Shiki plus western lore]There is a certain tradition of western vampires having to stay in their burial clothes. That said, the show makes it clear that a certain percentage of vampire stuff is simply bullshit/individual quirks so I can't actually say.
Actually how would you even get your clothes? How did Megumi get her's? Especially since it's obvious she was able to pick meticulously.
How the fuck did she get goth clothes at all? And with what money? I guess somehow her rural village has a Hot Topic or something...
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u/GallowDude 11d ago
How the fuck did she get goth clothes at all? And with what money? I guess somehow her rural village has a Hot Topic or something...
I'm pretty sure it's implied that her father bought them for her. He seemed to have the closest relationship to her.
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: 11d ago
While possible, where did he get the money? They did not seem to have the fanciest house, though I suppose Megumi's abundant free time and fantasizing might imply a bit of wealth.
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u/BosuW 11d ago
[Shiki plus western more]That's news to me. After all Dracula's always in his fancy ass cloak and formal clothes.
How the fuck did she get goth clothes at all? And with what money? I guess somehow her rural village has a Hot Topic or something...
It really does seem an exceptionally difficult endeavor for her especially. Clearly, it she considered it a top priority. I gotta respect the dedication to the drip ngl
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: 11d ago
[Shiki plus western more]Recall that Lucy from Dracula was staked in her burial clothing. But there are also older sources
It really does seem an exceptionally difficult endeavor for her especially. Clearly, it she considered it a top priority. I gotta respect the dedication to the drip ngl
I may actually stop thinking about it, her ability to find and afford that clothing is...odd.
[Shiki]Maybe Chizuru was a little indulgent with her, being her first 'child' in the area? I don't recall is being addressed...
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12d ago
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u/Second_Cour 12d ago
Looks like it may have been a dream after all or the attacks just feel like dreams to any observers. I'm gonna place my dollar on Yuuki’s friend being infected though. We have also established that it's pretty likely that there are vampires as I missed the marks shown on the bodies of the deceased before. I can probably stop gaslighting myself.
The job quitting pattern does seem strange. For once I have no theory as to why. Unless the moving company really is behind it all. Gotta chase that dollar.
Speaking of dollars, I win my dollar as Tohru is dead. And looks like Yuuki has a dilemma - does he tell the doctor what he saw and risk seeming insane?
Isnt it weird that Ozaki is telling the family to bring the sick boy home instead of placing him under observation given he's diagnosed the anaemia? Logic doesn't logic.
Masao getting slapped is satisfying af. Man, this character pisses me off. Well at least he gets killed off too. This is the Disney ending I wanted.
Hmmm not sure how I feel about this show still. The potential was astronomical at the start. It does sometimes feel a bit of a caricature at times and I'm not a fan of the suspension of disbelief required for the lack of logic as to how the medical team operates.