Shiki, "Sixteenth Skull" --Review

In this episode, we learn about Sunako's past. The episode begins with a brief montage, and Sunako telling the story about how she ended up becoming a vampire before we go to credits. After credits, we see Toru in front of Natsuno's bedroom window. The flowers he had placed in front of the window have all withered. He confesses to having killed again, and seems to be in the throes of grief. He's interrupted by Mr. Kirishiki, who makes fun of him for grieving. He is not just here to make fun Toru for being a wimpy vampire--he tells Toru that Sunako would like to have a little chat with him.

Toru is not the only vampire with a guilty conscience. The next scene shows Nao brooding over the fact that not a single member of her family has risen as a vampire after she has attacked them. We learn that Nao comes from a troubled family background and she adored her in-laws because they were the family she never really had.

The scene shifts back to Toru who is feeling very apprehensive about having been summoned back to the big house by Sunako. (Apparently, she's the most strict of the Kirishiki family who dispenses the most severe punishments.) When Sunako appears, she seems to be playing the part of a little girl about to have a tea party. She invites Toru to sit with her and have some tea.

She appears to be very sympathetic about Toru's grief, then tells him a story about how she became a shiki, and why it is okay for shiki to kill people. Toru rejects the idea, but Sunako points out that if Toru were really sorry about being a shiki and killing people, he would have killed himself. (Toru does not react well to this. However, she has a point.)

After Sunako rose as a shiki, (and despite the fact that she kept attacking people) her parents kept her in isolation in a store house in a town far from her home. (It seems like you'd want to keep a homicidal feral child closer to hand.) They would send someone to feed her and this state of affairs continued until she decided to run away. When she finally found her old home however, different people were living there. She tried to find her family, but she was never able to. Toru asks why Sunako told him this story about herself, and Sunako says that she was hoping that Toru would sympathize with the feelings of the girl she had been.

The scene shifts briefly to Akira and Kaori before we shift to the commercial. The next scene is Megumi who is happily bouncing along after a night of drinking blood. She spots Kaori and Akira's father Yoshikazu who is really unhappy about having come back as a vampire. Megumi points out if he were really upset, he wouldn't be here (meaning that Yoshizaku had killed someone and drank their blood). This is a recurring theme throughout the episode. Megumi also points out that he has to start hunting on his own, and suggests that he should start with his family.

Yoshikazu apparently decides this is a great idea and heads to his former home. When he approaches the door, he finds that he cannot approach--a wavering purple field appears, and he realizes that he needs to be invited. The family dog goes berserk, and Yoshikazu's wife Sachiko comes to the door to yell at the dog. When Yoshikazu calls out to her, she thinks he is a ghost. She tries to get away, but unfortunately, her foot crossed the threshold, and he's able to grab her and pull her out of the house.

The next morning Kaori wakes up, and discovers that her mother has been drained of blood and all of her motivation. Kaori has still not figured out that Megumi is not (and probably never was) her friend. Akira decides to skip school so he can buy more wards and charms. On the way he ends up talking to some gossipy villagers where he learns about the location of a possible vampire. When he gets back to Kaori, he has a plan to go looking for this vampire and stake it. He heads off, a young man with a mission (and lacking any real clue of what he is doing).

The next scene features villagers getting ready for the upcoming religious festival. Toshio is listening to the practice session, and apparently conspiring with Natsuno, who is one of the shiki-vampires who are able to walk around in the daylight. Natsuno refers to the villagers as being complacent. They talk about waiting for the right moment to go after the shiki. Toshio and Natsuno agree that all of the shiki must be destroyed and then Natsuno reveals that he is one of the shiki in question.

We shift to Akira who believes that he will be able to safely stake the vampire. He is not aware that some vampires can walk around during the day and therefore totally doesn't expect Tatsumi to be there to keep him from staking the vampire. We end this episode with Akira waking up and finding that he has been gagged and bound hand and foot. Oh, and it is almost evening (Tatsumi helpfully left the watch Akira had been wearing where Akira could see it), and the vampire he was going to stake is waking up. Then we go to the closing credits.