Shiki

is a Japanese horror novel written by Fuyumi Ono. It was originally published in two parts by Shinchosha in 1998, it 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 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