Shikebane Hime: Aka

I finally finished Shikabane Hime: Aka, an excellent 13 episode anime that started in October 2008. It took this long because it got licensed, so the mainstream web sites like AnimeSuki stopped listing the torrents. The fansubbers continue their work of course, but it gets a little more difficult to find since you don't know who is doing it. The licensee actually put the anime on YouTube (and other places) but the quality wasn't that great compared to what I can get from fansub sources. Just another example of not giving the fans what they want.

In the the story the dead who still have a strong attachment to this world, become "living" corpses (shikabane). The shikabane still think they are human but are completely insane. They hate all other people whom they always attack without hesitation. To counter this threat, the Kougon Sect recruits certain corpses as Shikabane Hime (Corpse Princess) who are able fight toe-to-toe with the regular shikabane. In order to regenerate wounds and maintain a coherent mental state, the Shikabane Hime draw upon the life force of a Contracted Priest, a member of the Kougon sect. Obviously, the Shikabane Hime are all female and damned attractive one's at that. If there is a reason for this, apart from the purile ones ;-), the story doesn't offer any.

What is more interesting, is how the Shikabane Hime are treated by the living. The main character, Kagami Ouri, basically treats them with respect and dignity as if they are human. Many in the Kougon sect treat the Shikabane Hime less than decently, sometimes describing them as "filthy." Granted, the the Shikabane Hime are dead but that does seem a little harsh. On the other hand there are societies today that treat certain classes of living people as filth, so why should the dead rate any greater empathy?

The series has a sad ending but it is a good setup for the sequel, Shikabane Hime: Kuro, which has already been fansubbed. I'll be watching that series without a doubt.