Hey, everybody, remember those sad, empty weeks when no episodes of Shiki aired? Turns out it was all a tricksy plan to have episode 13 release near Halloween – and even better: everyone is in costume!

So we meet some of the background monks and The Monkerator (who’s dressed up like a monk, how lazy) fills us in on how the monastery wouldn’t function without all those nice villagers volunteering their time (how do you suppose volunteer attendance is faring, with the vampire takeover and all?), while his dad furiously presses his button and grumbles over how bad the service has gotten. Ooh, I see Papa has his costume on! Wait, don’t tell me – Hungry Zombie? Tired Old Man Waiting To Die?

Meanwhile Nao’s dad is brought to the clinic, sick of course – remember, he’s the only one from the lumber company left (and his Man With Mustache costume is amazing). AH HA! Now it makes sense, the vampires are trying to break into the lumber industry by killing off his family and neighbors and taking over his business! Of course! The Doc wants to keep him in the hospital, but he refuses because he needs to be able to tend to his Buddhist altar. The Doc is all, “I am completely skeptical of a man who wants to devote himself to religion after all his friends and family have died one after another – this has to be a vampire conspiracy!” But of course since the Doc said it we have to take it as the truth. Boooo-ring.

And then the Doc’s little wifey, dressed up as Sexy Wife, comes up sick. (Doc’s mom didn’t think to alert him to the fact until there had been no answer from Kyoko for 2 or 3 days. Good call, Mom – and I love your Mean Jerk costume!) Das Monken and the Doc have a conference call (awww, you guys) and Doc assures his buddy that he can handle protecting Kyoko by himself. Good thing, because Monk Sr. has gone totally nutso bananas and Monk Jr. doesn’t want to leave him alone.

Yuuki, I think, is going as Rip Van Winkle (or maybe Lazarus?) this year. Mostly he lays in bed and sleeps and dreams about running. Then Toru shows up for a little late-night makeout session/blood drinking and Yuuki wakes up for that, but still doesn’t move much. Toru seems to be weeping pearls, which I guess Yuuki is totally cool with. Hey, dude, save those and we’ll make a commitment necklace!

AND THEN YUUKI DIES. And Mama Yuuki takes off (or is eaten by vampires). She leaves Papa Yuuki a letter telling him that both of those things have happened. And he’s all, “Wife? Wife? Where are you? Have you been eaten? Oh yeah, I guess I should check on that kid we have. I mean had…he’s definitely dead now.”

Through the background characters we learn now that a new funeral home and a new clinic have opened, but I’m not sure why that’s significant yet. Probably vampires.

They finally let that deranged old guy out to visit his friend and all he does is look at him and then ask to go home. Jeez, man – you threw a big tantrum just for that? But he seems to have reached some kind of conclusion based on the little visit, so maybe there’s a reason this guy is revered as the senior monk in town?

So those meddling kids show up at Yuuki’s house looking for Yuuki and instead they find Papa Yuuki, looking totally vamp’d out, and they’re like, “Sweet costume! Who did your make-up? Trick or treat!” And someone dressed up as the mailman is like, “TREAT! Some kid died, haha!”

They rush home to cry and Megumi (in her best of many Sexy Megumi costumes) giggles over how they’re, like, totally doomed. See, Vampire Dad just got home and HE’S HUNGRY for…noodles? Huh. Weird.

At the clinic, Kyoko is still alive but she’s sorta bleeding in a way that suggests maybe the Doc wasn’t actually very good at protecting her from vampires drinking her blood. Hey, it happens! I’ve been there, brother!

Then she dies and he slaps on his Deranged Psycho mask and puts her body on ice. Which is totally cool, we all grieve in different ways, I’m not judging. Though it does seem a bit, hm, unsanitary perhaps?

I’m pretty disappointed that the writers took away Yuuki’s chance to eat his folks, but we are finally getting to the episode where the Doc tortures his dead wife. Toru continues (in my eyes) to be the most sympathetic character, for an undead killer, and those goofy kids remain those goofy kids. People are dying left and right, Megumi is flouncing around town like a strumpet, blah blah blah, etc etc etc, Shiki as usual.

So? Thoughts? Do you think this show is actually about vampires anymore or is it about ambition and doing whatever you need to do to get a leg up, even if it’s totally gross and turns you into a terrible person? That’s my theory of the week. What do you pretend Shiki is about to make yourself feel better about watching?