I do agree with a lot of that, especially with the villagers' reactions and Seishin's. I believe that a lot of people would want to be the hero in a situation like Sotoba's and step up to whatever the threat might be, but it takes a person like Toshio to actually do it. Given Seishin's moralizing to Toshio over the death of the latter's wife, I do also feel he didn't want to kill anyone because it would be sinful. Yet at the same time, if I remember right (I could not be), Seishin also has a moment of, 'I hate what Toshio's doing, but at the same time, I can't hate or stay angry with him as a person because he's only reacting in the way he feels is best.' Kyoko's death was horrible, but while some people are ready to paint Toshio as a total monster because of it, I can kind of see what his mindset was and why he had that reaction. Would a monster have asked for her forgiveness, as he did in the manga before she woke up?
I think the shikis' explanation to kill humans would have been more of a viable one if they actually needed to kill humans in order to survive, not just take some of their blood periodically and decide whether to leave them human or not. The way I interpreted it in the narrative was that Sunako and her people wanted to turn people more out of a desire to have a place they could call their own, rather than strict necessity. While it's understandable, it's also selfish to a point--certainly Sunako and Chizuru remember what it was like to be human at some point themselves, and the break with that humanity that becoming a shiki caused them? Yet at the same time, many in their position would feel that need to have a sense of belonging and community. That's another plot tactic that I applaud Shiki on. Nothing is clear-cut and the reader/viewer needs to decide what might be right and wrong based on their own beliefs and values.
Sunako and Seishin clashing after they've been together awhile would be entertaining from a reader/viewer standpoint, but to me, so too would be another encounter between Seishin and Toshio. People could (maybe rightfully) argue that Toshio wouldn't walk away from it alive or even human anymore depending on what happened, but he's proven himself to be clever so maybe it wouldn't be a clear case of who won or lost if it did come to pass. If Seishin and Sunako did come to blows, I can easily see what you're saying. Sunako has a child's body and strength. She needs to sleep when the sun rises. Seishin doesn't have those restrictions, so if push really did come to shove, all he'd need to do is wait out the sunrise and get a stake.
Re: 8D
I think the shikis' explanation to kill humans would have been more of a viable one if they actually needed to kill humans in order to survive, not just take some of their blood periodically and decide whether to leave them human or not. The way I interpreted it in the narrative was that Sunako and her people wanted to turn people more out of a desire to have a place they could call their own, rather than strict necessity. While it's understandable, it's also selfish to a point--certainly Sunako and Chizuru remember what it was like to be human at some point themselves, and the break with that humanity that becoming a shiki caused them? Yet at the same time, many in their position would feel that need to have a sense of belonging and community. That's another plot tactic that I applaud Shiki on. Nothing is clear-cut and the reader/viewer needs to decide what might be right and wrong based on their own beliefs and values.
Sunako and Seishin clashing after they've been together awhile would be entertaining from a reader/viewer standpoint, but to me, so too would be another encounter between Seishin and Toshio. People could (maybe rightfully) argue that Toshio wouldn't walk away from it alive or even human anymore depending on what happened, but he's proven himself to be clever so maybe it wouldn't be a clear case of who won or lost if it did come to pass. If Seishin and Sunako did come to blows, I can easily see what you're saying. Sunako has a child's body and strength. She needs to sleep when the sun rises. Seishin doesn't have those restrictions, so if push really did come to shove, all he'd need to do is wait out the sunrise and get a stake.