8D -- Me here. Decided to make an account because I wanted to play with the icons, probably among other things.
I really admire Toshio for not succumbing to killing the villagers when they're still humans, unlike many others. That really speaks of his strong moral code. I agree, though -- Toshio would likely behave the same way even if he weren't Sotoba's leader, only that he'd probably meet more difficulties for lack of authority. Usually, though, being the only doctor in the area will give you a certain kind of authority, so if he were still Sotoba's doctor he'd probably use that to some extent. Even Toshio would find that having a certain authority is useful. He's a systematical person overall, so if he were an ordinary villager I assume his approach to things would still be systematical, only with a distinct lack of medicine.
I think it's not that he sees the disappearances and movings as significant because they support the vampire theory, but that he sees the vampire theory as significant because it supports the disappearances and movings (among other things). Chapter 2.10.7 showed that before Natsuno came to him and planted the idea in his mind, he'd already come around to really seeing the disappearances and movings as weird, and that "it was possible that it wasn't just a disease". Even if he still shrugged it off because he sounded like the ridiculous one here, though he still couldn't get it out of his mind. Natsuno just offered the final piece to complete the puzzle, from what I see. The other theories didn't support what happened; but this one theory looked like it could, so he was willing to give it a try I think.
I said 'gone mad' because... he looks too apathetic post-Shiki that I think it's pretty pathological. Also, I think he becomes a totally different person from how he initially was that it'd probably look like he's gone mad somehow especially from the view of people who personally know him. As far as feeling at peace goes, I don't really think there'll be much of it, because in my opinion : 1) in the animanga (since we haven't known how it's in the novel yet) his last telling of his novel as far as I remember is the older brother screaming for his younger brother to come back after he vanished, when he finally remembered that the name he'd shouted was actually his own name. That "the older brother and the younger brother are the same person, and that he's the one killing as well as the one being killed." It rather showed that he was pretty shocked in this discovery and nothing showed afterwards. The general state of his feelings at this stage is pretty depressing I think, so that probably reflects his feelings at the end of Shiki. 2) Death is the general theme of Shiki, and loss would mean death too. Everyone experiences loss -- whether it's relationship, family members, life, even Sotoba and its system. I think it'd fit that Seishin would experience loss too, a loss that's life-changing and leaves a hole in his heart that cannot really be filled anymore, just like everyone else.
3) I agree that at the end of Shiki he finally becomes tranquil, but I mostly think he reaches tranquility by going numb instead of being truly at peace. What came into my mind is not really "I've found the answer and I've finally been released from the system I hate, which is what I want." (<-- that's what I think when I see the word 'peace') but more about "So... this is it. This is really the answer. I've actually sort of known this all along but I was in denial, but I cannot deny it anymore can't I? This is... actually horrible. I don't really want this. But no matter what I do or want, this is the fact and it wouldn't change. I can't do anything about it anymore, so I'll go numb instead."
I think Seishin is quite curious in that he hates the system, and probably wants it disappear but hasn't envisioned what it would be like without it. He's not someone who wants to tear the system down and change it with another, more ideal one. While he indeed has a certain ideal, he doesn't know how to make it into reality and thus ends up isolating it. His overall approach to the system instead is to roll with it, despite how dissatisfying it is, while forging his hate but cannot do anything about it because he cannot envision something different that could be applied. Deep down, a radical change actually freaks him out and that even if an order is imperfect it would be better than no order at all. He lacks vision and most importantly, he lacks any real want or effort to make a change, despite how much he hates his reality.
I do think that, deep down, he actually loves the system. It's not just an inherent need of it, but it's also love. So he probably becomes that bitter and hurt when something he loves 'refuses' him, when what he wants is to be truly integrated into the system and contribute to it (as his own self). Even if he thinks it could be better, even if he hates it so much he wants it disappear, the system has always been a part of him thus losing it would be the same as losing a significant part of himself, is what I think. It's like what he said: "He's the one killing, he's also the one being killed." his attempt to extricate himself from the system results in the death of a cherished part of him.
Of course, there's a flaw in #1; it's also possible that Seishin hasn't finished his novel yet, and since his novel's storyline corresponds his own experiences in a chronological manner, it could be that he has indeed achieved peace at the end but obviously his novel hasn't reached that point yet then. There are likely more holes in my argument, please feel free to poke and prod at them.
Re: 8D
I really admire Toshio for not succumbing to killing the villagers when they're still humans, unlike many others. That really speaks of his strong moral code. I agree, though -- Toshio would likely behave the same way even if he weren't Sotoba's leader, only that he'd probably meet more difficulties for lack of authority. Usually, though, being the only doctor in the area will give you a certain kind of authority, so if he were still Sotoba's doctor he'd probably use that to some extent. Even Toshio would find that having a certain authority is useful. He's a systematical person overall, so if he were an ordinary villager I assume his approach to things would still be systematical, only with a distinct lack of medicine.
I think it's not that he sees the disappearances and movings as significant because they support the vampire theory, but that he sees the vampire theory as significant because it supports the disappearances and movings (among other things). Chapter 2.10.7 showed that before Natsuno came to him and planted the idea in his mind, he'd already come around to really seeing the disappearances and movings as weird, and that "it was possible that it wasn't just a disease". Even if he still shrugged it off because he sounded like the ridiculous one here, though he still couldn't get it out of his mind. Natsuno just offered the final piece to complete the puzzle, from what I see. The other theories didn't support what happened; but this one theory looked like it could, so he was willing to give it a try I think.
I said 'gone mad' because... he looks too apathetic post-Shiki that I think it's pretty pathological. Also, I think he becomes a totally different person from how he initially was that it'd probably look like he's gone mad somehow especially from the view of people who personally know him. As far as feeling at peace goes, I don't really think there'll be much of it, because in my opinion : 1) in the animanga (since we haven't known how it's in the novel yet) his last telling of his novel as far as I remember is the older brother screaming for his younger brother to come back after he vanished, when he finally remembered that the name he'd shouted was actually his own name. That "the older brother and the younger brother are the same person, and that he's the one killing as well as the one being killed." It rather showed that he was pretty shocked in this discovery and nothing showed afterwards. The general state of his feelings at this stage is pretty depressing I think, so that probably reflects his feelings at the end of Shiki. 2) Death is the general theme of Shiki, and loss would mean death too. Everyone experiences loss -- whether it's relationship, family members, life, even Sotoba and its system. I think it'd fit that Seishin would experience loss too, a loss that's life-changing and leaves a hole in his heart that cannot really be filled anymore, just like everyone else.
3) I agree that at the end of Shiki he finally becomes tranquil, but I mostly think he reaches tranquility by going numb instead of being truly at peace. What came into my mind is not really "I've found the answer and I've finally been released from the system I hate, which is what I want." (<-- that's what I think when I see the word 'peace') but more about "So... this is it. This is really the answer. I've actually sort of known this all along but I was in denial, but I cannot deny it anymore can't I? This is... actually horrible. I don't really want this. But no matter what I do or want, this is the fact and it wouldn't change. I can't do anything about it anymore, so I'll go numb instead."
I think Seishin is quite curious in that he hates the system, and probably wants it disappear but hasn't envisioned what it would be like without it. He's not someone who wants to tear the system down and change it with another, more ideal one. While he indeed has a certain ideal, he doesn't know how to make it into reality and thus ends up isolating it. His overall approach to the system instead is to roll with it, despite how dissatisfying it is, while forging his hate but cannot do anything about it because he cannot envision something different that could be applied. Deep down, a radical change actually freaks him out and that even if an order is imperfect it would be better than no order at all. He lacks vision and most importantly, he lacks any real want or effort to make a change, despite how much he hates his reality.
I do think that, deep down, he actually loves the system. It's not just an inherent need of it, but it's also love. So he probably becomes that bitter and hurt when something he loves 'refuses' him, when what he wants is to be truly integrated into the system and contribute to it (as his own self). Even if he thinks it could be better, even if he hates it so much he wants it disappear, the system has always been a part of him thus losing it would be the same as losing a significant part of himself, is what I think. It's like what he said: "He's the one killing, he's also the one being killed." his attempt to extricate himself from the system results in the death of a cherished part of him.
Of course, there's a flaw in #1; it's also possible that Seishin hasn't finished his novel yet, and since his novel's storyline corresponds his own experiences in a chronological manner, it could be that he has indeed achieved peace at the end but obviously his novel hasn't reached that point yet then. There are likely more holes in my argument, please feel free to poke and prod at them.
You're very welcome!! 8D