Sankarea

So imagine this. Close your eyes and picture yourself walking to school, having a great day, realizing that you just aced a test, talked to a boy/girl you like, ate a good meal, and come home. You go to your room to relax but the first thing you see is a zombie girl lying half-naked on your bed. You try to to tell yourself if this is reality or fiction but just can't seem to do it.

Honestly, that's the feeling I got when I first started watching this series. In other words, very surprising. Originally, I didn't have high expectation of this series. No, it ... is not because the series is tagged as “ecchi” by MAL or the fact that the main character has a zombie fascination (more like a fetish to be honest). However, after watching about half the series that aired already, I have a hope for this series as it surprised me quite a bit, for the better.

The story tells the young boy named Chihiro Furuya, who has a strange hobby, or more a fascination on zombies. Now, there's something you don't see or hear everyday. However, despite being strange as it sounds, it is what our our main character loves. His obsession with zombies can be traced to the point of obsession and even a fetish. Sounds strange right? I'm sure this would definitely be something strange even for any of us considered to be an otaku. The story continues on from there where he meets another girl, an idol, to be exact who later after unfortunate circumstances becomes what he "loves". As for our main heroine (or maybe anti-hero later? I mean, she's freaking dead already), she is an unique character. Despite being one of the most beautiful girl at school, she strives hard to gain “freedom” or to be free from her life. Most prominently, she tries to escape her circumstances at home because what goes beyond those doors are circumstances that some of us may puke or feel disgust about. It is definitely something I'm sure most of us don't want to be placed in our own circumstances in real life. (unless you like living in big mansions and get free tuition)

Then, we have other characters like Ranko Saōji (also known as Wanko). She is rather tomboyish judged by her attitude and appearance but there's some history between her and our zombie loving MC, a history that can be traced back to puppy love, zombie movies, and all that rest of good stuff. It would definitely be interesting to see what kind of rivalry or friendship she may later develop towards our school beauty, aka Rea.

Anyways, my impressions of story so far is great. Even the very first episode got me hooked like a zombie. The movement of the story so far is somewhat slow but easy to follow and as the series continues, we see some of the unraveling details such as Rea's background. More importantly, the tone of the story becomes darker (mixed in with comedy the same time) as we see what is going on behind the scenes of Rea's life. We also see the history between Ranko and Chihiro as well as childhood memories are treasure that most us should keep placed in our hearts.

As for the art, I'm not too impressed. Well, let's just say that when I first saw that Studio Deen was the studio involved for this, my hopes were dead like a zombie. However, after watching these first few episodes, I'm glad they proved me wrong. I like the style and art of the series so far even if it's a bit plain. After all, art isn't something that determines the overall enjoyment of a series. Don't believe me? Just ask Gurren Lagann. As for the sound and music, I think so far it does seem to fit. I mean, it's not something eerie like Shigofumi: Letters of the Departed but you'll notice it soon once you get into the series. There's also emotional music mixed in that reflects on some of the mood of the story. Then, there's the melody of comedic music thrown in during lighter atmospheres. Overall, I'd say that the soundtrack isn't something worth an Emmy Award but also compelling to the show.

Overall, I'm enjoying this series as it is so far. It's not something I'll be obsessed about as much as the main character for zombies but definitely enjoying it at an anime fan level. The story (although somewhat easy to predict) has drama with an emotional background mixed in with comedy and possible romance. The characters are appealing and the soundtrack fits well. My only concern at this point is Studio DEEN as it's definitely not my favorite anime studio of this world. But beyond that, I see potential for this rare little gem this Spring Season.

I wasn't so sure about this show when I read about it. I try not to look to deep and spoil something that I shouldn't. Regardless, this show is very entertaining.

Spoiler Free, outside from the summary information.
Quick and simple for those that want to know if this is a go or not.

Story: 8
This story was very enjoyable to me. It had just the right amount of comedy and ecchi without hurting the quality of the entire show. It pulls you in to see what on earth could happen next. With the whole plot around zombies, you cant usually go wrong, usually. The story will have ... you wanting things to happen and wish things continue, since theres only one season.

Art: 8
The art was very good and on par with what I enjoy looking at. Everything fit and looked amazing the whole time I was watching it. I really enjoy eye candy.

Sound: 6
The soundtrack was fine. There isn't a negative thing I can really say about it.

Characters: 8
This is why the show is special, the characters. One crazy about zombies, one too rich to be free, best cat in the world and more await when you decide to start this anime. The chemistry between everyone is just great. The show really shines when you want to know more about the characters.

Enjoyment: 9
The show was, like I said before, very enjoyable. The characters, plot and art all mix together to make a decent anime worthy of anyones time.

Overall/Conclusion: 8
Overall, this was a pleasant journey. I begged for more in the end and that to me means that the anime did a great job. You'll love the situations they get into as well as the overall story. The art work just adds more praise to such a wonderful anime. If you like the idea of zombies and a bit of ecchi/romance then give it a try. I did and was thoroughly surprised.

Falling into 6 genres, Sankarea lacked a specific direction and yet remained enjoyable.

The first 3-4 episodes focused on mainly building the setting on which the rest of the show would be based on, and from there it took the direction of a typical romantic comedy SoL type anime. Being a fan of many SoL anime, I found the rest of the show to be enjoyable. Those who do not enjoy SoL shows may be disappointed after watching the well paced, plot based first 3 episodes when the majority of the show is a character based comedy.

As for horror and ecchi, both were incorporated into Sankarea ... in an unobtrusive manner. Whist the first 3 episodes had horror undertones, the rest featured horror in a more comedic manner. Nothing overdone or such. Ecchi was also incorporated smoothly and presented in a subtle manner. Nothing too distracting and in-your-face yet still enough to provide service to ecchi-fans.

Individual score breakdown

Story: 6
After the first 3 or so episodes, the plot of Sankarea quickly breaks down into something similar to a SoL, with periodic arcs. Nothing really remarkable. Heck, the majority of the anime IS character/comedy based. It's still enjoyable, just don't expect some amazing plot.

Art: 9
The art is simply superb. Not only is the quality excellent, the character design is also well done and each character takes on their own unique art style and appearance. The background is nicely detailed, and the atmosphere and lighting done just right. Animation is smooth as well. After watching the absolutely stunning animation/art of Fate/Zero though, I really can't give Sankarea a 10/10.

Sound: 9
Voice acting is well done and brings out the personalities of all the characters. Background music could be a bit better, but it still integrates into the show quite well. The OP and ED are both excellent. Being an audiophile, I found everything to be recorded nice and squeaky clean.

Character: 7
Other than the story, the character was the second weakest part of the show. Both lead characters were well personified and likeable to some degree. Unfortunately, every character was a subcategory of a cliché, but kept me interested through the rather... unusual circumstances the lead goes through.

Enjoyment: 9
Much of the enjoyment stems from the comedy. Although it is no where as good as the better SoL/Romantic comedy/Comedy I've watched, Sankarea was mostly entertaining.

Overall: 8
I believe Sankarea deserves better than a mediocre 6 or 7. The whole quality of the show is very impressive, and even though the plot and character is slightly weak, I give Sankarea a very good 8/10.

Tell me if you've heard of this before. A high school boy dreams to be with his ideal girl. Not too uncommon among romantic tales, but here's something that might run your blood cold, pun intended. He likes zombies. He really likes zombie girls, and one day, POOF! Due to plot, he gets to live with one. With a premise like this, what could possibly go wrong? Quite a bit actually, yet Sankarea stands out as quite the opposite, as something special. It, however, requires some context.

Adapted from a manga of the same name by Mitsuru Hattori, Sankarea was directed by Shinichi Omata, with in-show ... character designs by Kyuuta Sakai. Produced by Studio Deen, for something designated with genre labels such as “comedy” and “ecchi,” the series begins rather morbidly. Chihiro Furuya has spent the last several evenings putting his enthusiast facet to work searching for a way to revive his beloved deceased cat. During a couple of these dusks, he overhears the strained cries of a girl his age, desperate to lead a normal life with friends and outings. She's no other than Rea Sanka, the school idol of the local prestigious girl's academy and the sheltered heir to a rather wealthy and influential name. And, through one direct encounter, the zombie otaku and the school idol end up hanging out and working through the nights on what now became a joint project, neither being intimidated by the other. In the most natural of fashions, through this relationship the show breaks down the walls of the stereotypes that would have otherwise defined these two. Chihiro, outside his odd persona, and Rea, outside her perfect exterior, reveal themselves to us as characters of depth: sensible, quirky, considerate, kind. In fact, the show does very well, for the most part, in coaxing out the stuff of substance from many of the cast, even the most despicable ones.

Make no mistake, comedy is a prominent fixture in this show, and a welcome one at that, characters playing off one another in funny and even clever ways that forgo heavy reliance on exaggerated visuals. In fact, such restraint promotes that underlying sentiment of unease that balances the frivolity and serves to make the show compelling in a meaningful way. It's this ever-present feeling of tragedy that makes the moments that are meant to be tragic doubly so and the instances that are sweet more bitter than before, tragedy that's driven by two factors:

One is zombieism itself. Far from being just a fun, but ultimately needless accessory, the show utilizes key aspects of this condition to derive really compelling drama. The specter of mental health and physical well-being wasting away overtime looms in whatever air our two leads breathe, and while the living dead gain abilities such as super-human strength and insensitivity to pain, they also lose precious things that we, as people, take for granted. The capacity to bask in the sun, to feel warmth, to shed tears.

Two is how zombieism is applied to Rea. To live under the confines of a suffocating patriarch who's, at best, neurotically obsessive and, at worst, possessively abusive to his daughter, where his affection for her is that of a blur between love and lust, and a jealous matriarch who doesn't give a damn, she's like a songbird in a cage, crooning for her freedom. And so the songbird becomes a zombie. A tragic paradox rings true: She feels more alive dead than she otherwise felt living, and here's where everything falls together. No matter how much she aches to be normal, she can't. She's cheated out of experiencing life to the fullest because her condition chains her down.

While the show flirts around humorously with the premise of zombie love, it also holds no illusions to its implications: wish-fulfillment, if not precisely necrophilia. But taking care of a zombie girl is a lot more emotionally demanding than can be preconceived, Rea living with Chihiro as much a romantic nod as it is sanctuary and liberty from her folks, the chemistry of this relationship, from before the girl becomes a zombie, to after the girl becomes a zombie, feels undeniably genuine, and the question is brought up constantly, aloud and not. Is this a lust toward zombie girls, or a love toward a girl that now happens to be a zombie?

Any review of this show would be remiss without at least a mention about the direction. While this is Omichi's first project as the head director, he's worked on a number of Shaft projects. He's a Shaft veteran, and, for anyone familiar with Shaft's style, that influence is apparent from the get-go: camera angles, theatrical metaphor, abstract imagery etc. But rather than being a mere copy and paste of Akiyuki Shinbo, whose application of said style can be heavy-handed and sometimes irrelevant to the narrative (to make the visuals superficially striking through its unorthodox-ness, in other words), Omichi co-opts the style as something his own, that carries meaning every time is utilized in place of the mundane (which I think is rather beautifully rendered, by the way) rather than something that is abused for novelty's sake. Something like a painting or curtains rising and falling to bring the audience in and out of flashbacks adds to sad and bad memories in not only a new way. It adds a whole new layer of melancholy by probing the emotional implications of these ruminations. Something like an arm fading away into nothing in place of a normal slap of the hand conveys far more than a one-fold rejection. In addition, the pacing goes at a slow, but natural pace that's embedded with a decent amount of subtly that allows the audience to really know about the characters rather than know of them. An example of said subtly can be found in the male protagonist's usually reserved deadpan of a snark sister, Mero, both in Episode 1 and Episode 9.

Also, if it can be helped, I recommend watching Episode 9 before watching Episode 8, since Episode 9 takes place chronologically before Episode 8 anyway, and has unfortunately been perceived as a rude detour, what with it being placed in a middle of an ongoing crisis, so much so that its beauty and genius has been dismissed as mediocre filler.

All of these wonderful things being said, the show suffers substantially on a few fronts. Ecchi. There are actually interesting uses for it in the show. Sparingly, it's great when it's used to convey atmospheres of the frankness of freedom and the desperation for affection. Sparingly, it's amusing in comedic moments, or at least tolerable. However, the show also goes somewhat heavy-handed on it for titillation's sake, something which mars characterization and, in general, is just in bad taste, what with how grim, but well-told the series otherwise is. And while the characterization is very good, for the most part, the show also plays up the gimmicky troppiness of some of the characters in a way that can get irritating at times.

Now to end on a happy note, pun intended. Well, maybe not happy, per say, but the audio and visuals of the OP and especially the ED are impressive. The OP “Escoragoto” was done by nano.RIPE, and while I can't say I'm a fan of nano.RIPE's vocalist on her own, the melody, combined with the musical accompaniment, drum set, electric guitar, electric bass, makes for an energetic, uplifting piece that, even then, is tempered somewhat by some of its bitter visuals. Outside of introducing the cast, the OP does a great job saying a lot about each major character without saying anything, in particular, the segment involving Rea surrounded by her parents and household, this really fake, almost dead countenance of geniality pasted on her face when gripped on the shoulder by her father. Even the title “Escoragoto,” translated from Japanese, means “fabrication” or “pipe dream.”

But if there's any one concise thing I could show to anyone that demonstrates the level of respect the show has for its material in a brief one minute, thirty minute music video, it would be the ED “Above Your Hand,” by Anabel. Soft, sincere, beautiful vocals accompanied by classical guitar, then electric bass, then the drama of the drums set and embellishing echoes, before revolving back to guitar, the visuals, which take place in the backdrop of the bowling alley Chihiro and Rea first met personally in, plays well with the classic dichotomy of dark and light which, when the female protagonist faces the light's source, is greeted by the male protagonist. She's much a figurative as well as literal person brought back to life.

There's not a whole lot wrong with Sankarea. In fact, it does a lot of things right. It dares to something smarter, darker. More insightful, and heart-warming too. And, for the most part, it succeeds on every account.

I give Sankarea an 8 out of 10.

Sankarea is an adaptation of Hattori Mitsuru's light novel series. Mostly, the anime stayed true to the manga and as such many of my issues to do with the show stemmed from the poorly written script.

*Please stop reading here if you have not seen the show and do not like spoilers*

Story: 4
The story is of a young sheltered girl trying to free herself from the clutches of her very strange family - namely an abnormally obsessed father and an indifferent mother. The main story itself was quite interesting but that is where the positive ends. In trying to establish a deeper story, Sankarea poorly ... spends its time revealing the back-story of some of its characters.

To begin, episode 7 which was dedicated to explain how Wanko developed feelings for the protagonist had issues. It begins by her crying as she runs alone in a cemetery. Viewers are left confused as to the reason she cries. Did she seriously just run into a cemetery to get scared? The point is, for a show that feeds the viewer information and does not employ undertones, this one scene is poorly explained.

Moving on, the show never makes clear if Chihiro's family is aware of Rea's 'zombie' circumstance. For most of the show, his Dad and sister seem confused as to why Rea chooses to only eat those hydrangea leaves, however in episode 9, it seems that Mero is fully aware that Rea is a zombie. On that note, did they seriously place that filler episode 9 in between the "climax" of the show? Talk about terrible sequencing.

The end of the show signaled the possibility of a second season but I cannot stress how poorly done it was. It did not create the cliff-hanger effect intended, instead it just left the audience feeling dumbfounded. Why would the director even end the show there instead of a bit earlier when some resolution was achieved (after Rea's Dad left)?

The scene where Chihiro fends off the dog to save Wanko was pathetic. The dog just stood there and barked without attacking for ages and was scared away by a little kid who looked like he could support the weight of the bat... unreal but effective in winning over Wanko's heart.

Besides that there was episode 10 about Rea's mother. But that will discussed more in the character section.

Art: 6
The art did not break new grounds. The background and scenery was good but the characters sometimes looked strange from angled shots. The use of changing weathers to create an atmosphere was over-used to the point that it didn't create the desired effect when it really mattered (episode 11).

There are also many inconsistencies in artwork that should not have been ignored. For instance, when Rea fell down and got up there were not wound marks left. Also when Chihiro was stabbed, where is the blood when Rea removes the blade from his body? Why is it that he only starts to bleed profusely once he has collapsed and finished his little "talk"? There is no suitable excuse given how much blood was poured earlier in the show when Rea "died".

Sound: 5
The voice actors did a decent job. Although it was probably hard for them because the characters were lacking in personality. The ending song was mediocre. While liking some other works by Nano.Ripe, the opening song may have been good, but did not seem to fit the show very well. The music in the show itself was just okay as it did not really enhance the feel of the show in any way.

Character: 1
I don't know if I have ever seen such a pitiful cast before. The characters are about as uninspired as the title of the show. There is zero character development, mainly because every character is one-dimensional. It is almost as if the characters were given one stereotypical role, and that is all they do, quite horribly though. It is difficult to relate or like any character in the show, because they are ultimately just empty shells. They may think or talk about their feelings but this does not give them extra depth. Additionally, these characters talk about responsibility and things they need to do. Yet none of these things seem to be very high in their agenda. Here is an example: How does Chihiro plan to preserve Rea's body? He decides to stop trying to look into books and follows his grandfather's advice to observe. What can possibly achieved from this is only noting down the rate Rea rots away. But I guess his pervy and lazy desires are satisfied in the process and so he sticks with it.

Strangely enough in episode 10, Rea's mother while wallowing in self pity and filled with tears she continues to watch on as her husband takes naked photos of his daughter. The servant who also knows of this does nothing to intervene. It seems that Aria does not feel enough anger nor does she have enough morality to stop the act. Also, the servant who knows of it does nothing as well... very strange that they aren't calling the child abuse hotline or something. Yes, the characters in Sankarea are unbelievable. Another example is when Chihiro gets stabbed, it doesn't seem to matter to all the maids watching. Their loyalty is truly commendable. Also, after getting up why didn't Chihiro just report Danichirou for assault, did he forgive that bastard after seeing how "cute" Rea was in a nurse outfit?

As per normal, the main character in a shounen is always dense but Chihiro was surprisingly sharp in episode 6 when he told Wanko "She's (Rea) not my girlfriend or anything" as a way to thank Wanko for donating some clothes. It's almost as if he knew Wanko's feelings in episode 6 but not in the rest of the show... Interesting.

Enjoyment: 2
Sankarea had potential but was poorly executed. It did not satisfy the genres listed. No horror, lack luster comedy, and little romance... If anything, this anime did not even present romance in the roundabout fashion that many shounen do.

The lack of real emotions and unlikable characters really made this show a difficult watch.

Honestly, I do not know why so many people liked this anime.

The beginning was sort of normal, but by the end of this anime I got absolutely bored. Nevertheless, I expected something good till the last minute.I can't agree that the story was fascinating; zombie mania of main hero was sorta ridiculous plus the main heroine did not leave any impression at all. Oh, father's fetish was shocking too.

Overall, I did not like it.

Do not think this anime is worth it, unless you are bored as hell and this is the last anime left.

IMHO

~ this review contain spoiler ~

The first few episodes of this show really lead into what should have been a really decent story. The premise was there, the characters were there, but the follow through was very much less than ideal.

It’s a bit of trouble to explain without throwing in a couple of spoilers, so if you plan on watching this series and don’t want spoilers, stop here. You’ll see for yourself what I’m talking about when I say the execution was terrible. For those that don’t care much about ... spoilers, this will probably divert you away from this show.

The show starts off quite well, setting the plot up and introducing the characters. Given the plot summary, it’s pretty obvious that this girl dies. I won’t say how, but she does. Furuya never expected his little potion to actually work, but it does. Not only on his cat, but Rea as well. She had taken it in hopes that it would have the reverse effect on the living. Her father was too possessive and allowed her virtually no freedom whatsoever, so she had a death wish.

What happens from this episode forward is utterly ridiculous. You would think a zombie otaku like Furuya would be over joyed that he got his wish to date a zombie girl. The problem is, she is still very much herself and appears normal other than being a bit pale and having ungodly strength. Another issue is that rather than seeing romance come about, it actually focuses more on how Furuya can keep her body from decaying.

On top of this, they throw in an entire episode and a half revolving around Furuya’s childhood friend who is obviously jealous of Rea. The whole plot point here was unnecessary and could have been left out. I was rather bored throughout the entire sub plot.

All in all, I can only thank the heavens this show was only 12 episodes. Any more than that would have been unbearable. Although the show has its merits, it unfortunately doesn’t have it where it counts

This is the most screwed up romantic comedy ever. Zombies are not sexualized the same way that vampires, ghosts, or even werewolves are. Zombies in fiction are generally considered gross, and having a romantic obsession considered weird. This show knows this and has fun with it whenever possible. But that is not the only way that it is hilarious. The dialogue, the characters, they all work together for great comedy. It's funny, engaging, weird, and surprisingly heartfelt. I would recommend it.

The first few episodes are actually good and could had made up to a very cute love story, too bad the author decided to pee on everything, destroy the characters and adding nonsense in order to create another ecchi anime with terrible story development.
Most of the cast is bad and ruins the atmosphere of a deep story adding the usual harem around the MC with the loli sister, the D cup girl and some other less relevant girls. The whole family of the MC who at first seemed to be well thought and meant to help him in turning the things up for good does ... instead limit itself with random moves (I'm looking at you D cup..). The whole school and friends thing is meaningless serving only as a background for the show which doesn't make use of it at all, so at the end all the crowds aroung the main characters of this anime have no reason to exist.
Make yourself a favor by watching this show expecting the worst or pass once you've watched the first 3 or 4 episodes, the anime after that point is just bad and not worth.

It pains me a lot to give this series a 7. In fact, I really want to give it a 9 or 10 for this review. However, a few things stop it from being higher, actually only two things really. The first thing is simple. It never keeps the amazement factor rolling, the first three episodes were fantastic, but it slow goes to great, then good, then just plain OK. The second, and in my opinion much more important thing is that it stop just when things get interesting. It force me to read the manga from which this is adapted from and actually ... made me a lot more disappointed in the anime. The Manga is fantastic, easily one of the best I have ever read, in fact currently it is my second favorite of all time. If the anime had gotten enough support, or if it had gotten enough care to completely adapt the manga through and through then this could easily be a different review where I say ,"This is the best anime ever no exaggeration." Alas, it is not, so it pains me immensely to have to give it a score of only good.

Story:6
It is definitely interesting. It is a blend of romantic comedy, horror, ecchi, zombie (yes, zombies are in my mind it own separate genre, sort of like how it is for gaming), and even a little bit of action. It starts off intriguing, but after episode four things start to become chaotic. It feels like a chronological mess (which to people who has read the manga, it is) and things seems to be out of place, or it feels like an event was suppose to happen but didn't. The ending was also felt incomplete and felt like a setup for something else. However, I will say that in the story department this anime is amazing at creating side stories and giving us background details on some of the characters.

Art:7
Yes, Sankarea only gets a 7 for art. Yes I know most people would give a much higher score with it beautiful environment, but to be quite honest I seen better, from the same year and from anime such as Sword Art Online and a bunch more. The character design are also pretty average outside a few exception like Rea and Chihiro and a few other.

Sound:10
Yeah, you saw the score correctly. No typos and accidents, the music is fantastic through and through. I don't know the name of the composer, but once I do I will listen to every song compose by him/her. Other then the two reasons mention in to introduction, the music is another huge reason why it pains me greatly give the anime a OK score. Each track match the tone of the event and two songs, Honto no Kimochi and Sukeru Hitomi, stands as some of my favorite songs from not only anime, but of all mediums gaming including (which is quite an amazing feat, cause I like myself some game music).

Character:7
Now we get to the one that was the most greatly affected by the short runtime. Don't get me wrong, the show stills have great character - Rea being one of my favorite character even if we only consider the anime. However, the anime is missing much need explanation and character development for the other characters which the manga provides. It provides enough for me to get interested, but stops short of me caring about any of the characters besides the above mentioned Rea.

Enjoyment:10
As with any review, anime or otherwise, the enjoyment is not part of the final verdict.The reason is because I may love a series, but not be able to give a good score for it because of it's up irrefutable flaws. This is one of those cases. I love Sankarea it have a lot of morals and ideals that are similar to mine, and Rea is one of my favorite characters and IS my favorite female protagonist. Also as stated the music is amazing which greatly factors and can even change my personal enjoyment on anything, anime or not. Also as stated above I read the Manga which allows me to make sense of the cryptic story and allows be to care for each characters even minor ones. It is extremely disappointing that this anime didn't adapt everything otherwise my overall score could be identical to my enjoyment one.

Final Verdict:7
At this point I probably sound like a broken tape recorder so I really don't want to repeat what I have said a million time. But I really need to stress that this anime could have been a "This is the best thing since sliced bread!" anime instead of a meh one if it had done a full adaptation of the manga. So here's me hoping for season two, really crossing my finger on it.

Well I've only seen the first episode but well here goes anyways. The anime revolves around the main protagonist Furuya Chihiro. He's a complete fanatic of zombies. His world revolves around zombies & the type of romance he's looking for is with a dead girl.... Weird tastes right? The story starts out pretty subtle & introduces Chihiro & expresses his zombie madness. On a day like no other a tragedy occurs within his household. There's one family member short. His family cat happened to die. Chihiro becomes emotionally unstable so he tries to resurrect his cat Baabu. As the story progresses it starts to revolve ... around Rea Sanka whom Chihiro spy's on during his resurrection process of Baabu. A few days later an accident occurs in which Sanka figues out that she was being watched. The story progresses from there and they meet for the first time & have a long chat about zombies & try to get on each others nerves. The chats pretty normal except for the fact that they talk about zombies in such a eerie place & find it natural. Well thats all I'll say because I don't want to spoil it. To tell you the truth there isn't much to go on whether Sankarea will live up to its name from the first episode alone. Apparently I happened to find it quite suitable to my tastes because I want to see FUNimation's creativity with zombie romance which I think will be quite amusing. I'm really looking forward to more episodes & its getting really hard to bottle up the excitement.

Story:
Sankarea is a 13-episode anime series created by studio Deen. The story follows Chihiro Fuwuya a zombie fanatic who spends the majority of his time watching zombie and horror movies. One day his cat Babu is ran over by a car. A saddened Chihiro attempts to resurrect his cat with the help of a troubled girl called Rea Sanka.

When I finished high school of the dead I found myself craving for more zombie-oriented anime. After searching around on the internet I saw some recommendations and the first notable one I saw was Sankarea. My expectations as from the previous anime were gore, violence and over-the-top ... balls to wall action. That which I did not receive… I did however happen to get a very pleasant surprise in the form of a undead romantic comedy.

Characters:
Chihiro is the main protagonist for the show and he is without a doubt my favourite character in the series. He struggles to come to terms with the death of his cat and he digs him up from the grave in order to resurrect him. Now I know the concept of this seems creepy and arguably it is creepy… Ok its just plain creepy. He does have good intentions, unfortunately his fixation with the living dead prompts him to make said creepy scenario occur. His relationship with Rea is very sweet, he strives to give Rea the life of a normal girl which she couldn't achieve under the iron fist of her dad. His resolve is tested throughout the series with the effects of the resurrection potion having problematic effects.

Rea Sanka has been brought up in a very wealthy home, but it is also a home of captivity. Rea is restrained by her farther as he does not allow Rea to go out with friends, permits any animals from entering the premises and fires any maid that attends to Rea in a way that obstructs his own ideals. Rea eventually reaches breaking point and sneaks out at night in order to get some freedom and vent her frustration and sadness. When she meets Chihiro he symbolises some freedom that she has craved for years and the sheltered girl takes an unusual interest into his hobbies.

Art:
The art was relatively good, the background was well designed and the characters designs were well varied with Chihiro's character.

Sound:
The soundtrack fitted in well with each of the scenes, however on its own most of the soundtrack doesn't sound all to well. I will give honourable mentions to the wacky opening and the beautiful ending for the show

Enjoyment:
I did enjoy this show as a fellow zombie otaku can empathize with Chihiro on his love for the genre, maybe not so much on his resurrecting habits though. I also like how the genre of zombies was made into a sweet romantic comedy, something which i thought would play out in horrible fashion.

Overall:
Sankarea is a delightful romantic comedy with slight horror elements for those good ol' zombie fans. I would not recommend this to those squeamish with slight blood and gore and i would not recommend this to those looking for something similar to highschool of the dead. I do recommend this to those looking for a different romantic comedy in comparison to the norm.

Overall I give Sankarea a 7.7/10

Thanks for reading guys, Have a nice day!

I will sum it up for you right in the start: "Pretty comfy anime, but nothing significant or memorable." Decently drawn show with rather interesting start which unfortunately loses steam as it moves forward. The concept had much potential: possessive love of deranged perfectionist father towards daughter, alcoholic mother apparently tired of living in solitary splendor, the whole make your dead gf thing etc.. but the execution of show seems very tacky, especially in the end. Its a shame that such a short show is filled with fillers which does not reveal any useful information about plot development nor they show any new interesting character ... aspect. Anime is doing quite a good job at breaking zombie cliché. Once again the great story potential was wasted on fanservice. For me, just a big disappointment. Let me say that Kore Wa "Zombie desu ka?" was for more enjoying for me although there is definitely less effort put in the concept. Sometimes having fun with its absurd initial set is better then wasting one.

Summary: This one is just meh. I'm having a hard time classifying it because it didn't really do anything very well and didn't fit into any category well. I want to say that makes it unique but it just felt kind of drab to me.

Story: 6/10
This had the makings of a descent albeit cliche story. The only thing that makes it unique is that she is a zombie but that isn't handled all that well (and gets no resolution in either OVA set). This anime was betting all it had on a second season. I find this interesting because it really wasn't that good... I ... have seen FAR better anime that didn't get a second season. Even if there are some interesting and creepy elements, every single one of them will be dropped and you'll likely end up feeling like you wasted your time.

Art: 8/10
This is basically the only saving grace of the anime. I liked the character designs and the use of colors. The shades of each character worked well and I did feel like they captured what a "sexy zombie" could look like.

Sound: 6/10
It got the job done. There were a few meaningful moments that were enhanced by the sound, the rest was meh.

Character: 5/10
I only truly liked one character and it was the little sister. She barely said anything but also had one of the only really good character moments when relating Rea to her deceased mother. I thought that scene was pretty special and is the only positive thing I really took out of the entire anime.

Enjoyment: 5/10
It was middle of the road for me. I watched it fairly quickly hoping it at least got a good resolution (it did not) and looking back on it I was moreso holding my nose and guzzling that truly being captivated.

Overall: 5/10
If you don't mind zombie movies and think the concept of the anime seems neat, you will be disappointed. If you want something with a good ending, you'll be disappointed. If you thought it would take an interesting twist and you would learn a unique perspective about zombies and the philosophy or logistics behind them, you'll be disappointed. Really, the only way you won't be disappointed is if you go in with low expectations and somehow enjoy the sad plot that drives Rea to become a zombie (the whole father angle completely missed with me). I'd say pass this one up.

Once you've seen a lot of anime that focuses on romance and comedy it tends to get harder to recall them individually; this is especially true for the countless number of shows which choose to sacrifice story presentation and deep characters in exchange for unspeakable amounts of fanservice. It's not necessarily a criticism of the entire genre though. I mean, there's only so much you can do with a standard plot usually involving two characters who fall in love, only to be denied by one reason or another.

The successful romantic comedies (and I mean in terms of quality and not just commercially because crap anime ... may also sell a lot) often overcome this by portraying endearing characters and relationships with enough realism to make you actually care what happens, in a way that's enjoyable to watch too. On the other hand, there are those which introduce elements such as aliens, deities, fantasy, gender benders or sports in order to mix things up a little. If handled in the right manner this results in a series that stands out from the majority of the pack, and one that you'll remember when thinking about romantic comedy anime in future. Sankarea is a prime example of this.

Zombies. The mere mention of this term in the synopsis means that rather than trying to be realistic, Sankarea belongs in the latter group of romantic comedies and introduces, yes, zombies into the story to give it an extra dimension. So how is it incorporated? To begin, our main character Furuya Chihiro is a high school student who has a rather unhealthy obsession with the undead that in most cases would cause everyone to avoid him, let alone girls. But as luck would have it, he encounters the beautiful Sanka Rea who has her own fair share of problems, and inevitably the two hang out together; their new relationship is heart-warming and there's a sort of nice and understanding connection between them.

Unfortunately, due to a sequence of events Rea dies and becomes a zombie, which brings with it a wealth of unique problems for the both of them. Although several issues are raised throughout the series, such as the exact nature of how Rea is revived and how long her body will last before it rots away, they are never really fully explored. Instead, the short twelve episode run includes: Rea adapting to her new situation with much help from Chihiro, family issues (in particularly Rea's father), the obligatory love triangle and a cat called Baabu. Praise should go to the series because there's excellent drama that provides an extra layer of development to its characters, but the final episode does end in quite an abrupt manner.

Moreover, the pacing is far from perfect as the anime starts off pretty well but slows down noticeably after the opening episodes. There's a couple of filler episodes that serve to flesh out the supporting cast, but they are positioned at strange points in the story which causes the pacing to stutter even more.

The overall animation in Sankarea is a variable aspect that may not be to everyone's tastes. Character designs and the attire they wear are usually on the simple side, whereas the background art can be stunning at times but less detailed and sharp at others. Fortunately, the art remains at least consistently decent throughout the length of the series, and character motions are always smooth and fluid.

The background music is surprisingly good in Sankarea. Although sparingly used, there are a wide range of beautiful instrumental themes for the mysterious, sad and unsettling scenes in the anime, and also light-hearted tunes for the peaceful and comedy moments. The voice acting is adequate and none of the characters sound bad. The theme songs are pleasant to listen to, with a unique-sounding and energetic track by nano.RIPE (who also did an equally-catchy OP for Hanasaku Iroha) for the opening, and a calm/soothing song by Annabel for the ending.

In terms of decent characters, Sankarea is well-covered. As mentioned before the cat-like Furuya Chihiro's standout aspect is his zombie fetish, and he has some entertaining expressions and dialogue. However, he's willing to fully embrace his fetish despite what others think, he can act serious when the need arises, and he is also quick to make important decisions; these are strengths for a main character in this type of anime, and it works to make Chihiro a better than average lead.
Sanka Rea is a student from a wealthy family who's popular at school and looks cheerful on the surface, but unknown to most people she's lived a sheltered life and wants to act more like a normal girl. She's a cute and fun character, yet much of the drama also springs from her side of the story to make you feel sympathy for her, especially as she tries to adjust to her new life.
Then there's Chihiro's cousin, Saouji Ranko, who is a likeable girl but sadly her role is limited to mostly comedy situations and fanservice while competing with Rea for Chihiro's affection. As opposed to Rea, Ranko is talkative, likes to beat up Chihiro, and is actually alive; this provides a good contrast in character between the two.

The rest of the supporting cast includes quirky members of Chihiro's family (the relatively normal father, the senile but entertaining grandpa, the amusing and quiet younger sister Mero), as well as members of Rea's rich household who are interesting for vastly different reasons. He's a bit of a conundrum, but chances are you'll be surprised at how much of a freak Rea's father is during the full length of the series and beyond; it's easy to see why she wants to escape her family, but her freedom does come at great cost. Finally, to round things off there are a few school classmates who are used for comic relief and not much else.

It's not every day that you come across a touching romantic comedy which also includes darker themes like isolation and suicide, graphically bloody scenes, more than just a hint of craziness, and a supernatural spin. And yet, Sankarea pops up as an enjoyable anime series that has done a fantastic job at establishing its setting and a likeable group of core characters with relevant backstory. It's also screaming for a second season with an improved focus on storytelling and new events that should undoubtedly build on its existing potential.

Have you ever thought of trying to bring the dead back to life. Whether that be a love one or a friend. Knowing the full consequences of your actions will impact/change your life in ways that it may be impossible to go back. Even if you did bring them back they won't be the same person as they used to be.( soul and body) You may be wondering why this sounds like something from Fullmetal Alchemist but it is not as the one you are trying to bring back will in fact be an undead zombie!!!

Sankarea story involves Furuya Chihiro, a zombie ... fanatic who collects zombie figurines, DVDs Etc. He seems to be a typical high schooler like everyone else until an unexpected event happens in his life. With so much grief, he decides to bring that dead back to life. He finds an old ancient occult book and discovers the secret of resurrection. The dead will return as a zombie.!!!! He meets Sankarea ( main heroine) who decides to help him out.

I didn't expect opening be all happy like. I was expecting something like Anther's Opening. By the shows trailer, I thought this would be like a HOTD and or Another type series. With lots of gore, horror, and maybe mystery element. But I was wrong. Since this is the first episode, so I will wait and see more.

When I first came across this anime, I thought, zombies? In an anime? I had never heard of using these creatures as a main plot feature. So I immediately added it to my watching list and begun.

The first thing I noticed and loved about this anime is its setting. A family living in the temple grounds in a country area, much more relaxed than the bustle of a busy city. Each of the character's in the family play their roles perfectly, and contrast each other nicely. There isn't any fooling around with the extreme anime cliches, such as the 'horror' of openly talking to ... a girl or touching them, and there are many nice hints to a peaceful family life.

Now, down to the good stuff.

Sankarea introduces the three main characters off the bat, Saouji Ranko, Furuya Chihiro, and of course, Sanka Rea. It's obvious enough that these two will fight for Chihrio's love (with Rea being the 'true' route). I feel that the characters are developed at a well timed, gradual rate, beginning with 'Wanko' ( XD) and Chihiro's playfull nature, and Chihiro witnessing Rea's stress release at the abandoned hotel. As we learn more about these two girls and their relationship to Chihiro, his own traits are revealed. So without going into specific details, if you are sick of characters acting extremely tsundere, shy, or down-right annoying, this anime is a refreshing break that will leave you feeling concerned and engaged with its characters, instead of knitpicking at the tiny annoying things that many anime characters can get up to (I know I do when a character gets on my nerves). Overall; Character: 8.5/10.

In accordance with the seeming Laws of the Anime Universe, this series sports a love triangle, with questionable outcomes for the characters, and comedic side characters that occasionally steal the spotlight for a good laugh (which are actually very funny, take note of the grandpa and Chihiro's best friend, Yasuda). However, one thing makes this anime stand out in the crowd, its plot device. I have never, never, heard of a zombie in an anime before. I feel this one one of the main reasons I started, and finished this show. I also love that they don't get absolutely side tracked on trivial matters, and instead choose to deal with practical issues (such as Rea's body rotting, instead of random beach and pool trips and losing bikinis etc). Overall, I found the plot to be quite original and witty, in the sense that addressed issues relevant to many watchers lives (such as horrible parents, lazy high school students, and chores/jobs/work). Overall; Plot: 9/10. (Another point to make is the minimal fan-service. No one looks tits shoved in their face allll the time).

I believe that many anime's are based off their appearance, (and a quick synopsis read) which can immensely benefit a well drawn series compared to a crappy quick handed sketch. In my opinion, Sankarea sits a notch about the average. Its art isn't anything to rave about, however there are some beautiful scenes when the characters either go for a walk up a hill and look over the town at sunset (a scene which I rarely dislike), or a bird's eye view shot of the town at night ( I also love a good city-scape). However, the characters are quite attractive, and are definitely not an eye-sore. So if you aren't a super art fanatic and need everything is 10 million HD then there will be no problem. Overall; Art: 7/10

The biggest problem I had with this series was its OST. The soundtrack annoyed me. The OP song seemed to be just a throw away that they tacked on at the end of production. It appeared to me that minimal thought had gone into its selection. The soundtrack for a change of scene was also nothing special (Even though this is an area that most animes don't attempt to explore). If the OST for this series had more effort applied to it, I feel the show would improve dramatically. Overall; Sound: 5.5/10.

On the whole this series is DEFINITELY worth watching. I could even say it's one of those shows I wish I hadn't seen, so I could re-watch it and experience it again. If you haven't already, add it to your list, and start watching :3.

Overall; Sankarea: 9/10.

Thank you for reading my first ever review on MAL. (*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)

[Spoiler Free]
Pervert pumpered character who likes dead girls and keeps filming his girlfriend with his camera. It's just too annoying to watch.

Plus there's that cliche of a childhood friend (girl) who takes care of him and secretly loves him. I honestly can't remember how many times I've seen it. It's like watching the same anime over and over with different title each time.

If what you actually have no problem what I've said about this anime then you might actually like it. This is just a personal opinion.

“If I became a zombie, will you take responsibility, right?” - Rea Sanka

🥈 8/10
How do you imagine zombies? They would surely look scary, having a rotten body, and full of scars. Well, that is what it might be until you watch Sankarea.

🎬 Story - 7/10
The story starts when a boy named Chihiro Furuya lost his cat Baabu by an accident, trying to revive him with despair, then he met Rea. As written in the synopsis, Rea became a zombie at some point in the story.

The storytelling is slow yet enjoyable, being character-focused, not boring at all. However, the story still lacks many things, nothing surprising ... has happened yet due to the anime length, as the anime only adapted 2 out of 11 volumes of the manga with some additions and alternations, but it is overall a very nice start.

By looking superficially, Sankarea might seem to be a relaxing and happy anime due to the anime length and Rea being a cheerful type of character, but deep down, Sankarea is rather a sad one. So far, I have found no plot holes, as everything could be explained logically. Lastly, as suggested by the ecchi tag, this show contains only a little of ecchi, which I consider being great since I personally do not prefer ecchi and the overuse of the ecchi element can ruin the anime.

🎨 Animation - 8/10
Sankarea has a normal art style, not being so unique, but comes with a quality higher than standard. The most noticeable qualities are sceneries, lightings, and shadows, which are done finely. Art on the characters could also be improved further by adding more details.

🔈 Sound - 8/10
Sankarea consists of a nice opening and ending theme song, both giving off a unique vibe. I personally prefer the ending theme song. As for soundtracks, I consider them as well-made. Sankarea’s soundtracks are not outstanding, but they fit and create the mood and tone of the anime. As mentioned in the story section, deep down Sankarea is rather a sad story, and some of the soundtracks point out that hidden sadness.

🕶 Characters - 8/10
Starting with Chihiro Furuya, a zombie maniac. Different from many other shows’ male protagonist, he is not weak and whiny type, he is not plain and overly-nice either, he rather differs from standard and having some unique traits, which are what make him a fine male protagonist.

Next, Rea Sanka, who later becomes a zombie. Rea’s story is told pretty detailed, revealing her sad past, which describes the reasons for all of her actions throughout the show. While Rea might look like a normal female protagonist, I somehow found her special. I wonder how could someone be able to create such a cute and charming character like her.

Rea has parents which considered to be her troubles, with the story revealing backgrounds of both of her parents, it makes sense even how irritating her parents’ actions are and how her relationship with her parents has come to this point.

Lastly, supporting characters like Mero and Ranko are not being left out. With the additional story on both of them, the show seems to be more complete, especially the story on how Chihiro and Ranko became friends since their childhood.

🎉 Enjoyment - 8/10
Sankarea is quite an easy-to-watch and enjoyable show. It is actually one of a few shows I could watch several episodes continuously without a break, cliffhangers might be one of the reasons, which exist at the end of many episodes. To be honest, what I loved about this show most is the female protagonist, Rea. Other than her cuteness and her charm, what I find interesting is how she still be able to enjoy her time despite of her cruel fate. I consider this to be a success of the show since the show is named after her after all.

📌 Recommendations
Sankarea is not an outstanding show but rather a unique one. If you are looking for a unique non-action anime, unique supernatural anime, or an anime with a nice female protagonist, then I recommend this anime. Despite being suggested a romance genre, I recommend not to get your expectations up for that, it is still too early since this is the first adaption of Sankarea.

After the show completion, I encourage you to read the manga which has already finished publishing. Even though the anime has already adapted 2 out of 11 volumes, I recommend starting over from the beginning since there are some slight differences, I am sure you will have a great experience. Enjoy!

I had heard of Sankarea before and reading the premise I didn't except it to be any good; I expected it to be some ecchi romantic comedy with alot of black comedy and pointlessly dark moments, much like the lukewarm Elfen Lied. However, it caught my interest after seeing it labeled as one of the best anime of 2012 and started watching it some time after. And I was completely blown away.

Contrary to what others have said, this anime is NOT a romantic comedy in the least. Sure, it has some decent comedy but not a lot. What it gave me was an engaging drama ... with two great leads and a lot of emotion.

Let’s start off with the bad stuff though: Sankarea really doesn't have that many flaws honestly. Maybe the biggest flaw it has in my opinion is the character of Chihiro's pervert red headed friend whose name I can't recall. He was a VERY annoying character, being inconsiderate of other people, totally flat and as a comedic relief he failed miserably. In one scene, he actually makes Rea's situation WORSE giving me more reason to dislike him.

Another flaw that I can't really call a flaw so much as my own opinion is Rea's father. Oh my gosh, Rea's father is one of the most obnoxious, hateful, loathsome, horrifying, selfish villains I have ever seen in any medium. Unlike other truly evil villains like Griffith from Berserk or Johann from Monster, he has absolutely no redeeming values. The only time he did do something that wasn't self centered was ruined by the fact that he still engaged in horrifying and selfish desires after it. He's by no means a badly written character because he was very well written, it's just that he really, really isn't fun to watch. But maybe that’s a good thing though.

Now for the good stuff: animation (which was excellent and atmospheric) and sound aside (which was good), the characters of both Chihiro and Rea were just great. Chihiro isn't a typical romantic protagonist; he's not bland or boring, in fact he's rather quirky, can be funny and under his jerkass exterior is actually a rather swell guy. I immediately liked him and the story showed that he was a great guy by showing him being kind to Rea.

Speaking of Rea, she ahs to be one of the greatest female anime characters I've ever seen. Not every female anime character has to be a badass like Rukia from Bleach nor do they have to be well adjusted people. In fact, Rea's back-story really hit me. When I found out what happened to her, I wasn't angry. I was FURIOUS. Ballistic. It was the kind of righteous fury where you want to do anything and everything to solve someone else's problem and that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to save Rea from her abusive home, I wanted to hug her and comfort her. Her personality was also really great. Beneath her suffering and the fact that she is a zombie, Rea is still a very normal girl, one who wants to do normal girly things. I like how instead of making her into a typical introverted girl who keeps to herself ala Rei Ayanami, they went into a different direction. Because of that, Rea feels like a real person and not a typical cookie cutter anime girl.

Then there are Rea and Chihiro's interactions: there’s some obvious sexual tension and the anime does point that the two will end up with each other and I'm really rooting for them to do so. Chihiro is a really kind person at heart and his declaration of protecting Rea and standing up to her is really sweet. As for the other characters like Mero, Ranko, Grandpa etc... They’re all OK and memorable and interesting and with the exception of redhead pervert and Dan'Ichiro Sanka, they're all pretty likeable.

Overall, I give this anime a solid 9 out of ten for excellence. I wish a second season came out soon because frankly, I want more and the 'ending' does sort of point out that the story will continue. It's not a 10/10 as it's not something like Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood or Monster but it doesn't have to be. Is it recommended? Highly so, but don't except this anime to be some ecchi rubbish because it is not. While it does have some fanservice, it also has a lot of fan disservice and the tragic moments should not be taken as opportunity for engaging in lustful thoughts.