Sankarea carries with it a rather unique plot, tackling the classic zombie genre and turning into a charming yet dramatic romance story. The story does a lot of things right, moving the plot along at an even speed while maintaining tension common for a horror story with various plot developments. The plot deals with very real conflicts, preserving Rea’s body and dealing with her father’s obsession, and do not feel forced at any point. However, the story does take a lot of time to provide backstory for many of the characters, and while this is good for character development, it does steal a lot of momentum from the story that is taking place in the present. By spacing out the story via backstories, some of the tension from scenes is lost. The other biggest flaw is the cliffhanger ending, which is only further exasperated by the introduction of another conflict/unexplained phenomena very last minute in the final scenes, leaving the viewer unsatisfied.
Characters: 9/10
The characters for Sankarea are well developed, maybe overdeveloped in some cases (not in a bad way), and have well defined personalities. The main protagonists, Rea and Furuya, are both strong leads with clearly developed personalities. However, some characters feel a bit unoriginal save for a few characteristics. For example, Wanko is the stereotypical childhood, being both a rival and foil for Rea. She is highly aggressive, which helps offset the stereotypical feel she carries. The challenges of the characters, while the details are unique, the general gist of the problem is not surprising. Nonetheless, the character make a strong presence in the anime.
Animation: 10/10
The show has pretty good animation style, that is pretty clean and easy to follow. I find the depictions of the hydrangeas quite beautiful. It offers a lot of surprising visuals that help portray the mood and tension in the series, too.
Soundtrack: 9/10
The soundtrack is not overly impressive, though the closing is among my favorites across all anime. A fair chunk of the soundtrack is acoustic, which is pretty cool. I find the opening kind of annoying, but it is enjoyable to some people.
Themes: 9/10
This series is loaded with themes, both directly addressed and present in symbolic ways. The most prominent symbol is found in the hydrangea, specifically the species Hydrangea macrophylla. This species is native to Japan and is toxic due to a chemical compound in them known as a cyanogenic glycosides. In the language of flowers, this species of flower carries two meanings typically: gratitude and boastfulness. The gratitude relates directly to Rea, who is quick to thank people throughout the series, especially Furuya. The boastfulness relates to Rea’s father, the main antagonist. He is boastful of his daughter and how in the right he is. This boastfulness carries over to another theme: obsession. Both the Furuya and Rea’s father have an obsession that inhibits their character, though to vastly different degrees. Themes relating to life are also present, unsurprisingly, within the series. Sankarea also effectively combines several genres, including romance, horror, and drama to create a unique experience for the viewer. However, saying this genre combination is completely successful would be too far. The anime is plenty appealing on its own, but the inclusion of ecchi elements frequently enough detract from the mood of many scenes, as they feel rather out of place with the rest of the series.
Final Score: 44/50
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