A high school boy dreams to be with his ideal girl, Not to uncommon among romantic tales is it? But, here's something that might run your blood cold, pun intended! He likes zombies, and he really likes zombie girls, and one day, POOF! Due to the 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, and as something very special!
Story
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! (Especially Furuya's Grandpa and Furuya's best friend, Yasuda.) However, one thing that makes this anime stand out in the crowd, is its plot device. I had never, never, heard of a zombie in an anime before watching it, and I think that was probably the main reason I started and finished this anime. Now for the actual story-line, Chihiro Furuya is a zombie fanboy of the first order. He watches every zombie movie he can, has all manner of zombie paraphernalia scattered about his room, and even dreams of having a cute zombie girlfriend; that his buxom cousin Ranko is practically throwing herself at him doesn't even register against such obsession. Thus, when his beloved cat Babu dies, Chihiro attempts to zombiefy him using a vague formula in a suspicious, stained old journal. His ultimate success comes with an unexpected consequence: Rea Sanka, the very pretty but also desperately troubled girl he has recently met, also winds up as a zombie after drinking some of his very poisonous resurrection potion in a failed suicide attempt and then later dying from a grievous injury. Now that Chihiro has exactly what he thought he wanted – a zombie cat and a sexy zombie girl to look after – he struggles to stay on top of the situation while Rea revels in a freedom that she has not previously known, even if that does mean that she cannot quite live a normal life!
Characters
Sankarea had three main characters and introduced them right off the bat, Saouji Ranko, Furuya Chihiro, and of course, Sanka Rea. It was pretty obvious that the two girls would fight for Chihrio's love (and with Rea being the 'true' route). I feel that the characters were developed at a well-timed gradual rate, beginning with Ranko and Furuya's playful nature, and Furuya witnessing Rea's stress release at the abandoned hotel. So, As we start to learn more about the two girls and their relationships to Furuya, Furuya's own traits are also revealed. Let's go into specific details, Furuya Chihiro, was adorable and I thought that his status as a zombie otaku was something new and obviously, was a sort of crux to the series and even he had his good moments and was generally a like-able character. Sanka Rea was sweet, and I would almost be keen to say that I disliked her. But, she had some awesome moments where she proved that she could stand up for herself, despite her quite innocent nature! Saouji Ranko was the loud and boisterous character, who stirred things up a bit and was a fun addition to the series. Also, most of the fan-service came from her. Overall, 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 knit-picking at the tiny annoying things that many anime characters can get up to!
Animation and Sound
The artwork and animation of the anime was outstanding. One of the series's most visually impressive scenes came in episode 1 and in the closer, which showed Rea in a striking red dress and although Rea and Ranko offered a nice diversity of fan service options! The rendering quality and animation were both decided averagely, but the series does make a (rather graphically bloody) impact when it needs to, such as in the death scene, and in the disturbing redness in Rea's eyes when she became a zombie, also in the character's varied expressions. Background details also impressed me consistently, but many recent series at its time still did better!
For the sound, The series's musical score did its job well, hitting exactly the right tone on the more serious and poignant scenes and even going appropriately silent at a critical moment to let the events on the screen carry the full weight! The OP “Esoragato” was a catchy pop-rock number somewhat reminiscent of some of Taylor Swift's work, while the ED “Above Your Hand” was a gentler and a more sympathetic member. Nevertheless, both of them contributed to an overall solid soundtrack.
Enjoyment
Sankarea had the potential to be a great one but merely remained a good one because of the shocking turn of events in the series's final minutes. Still, I enjoyed this series greatly and the greatest quality of this anime shines through in its dramatic elements, however, it takes a concept ripe with possibilities for absurdity and silliness and dares to treat it seriously!
Overall, I really enjoying watching Sankarea, it was a very surprising and beautiful discovery. But, I don't think that its something that I'll be obsessed about as much as the main character is obsessed for zombies though I definitely enjoyed it at an anime fan level. The story had drama with an emotional background mixed in with comedy and possible romance, the characters were appealing and the soundtrack fitted well. So, On the whole this series is DEFINITELY worth watching and If you haven't already, add it to your list, and start watching!
4 STAR ANIME.
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