Sankarea - Review

And here's another one. Hoping to clear the backlog by the end of this month.

Known for venturing to where many people dare not tread, the world of Japanese anime production has gotten crazier each year. From depictions of a post-apocalyptic world riddled with zombies to creations solely focusing on the idea of "moe", the range and possibilities of anime in Japan are limitless and endless. Given the aforementioned story styles are on opposite ends of the spectrum, you might think that it'd be impossible to see the two being combined into one. Well, think again. With the production of Sankarea, the Japanese have unleashed the questionable idea of "zombie moe" into the anime community. So will this bold and innovative combination be a raging success, or will it be yet another experimental failure? Let's take a look.

Art (7/10)
Although there were times where the lack of effort could be seen quite easily, the animation quality of Sankarea was for the most part decent. In terms of background details, they can be considered up to par with current standards. The depictions of hydrangea, which was a prominent symbol in the show, were on the plus side as I found them to really stand out apart from everything else. As for the character designs, I was glad that the characters didn't look totally generic; the designs seemed fresh and made it so it was easy to distinguish the characters from one another.

Characters (8/10)
In general, characters inside a zombies-based story change through struggling and persevering through the most gruelling of situations, while characters that are part of more light-hearted stories focusing on moe develop via interaction with others. In Sankarea, the characters are living a normal, everyday life for the most part, so the latter holds this time around. The development of the main character, Furuya Chihiro, focuses mostly on his gradually maturing personality. At first, Chihiro is depicted as a socially awkward teenager with a weird fetish. But soon enough, after his seemingly impossible dream came true, he began to develop a sense of responsibility, and started to act and think on a more mature level. Along the way, his interactions with various characters aid in these changes, with female protagonist Sanka Rea being an integral part of Chihiro's development. In exchange, Rea also develops as a character thanks to the time she spends with Chihiro.

Sound (8/10)
It's not too often I find a piece of music that sticks with me well after the anime ends, but for Sankarea, "Sukeru Hitomi" does just that. To me, it's one of the most memorable OST tracks of the year so far. The way it intensifies the emotions of the scenes in which it's played in really helped to increase my overall enjoyment of the show. As for the theme songs, the relationship between the OP and the ED is similar to that of the two main genres of the series—pretty much the opposite of each other. While the OP is fast-paced and upbeat, the ED slower and more mellow; both were great tracks though. And although no big-name seiyūs were involved in this project, I felt the characters' emotions were brought out well nonetheless.

Story (8/10)
On the surface, Sankarea is a romantic comedy aimed slightly towards zombie enthusiasts, but more so for those who enjoy stories of romance. The idea of coupling a human and a zombie in itself is bound to create some comedic situations. Throw in a childhood friend of the male protagonist and you've got your typical love triangle too. But in the end, I view Sankarea as somewhat of a tragedy (in the dramatic sense). That's not to say the story's bad; in fact, I actually like how it turned out that way. In an essence, Sankarea is a story about a pair of star-crossed lovers who try their best to avoid the inevitable—that one day, they'll be separated for good.

Overall (8/10)
So while the idea of "zombies" and "moe" sounds crazy, in the end, Sankarea is just another typical romantic comedy, but with a twist. Clearly, the show is best suited for the niche audience of people like Chihiro—those who dream of being in a relationship with a zombie—but even if you're not that type of person (I know I'm not), it's still an enjoyable show. Having a season two would be nice as the ending was open-ended and left viewers wondering what would happen next. Overall, Sankarea is a solid series worth watching.