Sankarea - Episode 4

Moe and Zombies - Two things that I thought could never go together... until now.

Even prior to her death, Rea was definitely in the running for being the "most moe female character of the season". However, her actions in this episode further cemented this claim. Who would've thought the adjective "moe" could be used to describe the noun "zombie"? I, for one, have never even considered this possibility prior to Sankarea. But it took only one girl, whose innocent personality was an added bonus, to change that. Although this is obvious, I'd like to note that Sanka Rea isn't your regular zombie, she's a moe zombie.

At first, I was slightly disturbed at the idea of Rea coming back to life as a zombie. Sure, after her "death" the only thing I wanted to happen was for her to be resurrected, but there was also the fear that she wouldn't be the same again. Luckily, my fears were relieved this episode as I was able to witness my first encounter with what some may call "zombie moe". There were countless nosebleed-inducing scenes featuring Rea in this episode, all of which I fully enjoyed. But alas, all good things must come to an end (also for the benefit of the story, in this case). The onset of rigor mortis sparks a sense of anxiety in Chihiro. The race against the clock begins now as he'll have to figure something out before Rea becomes completely - physically and mentally - dead. While I would've liked for this to not have happened, I do understand that it's probably a way for the story to sustain its entertainment value.

Judging by the preview, there will be lots of struggling on Chihiro's part in trying to prevent his "dream" girl and situation from fading away. I wouldn't be surprised if Rea's father, who vowed to get rid of Chihiro (who's apparently "the source of all evil") earlier in the episode, ends up becoming a nuisance in the rescue process. Either way, like I said before, the old man needs someone to slap him until he realizes that it's he who's the source of evil for ultimately causing his daughter to sink into depression and to contemplate suicide. I'm quite sure that Rea will end up being fine, barring any unexpected and unfortunate plot twist.