Sankarea - Episode 10

Things are about to get serious.

For the second episode in a row, we get a filler episode. However, it was once again both entertaining and informative. While it was Mero who took the spotlight last time, it was Sanka Aria, Rea's step-mother, who took the stage this time around. I'm quite sure that prior to this episode, there were many people who hated Aria for her unexplained cold and uncaring attitude towards Rea, who at the time was thought to be her daughter. However, with such a depressing past that was filled with hardship and trauma, it's hard not to sympathize with her. Because of this, you can truly see how sick and twisted of a man Danichirō is; he scarred his daughter for life and neglected his wife.

So with the battle between Chihiro and Danichirō about to get underway, one must wonder what filthy tricks the old man has up his sleeves. I'm going to guess that Chihiro will be forced to participate in a fencing match against the incestuous pedophile, with the winner getting the right to "claim" Rea. Despite this seemingly fair condition (aside from the fact that the head of the Sanka family is a professional fencer), I'm sure Danichirō will use any underhanded trick in order to win. It's a good thing that Rea is on her way back home as she's the only one who has a chance to save Chihiro from her father's dastardly plans. Who knows, maybe Aria will get involved too, in order to get revenge on her husband for not paying attention to her?

After two fillers that expanded on the backstories of two minor characters, the story looks to get back on track in the next episode. With Sankarea having been recently announced to be 13 episodes long, an ending where Rea is finally set free from her father's grasp seems to be a good stopping point. I'd personally love to have a second season, assuming there's enough material to animate, as I've certainly enjoyed the series very much. And judging by the high overall score on MAL, a season two might just become a reality.