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.

Sankarea - Episode 12

Mmm... Delicious~

Blogger's Note: And just like that, my episodic reviews for Spring 2012 have been completed. However, I still have to finish the series reviews which, judging by the previous season, will take some time.

While Sankarea didn't end on a positive note like I had wanted it to, it did set-up the possibility of a second season, thanks to that delicious bite at the end. The season finale had more of a melancholic feeling to it than I anticipated, but given the title of the episode, it wasn't all that surprising. A few loose ends were eventually tied up, particularly regarding Rea's relationships with Aria and Ranko. All in all, the episode didn't necessarily have a lot of content, but left viewers thinking about one important decision that is quite common in life.

Sankarea - Episode 11

She's not just any regular zombie. She's a nurse zombie.

After a one-week hiatus, Sankarea returns and picks up right where it left off two weeks ago with Danichirō challenging Chihiro to a fencing match. To be honest, my impression of the old man has improved slightly (emphasis on "slightly") thanks to his actions in this episode. It's obvious he's still obsessed with "protecting" (or that's what he thinks he's doing) Rea, but at least he was willing to entrust her to someone else, even if it's only for a short while. I think this change was due to the fact that Chihiro was the first person to actually have the guts to confront him. Personally, I don't think I'd be able to muster the courage to poke fun at an aristocrat who has proven that he has the power to control people's life, just like he did with the family of Rea's former friend, so I applaud Chihiro for his bravery.

Sankarea - Episode 0 (OVA)

I don't think there's anything that can scare Mero...

With this being an "Episode 0", it makes sense that it acts as a prequel that takes place prior to the start of the story, ending off right before Rea screams into the well. It further highlighted the differences between the Furuya and Sanka families and how the parents treated the children. Additionally, in regards to the Furuya family, small bits were shown on the mystery behind Furuya Yuzuna. We now know that her death was most likely a murder—and a bloody one at that. How she died remains unknown but I think this fact will be revealed later in the story.

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.

Sankarea - Episode 9

Japanese Photos: Peace signs all day, every day.

As much as I dislike fillers, I found this Mero-focused episode to be quite interesting and entertaining. Even as a side character, Mero has gathered her own group of fans, with some claiming that she's the "perfect imōto". While normally emotionless, this episode showed a new and cuter side of her. In addition, bits of her past during which she spent with her mother were shown, hinting that Mero really misses her mother, despite keeping a strong exterior when the issue arises in front of her friends. What's interesting is the uncanny resemblance between Rea and Mero's mother. As if showing their similarities once wasn't enough, there were multiple scenes which implied that Rea is somehow related to the Furuya children's mother. Whether this is all just a part of Mero's imagination or not is still a mystery.

Sankarea - Episode 8

Sanka Rea: The Zombie Who Loves Going Commando

And with that, Ranko's chances have all but gone down the drain. An episode overloaded with Chihiro x Rea moments is already enough to give viewers an idea of how this will end. Even without that, the premise doesn't offer any alternative than a human x zombie ending, either. I guess airing this episode was akin to rubbing salt in the wounds of Chihiro x Ranko supporters. On the other hand, Rea fans were served with many nosebleed-inducing shots, including a unexpected "no pantsu" scene, as well as some zombie fighting. And to top it all off was a nice plot twist which I didn't expect.

Sankarea - Episode 7

So cute~ <3

Although this was a pure Chihiro x Ranko episode, I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. The two have such a cute past together that it just makes you want to support them. Not to mention their current interactions make them look like a perfect couple, as Ranko's mother puts it. Hypothetically speaking, if Rea wasn't part of this anime (not that I want it to happen, that is), I'd definitely be supporting this pairing. It's unfortunate how Chihiro's only interested in zombies, though. With his current luck with girls, he might even be able to form his own harem of Sanka Academy girls right now. It's no wonder Yasutaka is so jealous; I don't blame the guy.

Sankarea - Episode 6

おかえり,礼弥 <3

It looks like my concerns about the lack of Rea in the last episode were addressed as this week's episode showed once again how moe she is. We learn the substance that has been sustaining her and Babu is actually the poison from the hydrangea leaves. On one hand, this sounds a bit strange as poison is generally known to be harmful and deadly. But I guess when you're dead (and in an anime, no less), the laws of the human world don't apply. On the other hand, I think the hydrangea plants were intended to be used as symbols since they're on the Sanka family's crest and are what Rea proposed Chihiro to use for the elixir. Either way, the good news is that Rea's herself again.

Sankarea - Episode 5

Chihiro's dream is now a reality.

I'll be honest here, this episode was quite bland, compared to the previous four, and could arguably be called a filler, save for the last part at the end where Rea and Ranko finally meet. Speaking of that scene, I found it... um... both surprising and disturbing at the same time, I guess (read: I'm not a big fan of yuri). Despite this, the episode did have its moments, albeit the lack of Rea was quite disappointing. On the bright side, I learned that rigor mortis actually goes away after a certain period of time. Apparently, anime is sometimes educational.

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.

Sankarea - Episode 3

Okaeri, Babu-chan~

Was this episode rage-inducing? Yes, and very much so. Although it was bound to happen sooner or later, I wasn't prepared for Rea's death. Even as it happened, I had a sliver of hope for her fall to be softened by the hydrangea plants below. Failing that, an injury requiring a visit to the hospital wouldn't have been so bad either. Out of all the possible things that could have happened, her body ends up getting torn up by what looked like a sharp rock or tree branch sticking out of the edge of the cliff. That itself made me wince. What's more, her wounds were censored so I'm starting to shiver at the thought of what it might have looked like (BDs should be the answer to that).

Sankarea - Episode 2

Chihiro x Rea ^_^

From the last episode, it wasn't too hard to tell that Rea's father was a bit messed up in the head. Seeing his rationalization for his actions towards her in this episode me think, "Wow... this guy really is insane!" No matter how one justifies it, forcing your own daughter to pose nude for you every year on her birthday is just sickening, especially when she's in her teenage years. And because of his wealth and power, poor Rea can't confide in anyone or she risks her father making a move and causing others to suffer. It's not surprising that she thinks she's better off dead; the helplessness she feels must have taken its toll.

Sankarea - Episode 1

このゾンビがこんなに萌えわけがない

Sanka Rea <3
At first, I only planned to watch this show due to its seemingly interesting story. And although this is still the case after the first episode, I have found a new reason to watch the show as well. I'm going to go ahead and say it now: Sanka Rea is bound to be one of the most moe characters of the season (barring any physical/personality changes if she becomes a zombie). Her "nice body" and undeniably cute personality instantly captivated me. Honestly, I'd be fine with a slice-of-life anime (i.e. without the zombies) focusing on her relationship with Chihiro. But then again, that'd just make the series another typical teenage romance. So, in the end, having her turn into a zombie (i.e. diverging from the path of typical romance stories) will most likely increase the chances of the series' success.

Sankarea - Preview

Having arguably one of the weirdest plots of the season, Sankarea is a show that has the potential to be quite interesting due to its originality (well, I haven't seen anything like it before). Normally, when one thinks of zombies, images of grotesque, lethargic animated corpses come to mind. But when a decent-looking girl wishes to die and become reborn as one of them, that's where things diverge from your typical zombie flick. I enter the show with no expectations (frankly, I don't know what to expect), so let's see if Sankarea can impress me.

Spring 2012

It's been a bit over a year since I started this blog and it has been satisfying to see the page views rising every month. Having expanded my genres of interest a bit further, I have quite the list of planned to watch shows for the Spring 2012 season. With that being said, I'm only planning on reviewing some of them as I learned from last season that it's harder to review some genres than others (e.g. It was extremely hard for me to come up with an interesting review for each episode of Kill Me Baby).

Therefore, I have split the post into two sections: Will (Possibly) Review and Will Watch but not Review. Note that each show can be interchanged between sections depending on how the first few episodes are.