Yes, zombies are popular in pop culture nowadays, with every fan thinking that they actually have what it takes to survive a zombie apocalypse. The popularity is recognized enough by film and TV outfits that they try to come up with projects or programming that feature the undead.
In fact, the spring season alone yielded two zombie themed anime, albeit with the usual Japanese mind twists. The first one was Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? of the Dead, which was more of a genre mash-up with plenty of comedy.
The second one was similar to Tasogare Otome x Amnesia, which fell in the strange girlfriend category.
Sankarea was anticipated with much fanfare by those who enjoyed the original manga series by Hattori Mitsuru. It featured an interesting premise that revolved around an unusual love story. Unusual, because one half of the couple is a member of the undead.
Furuya Chihiro loved zombies ever since he was a child. A son of a temple priest, Chihiro amassed a large collection of zombie related films, books, toys, clothing and other paraphernalia through the years. His biggest fantasy is to encounter a zombie girl that he will fall in love with and become his girlfriend. One day, the family cat Babu died after being run over by a car, prompting Chihiro to remember an old manuscript that he discovered at another temple. The manuscript featured a resurrection potion that claims to bring the dead back to life, but one part of the manuscript is obscured, which refers to a vital ingredient in the potion.
While experimenting at an abandoned building, Chihiro encounters and meets Sanka Rea, who vents out her frustration against her overprotective father Sanka Dan'ichiro by shouting in an old well. The two form an unlikely acquaintance, with Rea offering to help Furuya with his efforts to bring Babu back to life. They try one ingredient after another, including the leaves of a hydrangea plant that grows in abundance in the area. One night, Rea's act of sneaking out of the house is discovered by her father and unsuccessfully tries to kill herself using the potion that she secretly took. That same night, Babu returns to life. The following day, a series of events lead Rea to an altercation with her father and accidentally falls down a cliff, killing her in the process. Chihiro, who was watching from the foot of the cliff after following Babu, can't believe his eyes as Rea stands up to her feet, alive as a zombie. Thus, their life together begins, with Rea staying with Chihiro at the temple, while he tries to understand everything about her condition. They also contend with trying to stop her body from decaying, a fatal flaw of the potion. Meanwhile, Rea's father Dan'ichiro is also making plans to get his daughter back.
There's a lot going on in Sankarea, which some people might say can be confusing when trying to peg its actual genre. The overall feel of the anime has a weird sense of foreboding, which is usually prevalent when Chihiro is left to his thoughts regarding Rea's condition, his inner monologue giving audiences insight into the tenuous hold Rea has on her second life and the challenges that they have to face in order to extend their time together.
And then, there's Rea's father. As graphic as the death of Rea was when she fell off the cliff and impaled herself along the way, there's nothing quite as disturbing as Dan'ichiro taking pictures of his naked daughter every year on her birthday. While I was originally inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt and thought that his actions were just misplaced over protectiveness, it didn't take long for me to realize that he was obsessed with his own daughter. I got the chills every time he would slowly remove his gloves to touch Rea. It was just so... wrong.
Yet, before you can say that Sankarea is depressing or just plain creepy, the series also features some light moments, such as Chihiro expressing delight that he actually found a girl zombie and Rea trying to ward off intruders without realizing that she's successfully doing so with her now inhuman strength. There's also Jogoro, Chihiro's grandfather, a weird and strangely colored man who spouts complaints about his food repeatedly and is prone to hugging girls when he thinks that they're a girl named Sada. And you also get the cute factor with Babu and Chihiro's sister Mero. Those who like ecchi in their manga and anime will find plenty of fan service moments from Rea and Chihiro's cousin Saoji Ranko, who is in love with Chihiro.
At its core, Sankarea is a love story and you just know that if it's possible to make human zombie hybrid babies, Chihiro and Rea will be the ones making them. However, they had to focus first on what would appear to be a short second life for Rea. Despite feeling the elation of the possibility of his wildest dreams coming true, Chihiro exhibits maturity and a sense of responsibility, which he didn't previously possess, by trying to find a way to protect Rea and get her to experience a normal life that she previously couldn't achieve under the watchful eye of her father. Rea, on the other hand, tries to find ways to be less of a burden on Chihiro. Both acknowledge the other's importance in their lives, but the more urgent concerns have to take precedence in the very short twelve episode run of the series (a trend among good titles this season).
The series ended with a cliffhanger, showing that there are bigger problems than the possibility of Rea decaying before they can find a permanent solution. The cliffhanger gives the audience hope that they will continue the story of Rea's journey as a zombie and Chihiro's quest to give her the happiness in normalcy that she fervently sought.
And of course, there's still the mutual attraction that neither main characters have yet to give voice to.
Of course.
Because it is a love story after all.
Happy viewing!!Labels: Adaptation, Anime, Comedy, Drama, Ecchi, Horror, Romance, Sankarea, Supernatural, TV
