Sankarea

[Buffalobiian]

Categories: Contemporary Fantasy, Fantasy, Horror

Plot: Furuya is obsessed with zombies. He collects any figurines, watches any movie, and plays any game with the living dead, and is even only interested in zombie girls. When his cat dies, Furuya begins trying to raise it from the dead using an ancient book of the occult he bought from a shop. But what will happen when he sees the idol of a nearby all-girls school walking close to where he conducts his experiment, wishing to die and be reborn as a different person? -AniDB

Commie - Episode 01
SFW - Episode 01




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I liked this. The flicking back and forth between the comedic zombie moments (the alarm clock was great, nude photos?), emotional-inducing scenes (screaming, afterthoughts of death) and actual creepiness (how far does a guy go from being a zombie fan to a crazy corpse harvester?) worked in balance. It always felt like the show had a sense of energy and wasn't bogged down in a slow, morbid mood as well as not being off in the clouds of fuwa-fuwa highschool-romance land. The cat was drawn in the cutest way possible so the creepy side of things was still relatively toned down, but it contrasted enough.

Chihiro isn't exactly dense but doesn't go into ero-mode whenever breasts can be found, while Rea herself is rather clueless and clumsy with her words and experiences but also isn't dense/ditz or stupid. If this episode is any indicator, she learns pretty fast.

[Inazuma]

You have to watch this show.

This feels balanced for some reason, the way the two of them synergize is absolutely magnificent. I'm loving this as much as I love Full Metal Panic or Toradora.

[MFauli]

Too many unknown variables yet, but it was very enjoyable, indeed.

My two minor gripes so far:
- The main character´s hair style is extremely ridiculous. But I´ve watched enough Bakuman to realize that it´s necessary, lol.
- Even more ridiculous is his attraction to zombies in a romantic matter. Though I found it kinda conflicting that someone who´s certainly knowledgable about zombies actually imagines a true love relationship with one. I mean ... zombies don´t think, don´t love, they only kill.

Other than that, lots of potential, but I won´t yet call this the highlight of the season. The zombie-stuff *could* become too fantasy-heavy. On the contrary, it could become too typical a romance anime, with the main character having already two girls on his hook (Rea and, well. They quickly established a potential incest-subplot, lol).
If I could choose this series´ progression, I´d like see Furuya´s school life, including his two friends, being fleshed out, then gradually introducing those around him to his zombie-stuff. But I have no idea how delicate or not the producers are going to handle the zombie-theme here.

Anyway, worth watching, definitely.

[Kraco]

I've read a few chapters of the manga, and choosing to watch this show was thus a nobrainer for me. It's quite a novel idea, all in all. A novice necromancer trying to resurrect a cat... Quite a wacky story, all in all.

Like Bill said, Chihiro's personality is also well balanced to allow his morbid interests a more believable background. If he was a typical nosebleeder shounen main character with little brains, I couldn't accept him being able to resurrect anything.

[KrayZ33]

reminds me alot of Bakemonogatari

Lets see what happens to the girl and how things are going from here
I've got to say that she behaved totally weird so far... not what I'd call a "realistic" introduction
can't say the male lead is any better... zombie love, ugh disgusting idea, he must have had a seriously messed up life so far

I can't believe that someone (the author) even managed to come up with such an absurd idea.
it's not really "funny", is it? its just weird and downright ridiculous if you ask me, it doesn't make the story more "interesting" either.

[MFauli]

I can't believe that someone (the author) even managed to come up with such an absurd idea.
it's not really "funny", is it? its just weird and downright ridiculous if you ask me, it doesn't make the story more "interesting" either.

Well, as I said, his whole zombie-love complex creates two "problems":

- so he´s into fucking dead bodies. That´s plain sick. Like, totally disgustingly sick and insane.
- he appears to be a zombie-expert, yet he assumes that zombies could be capable of love. doesn´t compute. that´s what a zombie-noob might imagine, not someone who´s basically studied them.

But, I mean ... why not? Let´s have a necrophile lead character for once!

[Archangel]

I like this, will be following it.

[Buffalobiian]

Well, as I said, his whole zombie-love complex creates two "problems":

- so he´s into fucking dead bodies. That´s plain sick. Like, totally disgustingly sick and insane.
- he appears to be a zombie-expert, yet he assumes that zombies could be capable of love. doesn´t compute. that´s what a zombie-noob might imagine, not someone who´s basically studied them.

But, I mean ... why not? Let´s have a necrophile lead character for once!

His necrophilia is part of the "creepy" aspects, as is her supposed will to turn into a zombie just to gain his affection. They should not be taken out.

[Buffalobiian]

Commie - Episode 02

[Kraco]

Cold, oppressive, and abnormal childhood behind a shiny facade is pulled off quite successfully in this show. There's pretty much no annoying emo, just the creepiness.

Furuya isn't anymore a level 0 necromancer, but level 1!

[MFauli]

WTF did I just watch?!

This seems like the most random sub-plot of an anime ever.
"Yeah, we´re making this anime about a boy who´s into zombies and who´s goal is to resurrect his dead cat. Oh, we´re also putting in this girl, who´s father shoots nude photos of her."
rofl
I mean, surely all of this will be relevant one way or another. But after that first episode, you just aren´t expecting such a seriousy incest-abuse sub-plot. This episode certainly changed my perception of this show and what I´m expecting in the future.

[Kraco]

Oh, we´re also putting in this girl, who´s father shoots nude photos of her."
rofl
I mean, surely all of this will be relevant one way or another. But after that first episode, you just aren´t expecting such a seriousy incest-abuse sub-plot. This episode certainly changed my perception of this show and what I´m expecting in the future.

It could have been anything. The details aren't really so excessively important, as long as it's something so fucked up the girl would seriously go forward and try to kill herself, not just emo cut like some angsty teen. This combination of oppression, nude photos, and isolation seems heavy enough. Even though a weird dude trying to resurrect his cat is goofy indeed, I'm pleased the girl's case got due attention.

[MFauli]

I´m all for "serious", but I think this is one of those rare cases where I´d have preferred an "emo cut like some angsty teen".

This is only episode 2, so we´re still in setup-mode, which means it´s okay to introduce new elements. It´s just that it really changed the mood for the whole show imo. Because ... there´s nothing even remotely goofy/funny about her father´s behavior. It´s plain super-creepy, serious and ... did I mention creepy?

The only similar (though even bigger of a game changer) thing to happen in an anime I watched, was when the girl in Now and Then, Here and There [spoiler]got raped.[/end spoiler]

[Archangel]

Feels like just the right amount of fucked up to me.

I never expected for it to actually work though, i thought we were in for a love comedy/angsty romance sort of deal. Looking forward to the new developments.

[Buffalobiian]

I´m all for "serious", but I think this is one of those rare cases where I´d have preferred an "emo cut like some angsty teen".

This is only episode 2, so we´re still in setup-mode, which means it´s okay to introduce new elements. It´s just that it really changed the mood for the whole show imo. Because ... there´s nothing even remotely goofy/funny about her father´s behavior. It´s plain super-creepy, serious and ... did I mention creepy?

How did the show change direction? We already got the impression that her father was fucked up and took nude photos of her and shit. The "removing friends" action was the only one that was really new, and that's not all too different from all the other rich, asshole fathers with power anyway.

It's "wrong", sure.. but I'm not seeing any mutilation, rape and whatever happen neither. Furuya might have said her father's off the deep end, but as far as anime goes.. this prolly only 1.6m deep.


I thought Babu was going to visit Rea when he dashed off to show her the resurrection worked so she would go ahead and kill herself knowing resurrection was possible (at least in animal trials).

[Buffalobiian]

Commie - Episode 03

[MFauli]

I´m still wondering if there´s going to be a good explanation for her father´s behavior, or if he´s just a random overprotective dad.

But I like that the story is making progress rather quickly. Didn´t expect neither Babu nor her to become zombies that quickly. Next episode should be rather interesting.

[Buffalobiian]

I´m still wondering if there´s going to be a good explanation for her father´s behavior, or if he´s just a random overprotective dad.

But I like that the story is making progress rather quickly. Didn´t expect neither Babu nor her to become zombies that quickly. Next episode should be rather interesting.

I expected Babu to wake up and find her, but I didn't imagine she'd reanimate in front of her dad. I'd have thought she'd be able to hide from him for a while. I wonder what the red eyes signify in the preview. Babu was pretty out of wack when he first came to, so we could expect the same from Rea as well (although her current actions suggest otherwise). Those poisonous leaves seem to have some pretty non-lethal properties.

[Ryllharu]

If zombie-Babu seeks out leaves to eat (presumably to maintain the zombieness), and Furuya's senile grandfather occasionally chows down on the leaves outside their temple, does that mean that Furuya's grandfather...?

[Archangel]

This show is... surprisingly dark. I may drop it eventually on account of it being just too damn depressing.