Sankarea Final Episode

Well…that ending (if you can even call it that) was kinda predictable. Then again, there are two types of endings that allow you to have a second season. The first one is the ending that gives you the satisfaction of a stopping point, but with some facts missing. The second is the type where you create an event that basically has to be continued. I’m actually not sure which one would have been better for this situation. If the ending had left out the zombie bite, I don’t think it would have been so much better. I mean…what was really accomplished in this first season? Got the father off their case? That’s it?

I may even argue that the zombie bite was the better of the two options. The simple explanation is that it gives the impression that whole “zombie” thing hasn’t been forgotten. But there’s a problem with this. I’ve seen no indication of the second season…so are they just teasing us with an even longer wait? Unless it magically shows up in the fall season somehow, it looks like the case.

Putting that aside, though, this show was a pretty interesting experience (if you completely block out the zombie fetish bit like I did). It was fun for me to ponder the biological implications of a reanimated corpse (as illogical as it is). I’m actually considering a post to go over most of the stuff I came up with while I was watching. But even if I don’t I’ll still review the show as a whole later on.

Sankarea Episode 11

Finally back with another episode after a week’s break (I swear it wasn’t my fault). And now the father conflict is resolved…finally, the guy listens to reason. Rea had to basically confess to Chihiro to get him to back off. Still, during that whole conversation, I found myself constantly thinking “uhh…it can’t be healthy that Chihiro has a hole in his gut.” Even if he’s numbed to pain, he should still bleed…which unrealistically started to happen right when the conversation ended (lol…physics. Who needs that anyway?).

I wonder what comes next. I guess it depends on what the ending is supposed to be. If it’s a neutral ending where everyone lives on with their “normal” lives, then the last episodes would be filler comedy. If we go for “happy ending” with Rea and Chihiro, then the last episode would be figuring out the cure. The second option would be more interesting, but I dunno how it will work with time. It looked like Rea was kinda thinking about her life as a zombie at the end this week, but it doesn’t necessarily indicate anything. Hmm…I’d have to put my bet on neutral ending because 1) romantic happy endings are a rare sight and 2) I’m sure a company would be more likely to open up to more seasons.

Sankarea Episode 10

I’m surprised that Chihiro can keep that same bored expression while listening to two pretty depressing stories. The first being the tale of the ignored stepmother and the second being of Rea’s father, who actually has a slightly legit reason to be so clingy after losing his love so quickly. Father’s still nuts, but just a little bit less nuts than I thought.

Not much else to say about this episode. Next week, since the talk with the mother is over, the talk with the father must begin. And by talk, I mean fencing match…because fight for Rea’s love? Preview also shows Rea hopping in (I’m so funny) to interrupt the fight…will the father finally back off?

Sankarea Episode 9

Not much really happened this week. Just a look into Mero’s life…she’s pretty normal in comparison to everyone else. Kinda makes sense because Chihiro seems to have been into zombies before his mother’s death…at least I’m assuming as much because Mero appears to be around the age of the Chihiro in Wanko’s flashback in her own flashback with a living mother.

Yeah, there’s that bit with her mistaking Rea as her mother, but I dunno…didn’t really seem to mean much to me other than Mero accepting Rea. Episode just seems kinda random…especially interrupting Chihiro’s kidnapping and all.

I guess the story will get back on track next week…Looks like more stuff on Rea’s mother. I think I mentioned before that her personality seems off so far, so maybe some actual info will help. Unless the episode just looks at her and ignores him…who knows? I can’t see much from the preview.

Sankarea Episode 8

The father made his move sooner than I expected. I kinda expected Rea to fend off the attack with her new strength, but I wasn’t quite expecting plan B…pretty effective. With Chihiro being brought in, I expect a very long and boring speech about how the father deserves Rea and blah blah blah.

A note about the jacket that Chihiro bought…theoretically it works because Rea doesn’t have a metabolism and won’t emit heat, which would typically be trapped by the insulating jacket in a normal person. Instead, the jacket traps the cold. Not completely sure how cells can decay without a metabolism, but meh……..anime….

Anyone else catch this?

But I guess the father’s speech won’t happen next week? Randomly, the story seems to jump over to Chihiro’s sister Mero next week…Not sure why the show jumps like this. Oh well…still could be interesting. Hopefully it ties in somehow. Side note: how the heck is Chihiro frightened of haunted houses? Makes no sense…

Sankarea Episode 7

A very Wanko-focused episode this week. Rea doesn’t even show up. As Chihiro helps out at her family’s inn, we get a glimpse at the history the two have together. Kind of a cool story…Wanko starts out seeing Chihiro as a brave prince when he helps her in the graveyard, but this is only situational as he turns out to be just as much of a crybaby as she is. But then the showdown with the dog rekindles her original feelings. Not bad…Although, I’m biased to say she would be better off with Chihiro because of my disdain towards the zombie fetish.

I’m curious about just how dense Chihiro is. That almost kiss at the end of the episode should have made it pretty clear how Wanko feels about him…did he notice? Does he realize it? Also, the show kinda jumped over that bit at the end of last week’s episode. Does that mean it wasn’t that big a deal? Or is there something lurking under the surface that Chihiro himself doesn’t know? Rea is back next week, so we would hopefully get our answers. Also looks like her father might be making another entrance next week.

Sankarea Episode 6

Hmm…that was kinda fast to give away most of the stuff. Chihiro’s grandfather gains a few moment of lucidity…enough to tell him that although the hydrangea leaves will counteract the body’s decay, it’s only a temporary fix. So, that narrows things down…it looks like Chihiro will have to “complete” the resurrection potion and bring Rea back to life for real. But that won’t be easy, it would seem. First off, the end of the episode shows that blood, either the taste or the sight, will bring Rea back to her crazed zombie self (unless it was a coincidence of timing, which is less interesting). And also, it looked like the butler from Rea’s mansion also spotted her while she was out with Chihiro.

Just as bad as her father....

Sigh…I wonder if I should take a moment to sit down and think about the science in this show. I’m sure it would give me a headache. There seem to be a lot of inconsistencies…yeah yeah, I know it’s anime, but I could probably write a post on the theoretical implications of everything…possibly explain why some of these things could be possible (wonder if I should). But I wouldn’t do that here…instead, I’ll just finish off by saying next week looks to be a closer look at Wanko. I wasn’t sure whether the scenes they show are flashbacks or stuff that’s actually happening while Rea is around, but we’ll find out.

Sankarea Episode 5

Zombie attack engage! The rigor mortis has worn off (faster than I expected, but science be damned in anime) and Rea is on the offensive. Now Chihiro has a fiasco on his hands. Speaking of which, this guy is terrible at keeping secrets…basically spills everything (about Babu, at least) to his crazy grandfather in front of the rest of the family. And Wanko’s dragged into the deal with Rea while Mero is suspicious. I will say this, though…I did not expect his grandfather to be the creator of the resurrection formula (he’s crazy, but he’s probably telling the truth).

The disbelief...it burns!!!

Lots of info from the preview this week, though…Kinda looks like the grandfather is the correct human color, so maybe he’ll be lucid enough to tell Chihiro his secrets? Also, the scene of a mindless Rea eating hydrangea leaves and then her eyes return to normal…yeah, the hydrangea leaves weren’t a tough call because basically all of the fanart for this show on the web shows Rea eating a leaf. Plus, they needed something non-human to feed her, right? Anyways, should be fun to watch.

Just a final thing to ponder (god knows I’m going to be pondering it). How will this show end? Will Chihiro decide to finally let Rea rest in peace? Or will he continue to desperately keep her around and they’ll just continue a semi-normal life? Or maybe he’ll finally figure out a real way to bring her back in non-zombie form? I really can’t tell which way it will go.

Sankarea Episode 4

Alright, now that Rea has become a zombie, the show sorta moves on. Her parents have formed a united front against Chihiro and Wanko has become suspicious. Plenty of fanservice this week in the form of naked Rea as well as amusing antics from the crazy grandfather. And to finish things off, Rea’s body starts to feel the effects of rigor mortis (which I’ve heard about over and over again in my neuroscience classes…blah blah lack of ATP prevents the reset of actin/myosin cross-bridging). *SCIENCE ALERT*

Headshot

So, I initially came to the rather obvious conclusion that eating the hydrangea leaves will help with “normalizing” the effects of the zombie process. However, if we look at the preview, Rea is still donning only a towel and seems to be moving fairly normally. Not sure if Chihiro finds a temporary fix or just manages to get some hydrangea (were there some by his house? can’t remember). Also, it looks like Wanko will discover Rea next week as well…should up the drama factor a bit. Chihiro seems to be enjoying his fetish-come-true for now, but we’ll see how long that lasts.

Sankarea Episode 3

So this week’s episode finishes up the setup for the show. Rea finally confronts her father, but she dies falling off a cliff, only to be reborn by the potion she drank. This is where the weird starts…Hopefully Chihiro can control his fetish. Animation in this show is definitely…different. Way to go Rea…you wanted a normal life, and you became a zombie. I guess the show just goes into straight comedy mode from here. Chihiro hiding Rea from other people and letting her lead a more free life. Wanko gets some more screen time this week too…although it was mostly just to get her stuck in a tunnel. She knows that Chihiro brought Babu back to life, so I’m guessing she might be included in the secret of Rea and whatnot.

As long as they don’t overplay the zombie thing, I think I can manage…that’s still my least favorite part of the show. Guess we saw a bit of Rea’s mom too. Her personality was a bit more boring than I had thought…the whole deal about yelling at Rea about the family’s image. Kind of a boring rich family woman type of attitude. But maybe there’s more to it. Sure hope so. Next week looks like it should get interesting…a buildup to a kiss which I assume will be interrupted. Wonder what’s up with that scene with the younger sister from the preview? O.o