Our hero Chihiro is really into zombies. It’s not just that he likes to play Resident Evil games and watch movies like Night of the Living Dead. He actually wants a zombie girlfriend. But before I continue, I’m going to change things up for this post. I’m going to try and name at least three good things about the episode I just saw. After all, people are always harping on me for not being fair and balanced. Wish me luck!
The Good
• Chihiro doesn’t annoy me? I don’t approve of his zombie-screwing policy, but at least he isn’t a simpering wimp like most anime protagonists these days. Chihiro could still be more flawed; he could still be meaner, stranger, more bizarre, etc. Right now, he’s a step above Mahou Piggy over in Accel World, but that isn’t saying much.
• In a season inundated with giant boobs, Sankarea isn’t as fanservice-y as some of our other romantic comedies… for now. I mean, there’s a scene where Chihiro gets a face full of cousin boobs (boy, do we love our familial ties), but eh, just par for the course. Same, I guess, with him constantly staring down Rea’s dress.
• If you’ve read the show’s synopsis like me, you might’ve expected Rea to be zombie by now. The plot, however, seems to be taking its time, and you know what? I’m okay with that. It doesn’t hurt to carry a story with just dialogue for once instead of silly hijinxes.
The Bad
• Chihiro’s buddies are completely generic. One guy’s girl crazy and the other’s wimpish and nerdy. I’m not asking anime to come up with original personalities–whatever that even means. I just don’t think mixing it up is too much to ask. Here’s a thought: write down some personality descriptors onto a few scraps of paper, toss them into a hat, then pick two out at random. Whatever you pull out ends up describing the first best friend! Here, lemme try: “lackadaisical” and… “considerate.” So this would be… a total bro who has your back. For instance, he tries to bake you cookies when he notices that you’re down, but despite his good intentions, he screws up and burns them. So wacky! Sure, that’s not award-winning writing, but it sure beats the same girl-crazy best friend.
• One reason Rea wants to die is because she lives a sheltered life. The other reason is that her father takes nude pictures of her. Wait, what? Why on earth would he do something like that? The official stated reason is to record Rea’s growth each time she celebrates her birthday. Hm. This is a comedy, right? If it’s not, I must have missed a memo somewhere. Sure, other cultures don’t demonize underage nudity to the extent that my culture does, but if someone says no, I think a parent should back off. If the situation’s so bad that Rea wants to die, I really don’t think this is a laughing matter. I guess I’ll just to have see how the rest of the series develops this particular, uh, subplot. I mean, if this is a heavier show that won’t treat darker themes as jokes, then I guess I’ll withdraw my complaint. I’m pretty sure it’s a romantic comedy though.
• Should Rea become a zombie, she would go and live with Chihiro. Boy, what a twist. At least Chihiro isn’t magically living on his own like a lot of protagonists out there, but yeah, your future waifu living with you during your high school years is just lazy. At this point though, maybe the mangaka’s just following sacred anime/manga tradition.
• Where do we draw the line? If Chihiro is physically attracted to zombies, how does the fetish not overlap with necrophilia? ‘Cause trust me, you do not want to go there. But even if he’s into zombies for the way they “act,” it doesn’t get any better. After all, doesn’t being a zombie imply some degree of “brain dead-ness”? What does it say about a guy who wants a brain dead (or somewhat mentally-impaired) girl? Plus, if Rea’s currently depressed because her father doesn’t let her do anything she wants, hoo boy, I don’t think becoming a zombie is the brightest idea.
• Yes, I know that Rea won’t actually be shambling around like the classic Romero zombie. I know that Chihiro won’t even so much as kiss a rotting corpse. I know that Rea won’t be brain dead. It’s really not going to matter one bit whether or not Rea’s a zombie, because, ultimately, she’ll still act like any other female love interest in anime. But then what’s the point? Why bother at all then? In other words, what’s going to make this a zombie love story–one that somehow doesn’t offend most people’s sensibilities–and not just your generic anime romance comedy? Somewhere out there, a dark comedy exists where a man falls in love with a zombie (imagine the subtext). Sankarea just feels like a wasted premise.
The Ugly
• A cat died. This is why you don’t let your cats go outdoors.
To sum things up, even if I think the first episode was tolerable, the rest of the series feels like it is destined for Genericland. Unless Sankarea stops coloring in its dark streak with a crayon (albeit a black one) and decides to really embrace its premise, this isn’t likely to change soon. May as well just watch something like this instead:
If anything, it was Wanko the Clingy Jealous Childhood Friend that tipped me off that this anime was going to be sooooooo original.
If you want something that’s truly unorthodox, you should watch Nazo no Kanojo X. I’m not sure if you’ll find it intriguingly weird or disgustingly weird, but it’s about a kinda-generic high school boy and his girlfriend and how they come to terms with each others’ love through a bond of, uh, saliva. Since you don’t find much favor in generic high school romance, but I’m interested in seeing how you’d react to something that tries to take a step further into (or backward from, depending on how you see it) a young couple’s relationship.
I kind of droned her scenes out.
Yeah, someone mentioned it on Formspring. I’ll get around to it. I’ve just been cooking all day!
Having just watched the first episode of Nazo no Kanojo X, I like it (so far). I like how the synopsis on those anime charts make the anime seem completely boring and terrible.
There’s only so much that plot synopses (and to a further extent season preview charts) can tell you, really. The only semblances of production values and execution come from studio and staff names, and that requires a bit more research. A bit of digging into what other works a director has done can be an indicator of how good a show may be in its pacing/story, regardless of the animation studio. It’s not perfect, but it’s a good indicator of an anime’s quality. Which is why people are still hyped for Tsuritama and Sakamichi no Appolon even though they haven’t aired yet.
I don’t need the synopsis to tell me everything about the show. In Nazo no Kanojo X‘s case, I bet “A torrid but twisted romance between a boy and an awkward transfer student” would have probably done a better job than “He tasted her saliva… and gets hooked!” That sounds like a cheap ad for an afternoon talk show.
That synopsis is probably aimed more towards a certain demographic, existing in some kind of hot and awkward place in our society that finds more pleasure with indirect kisses than (God forbid) skin contact and (GOD FORBIDER) actual kissing.
Gee, I wonder who could possibly relate to that.
Yeah, but it’s one thing to go from sharing a straw to sucking down some glistening saliva.
FOOL. By the time you know that minor detail you’re already watching the show!
It seems to me you are dooming this series based on assumptions, saying it will become a wasted premise even though you haven’t read the source material.
Regarding some of the “bad points”:
– Rea’s family: Sankarea may be a romantic comedy but it deals with darker issues with the seriousness they deserve. Don’t worry, they won’t be treated as a joke.
– So if Rea became a zombie, she should just live in the street or in a hotel for the sake of being original? Boy living with girl is a common trope but if there is a good reason behind it I don’t think it’s fair to call it lazy.
– “Wasted premise”: more assumptions. This series isn’t about a boy falling in love with a girl who just happens to be a zombie. I can assure you that becoming a zombie won’t be taken lightly. It does have consequences, and nasty ones at that.
I did also say things like
So if the anime proves me wrong, I’ll gladly take back what I’ve said. But until then, I don’t see what’s so wrong with airing my misgivings about the potential direction of the show to generate discussion. Why? Because I’m making assumptions? Who cares? The only reason why anyone thinks assumptions are bad is because some people don’t want to be proven wrong and/or won’t change their minds. I’ll adjust my position on the anime as I attain new information.
Sure, why not? Beats doing the same thing over and over.
If you’re right, cool. If not, oh well.
I think I want to watch Zombie Ass.
Don’t we all?
“Somewhere out there, a dark comedy exists where a man falls in love with a zombie (imagine the subtext). Sankarea just feels like a wasted premise.”
Though I actually quite enjoyed Sankarea compared to most of the first episodes this season, I could not have put it better. Where are you, zom-comedy replete with legitimately dark humour? Does popular Japanese culture as a whole just lack the understanding of subtlety and irony that you require, or is it merely anime culture?
Speaking of which, the “hopeless perverted friend” archetype grates on me more and more every time I see it. It was stale by the second time somebody did it, probably decades ago. The trope is so omnipresent that I’m all but convinced it grants the animation studio a tax break. Why do they do it?
I guess this is where we turn to weird Japanese cinema to scratch the dark humor itch. I don’t know one specifically about a zombie girlfriend off the top of my hand, but there’s a slew of bizarre movies out there. The Happiness of the Katakuris comes to mind.
Having read the manga, I can assure you that it does get better. Despite its initial impression, “Sankarea” is very much a dark comedy that deals with the grittier aspects of zombification (i.e. decay, insanity, thirst for blood/brains etc).
I can’t really go into any more detail without giving away spoilers, but I do think the series is better than what that first episode would have you believe. While I’m at it though, I might as well provide some spoiler-ish bullet-points:
/spoilers/
– Chihiro’s friends aren’t really important in the manga. They rarely appear and when they do it’s not usually for long.
– Rea’s home life is actually more complicated than first perceived. While the manga does seem to trivialize the child abuse aspect a bit, it does have some lasting implications, so it’s not like it’s completely ignored.
– Wanko = “childhood-friend suffering from unrequited love” archetype. Nothing more or less (so far).
/end spoilers/
If it gets good, cool. The first episode just felt very conventional when I feel like a dark comedy is potentially there for the taking.
I’ve watched the 2 eps that’s are currently available and I like it so far it has a twist ;) she becomes a zombie and tells him that he’s responsible and she said if she were to become a zombie would be want to be her bf