First Impressions / OVA/Movie / Sankarea

「運命って…奴は…」 (Unmeitte… Yatsu wa…)
“Fate… is Really…”

I present to you the long awaited post on Sankarea’s episode 00 – released back in the beginning of June. To make up for my tardiness, I’ve included all the NSFW full-lengths for my readers! Now onto the actual episode content…

For those who were wondering (and haven’t seen the OAD), this is not necessarily a must-watch episode, but it does provide a lot of context and background story to Sankarea. The episode takes place 7 months prior to episode 1 and that’s why it’s usually labeled as episode 00. The main focus is actually both the mothers’ of Rea and Chihiro and I thought that played in very nicely, considering how I just finished watching episode 10 (which showed Aria’s back story) prior to this OAD. It tied in well to fill the one-week gap that the anime was on break.

The OAD actually surprised me quite a bit with the sudden shots of (who I assume to be) Chihiro’s mother and her very unfortunate circumstances. I still don’t know the entire background story revolving her existence… there seem to be a lot of theories saying how she is also a zombie (I believe this can be seen in episode 9 with Mero). However her transformation (or demise?) seems to be a lot more gruesome and disturbing than I would’ve imagined, especially for a romantic comedy. What did I say about Sankarea being able to keep me on my toes? I love the mystery aspect, but unfortunately, I don’t think this will be explored until much later (if ever, since I can only see 12 episodes scheduled). That’s a shame since I would think that Chihiro’s obsession with zombies, as something that branched from his childhood and/or his mother.

Aria on the other hand, has no mystery behind her actions anymore. While I do feel bad for Rea, I almost pity Aria just as much, given her lack of attention from her own husband. She takes it out on Rea and with her high alcohol intake and Rea’s passiveness; she really does abuse her step-daughter a lot. I originally thought that Danichirou was the reason for Rea’s desire to run away, but I can see now that a lot of that stemmed from her step-mother. While Danichirou subjects Rea to nude photos, Aria is very emotionally draining as well and after years of hearing how her own step-mother loathes her, I’m sure that’s enough to make anyone want to disappear.

One of the things that I like about Sankarea is how “realistic” they try to make it for Rea to exist as a zombie in the normal human world. She has problems with her decaying body, her abnormal strength and her inability to feel warmth. Sometimes I forget how this show has “supernatural” elements as well. However, this OAD reminded me that many recent events came from Chihiro’s zombie book… a book that he discovered out of pure lucky from a gust of wind. Hmmmm… I never thought that there were that many coincidences in this anime, but I’d have to say that this is definitely a sign. Perhaps that’s why the title of this OAD is about fate – and after seeing the turn of events 7 months down the line, I would definitely say that this is a result of fate.

Full-length images: 04, 05, 06, 10, 17, 24, 28, 34.

23 Comments

  4. Surprisingly well done. Given the quality of fillers in the season, I was kind of dreading this OAD. However, they did a nice job of filling in and fleshing out the characters. I think Chihiro’s dad (Furuya Do-o-n)benefited the most. In the main series, and even in the manga, he’s kind of a non-character. I thought it was refreshing to have a single dad in anime instead of the kids living on their own (like that ever happens in real life). But for the most part he’s been in the background, even on really important decisions. I wondered why he never mentions his dead wife or if he even knew what has been hinted. Here, we finally get a glimpse into his side of the story. It seems he did know, or at the very least suspected. Even though he’s denying his kids from knowing their mother, he is in his own way honoring her and keeping his promise to her. So yeah, I really enjoyed that part of the story.

    bertman4
    Reply

    1. But, we are not her father, making this a-okay. Its like liking the little sister character in an anime. We are not her older brother/sister, so it is a-okay. 大丈夫だよ

      snakechimera
      Reply

  7. Chihiro’s zombie book…

    In the beginning, I thought this was something his senile grandfather had written in
    his younger days.

    I like tasteful fan service, and this was well done and fitting with the overall story.
    What Danichirou sees in Rea, while sick, is not perverted. Danichirou’s a complex
    man and the loss of something he truly loved and cherished pushed him over the edge.

    A bitter-sweet story – wonder how it will end…

    mac65
    Reply

  8. There was one thing i didn’t quite get though….

    Didn’t they say it took them the whole night BY CAR to drive to their relative place? if so, wouldn;t that mean Rea’s house is quite a distance from chihiro’s?

    Which then makes me wonder. HOW DID THEY MEET AT THAT ABANDONED PLACE IN THE FIRST PLACE when all they had was legs and a bike? =/

    Ex14
    Reply

    1. Well, her dad is rich so maybe over a while, he expanded the house territory?? People with great influence tend to do something to show their might… in this case, he probably expanded his territory to take more of Rea birthday suit in different places…

      Tingster013
      Reply

  10. Aria is so sad, I feel the pain, getting ignored by the person you loved… However, I condemn her actions, pulling hair?? Really painful, we all know that, ouch!!!

    Tingster013
    Reply

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