Sankarea – 11
I’d rather watch this than Highschool of the Dead
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Whee I’m back! Thanks Hawth for filling in for me when I can do Sankarea! Yo mah hero. Now then, we finally can see whether Chihiro is going to lose his balls or not. |
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Welcome back anaaga! (And welcome back Sankarea as well!) It was no problem at all, I’m glad you’re back so we can tag team once again. Onward to Chihiro’s doom~ |
To conclude the tension between Chihiro and Dan’ichiro, Dan’ichiro challenges Chihiro on a fencing duel that didn’t actually happen, really. Chihiro uses his taunting skill on Dan’ichiro, and he takes a stabbing on his chest because of that. Thankfully, because he was infected by Rea, Chihiro is numb to pain. Hydrangea poison, banzai!
Unlimited Shadow Works?
After some proper talk, Dan’ichiro officially entrusts Rea to Chihiro while he’s away to America to find a cure for Rea. Not long after Dan’ichiro exits the dojo, Chihiro regains his senses and faints because of that. Because he had a truce with Dan’ichiro though, his maids tend his wound. Wanko pays a visit to the injured Chihiro and makes a joke about her and Chihiro being engaged, making Rea realized that Wanko likes Chihiro. To make it even worse, Wanko made a “joke” about herself being human, and the abnormality of her own existence finally hits Rea.
I hope your plane crashed somewhere around Bermuda Triangle… Is he even going to pass Bermuda Triangle?
Can we like, take out Wanko?
Picspam:
Before I go further into my nonsense, I shall, once again, praise the playful animation of this episode. I was expecting something big that I didn’t notice the amounts of shadows in this episode. A lot, of course. Excessive at times too. From Rea’s cosplay imprisonment even to Chihiro sprouting the poison nonsense; full of shadows. It’s not hard to know when some extra shadows will be present. Just search for a scene where everything will be in full red/purple/any other color, and there will be shadows. And I have to admit, the shadow and the single color in the scene make a good combination. Speaking about shadow, is the second screenshot (where there are two Rea shadows) possible? I don’t know if it is, but I like that scene. Another thing I have to praise is how splendid Kimura Ryohei voiced Chihiro this week. Not that he’s not doing a good job every episode, but he was especially great this episode. Chihiro sounds like a reeealllyy mean bitch when he taunted Dan’ichiro. Not that I have any problem when Dan’ichiro is being treated like trash. Dude deserves it.
Now the story. Chihiro might be the one who did most of the talking, but Rea was the one in the spotlight. Seeing Rea stepping it up and decided to risk her life (not really) just to save Chihiro was so great. Imagine how she must have felt, stepping into that damned house of hers. What if she got caught? What if her father takes her back? So yeah, it was admirable of Rea for facing her “old life” just to save Chihiro. The only problem with her is how she did not effing complain at her father for the crappy treatments he gave her. I mean, c’mon sista! Chihiro shuts him up! Time for you to complain! But noooo she didn’t. I know it’s just her princess-like nature, but ugh! I shouldn’t be hard on her though, since Wanko just hit Rea HARD with that “I’m a human” statement. Rea finally fully realizes that there’s a big gap between her and Chihiro, no matter how much Chihiro likes her. Is she going to regret her zombie transformation? I bet she will. The question is, what will Rea do now? How will she react to Wanko’s indirect challenge? Damn you Wanko for being mean to her. Ugh.
That’s pretty much it. If one notice, this is pretty short for an end thoughts. That’s because I find this episode to be… Boring? The unexpected turn of events are actually great surprises, but I am somehow not impressed with it. It’s more like… I expected more than that? A Chihiro who does more than taunt? A Rea who finally speaks up her mind? Yup, that’s what I want. Too bad I didn’t get them. I hope next episode can make me like Sankarea again.
I have to agree with you anaaga, I also found this week’s episode less than exciting. Maybe my expectations were higher than usual because of the hiatus, or maybe my seething hatred dislike of Dan’ichiro was blurring my perspective of his change-in-heart regarding Rea’s freedom. If that was what we’re expected to view as the “climax” of the plot then I’d feel a bit disappointed.
For me the biggest plot twist this week had to be Chihiro surviving the stab wound. I cringed watching that scene, slightly afraid that our cat-haired protag’s last sight would be Dan’ichiro ugly grin. Rea has quite the arsenal of unintended powers thanks to her zombification. Besides her super human strength and lack of hunger, now she can pass on her resistance to pain? (If this was an shonen-action show I’d be calling her OP.) But the fact remains that she’s still decaying, pointed out again by Dan’ichiro. Now, a somewhat odd alliance (maybe that’s the wrong choice of words) has been formed, and I’m skeptical about how it will play out. With Dan’ichiro getting the cure for Rea’s “zombification”, he must be expecting something in return.
One of my favorite aspects of Sankarea this week was the humor. Episode 10 was pretty hard on the suffering, sort of sandwiched between comedy bits, but this time the humor never let up. Somehow Chihiro was oblivious, or rather … uncaring, of the situation he was in. The entire time he seemed to take it as a joke and his mockery was only halted by a blade through his chest. Still, I found his playful demeanor throughout the episode very funny to watch. Beyond that, those epic maids seemed to be having A LOT of fun with their job. The themes in Sankarea can be seen as depressing, but when conveyed with a lick of humor it’s much more bearable to watch without feeling disturbed afterwards. With that said, will Sankarea fall back to the lighthearted tone of mid-series (see: Wanko), or further touch on the serious matters afflicting Rea (see: decay)? Until next time!~
Preview: Rea is drawing herself away. Will the magic of yukata and fireworks save the day?
Quick, everybody, run under the roof! She’s wearing a skirt!
About Tag Team
We live, laugh, enjoy and strictly believe on "more the merrier". When together, we usually come up with very chatty, conversation-based episodics and interesting posts.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Is everyone in that mansion as twisted as Dan’ichiro? Those maids needed a serious punishment for their gross misconduct with Rea. Who knows how far they would have gone if Rea hadn’t broken her restraints.
Chihiro’s taunting was perfect. Mean bitch mode for the win!! And headbutting Dan’ichiro right after being stabbed was excellent. Dan’ichiro was way overdue for a reality check (and a should-be-deserved beating for every pedo and oppresive thing he’s ever done). I was shocked he took being stabbed right through so lightly and making fun of the situation. I thought he’d die without the chance of possibly becoming a zombie himself (since he’s obsessed with them). Apparently, he has no regard for his life. He’s lucky Rea’s poison temporarily infected him. Her passing her resistance was almost like biting him and actually turning him into a zombie, even if it’s halfway through.
Ranko is underhanded. Whether it was a joke or not, getting someone to agree to be one’s fiancée without explaining the definition is entrapment. On the other hand, Chihiro is a bone head for agreeing to something without giving it time or some thought. I want to see how things will play out now that Rea has finally come to terms with her fate.
POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments
TBH I really didn’t like what Dan’ichiro’s maids did with Rea. Some would like it because it ended as a cosplay (unnecessary fanservice I sad), but who knows what they would’ve done if it wasn’t that. I wonder if that was a way for them to vent their frustration?
Now that I think about it, you’re right about Chihiro not caring about his life at all. And by the time I’m done with this sentence, my disappointment with Chihiro’s character is getting bigger. I was expecting a lot from him in this episode, but he didn’t do much. That plus the fact he doesn’t care about his life just gave me a double blow about his character
This is probably the official time that I don’t like Wanko. What she did was sneaky and mean. I don’t care much about the fiance part, but the human commentary she added is just too much.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I thought the humor and taunting were about perfect. I think it would have been stupid and completely out of character for both him and the show if Chihiro had stepped up and epic dueled Rea away from Dan’ichiro. And we did get the moment of unexpected chivalry and ability, but from Rea. I thought it was enough that when faced with the wealth and power of Dan’ichiro that Chihiro didn’t back down at all.
I’m guessing the Ranko realizes she needs to put on the full-court press if she wants to get oblivious Chihiro to recognize her as a girl, and that’s what she’s going for. But unfortunately for her, I think the fact isn’t going to change that Chihiro’s just not into her.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I don’t think Ranko has much of a chance of getting Chihiro’s attention romantically. He’s really dense in that department, as are most shounen leads. Moreover that Chihiro always says that he’s only interested in zombie girls. So, unless she instantly gets zombified, the odds of her success are very slim.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Yeah, I don’t think Ranko has a chance at all, but she’s in desperation mode / full-breast press. Don’t we always know the childhood friend stays friend-zoned? Plus, as you say, Chihiro is completely dense. I don’t even think he realizes that Rea likes him and he actually does like her, although her feelings have always been tinged with a bit of ‘He’s not my father’.
POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments
Somehow I’m still disappointed with the fact that Chihiro didn’t do much except taunting (and surviving that stab). I really wanted him to do more, but alas I didn’t
And yeahhh, Wanko’s desperate to get Chihiro now. She forgot that Chihiro is not the type of person who would eve glance at a human female. And why would he do that when there’s a zombie nearby? Wanko will be disappointed with the result, but she kind of put herself in this position.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Having just rewatched it, I had forgotten how much explaining and arguing Chihiro did after being stabbed and Rea showed up. I mean, it’s not devastating lawyer courtroom drama, but he does put Dan’ichiro in his place a bit more than I remembered, such as the parts about Rea wanting to be a normal girl, forcing the remembrances of what her ‘freedom’ had been before.
POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments
I have to give him credit for taming Dan’ichiro. His way of doing things were surprising in this episode. Definitely very different from lots of protagonists who would’ve been dueling with Dan’ichiro right away. Chihiro is not like any other protagonist I’ve watched, and that’s probably why I’m not liking him. He’s actually getting closer to reality than lots of anime characters I’ve seen. I should give him a chance
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
I’m starting to realize… That Sankarea is… Ahn… Well, the worse anime among the ones that I chose to watch this season… (there is even Acchi Kocchi).
It’s too nonsense .-. Why wouldn’t he feel pain?! Just because a zombie licked he?! And the pervy maids!!! WHY?! WHY?! Just for the sake of fanservice? I don’t need it ¬¬ I prefer fanservice with Wanko. AND WHAT WITH DAN’ICHIRO?! WHY ARE YOU LETTING HER GO?! YOU ARE THE VILLAIN! YOU CAN’T DO IT! NOT THIS WAY!… Man -.-‘
Guess the best part of this episode was Chihiro’s reckless taunt. He was so bitch that even I would stab him right in the head.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I wouldn’t say Sankarea is that bad. It’s certainly doing a lot better than Shining Hearts entertainment-wise this season. At least Sankarea had a certain amount of good development while Hearts was basically at a standstill 90% of the time.
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
I’m not watching Shining Hearts… Since when I first read the first impression about Shining Hearts I already thought it was… Well… You know, a man who is famous thanks to his breads is not a good concept.
But I’m disappointed with Sankearea because I was expecting a lot more of this anime and it didn’t delivered even half what I was expecting, so… Didn’t like ¬¬
Ah, at least, opening and ending are really good.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I think Sankarea’s been really good… if it was the first half of a 2 cour season. For getting things done in a 12-episode season, it’s been a bit lacking, with some weird jumping around, and episodes that were good at building the universe but didn’t do a whole heck of a lot for the 12-episode show. Again, make it a 24 episode series, and having the Mero and Ranko and book finding episodes becomes a much better decision. They were pretty good, they just took too much time away from the story that I think most people wanted to see.
That said, I’ve still liked the show, and it’s way better than two other shows I’ve watched (Shining Hearts and Medaka Box). As I’ve said elsewhere, I’m still new to anime, so I don’t know all the history of Studio DEEN, but I’ve really enjoyed the art style of Sankarea (and Kore wa Zombie), even though people were saying it was way out of the usual for them.
And like you, I really like the OP and ED. My favorite part of the OP is when the other characters are slamming their hand down in anger but one of Mero’s friends smiles and holds her hands up. Just unexpected and I find it touching.
POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments
Sankarea and Kore wa Zombie are BIG SURPRISES for DEEN because they’re usually not that good. Kore wa Zombie had a meh story, but the animation was pretty good. I think they decided to add more budget in it when they saw how successful the first season was? and Sankarea is great because of Omata, so it’s not really DEEN.
If you want to see a bad DEEN, just watch any of their show, especially their game-adapted anime. Like Fate/Stay Night or Hiiro no Kakera.
POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments
Shining Hearts’ concept is all right, it’s just that it’s been carried out badly.
I think Sankarea has been good. It has its moments, but it’s definitely entertaining to be watched, and not only because of the interesting concept of necrophilia. Omata did a splendid job with his animation. I’m starting to think that without him, Sankarea’s charm would’ve been decreased by 40%. Animation aside, the BGMs and songs have been catchy. I’d say Sankarea is a successful anime for this season