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Sankarea / さんかれあ #1
Sankarea 1: Undying Love
“I ONLY LIKE ZOMBIE GIRLS.”
Since he was little, Chihiro has felt an unusual emotional connection to zombie movies. It’s not that he feels bad for the survivors – instead he fantasizes about comforting the poor undead girls they slaughter! When his beloved pet passes away, he decides to brew up a resurrection potion in secret. But he’s discovered by popular girl and local heiress Sanka Rea, whose life isn’t as perfect as it seems… and Furuya suggests that she could serve as a test subject!
Since he was little, Chihiro has felt an unusual emotional connection to zombie movies. It’s not that he feels bad for the survivors – instead he fantasizes about comforting the poor undead girls they slaughter! When his beloved pet passes away, he decides to brew up a resurrection potion in secret. But he’s discovered by popular girl and local heiress Sanka Rea, whose life isn’t as perfect as it seems… and Furuya suggests that she could serve as a test subject!
192 pages, Paperback
First published July 16, 2010
277 people are currently reading
726 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
January 6, 2020
This is not your average romantic boy meets girl story. This story was entirely fucked up, in every way possible.
At first, the story begins with an interesting start, sure, things were a little grotesque, but one can deal with that, after all, we're promised zombies in this. Just before I got halfway through, things took a rather disturbing turn. Rea (our main female lead character) has a despicable oddball Father, who sexually abuses her and he has naked photos of her on his wall, and claims this is to keep track of her growth.
This is definitely NOT okay.
The father continues this kind of shit through most of the story, until he pushes her off a cliff... Oh, then she comes back to life somehow.
THE END.
At first, the story begins with an interesting start, sure, things were a little grotesque, but one can deal with that, after all, we're promised zombies in this. Just before I got halfway through, things took a rather disturbing turn. Rea (our main female lead character) has a despicable oddball Father, who sexually abuses her and he has naked photos of her on his wall, and claims this is to keep track of her growth.
This is definitely NOT okay.
The father continues this kind of shit through most of the story, until he pushes her off a cliff... Oh, then she comes back to life somehow.
THE END.
December 15, 2019
SPOILERS AHEAD
HOW IS THIS IN THE BEST ROMANCE MANGA LIST??
This was one DISGUSTING, VILE, INCESTUOUS story that dealt with a SICK FETISH, NECROPHILIA and MENTAL-PHYSICAL ABUSE.
I was utterly misguided as the alternate cover edition was bright, vibrant and it was classified under shoujo. OH BOY WAS I DUPED. At first I was actually quite enjoying it- I'm a stickler for anything supernatural but then things just got GRUESOME. The fact that Chiro was fascinated to the point of infatuation for all dead things and even resurrected his cat from death was fine by me. Even the whole "I don't like you but now that you're dead I'm utterly in love with you" was fine by me. Sure, I've read better stuff but it was fine, I could go on.
What's messed up though is Rea's fucking maniac family. No, they are not psychopaths or serial killers like that twisted family from "Bastard" but they've really got screws loose.
Her father is in (love?) with her or more like in love with her features that are identical to his late wife. So, every year he tells her to undress on her birthday and then takes nude photos of her. He tells her it's a way of "tracking her progress and growth"..
She happily goes along with it- after all isn't he her dad? She soon realises however, that it's not normal among other families... OF COURSE IT'S NOT NORMAL!!! HE'S GOT A NAKED PORTRAIT OF YOU IN HIS ROOM!! *Shudder shudder*
Apart from that there's the inappropriate touching.. the hitting, the stalking and the deprivation of all freedom. She's unable to have any friends or experience anything that will give her joy or else either her friends are shipped off or worse.. hurt. After all, her family is one of the richest, most powerful in the entire area.
The story continues to progress. She meets Chiro and drinks some of his elixir just to you know.. commit suicide cause she's sick of her parents and her lif emiserable . Unfortunately, she doesn't die and her father comes to know that she's been hanging out with Chiro so of course he puts her under house arrest, prevents her from going to school and interacting with anyone.
After an intense argument however, her father slaps her with a (whip?)and Rea accidental falls off from a cliff and dies until.. the portion she drank previously resurrects her back to life as a zombie.
You still following me?
LOVE ENSUES, HORROR LURKS AND Chiro's cousin gets all flashy with him. (Like I get you're somehow in love with him because of your happy childhoods blah blah and thus, you always have the urge to flash your lace panties and boobs but UHHH you tell him to call you his big sister. LIKE WHAT EVEN ARE YOU DOING THEN. You don't just consider him as a cousin but a brother and a potential lover as well??
Siblings don't lust for each other!!)
And that's only a fraction of the whole story but yeah. It's just not for me.
HOW IS THIS IN THE BEST ROMANCE MANGA LIST??
This was one DISGUSTING, VILE, INCESTUOUS story that dealt with a SICK FETISH, NECROPHILIA and MENTAL-PHYSICAL ABUSE.
I was utterly misguided as the alternate cover edition was bright, vibrant and it was classified under shoujo. OH BOY WAS I DUPED. At first I was actually quite enjoying it- I'm a stickler for anything supernatural but then things just got GRUESOME. The fact that Chiro was fascinated to the point of infatuation for all dead things and even resurrected his cat from death was fine by me. Even the whole "I don't like you but now that you're dead I'm utterly in love with you" was fine by me. Sure, I've read better stuff but it was fine, I could go on.
What's messed up though is Rea's fucking maniac family. No, they are not psychopaths or serial killers like that twisted family from "Bastard" but they've really got screws loose.
Her father is in (love?) with her or more like in love with her features that are identical to his late wife. So, every year he tells her to undress on her birthday and then takes nude photos of her. He tells her it's a way of "tracking her progress and growth"..
She happily goes along with it- after all isn't he her dad? She soon realises however, that it's not normal among other families... OF COURSE IT'S NOT NORMAL!!! HE'S GOT A NAKED PORTRAIT OF YOU IN HIS ROOM!! *Shudder shudder*
Apart from that there's the inappropriate touching.. the hitting, the stalking and the deprivation of all freedom. She's unable to have any friends or experience anything that will give her joy or else either her friends are shipped off or worse.. hurt. After all, her family is one of the richest, most powerful in the entire area.
The story continues to progress. She meets Chiro and drinks some of his elixir just to you know.. commit suicide cause she's sick of her parents and her lif emiserable . Unfortunately, she doesn't die and her father comes to know that she's been hanging out with Chiro so of course he puts her under house arrest, prevents her from going to school and interacting with anyone.
After an intense argument however, her father slaps her with a (whip?)and Rea accidental falls off from a cliff and dies until.. the portion she drank previously resurrects her back to life as a zombie.
You still following me?
LOVE ENSUES, HORROR LURKS AND Chiro's cousin gets all flashy with him. (Like I get you're somehow in love with him because of your happy childhoods blah blah and thus, you always have the urge to flash your lace panties and boobs but UHHH you tell him to call you his big sister. LIKE WHAT EVEN ARE YOU DOING THEN. You don't just consider him as a cousin but a brother and a potential lover as well??
Siblings don't lust for each other!!)
And that's only a fraction of the whole story but yeah. It's just not for me.
June 17, 2013
I really wonder what the good folk at Kondansha USA were thinking when they came up with the cover to this. I mean, here's the original Japanese cover:
Really nice. Tells you this is gonna be a sweet romantic comedy. Now here's the American cover:
Come on, I can see her entrails hanging out. That's a completely different vibe and totally misrepresents what the story's about. I mean, sure this is a zombie story, but it's not blood and guts. It's just a simple, sweet tale: Boy dabbles in the black arts to resurrect his poor dead cat. Boy meets girl. Girl's abusive father kills her. Boy resurrects both his cat and the girl and tries to find a way for them to live with him without his parents finding out. Nothing but a pure love story.
Really nice. Tells you this is gonna be a sweet romantic comedy. Now here's the American cover:
Come on, I can see her entrails hanging out. That's a completely different vibe and totally misrepresents what the story's about. I mean, sure this is a zombie story, but it's not blood and guts. It's just a simple, sweet tale: Boy dabbles in the black arts to resurrect his poor dead cat. Boy meets girl. Girl's abusive father kills her. Boy resurrects both his cat and the girl and tries to find a way for them to live with him without his parents finding out. Nothing but a pure love story.
January 11, 2020
Sigh.
I’m really getting tired of books and manga using abuse against its female characters as plot.
It’s tired, old, disheartening, and overall just fucking wrong.
This was recommended to me in the Kindle Unlimited library and I’m coming off a Junji Ito high so thought I’d give it a try.
Our main character, Furuya, is obsessed with zombies and its lore and is attempting to bring his dead cat back to life. His efforts so far have been futile however. The story itself seemed pretty interesting until...we got to that moment
A chapter in and it is revealed that one of the main characters is being sexually abused by her father and this drives her into wanting to become a zombie. She wants freedom so she has to die and become reanimated to do so. The complex and sick layers to this.
I can’t. I won’t.
Of course there are also the gratuitous boob and ass shots of other female characters thrown in here and there.
There’s an audience for this I’m guessing. I just won’t be a part of it.
I’m really getting tired of books and manga using abuse against its female characters as plot.
It’s tired, old, disheartening, and overall just fucking wrong.
This was recommended to me in the Kindle Unlimited library and I’m coming off a Junji Ito high so thought I’d give it a try.
Our main character, Furuya, is obsessed with zombies and its lore and is attempting to bring his dead cat back to life. His efforts so far have been futile however. The story itself seemed pretty interesting until...we got to that moment
A chapter in and it is revealed that one of the main characters is being sexually abused by her father and this drives her into wanting to become a zombie. She wants freedom so she has to die and become reanimated to do so. The complex and sick layers to this.
I can’t. I won’t.
Of course there are also the gratuitous boob and ass shots of other female characters thrown in here and there.
There’s an audience for this I’m guessing. I just won’t be a part of it.
August 27, 2014
At first I thought this manga would be okay. You've got this teenage boy, who is a major fan of the zombie genre - books, manga, you name it. His beloved pet cat passes away (because the poor things' owner is a dumbass that lets it run loose and it gets hit by a car), and our grieving owner... decides this is a perfect time to use the corpse in an experiment to actually create a zombie.
And after several tries, after recieving help from a most unexpected source (if you ignore the rather obvious hints in earlier pages that she's going to be an important character), Zombie-boy finally succeeds. Things go downhill from there when his partner in crime is accidentally killed and resurrected as well, and he is forced to take responsibility for his accidental creation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
**Lots of spoilers ahead**
I am giving this manga 3 stars, because I'm torn between going "interesting story and characters, decent art, kind of funny" and "this is all kinds of f***ed up."
Where to start.
From the first chapter, we're introduced to Rea, the female lead. Rea is under a lot of stress despite her privileged life, all due to the same cause - her psychotically over-protective (and creepy as hell) father. She's treated as a virtual prisoner by her father, and our main character (he's too creepy for me to actually consider a hero) meets her after he discovers her venting her issues by yelling into a well about her wish for some freedom in her life - and that her creepy-ass father will stop taking naked pictures of her every year to... what was the excuse? To 'monitor her progress' or something like that.
Rea's your typical cheerful, naive manga heroine and even she's not stupid enough to believe that, thanks.
The two pair up on MC's zombie project, and Rea's has MC give her a promise - that if they succeed, that next the pair will turn her into a zombie and MC will 'take responsibility'. Needless to say they succeed, and things get weirder from there.
Now, while unpleasant, abuse isn’t a foreign topic in books, or even manga. There are some where the topic has been dealt with quite well, like in Mars by Fuyumi Soryo. So generally, Rea's issues wouldn't be a problem for me to read about.
But this... I don't think it's even being taken seriously as a topic. Her dad, despite being totally psychotic (he puts out a hit on MC, planning to have him castrated - literally - when he sees him bringing Rea home after the final experiment, and forbids Rea from leaving the house at all. And this is rather minor compared to some of his actions.) is treated almost like a joke.
Whatever is up with her parents, we aren't finding out in the volumes I've read. Personally, I think they should have stuck with making him a joke, or made him a creepy villain. I don’t know what to think about how it’s been handled here.
Then we have our, main character, the teenage... necrophiliac. No, seriously, unless you have a better term for someone with a zombie fetish. Despite hanging out with Rea, (whom MC’s friends all agree is a very beautiful girl), and despite his cousin (childhood friend? Are they actually related) continually throwing herself at and teasing him, MC shows no interest whatsoever – until Rea is resurrected as a zombie. Then we’re shown exactly where MCs’ interests lie. I know some people have said this is meant to be a light, cute love story (despite the misleading cover for the English edition) but personally I find the idea a little bizarre. But then, I’ve found the idea bizarre when I heard of Warm Bodies as well, and even a little odd for vampire stories. (Vamps get some lee-way despite their corpse state, as at least they aren’t usually rotting). It’s a surprise that MC is even putting an effort in helping preserve Rea, given his obvious enthusiasm at the idea of her decomposing.
Maybe it’s just me, but while he seems like a nice enough character (more or less), it’s a bit hard to sympathise with MC, let alone cheer him on.
And then there’s the fan-service (of the pervy kind). I kind of understand the thinking behind this, as it’s an attempt to make the material more appealing to certain readers.And it’s common enough to see in various manga. Even ones similar to this, which you’d think would be marketed to a more neutral audience (zombies and gore, yes, but a large part of the story is the romantic sub-plot and love triangle. Even a manga like Inubaka, which between the romance, cute animals, and fluff, comes across as a shoujo book has a few instances of this. And not fan-service for the female readers, either.)
I’m not sure whether it’s just a cultural thing, or what. It can be annoying in some manga, when the author has it popping up every other page. I found it particularly creepy in the case, though, as most of the characters are still teenagers. (Which seems to be due to another cultural difference, with as frequently as it appears in manga.)
So, with all these points against it, I’m afraid I’m quitting here. I managed to make it through several volumes of the manga, but to me, it's enough. There are too many negatives to the series for me, and I don’t have enough interest to continue reading.
While I can’t say it’s a manga I’d recommend to anyone, I’m not saying don’t read it either. Given the similar fan-service in a lot of the horror movies you run across, I’m sure there are many horror fans out there who will get a kick out of the series. The story-line seems to be developing fairly typically for a boys' manga, but the art is decent enough. (For the living dead, Babu is drawn quite cutely).
Well, most of the time. XD
And after several tries, after recieving help from a most unexpected source (if you ignore the rather obvious hints in earlier pages that she's going to be an important character), Zombie-boy finally succeeds. Things go downhill from there when his partner in crime is accidentally killed and resurrected as well, and he is forced to take responsibility for his accidental creation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
**Lots of spoilers ahead**
I am giving this manga 3 stars, because I'm torn between going "interesting story and characters, decent art, kind of funny" and "this is all kinds of f***ed up."
Where to start.
From the first chapter, we're introduced to Rea, the female lead. Rea is under a lot of stress despite her privileged life, all due to the same cause - her psychotically over-protective (and creepy as hell) father. She's treated as a virtual prisoner by her father, and our main character (he's too creepy for me to actually consider a hero) meets her after he discovers her venting her issues by yelling into a well about her wish for some freedom in her life - and that her creepy-ass father will stop taking naked pictures of her every year to... what was the excuse? To 'monitor her progress' or something like that.
Rea's your typical cheerful, naive manga heroine and even she's not stupid enough to believe that, thanks.
The two pair up on MC's zombie project, and Rea's has MC give her a promise - that if they succeed, that next the pair will turn her into a zombie and MC will 'take responsibility'. Needless to say they succeed, and things get weirder from there.
Now, while unpleasant, abuse isn’t a foreign topic in books, or even manga. There are some where the topic has been dealt with quite well, like in Mars by Fuyumi Soryo. So generally, Rea's issues wouldn't be a problem for me to read about.
But this... I don't think it's even being taken seriously as a topic. Her dad, despite being totally psychotic (he puts out a hit on MC, planning to have him castrated - literally - when he sees him bringing Rea home after the final experiment, and forbids Rea from leaving the house at all. And this is rather minor compared to some of his actions.) is treated almost like a joke.
Whatever is up with her parents, we aren't finding out in the volumes I've read. Personally, I think they should have stuck with making him a joke, or made him a creepy villain. I don’t know what to think about how it’s been handled here.
Then we have our, main character, the teenage... necrophiliac. No, seriously, unless you have a better term for someone with a zombie fetish. Despite hanging out with Rea, (whom MC’s friends all agree is a very beautiful girl), and despite his cousin (childhood friend? Are they actually related) continually throwing herself at and teasing him, MC shows no interest whatsoever – until Rea is resurrected as a zombie. Then we’re shown exactly where MCs’ interests lie. I know some people have said this is meant to be a light, cute love story (despite the misleading cover for the English edition) but personally I find the idea a little bizarre. But then, I’ve found the idea bizarre when I heard of Warm Bodies as well, and even a little odd for vampire stories. (Vamps get some lee-way despite their corpse state, as at least they aren’t usually rotting). It’s a surprise that MC is even putting an effort in helping preserve Rea, given his obvious enthusiasm at the idea of her decomposing.
Maybe it’s just me, but while he seems like a nice enough character (more or less), it’s a bit hard to sympathise with MC, let alone cheer him on.
And then there’s the fan-service (of the pervy kind). I kind of understand the thinking behind this, as it’s an attempt to make the material more appealing to certain readers.And it’s common enough to see in various manga. Even ones similar to this, which you’d think would be marketed to a more neutral audience (zombies and gore, yes, but a large part of the story is the romantic sub-plot and love triangle. Even a manga like Inubaka, which between the romance, cute animals, and fluff, comes across as a shoujo book has a few instances of this. And not fan-service for the female readers, either.)
I’m not sure whether it’s just a cultural thing, or what. It can be annoying in some manga, when the author has it popping up every other page. I found it particularly creepy in the case, though, as most of the characters are still teenagers. (Which seems to be due to another cultural difference, with as frequently as it appears in manga.)
So, with all these points against it, I’m afraid I’m quitting here. I managed to make it through several volumes of the manga, but to me, it's enough. There are too many negatives to the series for me, and I don’t have enough interest to continue reading.
While I can’t say it’s a manga I’d recommend to anyone, I’m not saying don’t read it either. Given the similar fan-service in a lot of the horror movies you run across, I’m sure there are many horror fans out there who will get a kick out of the series. The story-line seems to be developing fairly typically for a boys' manga, but the art is decent enough. (For the living dead, Babu is drawn quite cutely).
Well, most of the time. XD
November 5, 2019
Just figured I would start with a warning in case you didn't know that this book has limited nudity and gore but as of now nothing really adult in this zombie love story(rated 16+.) I am also glad that the zombie in question in this book is not a hideous deteriorating undead fiend. :)
I found the expressions of the zombie obsessed main character Chihiro throughout the book was interesting ranging from a cartoonish feline style to a style similar to Akira from Eden of the East.
The other characters range from reprehensible(you'll see who when you read the book) to the usual comedic characters to keep a possibly darker story on the lighter side. all in all I really enjoyed the first book and am interested to see how things turn out.
Edit: It is a little funny how when you collect manga as I do that it seems you never really catch up on reading all that you have so re-reading something you already read seems like a bad idea but after having read the book 6 years ago (how time has flied)I am glad I could still enjoy it and am looking forward to more of the series yet to come (it only had 11 volumes.) Still so many volumes to read from other series so I better get focusing on those in the future and save most of the re-reads for when I retire from collecting (see hoarding) more manga. :)
I found the expressions of the zombie obsessed main character Chihiro throughout the book was interesting ranging from a cartoonish feline style to a style similar to Akira from Eden of the East.
The other characters range from reprehensible(you'll see who when you read the book) to the usual comedic characters to keep a possibly darker story on the lighter side. all in all I really enjoyed the first book and am interested to see how things turn out.
Edit: It is a little funny how when you collect manga as I do that it seems you never really catch up on reading all that you have so re-reading something you already read seems like a bad idea but after having read the book 6 years ago (how time has flied)I am glad I could still enjoy it and am looking forward to more of the series yet to come (it only had 11 volumes.) Still so many volumes to read from other series so I better get focusing on those in the future and save most of the re-reads for when I retire from collecting (see hoarding) more manga. :)
January 24, 2015
Has the potential to be good -- deals with forbidden love, death, responsibility, abusive fathers -- but treats them all with the emotional weight of candy peeps. Then add loads of fan service. Not my cuppa.
December 2, 2018
A girl trapped in a bad situation runs into a boy who has an obsession with zombies and a desire to bring his dead cat back to life. Together they make quite an interesting pair.
This cover looks dark and gory, and while there were some dark moments, this was actually a relatively sweet story with a twist of zombies. Definitely enjoyed the plot and am interested to see where this story goes. It is a cute zombie romance.
This cover looks dark and gory, and while there were some dark moments, this was actually a relatively sweet story with a twist of zombies. Definitely enjoyed the plot and am interested to see where this story goes. It is a cute zombie romance.
August 1, 2020
A silly manga about a girl wanting to become a zombie because she hates her life. It's over the top, yet somehow a bit cute. Some naked bits also, so 18+ here. The story could be stronger, it's just okay. But it's not terrible. Good for a free read. A 3 out of 5.
January 1, 2019
Zombies... and a boy obsessed with zombie girls.
August 16, 2019
I don't like how it over-sexuallize the female characters but solid story
August 14, 2025
i really have no idea what to expect but i am excited
October 30, 2023
Would be okay if i respected myself 30 percent less
August 3, 2024
Warning ⚠️
Sexual themes,bloody scenes and suggestive themes.
This has to be one for the worst romance I've ever read.
The story is about a boy with a obsession with zombie horror films wanting a zombie girlfriend in real life.
Yes this is what the first volume and anime are about.
The girl he has a crush on is a girl from a rich and twisted family.
Rea Sanka father is a controlling and perverted man who forces Rea to let him take nude photos of her to measure her "growth"
Her stepmother who is obsessed with Rea's father blames her for "seducing" her own father and never helped Rea while she was being abused.
Rea wants to die to escape her situation desperately so she drinks the zombie exlir Chihiro made to bring his dead cat back to life.
After drinking it she turned into a zombie she starts living with Chihiro.
The story is piled with massive fan service afterwards.
I didn't like Rea's relationship with Chihiro or how Rea's abuse was shown.
The writer showed her abuse in a voyeuristic way.
I was hoping the series wouldn't go this route.
I knew immediately that something wasn't right about this pair.
Chihiro never bothered to get to know Rea and only saw her as a "zombie girl"
Chihiro consistently sexualized her despite barely knowing her.
He doesn't interact with her like a normal person.
He gives me the vibe of a loser incel who is just happy a rich and pretty girl is talking to him.
Her stepmother knew Rea's father took inappropriate photos of her and she blamed Rea instead of helping her.
Her friends either don't care about her well being or don't know she is being abused,either way they never helped her.
I pity Rea because no one bothered to help her and she eventually decided to off herself for this reason.
Rea is constantly drawn in strange poses with her clothing almost ripped completely off.
This isn't the way she should have been shown as a victim of abuse.
I was a child when I watched this show and I was still uncomfortable with how Rea was shown.
This show was showing a child of abuse in a sexual way instead of condemning it.
My problem is that no one helped Rea and she is blamed for males being attracted to her as if she is asking for it.
I was concerned with how this writer was showing a teenager who was being sexually harassed by her own father.
I remember searching this series and seeing that Sankarea fanboys drew porn of her with her father and with Chihiro.
It's clear what kind of fandom this series has.
The concept of Sankarea was good but the writer ruined it with the constant fan service trope.
Chihiro's horror/zombie movie obsession would have been entertaining if he didn't take his obsession with the dead into some sort of weird f*tish.
Rea's stepmother could have shown her jealousy without feeling herself in a tub while thinking about Rea's father obsession with Rea.
That scene was obnoxiously perverted.
It wasn't the kind of fan service I could laugh at.
It seems the writer has some sort of f*tish for abused children and incest because that is what this series mostly is:
Children being sexualized and having inappropriate interactions with their relatives.
What a waste of my time.
Sexual themes,bloody scenes and suggestive themes.
This has to be one for the worst romance I've ever read.
The story is about a boy with a obsession with zombie horror films wanting a zombie girlfriend in real life.
Yes this is what the first volume and anime are about.
The girl he has a crush on is a girl from a rich and twisted family.
Rea Sanka father is a controlling and perverted man who forces Rea to let him take nude photos of her to measure her "growth"
Her stepmother who is obsessed with Rea's father blames her for "seducing" her own father and never helped Rea while she was being abused.
Rea wants to die to escape her situation desperately so she drinks the zombie exlir Chihiro made to bring his dead cat back to life.
After drinking it she turned into a zombie she starts living with Chihiro.
The story is piled with massive fan service afterwards.
I didn't like Rea's relationship with Chihiro or how Rea's abuse was shown.
The writer showed her abuse in a voyeuristic way.
I was hoping the series wouldn't go this route.
I knew immediately that something wasn't right about this pair.
Chihiro never bothered to get to know Rea and only saw her as a "zombie girl"
Chihiro consistently sexualized her despite barely knowing her.
He doesn't interact with her like a normal person.
He gives me the vibe of a loser incel who is just happy a rich and pretty girl is talking to him.
Her stepmother knew Rea's father took inappropriate photos of her and she blamed Rea instead of helping her.
Her friends either don't care about her well being or don't know she is being abused,either way they never helped her.
I pity Rea because no one bothered to help her and she eventually decided to off herself for this reason.
Rea is constantly drawn in strange poses with her clothing almost ripped completely off.
This isn't the way she should have been shown as a victim of abuse.
I was a child when I watched this show and I was still uncomfortable with how Rea was shown.
This show was showing a child of abuse in a sexual way instead of condemning it.
My problem is that no one helped Rea and she is blamed for males being attracted to her as if she is asking for it.
I was concerned with how this writer was showing a teenager who was being sexually harassed by her own father.
I remember searching this series and seeing that Sankarea fanboys drew porn of her with her father and with Chihiro.
It's clear what kind of fandom this series has.
The concept of Sankarea was good but the writer ruined it with the constant fan service trope.
Chihiro's horror/zombie movie obsession would have been entertaining if he didn't take his obsession with the dead into some sort of weird f*tish.
Rea's stepmother could have shown her jealousy without feeling herself in a tub while thinking about Rea's father obsession with Rea.
That scene was obnoxiously perverted.
It wasn't the kind of fan service I could laugh at.
It seems the writer has some sort of f*tish for abused children and incest because that is what this series mostly is:
Children being sexualized and having inappropriate interactions with their relatives.
What a waste of my time.
August 6, 2019
Riletto il 10 febbraio 2016.
Beh, forse mi ha colpito meno della prima volte che l'ho letto. Per carità, sempre curioso e diverso dai manga che ho letto in precedenza. La storia del padre della povera Rea è proprio brutta, cucciola.
Come personaggio principale Furuya è un po' moscetto ma speriamo si riprende. Bella la sua passione per gli zombie, però.
Adesso la GP ha finalmente pubblicato l'ultimo numero e quindi posso godermi un volumetto al giorno. ^__^
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Beh, mi ha sorpreso in positivo e direi che potrei comprare anche i volumi successivi per vedere come va avanti la storia.
Commenti sparsi. OK, si vede che è uno shonen, visto che ci sono inquadrature un po' strane di sederini e scollature. ^__^
Comunque. Abbiamo la nostra ragazza di buona famiglia che si sente prigioniera della sua famiglia. Ha anche ragione, poretta, visto che il padre la controlla e le fa foto nuda per celebrare il suo compleanno.
Il protagonista maschile è un po' strano. Adora gli zombie e sta cercando di riportare in vita il suo gatto.
Casualmente i due s'incontrano e continuano nel loro esperimento che, sorprendentemente,
Beh, forse mi ha colpito meno della prima volte che l'ho letto. Per carità, sempre curioso e diverso dai manga che ho letto in precedenza. La storia del padre della povera Rea è proprio brutta, cucciola.
Come personaggio principale Furuya è un po' moscetto ma speriamo si riprende. Bella la sua passione per gli zombie, però.
Adesso la GP ha finalmente pubblicato l'ultimo numero e quindi posso godermi un volumetto al giorno. ^__^
-----
Beh, mi ha sorpreso in positivo e direi che potrei comprare anche i volumi successivi per vedere come va avanti la storia.
Commenti sparsi. OK, si vede che è uno shonen, visto che ci sono inquadrature un po' strane di sederini e scollature. ^__^
Comunque. Abbiamo la nostra ragazza di buona famiglia che si sente prigioniera della sua famiglia. Ha anche ragione, poretta, visto che il padre la controlla e le fa foto nuda per celebrare il suo compleanno.
Il protagonista maschile è un po' strano. Adora gli zombie e sta cercando di riportare in vita il suo gatto.
Casualmente i due s'incontrano e continuano nel loro esperimento che, sorprendentemente,
July 2, 2020
1.5 stars, rounded down because this is d-tier quality stuff.
Boy, this was part of the Kodansha 99-cent sale on Comixology a while back and I feel like I may have overpaid for it.
This is the heart-chilling story of a poorly drawn teenager who has a zombie fetish and a lovely, kind-hearted girl with a deranged pervert of a father who really likes the teenager but he has zero interest in her until she loses her pulse.
Necrophilia, pedophilia, incest, pointless ecchi, bad characters, bad art. Unlikeable lead character. Incredible tonal whiplash. It’s just a litany of trash.
Honestly, there’s something cathartic about writing a slash and burn review eviscerating all the problems you had with a book, but this junk doesn’t warrant even that much of my time.
The girl might have come back from the dead, but any desire from me to see another page of this series will not.
Boy, this was part of the Kodansha 99-cent sale on Comixology a while back and I feel like I may have overpaid for it.
This is the heart-chilling story of a poorly drawn teenager who has a zombie fetish and a lovely, kind-hearted girl with a deranged pervert of a father who really likes the teenager but he has zero interest in her until she loses her pulse.
Necrophilia, pedophilia, incest, pointless ecchi, bad characters, bad art. Unlikeable lead character. Incredible tonal whiplash. It’s just a litany of trash.
Honestly, there’s something cathartic about writing a slash and burn review eviscerating all the problems you had with a book, but this junk doesn’t warrant even that much of my time.
The girl might have come back from the dead, but any desire from me to see another page of this series will not.
March 20, 2014
It was so good!! I really adored the anime and when I came across the manga today in the bookstore, I knew I wouldn't leave it behind! And I don't regret it, as it's a very amusing story that influenced my way of thinking about zombies, haha! :3
Minna-san, it's so cute!!
Minna-san, it's so cute!!
August 9, 2016
Very interesting love story. The characters were entertaining, the fanservice was kept to maneagable levels and while the premise is uncommon, it was very well handled.
April 2, 2025
As someone who’s relatively obsessive over zombie-related anything, I loved this manga from start to finish, even without the stereotypical zombies-reanimate-and-eat-people storyline. I love the reimagining lore of zombies, how they need to feed on hydrangea leaves instead of people; retain the same knowledge and memory as a living human; and I like how the undead, once reanimated, can communicate with each other, regardless of species! Rea and Bub have a connection that even Chihiro could envy, and that’s saying something because Chihiro and Bub were two peas in a pod prior to Rea entering the picture.
I saw the anime before reading the manga, but so far, the storyline remains almost the same… but I get even creepier vibes from Rea’s youth-lusting freak of a father in the manga novels than I did when watching the anime show—eww vibes all around! How is Rea’s dad not in prison for life?!
My favorite character is Mero, Chihiro’s little sister. She’s unfairly mature for her twelve-year-old self after the death of her and Chihiro’s mom, but there’s an innocence to her soul that my momma instincts want to protect as well as help flourish. A close second-favorite character would be the forgetful-but-funny grandfather of Chihiro and Mero. He knows so much, but with his mind half-gone, he can only half-remember all the wisdom stuck in his head, and the way he expresses it reminds me slightly of my grandma, whose wisdom is often found in the kitchen if not in a jumbled mess of fond memories and loving intentions.
In reading this book, I felt a rejuvenation of love for the Sankarea series, and now I want to find a website that sells Sankarea merchandise, like oversized T-shirts or coffee mugs with quotes from the manga or blankets with adorable chibi zombies on them!
Much as I loved this manga, I can’t say for sure what my favorite part was… but I was delighted on Rea’s behalf when she escaped the abuse of her creepy father, whom I believe should be on the SO registry and imprisoned for life! Also, does Japan have an SO registry the way the US does…?
The scene that had my blood boiling and steam escaping from my ears was when Rea’s father was in his study, plotting to castrate Chihiro for “stealing away his Rea,” and all the while staring up at a framed picture of Rea without clothes on—remember, Rea is this monster’s own daughter. He’s a disgusting human being, if one can even call him that, and he’s the one who should be castrated instead of Chihiro! I won’t give away too many spoilers, but the ending of the anime (I’m not sure how the manga will depict this in the future volumes) was a letdown in a justice-served way for Rea against her father that I would’ve appreciated as someone who believes all who prey on kids should be castrated and put down like animals.
Like the anime show being binge-worthy, the manga adaptation doesn’t disappoint; it’s equally a page-turner, I loved the artwork style (which, as you know, I’m super-picky about with all manga sagas I read), and I still can’t decide if the book or the movie (in this case, it would be the manga and the anime) is better! Would you help me decide in the future? Many thanks!
If I was the author of Sankarea in place of Mitsuru Hattori, the only thing I’d alter to enhance the quality of the manga would be an added scene where Rea stands up to her father faster and darker than how it was built up to in the anime, or altogether Chihiro and Rea (in the real end of the saga, not the end of this manga volume, as it’s only the first of many) permanently taking out and not at all reviving Rea’s creep of a father.
I wouldn’t say this manga is a mix of any two fictional novels but instead a reimagining of zombie fiction with a twist that all will have a strong opinion on. I enjoy this manga despite still finding the true ick whenever Rea’s father is given a scene—he deserves nothing, and even being torn apart by zombies would be too good for him and all freaks like him in reality. I like the friends-to-love-interest vibe between Chihiro and Rea without any physical intimacy aspects because, remember, these are kids we’re discussing here! My rating for this manga is a perfect 5/5 stars, which I don’t see changing anytime soon. The only sad things about this manga involve justice yet to be served to Rea’s father, and that I’ve reached the end of a manga I’m not ready to set aside. Will I be reading the rest of this manga series the way I binge-watched the anime in 48 hours? Oh, my gosh, that’s an absolute yes!
I saw the anime before reading the manga, but so far, the storyline remains almost the same… but I get even creepier vibes from Rea’s youth-lusting freak of a father in the manga novels than I did when watching the anime show—eww vibes all around! How is Rea’s dad not in prison for life?!
My favorite character is Mero, Chihiro’s little sister. She’s unfairly mature for her twelve-year-old self after the death of her and Chihiro’s mom, but there’s an innocence to her soul that my momma instincts want to protect as well as help flourish. A close second-favorite character would be the forgetful-but-funny grandfather of Chihiro and Mero. He knows so much, but with his mind half-gone, he can only half-remember all the wisdom stuck in his head, and the way he expresses it reminds me slightly of my grandma, whose wisdom is often found in the kitchen if not in a jumbled mess of fond memories and loving intentions.
In reading this book, I felt a rejuvenation of love for the Sankarea series, and now I want to find a website that sells Sankarea merchandise, like oversized T-shirts or coffee mugs with quotes from the manga or blankets with adorable chibi zombies on them!
Much as I loved this manga, I can’t say for sure what my favorite part was… but I was delighted on Rea’s behalf when she escaped the abuse of her creepy father, whom I believe should be on the SO registry and imprisoned for life! Also, does Japan have an SO registry the way the US does…?
The scene that had my blood boiling and steam escaping from my ears was when Rea’s father was in his study, plotting to castrate Chihiro for “stealing away his Rea,” and all the while staring up at a framed picture of Rea without clothes on—remember, Rea is this monster’s own daughter. He’s a disgusting human being, if one can even call him that, and he’s the one who should be castrated instead of Chihiro! I won’t give away too many spoilers, but the ending of the anime (I’m not sure how the manga will depict this in the future volumes) was a letdown in a justice-served way for Rea against her father that I would’ve appreciated as someone who believes all who prey on kids should be castrated and put down like animals.
Like the anime show being binge-worthy, the manga adaptation doesn’t disappoint; it’s equally a page-turner, I loved the artwork style (which, as you know, I’m super-picky about with all manga sagas I read), and I still can’t decide if the book or the movie (in this case, it would be the manga and the anime) is better! Would you help me decide in the future? Many thanks!
If I was the author of Sankarea in place of Mitsuru Hattori, the only thing I’d alter to enhance the quality of the manga would be an added scene where Rea stands up to her father faster and darker than how it was built up to in the anime, or altogether Chihiro and Rea (in the real end of the saga, not the end of this manga volume, as it’s only the first of many) permanently taking out and not at all reviving Rea’s creep of a father.
I wouldn’t say this manga is a mix of any two fictional novels but instead a reimagining of zombie fiction with a twist that all will have a strong opinion on. I enjoy this manga despite still finding the true ick whenever Rea’s father is given a scene—he deserves nothing, and even being torn apart by zombies would be too good for him and all freaks like him in reality. I like the friends-to-love-interest vibe between Chihiro and Rea without any physical intimacy aspects because, remember, these are kids we’re discussing here! My rating for this manga is a perfect 5/5 stars, which I don’t see changing anytime soon. The only sad things about this manga involve justice yet to be served to Rea’s father, and that I’ve reached the end of a manga I’m not ready to set aside. Will I be reading the rest of this manga series the way I binge-watched the anime in 48 hours? Oh, my gosh, that’s an absolute yes!
June 12, 2020
I have mix feelings about this manga. The Japanese covers make more sense that this is suppose to be a romantic comedy. but the U.S edition hints that it's going to be horror so I picked it up. It's even listed in the back of the manga as horror.
Story is kinda typical boy meets girl. Boy is interest in something kinda odd (in this case Zombies). Girl comes from strange abusive home cause father is over protecting of her but takes naked pictures of her "growth" rate. And is very abusive towards her. He continues this throughout the manga that it ends up with the girl being pushed off the cliff and she died. but don't worry the MC boy has been learning how to bring the dead back to life from a book he found randomly in the streets one day. and is trying to use it to bring his dead cat back to life. The girl had stolen the boy's potion that he was gonna use on his cat and she drank it before her death and she came back to life. The story is all over the place. This girl's personality is so typical and the boy doesn't come off as something special and the only unique thing about him is that he likes zombies EVERYTHING zombies. Dad is abusive and oh yeah the cat did come back to life and both characters spend a good time in the manga trying to chase zombie cat around.
The story is too crazy and all over the place for me....I have BIG issues with the dad mostly and feel like the manga does kinda gloss over that as if it's a normal thing to happen in families that dad takes pictures and is sexually abusive to her.
Story is kinda typical boy meets girl. Boy is interest in something kinda odd (in this case Zombies). Girl comes from strange abusive home cause father is over protecting of her but takes naked pictures of her "growth" rate. And is very abusive towards her. He continues this throughout the manga that it ends up with the girl being pushed off the cliff and she died. but don't worry the MC boy has been learning how to bring the dead back to life from a book he found randomly in the streets one day. and is trying to use it to bring his dead cat back to life. The girl had stolen the boy's potion that he was gonna use on his cat and she drank it before her death and she came back to life. The story is all over the place. This girl's personality is so typical and the boy doesn't come off as something special and the only unique thing about him is that he likes zombies EVERYTHING zombies. Dad is abusive and oh yeah the cat did come back to life and both characters spend a good time in the manga trying to chase zombie cat around.
The story is too crazy and all over the place for me....I have BIG issues with the dad mostly and feel like the manga does kinda gloss over that as if it's a normal thing to happen in families that dad takes pictures and is sexually abusive to her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2024
2.5 rounded down for the egregious fanservice and ecchi especially at the final chapter which soured my anticipation for next volume. All in all though I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. While its not jaw dropping it does have a certain quality with the dark humor inherent to the story, drama from Rea's family, and what-the-fuck-ness from its premise that I wanted to keep going. I think part of my enjoyment is how I'm intrigued by the magical girlfriend genre. Like, the focus on such a special and unique girl means you end up getting a really strong character out of it and Rea is interesting with her family drama.
The story is alright. The drama between Rea and her parents seem to be the most interest thing story wise. Otherwise its a romcom thats more comedy than romance. My big complaint is the fanservice. When the comedy and story isn't bent toward fanservice its not too bad. But there is pretty egregious fanservice that gets in the way of my enjoyment. There is just way too many boob shots and such. The ecchi drags it down. It wants to have serious moments but with the butt and boob shots that's pretty hard to do.
The art is very strong. It's clearly digital in both art-style and with good use of greys and blacks and lots of grey-tone gradients. Hattori also loves drawing blushing lines and I'm a sucker for how and when they're drawn. The only real downside to the art is the occasional too much whiteness from a lack of backgrounds.
Also, the letterer did an awkward job with weird line ends and awkward sound effect placement at times. At other times the dialogue is clunky to fit word balloon space yet it seems like the dialogue could be easily written shorter/less clunkily and still fit the balloon space well.
The story is alright. The drama between Rea and her parents seem to be the most interest thing story wise. Otherwise its a romcom thats more comedy than romance. My big complaint is the fanservice. When the comedy and story isn't bent toward fanservice its not too bad. But there is pretty egregious fanservice that gets in the way of my enjoyment. There is just way too many boob shots and such. The ecchi drags it down. It wants to have serious moments but with the butt and boob shots that's pretty hard to do.
The art is very strong. It's clearly digital in both art-style and with good use of greys and blacks and lots of grey-tone gradients. Hattori also loves drawing blushing lines and I'm a sucker for how and when they're drawn. The only real downside to the art is the occasional too much whiteness from a lack of backgrounds.
Also, the letterer did an awkward job with weird line ends and awkward sound effect placement at times. At other times the dialogue is clunky to fit word balloon space yet it seems like the dialogue could be easily written shorter/less clunkily and still fit the balloon space well.
February 26, 2020
Rating: 3.5 stars (overall)
Summary (for the whole manga):
Furuya Chihiro is a die-hard fan of zombies. He has a whole collection of zombie movie DVDs, zombie dolls/figurines, and other zombie-related stuff. With his grandfather's old book, he secretly tries to craft a resurrection drug that is said to be able to bring back the dead in the form of a zombie. Chihiro's beloved cat, Babu, has recently died; and therefore he wants to test the drug on Babu. In the event of his experiment that was done in an abandoned building, Sanka Rea, an heiress of the Sanka family, unexpectedly comes to the well near the building to vent out her frustration towards her father. Both of them surprisingly got along with each other afterwards, and Rea shows interest in Chihiro's zombie experiment. Rea secretly steals some of the resurrection drug from Chihiro and drinks the drug with the hopes of ending her life. However, nothing happens after she consumed the drug. The next night, Rea falls over a cliff when she was with her father. Surprisingly, Rea did not exactly die, due to the drug that she consumed. Rea becomes a zombie and is free from her father's grasp. She decides to live with Chihiro's family. Chihiro then does his best to keep Rea from rotting away and to learn the real truth about zombies and the resurrection drug.
Summary (for the whole manga):
Furuya Chihiro is a die-hard fan of zombies. He has a whole collection of zombie movie DVDs, zombie dolls/figurines, and other zombie-related stuff. With his grandfather's old book, he secretly tries to craft a resurrection drug that is said to be able to bring back the dead in the form of a zombie. Chihiro's beloved cat, Babu, has recently died; and therefore he wants to test the drug on Babu. In the event of his experiment that was done in an abandoned building, Sanka Rea, an heiress of the Sanka family, unexpectedly comes to the well near the building to vent out her frustration towards her father. Both of them surprisingly got along with each other afterwards, and Rea shows interest in Chihiro's zombie experiment. Rea secretly steals some of the resurrection drug from Chihiro and drinks the drug with the hopes of ending her life. However, nothing happens after she consumed the drug. The next night, Rea falls over a cliff when she was with her father. Surprisingly, Rea did not exactly die, due to the drug that she consumed. Rea becomes a zombie and is free from her father's grasp. She decides to live with Chihiro's family. Chihiro then does his best to keep Rea from rotting away and to learn the real truth about zombies and the resurrection drug.
February 16, 2018
"If I ever become a zombie then, you will take responsibility...?" - Rea
Chihiro is a teenager obsessed with zombies. No seriously! It's beyond weird... After his cat's passing, his obsession becomes more apparent. Every night, he goes to an abandoned building and reads from an old text book, trying to figure out how to bring Babu back to life.
On night, he overhears something outside and notices Rea, the most popular girl from the all girls school, wandering about. The next night, it happens again but she spots him. Rea learns of Chihiro's plans for Babu and makes a deal with him. If Babu returns to life, he will make her into a zombie.
We learn that Rea lives a very sheltered life and is until the control of her father. It is implied that he sexually abuses her. Even though Babu fails to return to life, she steals a small dose of the recipe and ingests it hoping it will end her life. In the end, Rea dies from a fall. But her wish comes true and she becomes a zombie, bounding herself to Chihiro.
Now Chihiro must adapt to his new companion and difficulties of sustaining a zombie girl...
Chihiro is a teenager obsessed with zombies. No seriously! It's beyond weird... After his cat's passing, his obsession becomes more apparent. Every night, he goes to an abandoned building and reads from an old text book, trying to figure out how to bring Babu back to life.
On night, he overhears something outside and notices Rea, the most popular girl from the all girls school, wandering about. The next night, it happens again but she spots him. Rea learns of Chihiro's plans for Babu and makes a deal with him. If Babu returns to life, he will make her into a zombie.
We learn that Rea lives a very sheltered life and is until the control of her father. It is implied that he sexually abuses her. Even though Babu fails to return to life, she steals a small dose of the recipe and ingests it hoping it will end her life. In the end, Rea dies from a fall. But her wish comes true and she becomes a zombie, bounding herself to Chihiro.
Now Chihiro must adapt to his new companion and difficulties of sustaining a zombie girl...
December 22, 2020
Waddafak did I just read.
Ok so I knew going in that this would be a disturbing series, that wouldnt've been a problem if all the disturbing issues (or even just half of them) were addressed somewhat sufficiently. Like, I've got a real low bar for manga, ok, I don't need the emotional depth of exploration as a full-on psych term paper... I know manga's not the best format to make a whole statement on, say, abusive fathers and how they should be dealt with... but at least treat it with a degree of maturity and give it the weight it deserves? I dunno.
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February 23, 2017
For a book that's ostensibly about a boy who only finds zombie girls attractive, the frames spend an awful lot of time ogling his totally alive and not living dead cousin. Which wouldn't be half so bad if it weren't for the fact that the two female characters spend the entire story being completely daft, and not wasting a single opportunity to become in need of rescuing. Bonus points deduction for the seriously sexually abusive father who is handled, as another reviewer put so aptly, with the emotional weight of a candy peep.
September 13, 2017
Honestly, I do not know how to rate this manga series. It is kinda dumb and naive, a lot of boobies and butts, on the other hand there is a lot of flesh eating. The happy ending wasn't to my liking. I feel kinda bad for only rating it two stars; but even though parts of it were awesome, I don't feel like the overall rating should be higher.
March 13, 2019
So this guy is obsessed with zombies, at least everyone around him tells him so. He does have an interest with them but doesn’t reference anything unfortunately. He is a little obsessed with bringing a dead cat back though, he’s ropes some poor girl in and madness ensues.
.Minor spoiler I like the fact we don’t see the zombie straight away instead it slowly builds the tension.
.Minor spoiler I like the fact we don’t see the zombie straight away instead it slowly builds the tension.
December 31, 2022
Weird kid trying to bring back his pet cat from dead with a spell/potion book (no further details). Loves zombie flicks. Somehow rich private school girl gets involved, and tho she’s pretty he’s disinterested. Likes dead chicks. Pretty slow-developing… presumably she dies, he brings her back & they’re in lurv…
April 15, 2023
I’m a hard sell when it comes to zombie anything, and might not stick with this series despite its twisted approach to the subject — we already have the thread of “the real monsters are the living”, which is by now a stale trope, but there’s also a perspective shift as we see things from Rea’s point of view.
So…I’ll try vol. 2 and see how it goes.
So…I’ll try vol. 2 and see how it goes.
April 11, 2024
This manga offers a refreshing twist on romance and horror. It transcends the typical "boy meets girl" trope and delves into themes of rebirth and self-discovery. The narrative follows Sankarea's journey as she overcomes a dark past and reclaims her agency. Lighthearted moments balance the heavier themes, while the use of nudity is tasteful and serves the narrative. Overall, a unique read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews