I'm a big fan of everything Hattori Mitsuru has ever made, and I personally believe this is his best work yet. Sankarea manages a delicate balance of grimness and lightheartedness that is fairly rare in most series. There is a lot more I could probably say about what makes this manga a great read, but it's hard to put into words for some reason.

Just as you start to think that things are getting to sickly sweet, something tragic happens. Or you'll be laughing one moment and then a bombshell gets dropped. The pacing is excellent and the characters are interesting to read as well.

So far, personal character development has been pretty minor. For the most part, the characters seem to be the same from the start of the manga as they are now, but that doesn't bother me too much. The plot is what has been advancing nicely, and it's kind of a treat to see characters that already feel developed react in the situations presented to them.

The only let down is Rea. She's one of the titular characters, but so far it seems the only reason she's around is for the sake of the male lead. I don't dislike her character, but I'm hoping that in future developments, she's able to be less codependent on that front.

People complain that they were disappointed after the first few chapters of Sankarea, and I don't blame them; the manga's direction could have gone anywhere judging the from the first three chapters. In a nutshell, From there, the story has a rather large amount of possibilities. Off the top of my head, I can think of "a tragic love story where the our lovers enjoy their small amount of time together as one of the partners deteriorates slowly but surely." I can also come up with "as a owner of a drug with huge medical and military implications, our Furuya battles alongside the now powered-up Rea to keep his new drug away from the hands of evil!" Notice how all the plots seem cliché and silly; that's because I suck at thinking of these things at the spot >_>
The point is, this manga could have gone anywhere from the first three chapters, but it decided to go the "a happy rom-com where our protagonists do all they can to overcome their difficulties (zombie) in order to fullfull each other's loves/live" Essentially your standard romantic comedy with a moderate amount of ecchi, only with a "zombie-twist" dictating the plot as well as zombie drama here and there. I'm expecting a happy end when the manga does conclude, and I wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of B.S. science has to be used to get there. But I don't mind that, because the characters are really sweet and earnest about their love, and it would feel good to see them live happily ever after.

Sankarea had promise, but it blew it after a few chapters. I kept reading it for three volumes--longer after it had stopped being interesting. There's really not a lot happening, and the main character despite being a zombie had the personality of....well....a zombie. And no I don't mean the cool goth kind, I mean a personality less girl like Tenshi from Angel Beats--a girl who has no reason for existing other than her love for a guy, which defines her character. The protaginist is your typical wimpy shounen lead, and rather than causing events, he's just swept up int hem like everyone else. And by events I don't mean plot or relationship development...just panty shots, pointless love triangle drama that is fated to go nowhere, etc. Give the first 3 chapters a read, but after that stay far away, its just not worth your time.

ok. shit. I regret only one thing about this manga: I started reading it before it was completed. And now I feel like I'm reading Deadman Wonderland, always waiting for more, always regretting the ongoing-status. Agh. But the art is quite nice (even though the big breasts of some are completely unrealistic), I don't mind the ecchi-tag (I usually avoid mangas with this genre) and the characters are interesting ^^ And the plot is evil because it keeps you thrilled.


For all fans of ongoing series (I know you guys exist): READ IT.
For all fans of completed series: Feel my pain and avoid it until it's completed.

i found it pretty boring, don't understand how it got such a high rating. It starts off with a bit of promise but then just becomes repetitive same old same old of girl flirting with guy, panty shots, cleavage, bath scenes. Where is the bloody suspense, action, there is none.

I think the mangaka is on steroids. The mood changes with almost every frame: in the best parts it stars with "aww, that's cute", then goes to "now that's wierd" and "that can't get wierder" and "OK, it can" and then back again to being cute.

I personally find this manga rather unique though I'm sure others who have read weirder stuff may/will disagree. Up to chapter 7 so far and the plot in pretty good. Hope this series will continue on at a steady pace and may the scanlations keep pace with it! Thanks by the way for the hard work Simple Scans.

8.7 out of 10 at the moment.

EDIT: Wow this series has been on my "hold" list for years. Reason? It changed from an odd romantic comedy-horror series to a depressing, dramatic horror series with mentally sick bad guys and a continuously descending-into-darkness plotline. ie Cerberus syndrome in spades.

If you like dark depressing shit then go for this series. If you're a normal happy everyday human being then avoid it. Don't let the initial chapters fool you.

... Last updated on May 14th, 2014, 7:20am

This manga would be 10/10 if and ONLY if the crappy love triangle aspect was not here. WHY do mangas like this ALWAYS have to have a half-assed love triangle between the main character, his childhood friend, and the girl he likes/who likes him. I am tired of the stupid cliche triangle: note to authors; love triangles ARE BORING. They always end exactly the same way and they don't do anything plot wise other than to make readers rage; GET RID OF THEM!!! Giving this a 7/10 for now since the love triangle crap is annoying me.

... Last updated on September 29th, 2010, 7:27am

balance between seriousness and comedy (IMO)
The main character looks like a cat almost all the time.
Art is pretty good during some scenes (especially when the comedy-style stops),

Definitely unique.

Sankarea started off very well. A quirky male lead (who makes really funny faces), an interesting, conflicted, yet cute female lead, nice comedy, and a unique premise. A guy obsessed with zombies? A girl wanting to be reborn (because her life sucks so much)??

Sounds like a good start to me.

The art is quite good, but nothing special. I would call it average, because though sometimes it is well drawn (the girl Sanka Rea has a very nice design), at other times it's just average, maybe even below. But it is bearable. I like it, if that's anything to go by. The paneling is easy to read and clean.

If the quality keeps this high in later volumes I think Sankarea will be a wonderful series. It makes me curious when it's basically a shonen romantic comedy....WITH A ZOMBIE TWIST!