Manga Review: Sankarea: Undying Love, Volume 5, by Mitsuru Hattori

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: February 11, 2014

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 4. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

BOY, MEDIUM RARE

The hotel where she first met Chihiro is burning around her, but Rea's strangely glowing eyes are fixed on the boy she loves. Will she come to her senses before she eats Chihiro or the fire consumes them both? And even if they do escape, what can Rea do to keep herself from completely losing her reason and becoming nothing but a zombie hungry for Chihiro's flesh?

Review:

First, I have to say that I love this cover. The cover on volume four was really good, but this one is just so eye-catching. Particularly because of the bright, neon green. That in itself caught my eye, and then there’s the fact that Rea is eating Chihiro, looking very much like a zombie. It’s a beautiful cover, really.

Now, onto the actual contents.

Rea is really starting to deteriorate. There are very obviously bad things in her future, and it’s kind of hard to think about. I like Rea so much, she’s so likeable, shy and sweet, that I really don’t want her to just start eating people. I’m not sure how long her human consciousness is going to last.

On a surprising turn, though, there was a momentous talk between Chihiro and Wanko (including a surprising almost-plotline). I was not expecting it to happen so soon, and I actually feel a little bad for Wanko. She really does like him, but she really has no chance. I’m glad that that’s been done with, though, and we can move past that plot point. Looks like something interesting will be happening next with Bub, Chihiro’s cat zombie, anyway.

To sum things up: I still really like Rea. She’s just so… real, or something, to me. I want more growth from her, more expanding, both with Chihiro and Mero. I love Mero. Mero and Chihiro’s grandfather is just causing a lot of hilarity, but I’m interested in seeing what he actually knows. I’m kind of maybe okay with Wanko; I’m just not a big fan. I like Darin, and am interested in seeing what she does next. I’m not really a big fan of Chihiro, sadly. I want to like him, but I’m kind of just tolerating him right now. I think maybe it’s that cat face he makes (the… this one: :3) that bothers me.

Overall, I am just really enjoying this series. I’m especially enjoying the story and character progression. I look forward to seeing where that goes next, as I suspect something new will be revealed.