The successful romantic comedies (and I mean in terms of quality and not just commercially because crap anime may also sell a lot) often overcome this by portraying endearing characters and relationships with enough realism to make you actually care what happens, in a way that's enjoyable to watch too. On the other hand, there are those which introduce elements such as aliens, deities, fantasy, gender benders or sports in order to mix things up a little. If handled in the right manner this results in a series that stands out from the majority of the pack, and one that you'll remember when thinking about romantic comedy anime in future. Sankarea is a prime example of this.
Zombies. The mere mention of this term in the synopsis means that rather than trying to be realistic, Sankarea belongs in the latter group of romantic comedies and introduces, yes, zombies into the story to give it an extra dimension. So how is it incorporated? To begin, our main character Furuya Chihiro is a high school student who has a rather unhealthy obsession with the undead that in most cases would cause everyone to avoid him, let alone girls. But as luck would have it, he encounters the beautiful Sanka Rea who has her own fair share of problems, and inevitably the two hang out together; their new relationship is heart-warming and there's a sort of nice and understanding connection between them.
Unfortunately, due to a sequence of events Rea dies and becomes a zombie, which brings with it a wealth of unique problems for the both of them. Although several issues are raised throughout the series, such as the exact nature of how Rea is revived and how long her body will last before it rots away, they are never really fully explored. Instead, the short twelve episode run includes: Rea adapting to her new situation with much help from Chihiro, family issues (in particularly Rea's father), the obligatory love triangle and a cat called Baabu. Praise should go to the series because there's excellent drama that provides an extra layer of development to its characters, but the final episode does end in quite an abrupt manner.
Moreover, the pacing is far from perfect as the anime starts off pretty well but slows down noticeably after the opening episodes. There's a couple of filler episodes that serve to flesh out the supporting cast, but they are positioned at strange points in the story which causes the pacing to stutter even more.
The overall animation in Sankarea is a variable aspect that may not be to everyone's tastes. Character designs and the attire they wear are usually on the simple side, whereas the background art can be stunning at times but less detailed and sharp at others. Fortunately, the art remains at least consistently decent throughout the length of the series, and character motions are always smooth and fluid.
The background music is surprisingly good in Sankarea. Although sparingly used, there are a wide range of beautiful instrumental themes for the mysterious, sad and unsettling scenes in the anime, and also light-hearted tunes for the peaceful and comedy moments. The voice acting is adequate and none of the characters sound bad. The theme songs are pleasant to listen to, with a unique-sounding and energetic track by nano.RIPE (who also did an equally-catchy OP for Hanasaku Iroha) for the opening, and a calm/soothing song by Annabel for the ending.
In terms of decent characters, Sankarea is well-covered. As mentioned before the cat-like Furuya Chihiro's standout aspect is his zombie fetish, and he has some entertaining expressions and dialogue. However, he's willing to fully embrace his fetish despite what others think, he can act serious when the need arises, and he is also quick to make important decisions; these are strengths for a main character in this type of anime, and it works to make Chihiro a better than average lead.
Sanka Rea is a student from a wealthy family who's popular at school and looks cheerful on the surface, but unknown to most people she's lived a sheltered life and wants to act more like a normal girl. She's a cute and fun character, yet much of the drama also springs from her side of the story to make you feel sympathy for her, especially as she tries to adjust to her new life.
Then there's Chihiro's cousin, Saouji Ranko, who is a likeable girl but sadly her role is limited to mostly comedy situations and fanservice while competing with Rea for Chihiro's affection. As opposed to Rea, Ranko is talkative, likes to beat up Chihiro, and is actually alive; this provides a good contrast in character between the two.
The rest of the supporting cast includes quirky members of Chihiro's family (the relatively normal father, the senile but entertaining grandpa, the amusing and quiet younger sister Mero), as well as members of Rea's rich household who are interesting for vastly different reasons. He's a bit of a conundrum, but chances are you'll be surprised at how much of a freak Rea's father is during the full length of the series and beyond; it's easy to see why she wants to escape her family, but her freedom does come at great cost. Finally, to round things off there are a few school classmates who are used for comic relief and not much else.
It's not every day that you come across a touching romantic comedy which also includes darker themes like isolation and suicide, graphically bloody scenes, more than just a hint of craziness, and a supernatural spin. And yet, Sankarea pops up as an enjoyable anime series that has done a fantastic job at establishing its setting and a likeable group of core characters with relevant backstory. It's also screaming for a second season with an improved focus on storytelling and new events that should undoubtedly build on its existing potential.