Sankarea: Undying Love (さんかれあ)

[owls hooting and crickets chirping]

My name is Chihiro Furuya.

I'm a lowly freshman at Shiyo Prefectural High School.

What a waste.

I'm a devotee of the undead.

I like horror in general but zombies really speak to me.

I know this'll sound weird, but ever since I was a kid

I've dreamed of having a zombie girlfriend.

Please.

I don't want to hurt you.

I didn't choose to become a zombie.

Deep down, I'm just a regular girl

who wants to be loved.

You are one twisted perv, man!

You wanna get it on with a zombie chick?

I don't remember saying anything about "getting it on."

Whatever. I think it'd be cool.

How is doin' a zombie girl cool?

I can't really explain it.

There's just something about 'em.

Well, recent studies suggest that men

are attracted to vulnerable women;

perhaps that's why he finds them so appealing.

You think?

We know you're smart;

you don't have to rub it in, Einstein.

Oh, okay.

The guys just don't get it, and I can't say I blame 'em.

It's hard to explain.

Especially since I don't really

understand the attraction myself.

This is Shiryoji Temple.

There's nothing particularly special about it

except it's my home.

I live here with my grandpa, Jogoro....

My old man, Do'on, the temple priest.

And my kid sister, Mero.

My dad makes breakfast

but other than that, she does all the housework.

You don't meet many 12 year olds like her.

We are thankful for this meal.

--Yeah, thanks. --Very thankful indeed.

Mero dear, why's there slimy green stuff

floating in my miso soup?

Don't freak out, Grandpa.

It's just cabbage.

I'll be damned.

That's Babu.

He's a stray cat who became a part of the family

when I found him wandering the temple grounds.

Mero!

Why's there slimy green stuff floating in my miso soup?

Like I said, it's cabbage, Grandpa.

Grandpa's senility can be stressful,

but our family's pretty happy.

Well, there's one downer.

My mom died when I was little.

I barely even remember her anymore.

Life is easier when your memories start to fade.

We still miss her but it gets a little better every day.

Our family's happy.

At least we were, until one of us died.

Babu!

Chihiro.

I'm so sorry.

He just jumped out in front of my truck.

I didn't have time to stop.

He was hit by an old man

from the neighborhood who I'd known forever.

It's not like I could rage at the guy.

So I just cried like a baby.

Babu!

Sorry about this, kids.

We're not allowed to hold services

for animals inside the temple.

Personally, I don't mind,

but it might upset our parishioners.

They just don't understand what we're going through.

Hey Brother?

What?

I know as temple children we're supposed to stay strong,

but would it be okay to cry at a time like this?

Yeah, we're only human.

True.

Babu's death hurt more than I ever could've imagined.

He wasn't even that old.

He should've had a long life ahead of him.

But it was taken from him far too soon.

It wasn't fair.

That's when a crazy idea popped into my head.

Found it.

I went to visit a relative in Tohoku last year

and as we were sorting through stuff

to donate to a local museum,

I came across something amazing.

It wasn't really a book per se, more like a collection of notes.

It was so beat up I couldn't even tell when it was written.

The museum's curator told us it wasn't worth anything,

but after skimming through it

I was sure they were notes on the reanimation process.

I knew it was probably a load of bull,

but I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a try.

I chose an abandoned hotel as my lab.

I knew nobody would come looking for me here.

My love of zombies is about to be put to the test.

What am I gonna do when there's a real one right in front of me?

I'm gonna bring you back to life Babu.

Things got weird on the second day.

Excuse me.

What exactly are you doing?ç

Nothing!

Geez, you're like a freakin' ninja.

That's not a valid answer to my question.

You can't do "nothing."

Your behavior's been so suspicious lately.

I'm not doing anything.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Oh, he's up to something.

Just hang in there, little buddy.

Earth to Furuya!

Are you even listening to me, dude?

Yeah, yeah.

I'm listening.

You know, you're a terrible liar.

The apathetic look on your face totally gives you away.

Why would I lie about something like that?

Fine, then why don't you share your thoughts on the subject?

And that was?

I knew you weren't listening!

I was talking about how our school's

different from Sanka Girl's.

Well, I can think of one glaring difference.

Sanka Academy students are some of the brightest

and most beautiful girls in Japan.

Meanwhile, the boys at our school

are a bunch of dopey schmucks.

I know they're superior to us in every way

but why do we have to take different routes to school?

Maybe cuz Sanka's on the opposite side of the river?

But they're so far away!

Aaagh!

The only reason I came to Shiyo

was I thought I'd meet a nice young lady, or two, or three.

How am I gonna meet the woman of my dreams

when I can't get close enough to charm 'em!

More like scare 'em.

Hey, have you heard about the celebrity hottie?

You'll wanna swim across the river when you see her.

Trust me.

Look, there she is!

You see that girl with the long, black hair?

She's the daughter of the Sanka Girls' Academy director.

Rea Sanka!

Wow, you guys have no idea what you're missing.

She's beauty and elegance personified.

And her family is stinkin' loaded,

so when we get married I won't ever to work again!

She's her own person, ya know.

Oh, Come on!

Don't tell me you wouldn't

wanna follow in your rich parents' footsteps?

Delivery!

Thanks for swinging by, Ranko.

I really appreciate it.

Mero's at a school function so I had to improvise for dinner.

You just say the word and I'll be right over, Uncle.

It's nice to get a break from the restaurant and Mom.

I bet it is.

It's so quiet.

Where's Chihiro?

Probably lying down in his room again.

Is he okay?

Well, I'm no psychologist but I get the feeling he's depressed.

I would be too if I lost my best friend.

Aw, he misses Babu.

Wakey, wakey!

What do you want, "Wanko"?

Oh please, don't get up.

Here ya go.

Oh right, I forgot I lent this to you.

That's not the only thing you forgot, short bus.

You promised you'd come to my place

over the weekend to pick it up.

Oh yeah.

I'm sorry, I had a busy weekend.

You expect me to believe that?

You were sittin' here watching movies alone