All the Small Things: Cinematography in Sankarea

I almost didn’t pick up Sankarea, but I’m very glad I did, and the show’s direction is part of the reason why – it’s taken an otherwise unremarkable premise and lent it an unmistakable atmosphere. It turns out director Shinichi Omata (working under a pseudonym) is an old hand at SHAFT now working on his own projects, much like Shin Oonuma, and you can see some of the techniques common to Akiyuki Shinbou and his protégés here played in a more subtle, but still effective, manner.