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Year: 2023
Genre: Action, Comedy, Horror, Supernatural, Suspense
Episodes: 12
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Have you made a bucket list? If so, what is on it? Would you like to travel and see the Seven Wonders of the World? Would it be to become the wealthiest person in the world? Would it be to go to every Disney Park in the world? Is it to experience all the great sporting events like the World Cup, Super Bowl, Olympics, or Grand Slams for tennis? One can put down endless possibilities for one’s own bucket list. What would happen if a zombie outbreak occurred and the world went to shit? Before turning into a zombie, would you still make a bucket list of everything you want to do? Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead is an anime where the main character makes a bucket list before turning into a zombie.
Overview
Akira Tendo is a 24-year-old officer worker of ZLM. Akira hates his life as he is trapped in an endless world of work. Akira is exhausted to his limit and spends his nights at work or living in a trash-filled apartment. Three years ago, he was excited about his job, but now he is not motivated and sees no way out of his dead-end career. Akira wishes for something to happen that would get him out of his lifeless career. Akira’s life changes when a zombie apocalypse descends upon Tokyo. Everything has turned upside down. Instead of fearing for his life and living in terror, Akira becomes filled with life and joy as he doesn’t have to return to work ever again. Akira decides that the past three years have drained him, but now he wants to live his life to the fullest. Akira creates a bucket list of 100 things he wants to do before dying or becoming a zombie. Akira embarks on many fun, risk-taking adventures throughout Japan’s zombie-infested land. Along the way, he meets former friends and new allies to help him live his life and reach his dreams.
Review:
I personally want to say that Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead is by far one of the best zombie anime series I have ever seen. The anime hits all the right spots you would love in an anime series. It has fantastic animation and relatable characters, but also a great and funny story that takes one concept and adds it to another. Don’t get me wrong; High School of the Dead is still my favorite zombie anime for many reasons, but this one is definitely a close second.
The first area I want to speak about is the goddamn animation. Holy shit, was it good, and it will be the first area you will notice. When Akira is at his job, you slowly see the bright colors and excitement around him. As time passes, the animators make sure to dull the colors to reflect Akira’s mood and state of mind. Before the zombie outbreak, Akira’s colors were straight-up miserable. When he discovered that a zombie apocalypse was happening, the animators showed how his mood changed with an explosion of color. The show reflects Akira’s state of mind. I like how the blood is all blue and not red. It seemed that Akira didn’t even care about it, and it was a nice touch. I want to applaud the animators for how crisp and appealing this anime was to the eye.
Let’s talk about that story, shall we? I found it interesting but also ironic that Akira decided to make a bucket list of everything he wanted to do before he turned into a zombie. Akira had problems at first making his list because his new freedom blew his mind. The first episode shows how Akira worked and had no life. He was a zombie as he slept at work, or his apartment was a complete mess. When the zombie apocalypse happens, the dude bursts through everything and seems to think he is invincible. What I love is that it shows that your job doesn’t make you. Sorry, I got off track. Akira makes a list, and there is some wild stuff on it. That is why this anime is excellent. Akira puts things that are crazy and would get him killed, but he knows the world has ended. I like that he doesn’t hold back on what he wants to do. In one episode, Akira becomes a superhero. In another episode, Akira wants to have a big screen TV, wear dreadlocks, and so many other things. Each episode is entertaining in its own way.
With any zombie series, the characters are what make the series go. Besides Akira, a fantastic character, this series has three other characters worth noting. First is Shizuka Mikazuki. Shizuka is an interesting character as she is the most prepared for the zombie outbreak. Her past life was blah as she lived with an extremely controlling father who made sure she hit every step of his plan. Dude was so crazy that he killed a cat to make sure Shizuka enjoyed zero happiness and only focused at the tasks at hand. This made Shizuka overly logical in using data to determine her next moves. Homegirl won’t even eat a freakin cookie. She reluctantly joins Akira’s crew, which makes her really loosen up.
Next, there is Kenichiro Ryuzaki, or as Akira likes to call him, Kencho. Kenichiro is Akira’s homeboy from when they were in college. Kencho is a strange one, to say it mildly. He wants to be a stand-up comedian who always ends up naked. After college, he became a high-profile real estate agent but secretly hated that world. Kencho is a loyal friend to Akira after he is saved by him. Finally, there is Beatrix Amerhauser. Beatrix is a German woman who is obsessed with Japanese culture. Beatrix is gorgeous with her blonde hair, but her love for Japanese culture is something to watch. She has been studying the culture since her youth and rolls around with samurai armor, a bow and arrow, a spear, and katanas. She is a full-on badass woman.
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead is one of the best zombie anime series I have seen in a while. I hope there are more episodes to come. The comedy in this film is outstanding, but the message is even better. One should make a bucket list and live life to the fullest rather than slaving away at one’s job. The main character, Akira, is excellent, and I love his attitude when he becomes free. Finally, the other characters and the animation are superb. The animation is FANTASTIC. Watch this anime and make your own bucket list.
