© Haro Aso, Kotaro Takata, Shogakukan / Zom100 Project
The first episode of the programme anime“>Zom 100: The Dead’s Bucket List is one of the first anime shows to slash directly into the center of the cerebral cortex like a bolt of lightning. The sharp social satire and effective characterization of our embattled hero work alongside Bug moviesFlawless animation works to create a perfect short film about zombies and the apocalypse. Akira’s desperate despair over his soul-shattering job, the way it reflects his broad realization that the end of the world means he’s finally free, is a great little narrative arc that concludes with the creation of a titular bucket list: “100 Things to Do Before You Become a Zombie.” If the anime ended there, full stop, it would have been a satisfying and wise tale.
So, the big question Episode 2 has to answer is whether or not that’s the case Zoom 100 He would be able to get an entire season of the anime off of continuing with the perfect premiere. Fortunately, if “dead bucket list” is anything to go by, I don’t think we have much to worry about at all.
Of course, the first thing both Zoom 100 And its main character that has to reckon with is the fact that the world – or at least Japan – is in utter ruin and that life will continue to move on once Akira descends from the initiating peak of the zombie apocalypse vacation. Understandably, Akira wants to get things started on full swing by eating veggies all day at the movies and beer, and his meager stash of fridge makes him make his first official mission in Life in the Zombie Apocalypse to go on a beer spree. I’m sure Sean and Ed would be very proud indeed.
What makes this episode work so well is that it manages to balance in tone between light escapism and, you know, The terrifying, unimaginable death of millions of people. It’s one thing to show Akira being the idiot who offers to go in a grocery store to his neighbours, Kusakas, before embarrassing himself in front of the pretty new girl he meets at the store by saying “Every kind of beer!” Anthem (which, to be clear, is a sausage) . It’s all very much in keeping with Akira’s whole vibe, and just like in the premiere, it feels very relatable to anyone who’s ever worked in Dead End. What do you do with the first taste of true freedom you get months later if not years of broken work? Why, you laze and drink, just as you did all your free time, except now you don’t do it out of spite! That’s the good life, right there.
At least, that’s how it feels until Akira returns to the Kousaka residence to find that his new neighbors may have been eaten alive. Yes, as Akira constantly reminds himself, she could die at any time, whether sixty minutes from now or sixty years. The zombie apocalypse has made the reality of death just a game smidge It’s more immediate and lively, though, so maybe it’s time to really stick to that bucket list.
Akira’s slow but steady growth as a character is brought up starkly by the introduction of that cool and badass new girl, who I’m going to go on and call Shizuka already, though I’m sure we don’t actually get her name this week. Everything you need to know about Shizuka can be boiled down to the differences between her list and Akira’s. Our hero has made it his mission to never take his freedom for granted because he knows he will die eventually, which is why his list outlines the things he wants to do. “before becoming a zombie.” But Shizuka is about practicality and more importantly control. She’s got her meticulously crafted spreadsheet off a list, which is about “100 things to do.” Avoids becoming a zombie.” Akira takes the apocalypse in as many strides as possible, while Shizuka manages to turn surviving the zombie outbreak into another full-time job.
what makes Zoom 100 This compelling yet compelling story is how she manages to show us the pros and cons of both ways of looking at the world. Yes, Akira’s carefree abandonment is contagious, but it’s also the reflexive reaction from someone chained to a terrible system for years. He doesn’t think about the future, which leads him to make decisions that almost get him killed time and time again. On the other hand, Shizuka could use a little bit of this carefree attitude herself. Sure, she does a much better job of staying alive and well than anyone around her, but she looks pretty miserable. Maybe it’s a good idea to avoid junk food when you’re training your body to be the ultimate survival machine, but also, what’s the point of putting in all that work and effort to live another day if you’re not going to get even a little joy out of that extra time you’ve been given to yourself?
Don’t just live, you live GoodYou have to strike a balance between survival and fun. If Akira and Shizuka can teach each other some of the tricks they’ve learned, maybe they can.
evaluation:
James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about animation and other pop culture, which can also be found here Twitterand his blog and podcast.
anime“>Zom 100: The Dead’s Bucket List It is currently streaming on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Netflix.
