Review of High School of the Dead

Overview: "28 Days Later", "Shaun of the Dead", "I Am Legend". If you've seen any of these movies, you'll know what to expect from "Highschool of the Dead". And if you're familiar with shonen anime in general, you'll know what else to expect. Basically, "Highschool of the Dead" is what happens when the zombie thriller genre does anime, featuring a group of teenagers (and one adult) trying to survive in a world ravaged by a zombie apocalypse. While zombie movie fans will enjoy it, if they go in expecting anything original, they will only be disappointed. Story (5.5/10): The protagonist of this zombie romp is Takashi Komuro, ahigh school student who has just broken up with his childhood sweetheart, Rei Miyamoto, who despite being a straight-A student has been held back a year and left him for his best friend, Hisashi. Suddenly, without warning, the school gets attacked by a horde of zombies, called simply "Them". After Hishashi gets bitten, Takashi is forced to kill him to save Rei, which devastates them both. Soon enough, the two childhood friends team up with four other students plus their school nurse, and decide to work together in order to survive in this world that has suddenly become anything but safe.

The pacing of the anime remains stellar throughout, as, at the very least, the series knows not to waste too much time on a single set-piece. The title "Highschool of the Dead" is actually a misnomer, as they're only really in the school for the first episode and a half, after which they escape and travel all over the city in search of their loved ones, while also taking care not to stay in the same place for too long. This is certainly a good decision, as having them be in school all the time would get rather dull.

Unfortunately, I've pretty much summed up the whole story, as with the exception of Takashi and Rei's relationship, it really doesn't go anywhere. Most of it just involves the characters travelling from place to place while fighting zombies along the way, arriving at their destination, then escaping when things get too hectic. While the story does attempt to mix things up once in a while, these attempts don't really add anything, and the series ultimately ends on a big cliffhanger that leaves nothing major resolved. All in all, the story is about as typical and predictable as anime plots get and so should be taken as nothing more than what it is- an excuse to guide the characters from one action scene to the next.

Art & Animation (7/10):
"Highschool of the Dead" looks painfully average. While the character animations are smooth enough, the character models themselves are visually lumpy, and several of them have very weird looking faces that look like they were just sketched on. There's also a gratuitous amount of fanservice involved, with panty shots at extremely inappropriate times and close-ups of women's breasts during what's supposed to be a serious conversation. As far as Madhouse productions go, this is definitely not the standard I have come to expect, and is easily their worst looking anime since "Trigun".

Sound & Dialogue (8/5/10):
This is easily the best part of the series. Not only is the opening great, but each episode has a different ending theme, which range from passable to fantastic. The voice acting is great, as well. As with most anime, I watched the dub and most of it is actually really good, even if the talent of Monica Rial is wasted on one of the show's weakest characters. The combination of music and voice acting is especially great in the last few minutes of the first episode, though that ends up being a really tough act to follow, as very few subsequent scenes come even close.

Characters (7/10):
The characters are a mixed bag. While none of them are particularly engaging, they're still likable and generally avoid fitting any anime stereotypes. Well, most of them anyway. Takashi seems normal at first, but he establishes himself as a ruthless anti-hero as early as the first episode, being able to kill his best friend without any hesitation or remorse. While he's generally kind, the only thing that matters to him most of the time is the survival of him and his group and won't hesitate to cross any line in order to ensure that. Though, when there aren't any of "Them" to kill, he acts very much like a boy his age, being rather perverted and not against listening in on girls having a bath. My favourite character, however, is definitely Rei. While leaving Takashi for his best friend may seem like a low blow for some, we soon learn that Takashi was just as responsible due to his hesitation to act on his feelings, and the main character arc involves the two of them rekindling their love for one another, which as I said before is the only really good part of the story. Her reactions are also a lot more like someone you'd expect someone who's been thrust into a zombie outbreak to react, which makes her very human and relatable, and thankfully she can easily handle herself in a fight in spite of it, though she fights purely out of necessity rather than desire. While there are occasions when she needs to be saved, these are very brief and to show that while she's a capable fighter, she's not infallible. She's also the kindest of the group by far, being arguably the only one who has no anti-heroic traits whatsoever.

Another noteworthy character is Saeko Busujima, a third-year student who wields a katana in combat, who acts as the big sister of the team. She's also the single strongest person in the group, and kicks even more ass when she trades her wooden katana for an actual one. While she comes off as very calm and refined most of the time, she also has a clear sadistic side that comes out when fighting "Them". That said, she's aware of this and does have some standards, which helps flesh out her character, though she still isn't quite as relatable as Takashi or Rei. There's also Kohta Hirano, the only other male of the group besides Takashi who seems like a stereotypical nerd at first, but is actually really into guns, which are his weapon of choice in combat. He also cares a lot for children, which is shown when they save a young girl, Alice, and he becomes very protective of her.

The rest of the cast are so-so. One example is Shizuka Marikawa, the school nurse and only adult. Despite being the oldest of the group by about a decade, she is also easily the dumbest, apparently not being able to get that they're in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Fortunately, this isn't nearly as annoying as it could be, but ultimately the only things she's really useful for is driving, and occasionally treating injuries. A character I absolutely hated, however, is Saya Takagi, the brain of the team who's known Takashi for about as long as Rei has. While she is useful to the team, as a character she just annoys me. She's incredibly self-centred and arrogant, angry all the time for reasons that are beyond me, treats everyone around her like crap, and it's only near the end of episode 10 that she finally starts to show some sign of redemption. Sorry, but when you spend the first three-quarters of a series being a condescending know-it-all, finally showing some gratitude to the guy who saved your life several times is just the epitome of 'too little, too late.'

Enjoyment (7.5/10):
For all its flaws, one area "Highschool of the Dead" is definitely not lacking in is its entertainment value. From the very start of the series, watching the characters find various way to take down "Them" is highly enjoyable, with a number of great actions scenes peppered throughout. There's some good comic relief in the show as well, though a lot of it is accompanied by the show's gratuitous fanservice, which is the only thing a lot of people think about when watching this show.

Overall:
"Highschool of the Dead" is a fun but flawed experience. It has rough art, a variable cast of characters and a threadbare story (that will likely never be finished thanks to the mangaka passing away a few years ago) but these are thankfully saved by a great soundtrack and good set-pieces. Overall, though, it ends up being a homage to zombie movies a little too well, and so if you want something unique or at least a twist on the genre, you're better off looking elsewhere.

Score:
5.5+7+8.5+7+7.5=35.5/50=7.1/10