Review of High School of the Dead
Zombies fans you are in for a treat. Highschool of the Dead is a by the book zombie apocalypse that we all know and love except in anime form. Its not setting new grounds or innovating, but it certainly is entertaining. The story starts with our protagonists at school at least until the first zombie comes knocking at the school gates. Everything goes down hill from there and what ensues is a frantic scramble for survival. Friendships are tested, emotions run high, and zombies are subjected to various forms of trauma before the survivors find a quiet niche to contemplate, relax orotherwise have some downtime. This repeats throughout, ensuring time for characterisation with the repetition supplemented by scenes of the fall of global society. It might seem boring but it is well paced.
As you may or may not know, the source material tends towards visual fidelity and gratuitous fanservice. The anime does not disappoint with great detail spent animating ridiculous fights that defy the laws of physics. Not to say that the quieter or more rousing scenes suffer. They don't and some of the picturesque backgrounds do a great job in contrasting the living dead apocalypse. Characters themselves are given similar treatment, though the fanservice may seem excessive to some. Arguably, the show was never meant to be that subtle about it given an interview the director (correct me if I'm wrong) gave early in series.
Not to mention the sound work done in to the series. Not only do the blows seem visceral but the guns do sound realistic as they were. Supported from below by the background music, the fight scenes really do gain that edge. In fact, even the opening gets you in to the mood to see more zombie carnage while the ending highlights the sadness of having to wait until the next episode for more.
As for the characters themselves I do want to say I love some of them. I appreciate how each character has their own, well, character. Some of them are overplayed however, but really I should have expected it. Especially the ditzy nurse. Surprisingly enough, its the side characters that clearly show some of the best examples of hypocrisy that I like the most, but that's probably only because they get eaten by zombies.
Coming out of the last episode, I must say I enjoyed following our intrepid survivors as they journey along and look forward to the next instalment (there's even a brief glimpse of a future character at the end). The violence and fanservice is gratuitous. Coupled with the depiction fall of global civilisation, there's nothing a zombie apocalypse fan wouldn't want.