Review of High School of the Dead

Not a lot of things AREN'T awesome in Highschool of the dead. Sure, there are a few moments when you'll be thinking "what the absolute fuck? Why the hell is this in here?". Some of the developments are... strange, and quite a few of the motions the girls go through to get their tits to bounce are quite simply ridiculous, but that's not enough to cast an proper shadow on this series. Let's get this out of the way: one of the main complaints I saw people have about H.O.T.D. was "It would be better without the ecchi". Well, that's not very true, is it? The factthat it has ecchi elements makes some scenes (one in particular that i will not spoil) possible, and these are scenes that are simply brilliant. And then, of course, there's the fact that you came to watch this knowing it was an Ecchi show. deal with it.
As I was saying, some scenes are possible only thanks to the Ecchi side. And this series has a whole lot of really great scenes. As a gamer, I have spent plenty of time thinking about what would happen in a zombie apocalypse, but H.O.T.D. introduced some ideas I had never even considered. The first episode alone sets up an infernal ride into the heart of human darkness.
Because that's what this show is about. Beneath the blood, tits, guns and walking dead, H.O.T.D. treats themes that reach deep into our every day lives, since, what it talks about is just how low can a human being sink, and not just in extreme situations. We see, from the start, people abandoning friends, people using others for their own personal gain, sometimes even as bait to cover their own escape. The characters even say it themselves: "I just realised we're still human".
The characters are all slightly stereotypical. The overly-confident genius type, the ultra-competent warrior type, the athletic schoolgirl type, and the airhead with massive breasts are all deja-vu, but they are still enjoyable personalities. The male protagonists are the loser who reveals himself and the guy who doesn't know how to deal with others, and they are both still interesting guys. I found myself feeling very much attached to these characters and was always curious to see how things were going to work out in such and such's relationship.
This is most certainly not for kids. I mean, it's about a guy who basically forms a Harem while fighting zombies (although that's a very simplistic analysis of the situation). And they didn't hold back on the fanservice either.
Okay, how about a little technical talk? The art is what you'd expect: plenty of blood, very round curves, shiny skin, lots of pantie-shots, and an overall pleasant drawing style. the animation is, at times, over the top boob bouncing, but it's generally smooth flowing and pleasant on the eye. Soundtrack wise, nothing ear-piercing is going to be blasted at you.
Oh, a sidenote, the dubs on this show are actually pretty good. Although I do recommend subtitles, to get a max out of the original voice acting, I have to admit that the dubbed version somehow makes some of the more culturally influenced situations make sense to western viewers.
So, to summarise, H.O.T.D. is a damn good show, filled with tits and zombies, that somehow manages to question the true human nature, that of survival at all costs.