Review of High School of the Dead
When I first heard about this, I was excited. Really excited. The lack of zombie anime is something that really disappoints me and so I immediately added this one to my list. It was an enjoyable and very nice watch but by the time I finished it, I was kind of disappointed. Let me tell you why: It started off with a bang. Immediate zombie killing action. It grabbed me and had me wanting more. I had high hopes this could go on to be one of my all time favourites. This wasn't the case, unfortunately 'fanservice' reared it's head. There was even a whole episode,in a short anime at that, dedicated to fanservice. In the middle few episodes, it was fanservice and more fanservice. The anime was in danger of falling very low. Luckily, it managed to pick up again.
Story: 6/10
A group of high school students frantically escaping zombies using swords and bats? Oh the potential! The story showed a lot of promise but because of the middle episodes, it was like the story had run out of time. Maybe if the series was longer, the story could have been great but the sort of rushed vibe I got from the last few episodes means it was decent, not epic.
Art: 10/10
I thought the art was fabulous. The zombies were designed perfectly and the characters looked very sharp and were well defined. The backgrounds were very nicely defined and the art was really excellent. Though the breasts were excessively large lol
Sound: 10/10
Realistic sounds when the zombies had their heads bashed in. Very nice ending themes...... the opening was EPIC! I loved it and still have the full version on my ipod. The sound really added to the anime.
Characters: 7/10
Mixed bag. Takashi and Kouta were great. I really liked their characters and they seemed kinda badass when they fought. The girls...... meh. Takagi annoyed me with how she treated Kouta, Shizuka was fun at first but then grated me a bit, Rei was awesome at first but then kinda turned pointless towards the end. Though her relationship with the creepy teacher was interesting. Saeko was good. She would have been one of my favourites if it wasn't for the whole, 'fighting turns me on' thing. Takagi's parents were kinda cool, liked them. The teacher I hated. He actually seemed like a complete bastard. All in all, a mixed bag.
Overall: 8/10
Yes, I gave it a good score. The art, sound, the fights, the enjoyment factor, were all plus points. The sad thing is that the excessive fanservice means that instead of being a 'Masterpiece', this anime is just very good.