Review of Is This a Zombie? of the Dead

We all have our share of light shows to take a break from the deeper recesses of the anime world. There are times when memorable characters, fountains of gore, bizarre interpretations, thought-provoking themes, and eyegasmic animation leave a certain impact that burn our watching mojos out. So when I was warned by my friend about a cancer-inducing show involving a crossdressing zombie, I just told myself, “Why the hell not?” What I got was a hysterical regurgitation of cliches, genre executions, and typical anime scenarios seamlessly smashed into one show, with an amazing dub if I may add. I can guarantee ‘Is This a Zombie?’and its redundant companion, ‘Is This a Zombie? of the Dead’, are a buttload of gut-busting fun, if you pardon the lack of anything substantial.

STORY - 6

After being murdered by an unknown serial killer, Ayumu Aikawa, lackadaisical high-schooler, is soon resurrected and turned into a zombie by necromancer, Eucliwood Hellscythe. While Season 1 tells about the pursuit of his assassin and the mastermind behind the murders, Season 2 scales it up by showing glimpses of all factions and impending threats that foreshadow possible sequels. Bottom line, Season 2 is such a tease.

But let’s face it. The plot in this show comes and goes. We have serious moments interspersed with happy fun times. The plot felt more supplementary, in that it gave the show direction as well as provide more room for scenarios and genres to play out. The real appeal of Is This a Zombie? comes from its amassed referential content that either pays homage or pokes fun at the familiar tropes we've all watched before.

It’s not everyday you get to see a perverted harem protagonist-turned-zombie moonlighting as a magical girl while living with an ex-magical girl, necromancer and a vampire ninja as they fend off against demonic animals of the underworld. And that’s only the premise.

Joining the mix are zombies, demons, magical girls, vampires, ninjas, excessive bloodshed, crossdressing, blatant fan-service (and disservice), transformation scenes, manga artists, gender bender, some yuri and yaoi, gunpla, awkward product placement, classical music performances, maid cafes, karuta, school competitions and festivals, amusement parks, idols and rock stars, pool/beach/hot spring sequences, slime and tentacles, and attack call-outs to name a few; not to mention the abundance of shout-outs and running gags that spice everything up. It amazes me how many scenarios they can streamline into one show while still carrying out a plot.

As for the genre, the show is primarily a supernatural harem school comedy sugarcoated with slice-of-life and infused with elements of horror, mystery, action, and drama.

Despite all of the above, it manages to pull off each respective genre decently. Though 80% of the time you’ll be seeing the main cast faffing around when nothing urgent is taking place, the 20% dedicated to the more gripping parts of the show actually take you for a ride, albeit a rather short one.

ART - 7

I would just like to point out that Studio Deen made this. There's a noticeable blur reminiscent of their previous works as well as a slight nod to a particular show of theirs with crying cicadas evident in some eerily similar character designs and facial contortions. Setting that aside…

Is This a Zombie? makes use of a lot of shine, shade, and haze when scenery demands it. But when it doesn't, the scenes come out really flat and half-baked, only to be slightly bleached in light with ample shadows. This appearance can be attributed to the lethal combination of blur, choppy movements, single-toned colors, and awkwardly visible outlines. Normally, the flat look complements most of the comic relief when designs start getting goofy. Taken another way, it feels as if the show is strewn with budget cuts by putting the detail down on some frames.

Come dusk to night however, these detriments surprisingly work. Light and shadow are given more attention. The blur adds depth of field while the sheen and slight murk combined with the crisp outlines and softer dark colors make the characters stand out from the grim and fuzzy backdrop. In a sense, the art behaves just like the characters. It comes to life at night and whiles away the day. The same goes for the action sequences whether dire or wacky, except with added sparks, shimmer, smoke, and gore to elevate the energy from the usual slice-of-life going on.

The character designs fully accentuate each character’s archetype. From the dullness of Ayumu’s design to the various hairstyles, outfits, eye colors, and body types of the leading ladies, the designs evoke as much personality as their individual actions and words. The factions are also made distinct as seen by the underworlders sporting more garb and medieval flair, the magical girls having more childlike physiques and frilly clothing, and the vampire ninjas being both classy and sexy while possessing more angular features.

SOUND - 9

The J-rock openings served their purpose in pumping me up for the next episode while the endings were cute to remind me that I’m here to have fun. Who doesn't enjoy an ending sequence where every girl of said harem puckers up in front of you? BGM isn't memorable but does its part in achieving the intended atmosphere for each mood. But that’s not why the sound is rated pretty high.

Is This a Dub for Is This a Zombie?

I haven’t watched it subbed and frankly I don’t need to. Funimation’s dub of Is This a Zombie? reaches “godly” in my books. It can easily contend with the sub not only in voice compatibility and performance, but also in script and lip-syncing, as well as honoring the original’s running gag of Eucliwood’s multiple voice actresses to resemble Ayumu’s perverted fantasies. These funny tidbits also feature an all-star cast of dub veterans such as Colleen Clinkenbeard, Luci Christian, Brina Palencia, Jamie Marchi, Alexis Tipton, and Emily Neves among others. Even the in-episode singing is dubbed right.

Ayumu gets his lax and easy-going nature thanks to Austin Tindle. Anthony Bowling’s Orito gives the pervy best friend a flexible vocal range; high when he’s spazzing out and low when he’s being sincere or calculating. Jad Saxton nails the lovably annoying magical girl Haruna and her immature smack talk. Fresh talent Morgan Garrett as vampire ninja Seraphim condescends her way into our hearts with her frigid and seductive tone coupled with the dub script’s hefty load of sophisticatedly blunt insults. Dominatrix, rump-lover, part-time idol and fellow vampire ninja Sarasvati gets a more fiery and sadistic rendition of Seraphim’s tone with veteran Caitlin Glass. Brittney Karbowski pulls out all the stops in delivering the cutest and ditziest girl-next-door voice for other vampire ninja, Maelstrom. Eucliwood’s main VA, Cherami Leigh, shines in her sparse lines; granting the faux-mute necromancer a troubled yet endearingly hushed personality with an ethereal voice that wouldn't hurt a fly. Monica Rial carries the role of magical girl teacher Ariel with playful yet well-mannered inflections. Stephanie Sheh achieves the identical shrill pitch for antagonist, Chris; with special mention to her childishly adorable drunk ramblings. On the other end of the spectrum, Eric Vale breaks the the silly monotony with an intimidatingly serious King of the Night; providing the grit and bravado the undead villain deserves. Lastly, Lindsay Seidel is bloody good as deranged Kyoko, Erica Harte does Taeko’s shrinking violet and wife-material persona justice, and Megan Miller’s Kanami stands out among the other girls and their wacky antics with a notch of indifference and maturity. Everyone else is well-cast and would probably lengthen this paragraph too much.

As for the script, the lines are chock-full of risque euphemisms and Western slang. Funimation took full liberty in translation and though the interpretation is different, the energy and spirit of the original are kept. This makes the dub more enjoyable and less forced while giving space for equal appreciation of both languages. You cannot go wrong either way and neither will hamper the fun, feels, laughs, horror, and action the show has to offer. As solid as the sub will always be for most anime, I could not ask for a better dub done by Funimation.

CHARACTERS - 6

In a show that just screams archetypes and references, it’s no surprise that the characters are static and one-dimensional. What captures my fancy though is the chemistry the main gang has; i.e. Ayumu being the punching bag of everyone’s verbal and literal fists.

When plot isn’t in the way, the characters are simply placed in random and awkward situations which always end up beating the snot (and innards) out of our sorry protagonist. As the episodes proceed, all those comedic gestures, sarcastic abuse, and pandering become endearing in a weird way. Gradually, the harem treatment transitions to a family dynamic between the characters.

Though there will be inevitable moments of attraction from female characters, the protagonist can own up to them, not because he can take a lot of punishment, but because he’s a ballsy guy when push comes to shove. He may be able to endure the humiliation and physical tortures of being a zombie every day but you resonate with his unwavering need to reintegrate back into society. In the end, all he wants is to be at home despite his newfound immortality and lo and behold, he forms a network with various people he can call home; some assurance that the eternity he is doomed or blessed to live will be a bit less lonely.

ENJOYMENT - 10

If you’re up for a variety show with easy characters and a lot of service, help yourself. From the title, it's as if even the show doesn't know what it is. It’s everything and nothing at the same time; culminating so many conventions that it becomes something hilariously unconventional. Is This a Zombie? is a hodgepodge of everything we love about anime at face value. It may be a feast… but it’s a feast of leftovers.

What it boasts in blatantly obvious cliches, awesome dub-work, and fun and accessible content, it lacks in focus, substance and some production qualities. Take the protagonist’s advice:

“I've learned that it's best to just go with it no matter how ridiculous the premise might sound.” - Ayumu Aikawa

OVERALL - 8

Is There a Season 3?