Review of Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

'Zom 100' is surely the most hyped and talked about non-sequel anime of this year. The first episode of this anime can probably hook anyone to give it a try. It was so damn good. But as soon as you start to pay attention to the characters and how they act, you should start noticing some major flaws of this anime, which might be the reason this falls into the 'This is not for everyone' territory. Animation (8/10): I know that the plot is the first thing to discuss in a review generally. But all the hype around this show was mostly because of its animation.So let's talk about that first.
It was good. It was colorful and consistent throughout the entire 12 episodes. I never felt I had any problem with the excessive use of those vibrant colors. Although I noticed something interesting. The fact that Akira's face and expressions perfectly resemble Luffy. Hmmm... still it didn't bother me. Not that the other characters had any remarkable or unique character design to begin with. So I was fine with it as they looked good. Overall, you can't expect much better in the animation department than this from a new studio.

Plot (6/10): 'Zom 100' is not the first anime to have a setting where a bunch of people try to survive a chaotic situation where any normal human being would feel some sort of fear and sadness. Regardless of the individual, they will constantly be thinking about how to prolong their stay on this planet, even by a tiny margin. 'Highschool of the Dead' used this exact concept more than a decade ago. That anime showed the journey of a group of people trying to survive while also keeping their sanity and humanity intact. And that is the part where 'Zom 100' faces a major issue. We follow a set of characters who act inconsistently. Sometimes they act like normal people and sometimes they act like a bunch of drunk psychopaths you would find on the streets. They embark on an aimless journey. More about them in the 'characters' category.

Characters (5/10): Wouldn't you notice if the 'Good Guys' of a show can forget anyone's death just a few moments after their death and can celebrate getting a huge TV like they won the biggest lottery of their life? I personally think you should notice that. Akira and his nudist friend with a questionable personality are both equipped with very little common sense and empathy.Sometimes they crack some silly jokes which didn't hit the spot most of the time. I don't care how much one suffers handling their respective jobs, how painful it gets to keep your cool. Will you lose your human traits just because of the temporary freedom you get? (Of course, it is not temporary in their case as they survive every difficult situation just because they have plot armor, how on earth he jumps better than some Assassin's Creed characters btw?) Akira, his nudist friend, Shizuka and Beatrix continue their journey which has very few things to discuss. I think anyone will be able to tell that there is not much personality in any of the characters. So you get to see Beatrix, she is there for the sole purpose of giving us some fan-service with an added 'Samurai Woman' gimmick which makes her character even less enjoyable to watch. And in Shizuka's case, she also starts acting like Akira and his nudist friend upon meeting them. The reason: 'Happiness, freedom blah blah blah....' To sum up, you will find a bunch of idiotic characters wandering around prioritizing their desires over their survival. I know the author maybe tried taking a less serious approach while writing this. But zombie apocalypse and light hearted comedy about some people chilling and saying some idealistic things once in a while just don't go well together.

Audio (8/10): As always, there is little to complain about the voice acting, it was good. The opening and ending songs were also good. The visuals of those songs were even better.

Overall (7/10): At the end of the day, I can't deny the fact that I enjoyed watching this show(Specially first three episodes). That is the reason you are seeing that rating. Though this show suffers from lack of good writing and likable characters, most of the people will still find it enjoyable. These shows might have a higher 'entertainment value' than most, but lack some basic things that make a show memorable. I still won't recommend it to someone who looks beyond a show's 'entertainment value' and searches for a zombie survival show that handles the situations seriously and has an actual plot.

**I forgot to mention anything about the last three episodes being delayed earlier. That really wasn't any good news for this anime either. The hype has already died out and I had to rewatch all the episodes partially while writing this review (Not watching the recap was intentional btw)