Review of High School of the Dead

THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW If you look at some of the most referenced shows of the early 2010s, „Highschool of the Dead“ is one that very often comes up as one of the first examples. But what got me interested in this show was actually the staff that worked on it, because this show was directed by one of the greatest anime directors of all time, Tetsuo Araki! Story – 7/10 This show definitely hits the ground running in the very first minute of episode 1. The pacing is extremely fast for the most part. Zombies are an integral part of the horror genre to a pointwere you basically know what to expect from a show that includes them. A good zombie movie has to somehow set itself apart from the rest if it wants to be memorable. Unfortunately, “Highschool of the Dead” , while having some recognizeable aspects (The zombies only being able to react to sound made for some interesting ideas being explored) simply did not have enough new things that added to the genre. Everything in this story is written purely just for shock-factor, which is probably the cheapest way of entertainment in my opinion.
However, I think from a writing perspective, the story itself kinda makes sense if you look at it. The inclusion of world politics, although barely developed in the short 12-episode run makes for a highly interesting scenario. What I mean is, that I can see some potential here. Unfortunately this show will never get a season two because the author, Satou Daisuke, passed away before being able to complete his work on the manga.
So, if the plot is generic and the show is unfinished, then why is it still talked about to this day? The only big standout of this show was the ecchi aspect, and my god, they did not hold back. Some of the most unhinged, iconic and just insane scenes were put in here. There is an entire episode that just has girls bathing together. Isn´t there an apocalypse going on outside? What is happening??

Art – 8/10

Tetsou Araki´s track record with anime has always been outstanding. He is most known for his work on “Death Note” (Where he managed to turn one of the most dialogue heavy shounen jump manga at the time into a memorable, fast-paced thrill ride) and “Attack on Titan” (Where he revolutionized the use of on-rail camera usage combined with 3D-backgrounds creating some of the most immersive action setpieces ever).
“Highschool of the Dead” animation seemes like a precursor to the later “Attack on Titan”. The camera usage is already outsatdning, the shots are creative and incredibly stylish. There are some clunky moments, and you can tell some of the things they tried to do needed a bit more polish, but the animation as a whole is actually really good. The colour grading and the whole vibe of the show is very reminiscent of his earlier work on “Death Note”. The colours are toned down, it gets very dark and gritty for most of the time.
The character designs were certainly unique, but whenever the show slows down you can see that the animation quality drops quite a bit.

Sound – 6/10

The OP is a banger, both visually and musically excellent. I can see why it is one of the most beloved openings ever even today. The OST of the show itself however had some problems, starting with the genre selection. The tracks that play in the background don´t seem to follow a cohesive line. There is EDM, Opera, Metal and more just thrown in whenever the writers pleased leading to a lack of a distinct musical identity.

Characters – 6/10
The character in the show mostly followed classic anime tropes. Our protagonist is the typical self-insert hero, similar to the heroes you see in some of today's Isekai shows. The big standout out of the female cast was Saeko Busujima, who actually has a very interesting backstory. Because of the limited runtime and the fast-paced nature of the show, the rest of the female characters lack development.
However, if you put the whole group together, there is some great chemistry to be found here. Because of their shared destiny they are held together while the world falls apart around them. That´s compelling and interesting, and I would have loved to see where this series would have gone in the future.

Enjoyment – 8/10

This is just a fast-paced thrill-ride with some interesting ideas and an insane amount of ecchi thrown into the mix. Watching this feels like eating fast-food. You know it´s bad for you, but it tastes to good that you just can not stop eating it. If I was 15, i´d have rated this 10/10. I can definitely see why this show is still talked about to this day.
If you are a fan of horror (especially the zombie-genre) and like your ecchi, this show was made for you. If not, you can probably skip out on this one.

- Marco_Yooo

FINAL SCORE - 7/10