Review of Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

"I’m finally free!" It’s Akira’s scream of liberation. Half laugh, half cry, as he throws off the chains of soul-crushing corporate life… only after the world ends. Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead opens with this chaotic paradox: the apocalypse isn’t the end, it’s a second chance. Akira, dead inside from overwork, rediscovers life when zombies overrun Tokyo. The premise is genius in its irony. Death brings him back to life. The first few episodes are electric. Vibrant colors, playful animation bursts, and quick pacing mirror Akira’s manic rediscovery of joy. The show doesn’t just subvert the zombie genre, it pokes fun at it.Every horror trope becomes either a punchline or an item on Akira’s bucket list: ride a motorcycle, drink beer at sunrise, confess to your crush. It’s pure, chaotic fun. But after that initial spark, the structure starts to flatten. The bucket list shifts from narrative engine to mere checklist, with arcs feeling loosely stitched together. Akira’s personal growth slows, and while supporting characters like Shizuka, Kencho, and Beatrix add variety, they rarely get enough focus to feel fully developed. The worldbuilding, though quirky, leans heavily on familiar zombie apocalypse setups without expanding its rules or stakes in a meaningful way. Visually, the anime thrives in its use of saturated palettes and sudden color splashes to convey mood, but the animation quality can dip during less important scenes. The soundtrack delivers upbeat and adventurous tracks that match Akira’s energy, while the voice acting, especially Shuichiro Umeda as Akira, captures both his desperation and wild optimism. At its heart, Zom 100 flirts with deeper ideas, burnout culture, the value of freedom, and the fragility of life, but it's not lingering long enough to give them weight. The result is a series that’s joyfully messy, more a mood than a story, more a fireworks show than a lasting memory. Enjoyment is high if you’re here for the ride, but low when you're not, and rewatch value depends on whether you value the chaos over the cohesion. It’s about making peace with uncertainty, chasing fun while you can, and finding meaning in fleeting moments, even if the world’s burning down around you.