Review of Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

Zom 100 is an anime about a zombie apocalypse and, at the same time, isn't about a zombie apocalypse. As contradicting as it may be sound, it makes sense acknowledging that zombie apocalypse, at some point, turned from a genre into a formula every show seems to follow to the T. That formula has gotten so stale so choosing it as a premise is akin to admitting one's own unoriginality. Zom 100, on the other hand, straight up ignores all tropes and oozes with creativity in comparison to media of the same genre and even to anime in general. As every other show about zombiesthe story begins slightly before the calamity. The main character Akira works his ass off for a company sacrificing his both physical and mental health. Constant overworking, an abusive boss, unreasonable demands from clients make Akira treasure every moment he is at home to the extent of depriving himself of precious sleep, because falling asleep means waking up next day and going to work. And a lack of confidence in finding a new job compels him to stay at the company to the very end. There is no surprise he treats the catastrophe as a salvation, it finally breaks the vicious cycle after all, even though without his consent. If it was some other anime, the main character would die from overworking and would be reincarnated in another world, so props to the author for originality.

So after the zombie apocalypse happened, how does the anime handles striving for survival, searching for a vaccine, attempts to recreate civilization, or emotional moments like when a character finds out that their best friend or relative was bitten and they are about to turn? Basically, it doesn't. Of course, because of the genre some bits of these are still present in some form but the main focus is on a different thing. Akira just accepts that he probably can't survive for long enough and decides to spend the time he was given doing staff he always wanted. So the story is episodic and bearing in mind that, first, the premise is quite original for anime and, second, there is a reason for him to goof around in the middle of the apocalypse and also how good many arcs are executed make the story really enjoyable. The rest of the main cast is good for the same reason: they have distinct personalities, so every of them sees the collapse of civilization differently. The only moments the story falls short is when the show presents a conflict between characters. In my opinion, it's far less fun, especially the final arc where the antagonists are a bunch of edgy teenagers, who are angry at the world and use the state of chaos to inflict even more damage just for the sake of it.

The first episode is the best first episode of last year and the best first episode of anime I've watched. It got everything: amazing animation, smooth transitions, black and white color palette representing the mental state of the protagonist, black bars showing how confided the world around him is, and amazing cinematography. The only missing thing is dismembering by those black bars. That's how you make a good first episode instead of just stacking several episodes together until it gets feature movie long. The other episodes aren't that stellar, though, so it's a glaring step-down but they are still good overall. CG is fine but it really stands out how less detailed something like cg cars are, it's a zombie apocalypse, god dammit, add some dents and scratches. I want to mention voice acting, specifically Beatrix's seiyu: her Japanese accent is pleasing to listen. The opening is unique because up to a certain episode it uses the visuals from a previous episode in order to avoid spoilers, I wish every other anime did the same.

Zom 100 is a perfect example of a show that is fun and, at the same time, have a deeper meaning behind it, and the production quality is great as well. I don't sure, however, if it will keep delivering the same quality, given that the first cour already has weaker arcs. Maybe those narrative-driven arcs will be executed better in the future and the bucket list didn't get repetitive, to boot, so there is a hope.