Zom 100 Episode 1 Breathes New Life into an Undead Genre

I was one of the many zombie apocalypse fans for a long time, helped along by popular properties like The Walking Dead and The Last of Us. Though the genre has certainly run its course, we are now in the phase of the zombie genre where we get more lighthearted works like Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead.

The first episode of the anime adaptation of the popular manga series doesn’t hold back in its more satirical take on the genre. In turn, it leads to a much more refreshing and intriguing experience than I expected. The series starts with Akira Tendo, a young man who works at a stereotypical overworking Japanese company.

The first several minutes of the series takes place well before the zombie outbreak, but doesn’t hold back in its heavy-handed but welcome message. Though the zombies aren’t around yet, the series uses Japanese work environments as a way to discuss the problematic companies that overwork someone to the point of being a living zombie.

In this way, Akira is already part of the undead long before zombies start eating brains. This strangely serious montage of his life prior to the apocalypse was a nice touch and set the stage well for the complete 180 in the second half once the apocalypse begins.

Instead of waking up everyday dreading life, Akira is happy that zombies have taken over the world and he no longer has to work himself to literal death. To this point, he makes a list of the 100 things he wants to do before he dies, such as telling his crush that he likes her and more.

This switch from the more mundane and depressing tone of the normal daily life to the surprisingly goofy and fun tone of the apocalypse is an exciting twist. It’s even better with the solid animation from Bug Films that uses color and sharp outlines well. It knows just when to have a more monotone style, and then splash it with vibrant color.

Zom 100 isn’t perfect by any means, though, having its fair share of concerns in the writing department. For one, while it balances its distinct tonal switches well, there are some elements that are a bit too light. This includes a notably naughty sequence in the first half that was a bit jarring and completely unnecessary.

This unnecessarily long bit of controversial subject matter only took away from the otherwise solid experience. In this way, it has not completely sold that the script will be able to make good on the solid and unique zombie premise it has.

But the first episode does just enough to set you up for the rest of the series. It introduces most of the core cast, shows how gory and funny it can be, and gives viewers a welcome protagonist in Akira. He is relatable, funny, and quite different from the more heroic characters you’d find in a story like this. For this reason, I am excited to keep watching and see if Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead can keep up this refreshing take on this completely (un)dead genre.

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead will release on Crunchyroll and Netflix weekly, starting on July 9, 2023. Viz Media handles the manga outside Japan.