Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (2023)

[PictureGuy]

Just out of college, Akira scores getting his dream job at a major Tokyo corporation. Three years later, Akira is totally burned out from overwork, and hates nothing more than getting up in the morning to go to work. Thus begins Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead.

So things are not going that well for Akira. He has no life outside of working in a job he hates. Work days spread into the next day. His bosses are abusive. But soon Akira’s situation improves – thanks to a zombie apocalypse! That’s right. Zombies start to take over the world. Tokyo is destroyed, which means Akira no longer has a job to rule his life. He is free to drink beer, play video games, and just hang out. It is like a permanent vacation.

Zom 100 borders on what I like to call “dumb, but fun.” It is a comedy adventure, though a dark one. There are some tragic twists in the story, so the series does walk a fine line. A very fine line between comedy and tragedy. That’s an aspect of this series which really attracted me. The last three episodes of this twelve episode series turns particularly dark relying not so much on the comedy.

But Akira is not alone. After beginning his bucket list of the 100 things he would like to do before becoming a zombie himself, Akira convinces others to join him on his journey through a bizarre life. First there is his old college buddy, Kenichiou, who often ends up naked. Next there is Shizuka, a cute girl who is wound too tight. And finally the big breasted Japanophile from Germany – Beatrix. Together they travel out of Tokyo on a quest to unite Akira with his parents. The series does a good job of getting in the backstories of the major characters, as well as several of the minor ones.

I particularly like to recognize the series’ art director, Taketo Gonpei. I like the bright color scheme, including multi-color blood. I found it very imaginative. The animation was also great. The characters were not the stick figures you find in many cheaply done anime series. They really came alive.

Will there be a season 2? I hope so. If you like what is out of the ordinary, then you will like Zom 100.

[PictureGuy]

Cartoon Network's Toonami started airing Zom 100 last weekend. If you have Comcast cable, you should be able to watch episode 1 via On-Demand. Episode 2 is this coming weekend.