This year, One Piece fans got to eat well. Next year, One Piece fans will be eating even better than before.
One Piece is a modern-day epic that few can measure up to. It’s a story about following your dreams and living life to the fullest. And right now, it’s more popular than ever. It’s the latest film earned big money in North America. Luffy got his balloon at this year’s Macyโs Thanksgiving Day Parade. The live-action Netflix series broke the curse of lousy live-action adaptations. And when Crunchyroll posts clips from the anime on YouTube, they trend. Bottom line, One Piece is more popular than ever. And next year, it’s going to get even better.
Early One Piece is getting a Remake
An all-new anime adaptation of the ONE PIECE manga starting from the iconic East Blue saga is coming to Netflix!
Titled THE ONE PIECE, the anime series will be produced by the renowned WIT Studio, recognized for their work on hit anime such as SPY x FAMILY and Attack on Titan. pic.twitter.com/EFMVcKxqj3
Next year marks the 25th birthday of the One Piece anime, and it will be commemorated In a big way. In an announcement on Twitter, Netflix announced that they would be remaking the anime from the start. More importantly, instead of being made by Toei, this remake, named The One Piece, will be produced by Studio Wit. Wit is renowned for creating the first three seasons of Attack on Titan. More recently, it’s also Co-animated another popular Shonen anime, Spy x Family, alongside CloverWorks.
This is big news for One Piece fans. Despite being more popular than ever, One Piece can still intimidate a lot of potential fans from enjoying it. At 1,100+ chapters and 1,078+ episodes long, it takes a lot of dedication for newcomers to work through. Even factoring in the movies that abridge some of the earlier arcs, it will still take a while to get through! An ongoing fan project, One Pace, cuts out much of the filler and padding by Toei, but it’s still long.
This remake offers a chance to retell the earliest days of One Piece better than ever. With updated animation in the vein of Attack on Titan and the ability to not include filler, One Piece can retell its early days and attract even more fans.
In Other One Piece News
MONSTERS: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation by Eiichiro Oda tells the tale of Ryuma, the legendary swordsman that hails from the Land of Wano in One Piece.
In addition to the remake, there are plenty of other things that One Piece fans have to celebrate going into 2024. In January 2024, Netflix will be debuting the ONA Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation. Based on a one-shot One Piece mangaka Eichiro Oda created in 1994, the ONA tells the story of the Samurai Ryuma as he travels his country and fights powerful monsters. It’s also a story that’s been retroactively added to the timeline of One Piece, so this is official lore.
There’s more: The live-action One Piece series is getting a second season. Making huge waves in the summer of 2023, the series broke the trend of bad live-action adaptations of popular anime. It helps that Oda actively guided production, and Netflix listened to him.
Lastly, January 7th will mark the animeโs official start to the Egghead Island Arc. Currently ongoing in the manga, this arc has already seen multiple jaw-dropping moments and reveals that fans are eating up:
The official introduction to the mysterious Dr. Vegapunk.
The backstory of the enigmatic Bartholomew Kuma
The rapidly changing status and allegiance of several named characters.
Confirmation that one of the most hotly anticipated locations in the series is imminent.
The bottom line is that now is a great time to be a One Piece. With the series directly into its final saga, it’s the perfect time for people to participate in this legendary story. One Piece could go down as one of the greatest stories ever told. Stories like it only come once in a generation or even generations.
Have you ever seen the plot of JJ Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek film? Thanks to the power of time travel, Abrams could alter the circumstances around the day James T. Kirk was born and create a separate, alternate timeline from the established canon. The result was similar to what the Star Trek fans had known for forty years, but the dynamics between many characters changed, as did their paths in life. That’s what the new hit anime Scott Pilgrim Takes Off amounts to. Instead of being the adaptation of the popular graphic novel or the 2010 based on it, it does the same thing that Abrams did with Star Trek. While some fans might be mad we don’t get the adaptation of the graphic novels or films they wanted, I don’t care. This is like a licensed AU Fanfiction, and I freaking love it!
This is my spoiler review ofย Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. If you haven’t watched the show (or don’t care), do so and return. Or read my spoiler-free review.
Pulling the Wool over Everyone’s Eyes
The anime starts following the graphic novels and film. Scott’s a slacker who plays in his band Sex Bob-omb and dates a high schooler. He meets Ramona Flowers, the girl from his dreams, and asks her for a date. Then he learns that she has seven “evil” exes that he has to fight so he can date her. Everything is going the way fans expect it to go.
Until it doesn’t. As Scott starts fighting the first evil exes, Matthew Pattel, he seemingly dies, exploding into coins like Matthew should’ve. And everyone, in-universe and out, is going, “What the heck just happened?!?”
WHAT A TWIST!!
This is the moment where Scott Pilgrim Takes Off reveals its ultimate surprise. Going in, everyone thought that this was an adaptation of the film or graphic novels. Instead, a sequel a la Alternate Universe, and despite being the titular character, Scott Pilgrim’s barely in it
I loved this twist when I first saw it. I never read the novels and couldn’t get into the movie, but I knew the general synopsis of what would happen. To see everything go off the rails into AU territory before the first episode was done made me want to jump up from the couch and yell “holy snap, this is going to be good!” And while some people might not like this twist and how it changes things, I liked itโespecially considering what happens next and who the series follows.
What the Cast Does Without the “Main Character.”
At first glance, it looks like Scott Pilgrim is dead, and the story’s plot is now lost. However, while the original canon is now impossible to follow, the show opens up to new possibilities as the cast grapples with Scott’s apparent passing and what this means for their lives.
Starting in episode two, everyone that knew Scott personally attends his funeral and takes the time to grieve for him (or not.) As is the case in real life, though, they eventually have to move on with their lives in some way, shape, or form. And while most of the cast handles this event in their ways, Knives gets the best change from the original story.
In the original story, Knives Chau was the high-schooler the adult Scott was dating, to everyone’s dismay. She got a little too obsessed with Scott for her good, and what happens with Ramona leads to a lot of drama. Initially, that part remains unchanged, with Knives blaming Ramona for getting Scott killed. However, once she takes the time to process everything, she realizes that her relationship with Scott won’t work out. In addition, she also joins Sex Bob-omb and proves to be an amazing musician, helping her move on with her life. This is one welcome change to the original story. People frowned upon an adult dating a minor when the story first came out, even more so today.
A Pointless League of Evil Exes=Character Development
The people in Scott’s circle of friends aren’t the only ones affected by the loss of Scott, either. After his surprise win, Matthew Pattel calls the League of Evil Exes and gets them all to realize something important: they have no reason to exist. More importantly, they realize that they’d never win Ramona back even if they won. Their leader, Gideon Graves, was using them to get her back for himself. As a result, the League falls apart with everyone their separate ways, with varying levels of importance in the series. The most important, though, are Matthew Pattel and Gideon, the former of which challenges the latter to a fight for his business empire and wins. Suddenly, the starter villain ends up being the top dog!
As interesting as this is, though, the fate of the League serves as a deconstruction of how silly their whole concept was. They were only united by their pain of getting dumped by Ramona. Most of them weren’t even evil. The second ex, Lucas Lee, even says they called themselves that for branding purposes. Furthermore, they all move on with their lives without the need to fight for Ramona (since she wouldn’t take them back anyway). Several of them go so far as to join the circle of Scott’s friends, proving that most weren’t evil. They were just upset over how bad things ended with Ramona.
Except for Gideon. He decides to keep being evil, not to get Ramona back but because he enjoys it. That, and his new girlfriend, Scott’s frenemy Julie Powers, thinks his evil is hot, which I find hilarious.
Ramona is the Real Main Character of the Series
With Scott seemingly gone, someone else has to take up the main character role. And that person winds up being Ramona Flowers. After dealing with the loss of Scott, Ramona discovers that he might be alive and that one of her exes might have kidnapped him. As a result, she makes it her mission to figure out who did it and get Scott back.ย
While some might wonder why Ramona would go so far for a guy she went on a single date with (including Scott’s friends), I don’t see it as too much of a stretch. I see it as her feeling guilty for what happened to him. Plus, there were sparks between them by her admission, so she thinks he might be worth it.
Ramona Was no Saint With Her Exes
Ramona Flowers being cold and distant at times? Yeah, that makes sense. She's been through it. But the movie forgot that Ramona can also be warm and funโthat she's supposed to genuinely love being in a relationship with Scott.
Besides the added benefit of allowing Ramona to meet with and befriend Scott’s friends on her terms, the show also serves another, interesting premise. The source material only sometimes understood why she dumped her exes beyond the bare minimum of details. In contrast, though, the anime not only gives fans greater detail about what happened, but demonstrates how Ramona isn’t entirely innocent of what happened. As the show reveals, rather than handling rough patches with her partners when they came around, Ramona tended to break things off and bail. For whatever faults they had, her exes have every right to feel bitter at Ramona.
Ironically, this makes her a lot like Scott regarding their relationships. Scott had a problem with actually ending them, and Ramona has a problem with ending them too brutally. The anime allows her to find closure with most of her exes, helping everyone move on and become semi-better people. Even Gideon, the only evil ex, finds some closure with Ramona.
Scott Pilgrim’s Worst Enemy is Himself
Now, for the big twist at the end of the series with Scott’s inevitable return. As it turns out, he was pulled into the future by himself. Or rather, a version of himself from a timeline where things proceeded as they did in the original canon. Despite winning against the Exes and marrying Ramona, Old Scott got into a fight with Ramona after several years, and becomes convinced she dumped him. She didn’t; she just wanted space, and he overreacted by trying to change his past and stop himself from dating Ramona in the first place. All this created an alternate reality, like in the 2009ย Star Trekย film.
Despite Old Scott’s best efforts, he fails to convince Show Scott to stay away from Ramona. Telling Show Scott what would’ve happened helps Old Scott accelerate his character development. Thanks to Future Ramona’s help, by the time he gets back, he realizes that dating Knives was a bad idea- drama averted.
Old Scott Pilgrim ultimately proves to be the final villain of the series, as his inability to fix his problems leads to him, ironically, becoming another evil ex. Some might call it corny, but I like the idea of an alternate version of oneself being evil. It’s a look into what we’d be like if we decided to be the worst versions of ourselves.
I Would Watch a Season Two
Ultimately, Scott PilgrimTakes Off doesn’t just adapt the movie or graphic novels but improves on them while becoming its own thing. The fans loved it, and I think it’s one of the best anime to come out in 2023. Considering the anime we’ve gotten this year, that’s saying something.
Will they make a second season of the anime? After all, the show has already broken free of the original canon and could keep going. I would want to watch it!
I will be upfront: I was never into Scott Pilgrim when it came out. I have never read graphic novels, and I have never watched movies (until now). My only frame of reference was a parody done by that MAD cartoon on Cartoon Network from ten years ago. However, after I saw the trailer for the anime series coming out on Netflix, I found myself interested. I tried to watch the movie to prepare myself for the anime, but it wasn’t as interesting as I thought. However, that did nothing to dampen my enthusiasm for the anime, and after one binge session, I had only one thing to ask myself:
Why did I sleep on this for all these years?
Full disclosure: this is one of two reviews for the series. The other one will dive into full-on spoiler territory.ย
Scott Pilgrim Breaks Canon
After a banger opening set to the song “Bloom” by Japanese band Necry Talkie, the anime starts much like how things go in the film and graphic novels. Scott’s still a slacker dating a high-schooler who then meets Ramona Flowers, the girl whose literally from his dreams, and is instantly smitten. However, he also learns that if he wants to date Ramona, he has to fight her seven evil exes. For the first episode or so, the story follows the source material to a tee…and then goes completely off the rails.
In what has to be one of the biggest anime twists of the year, Scott PilgrimTakes Off isn’t a straight adaptation of the movie or the graphic novels. The best comparison I can make is that it follows in the vein of JJ Abrams’ Star Trek film from 2009. It changes one canon event in an unexpected way that makes the story as we knew it impossible to tell. From there, things go in a direction so unexpected that some might call it high-quality fanfiction. The basic premise is still there, and the characters retain their major personalities, but now they get to interact in new and unexpected ways.
As someone who’s come to appreciate the creativity of fanfiction, this premise rules.
The Cast of the Movie Makes a Seamless Return
A major part of the appeal of the anime is that most of the film’s cast returned to reprise their roles. And with the extra thirteen years of acting experience to work with, they seem to be better than ever at their roles.
While several of the stars of theย Scott Pilgrimย film had already found success in showbusiness before the film, it wasn’t until after it came out that many of them became household names. Michael Cera has continued to find success on-camera and in the booth, getting roles in films likeย The LEGO Batman Movie, Sausage Party,ย and the recentย Barbieย film. Mae Whitman, who played Roxie Richter, has continued to find success as a voice actor with roles like Amity Blight fromย The Owl Houseย (Which I’m a huge fan of!) And Chris Evans and Brie Larson’s careers have blown up thanks to their roles as Captain America and Captain Marvel in the MCU franchise. Jason Schwartzman helped do the impossible and make The Spot scary in the new Spider-Verse movie! In other words, most of the cast has blown up in the last thirteen years.
The extra decade seems to have upped everyone’s game, as they’re better than ever at their roles in Scott Pilgrim. The bottom line is that they’re good!
I’ve never seen or read the graphic novels beyond some images that I’ve seen online, but the anime adapts the art style almost seamlessly. As zany and whacky as the live-action film was, there’s only so much live-action can do with the source material. Animation, on the other hand, has no such restraints, and can go all-out and tell the story that wasn’t possible before.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is an anime, plain and simple. It was produced by a Japanese animation studio, Science Saru. It includes many of the exaggerated facial expressions that anime are known for. A Japanese metal band sings the opening! Even though it’s based on a piece of Western media, it’s an anime and one of the best-looking ones of 2023.
Scott Pilgrim is a Must-Watch for 2023
As I said before, I never got into Scott Pilgrim when the novels or film came out. Having seen what the anime is like, though, I now understand why so many people love it the way they do. It is amazing! The cast is in top form, the animation is flawless, and the surprising direction that the anime takes is mind-blowing. It’s like a high-quality fanfiction that was lucky enough to be canonized.
If you have a Netflix account, then I cannot stress this enough. Stop what you’re doing, and take the time over the holidays to sit down and watch this show. It’s short at only eight episodes, but the ending will leave you wanting way more. I don’t know if we’ll get a second season, but if we do, I’ll be there to watch it.
Zom 100 is unlike most zombie apocalypse stories that came before, and that has to do with its main themes. The whole story’s an argument that people are spending too much of their lives working and doing what society expects of them instead of doing what they want. As a result, many people never get to do the things they want in life until it’s too late. That’s nothing new to this story, but this week’s episode adds another layer to this concept. It’s hard enough when people need more time to do what they want. Now add that they may not have the time they want to spend with their loved ones before they’re gone.ย
This review will get pretty deep, so put tissues on standby.
As Akira and his group nears the end ofย their trek to his hometown, they run into a literal roadblock. The only tunnel leading to Gunma is sealed off on both sides and infested with zombies. Nothing can get out or get in. Thus, the trip to “Kanto’s best-kept secret” continues on foot, leading the group to run into a carpenter being chased by a zombie boar. After saving his life, the carpenter, Masaru Kumano, explains why he’s out in the woods. He’s building a treehouse to keep himself safe from the zombies, something that Akira and Kencho eagerly join in on. Both because it’s on Akira’s Bucket List, and the simple fact that most kids dream of having a cool treehouse.
Tragically, Kumano reveals that the treehouse is not just for safety, but a tribute to his dead son. He always promised that they’d build a treehouse one day, but he lost his wife and son when the zombie plague broke out. This leaves him filled with melancholy over the fact that he didn’t spend as much time with his kid as he wanted.
This moment defines the tone of the rest of the episode, as it makes Akira reflect on his own relationship with his parents, who he hasn’t seen since he left to work in Tokyo. Many young adults leaving home for the first time (and even the ones who remain at home) can feel guilt over not showing enough gratitude to their parents, or getting to do everything they want with them. That was even before the zombie outbreak; with the chance of survival far lower now, Akira’s more determined than ever to make things up to his parents.
I won’t lie: this episode made me think about my own relationship with my parents, and what I can do to help them as we all get older. Anyone acutely aware of the passage of time and how their parents might not always be around may end up feeling the same.ย
Gunma is the Perfect Anti-Zombie Stronghold…Until Now
Regardless, Akira leads his group to his hometown of Gunma, and he isn’t joking when he calls it Kanto’s “best-kept secret.” It’s the perfect stronghold to ride out a zombie apocalypse: limited routes to get in, self-sustaining food supply, and plenty of people around make it a veritable redoubt. Akira and his friends could take refuge there forever if they wanted to. Alas, trouble’s already brewing in the form of a group that serves as evil twins to Akira and his friends.
Many refugees from the cities wound up making their way to Gunma following the zombie outbreak, which isn’t a problem at first glance. However, four of those people have come with the intent of destroying the village by unleashing the zombies on everyone. The reason why? Simply for the sake of it.
Meet Kanta Higurashi, a nihilistic NEET and Akira’s evil counterpart. The anime doesn’t reveal his full backstory yet, but it spends the final moments of the episode establishingย whyย he and his group are dark reflections of Akira’s group. Like the protagonists, they were people who either wanted more out of life or were dissatisfied with society and their place in it (or lack thereof.) Whereas Akira and his friends are using zombie virus to better themselves and live their best lives, though, Kanta’s group doing the opposite. They’re indulging in their worst vices and acts of petty vengeance against those they think wronged them. There will likely be those who use the end of the world to embrace their worst aspects, and Kanta’s group is a frightening example of what can happen.ย
Too bad we don’t know when the next episode will air.
Support the People in the Anime Industry
Zom 100 has been continually plagued by numerous delays since it’s premiere. As a result, what should’ve been a surefire hit for the summer season has likely not live up to its full potential. Now, it’s suffering its most considerable delay yet as the final three episodes of the first seasonย are delayed indefinitely.ย
I swear someone in Japan must have a personal vendetta against Zom 100 cause why is every episode getting delayed ๐ญ pic.twitter.com/xxHE9uAsCx
There’s a dark sense of irony to this. For an anime about bashing abusiveย working conditions, the anime industry isย one of the worst placesย for people to work. The last few years have seen a growing awareness of how bad it is working in the anime industry, with people even being hospitalized from sheer exhaustion. Now, that kind of work environment could costย Zom 100ย a spot as one of the best anime of 2023.
The anime opening was actually incomplete when the series premiered. This latest episode is the one that includes the full opening.
There’s no telling when this popular anime might return, but for now, the best fans can do to support is to spread awareness about how great it is. Anyone who’s hated their jobs can emphasize and identify with Akira and his friends, and maybe it can encourage more people to prioritize their own wellness in this chaotic world. That, and it can help spread awareness of how the anime industry needs serious reforms.
Why the Live-Action One Piece Getting a Second Season is a Big Deal
Over the years, Netflix has tried to adapt popular anime into a live-action format, only to fall flat on their faces. Their live-action Cowboy Bebop got canceled less than a month after first premiering. And their film adaptation of Death Note was hated so much, the director deleted his Twitter to avoid the death threats. Needless to say, anime fans are adamant about any adaptations being true to the source. Then, Netflix decided to team up with mangaka Eichiro Oda to adapt his legendary series, One Piece. And despite the stigma surrounding live-action adaptations, One Piece succeeded where so many others failed. It was good! It didn’t reach the same levels of comedy as the original story, but it captured the spirit of the series in a way few had.
The show’s success is apparent to Netflix and fans alike. At the time of this writing, it’s consistently remained in the top ten most-watched shows on the platform. In addition, it’s garnered more popularity than the Ahsoka miniseries. Fans waited years for that to come out, and One Piece blew it out of the water. Thus, it comes as no surprise when Eichiro Oda himself announced on social media that the series would be getting a second season.
Exciting news for ONE PIECE fans! ๐ดโโ ๏ธ
Netflix's Live-Action series got a green light for a second season.
— Welcome to the New ERA! AniMa W3 (WE) Studio! (@AniMaW3Studio) September 14, 2023
An Unprecedented Decision
This decision is unprecedented. While live-action adaptations of anime have gotten sequels in movie format, such as Ruronori Kenshin, to the best of my knowledge, it’s never happened to a show itself. In a recentย interview with Deadline, executive producers Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements admitted that they already have a roadmap planned out for six seasons of the show. If it does well enough, though, they have plans for twelve seasons. If that’s true, then Netflix could attempt to adapt the entire series over the next ten or so years.ย
Those familiar enough with One Piece will know how Herculean a task this is.ย One Pieceย is a series with a thousand-plus chapters under its belt, and a near-equal amount of anime episodes. In other words, there’s a lot of material to cover. If the people at Netflix are truly investing in this for the long haul, then they’re going to have make a lot of hard decisions. How much of the material will they choose to adapt per episode? Assuming they choose to give season two the same number of episodes as the first one, they will have to condense a lot of material. At best, they’ll be covering the Loguetown arc all the way up to the end of the Alabasta Saga. That’s a tall order to fill!
— ONE PIECE(ใฏใณใใผใน) Netflix (@onepiecenetflix) September 17, 2023
Then there’s also the manner of how much this will cost them. Asย One Pieceย progresses, the fights become more elaborate and fantastical. Considering how many of the opponents that Luffy and the others will be facing from this point onward will have Devil Fruit powers, they will have to find a way to adapt them to live action. That means a lot of money will go towards special effects and related issues. One of the future Straw Hat’s alone will have to be created entirely by CGI. Adapting most of this will cost a lot of money!
Fortune Favors the Bold…and the Crazy
Regardless of the cost, though, it seems likely that Netflix will be willing to pay whatever they have to ensure that their adaptation of One Piece is a success. Despite some nitpicks, the show has largely been a success, capturing the spirit of the anime and manga in live-action form. Countless people worldwide are getting into One Piece thanks to the live-action series. Before, many would refrain from getting into the franchise, intimidated by its sheer length and size. The live-action series serves as a mean for newcomers to get into One Piece without having to spend days binging the anime or manga, making it an appealing alternative for those lacking free time.
As for Oda, he’s getting the chance to retell one of the greatest stories in recorded human history: his story. It’s not even complete, and it can already stand toe-to-toe with legendary, centuries-old tales. With the right planning, advertising, and Oda’s steady hand, it could become the big show to watch in the 2020s. Even if it isn’t, though, One Piece has already secured its legacy for generations to come.
That, and there’s no way it could do worse than the end to Game of Thrones.
After another round of delays, Zom100 is back and about to be bigger than ever. With Tokyo finally losing electricity, resources running low, and more zombies showing up, Akira and Kencho have no need to stay in Tokyo. Itโs time for them leave the city and find greener pastures. However, a man from Akiraโs past threatens to derail Akiraโs new life. A man who, in this writerโs honest opinion, belongs in one of two places: in jail, or dead in a gutter.
I am being serious. This person is worth less than pond scum.
Sayonara, Tokyo!
With the power now out and the apartment out of water, Akira and Kencho have little to gain by staying in Tokyo. The zombie hordes are becoming too big a problem to ignore, so they decide itโs time to leave. Their next stop is the Kanto countryside and Akiraโs hometown, Gunma. In addition to their decision to leave making sense from a logical stance, it also makes sense from a narrative standpoint. Having the series take place in a single location would risk losing its initial appeal. Having them leave gives more opportunities for storytelling.
That, and it leads to the duo running into Shizuka once more, to her chagrin, and Akiraโs joy.
Even though Shizuka acts like an ice queen and tries to be all business, the trioโs search at an RV show makes it clear: Akira is rubbing off on her. She ends up letting her sillier side slip, proving that sheโs not as cold as she makes herself out to be. Besides giving her more character, it also endears her to the others. And when the trioโs forced to flee in an RV from zombies, the matterโs settled. Sheโs part of their group, whether she likes it or not. Welcome aboard, She-Spock.
So the trioโs driving on the highway when, all of a sudden, they run over a spike strip, leaving them stranded and Kencho injured. The culprit is a group of literal highwaymen led by none other than Akiraโs worst nightmare. The man responsible for making the last three years of his life Hell, a man who is the absolute worst: his former boss, Kosugi.
If Zom100 is an argument against the exploitative nature of capitalism, then Kosugi is the worst aspects of it personified into a piece of trash. Shizuka sees right through him: he sabotages anyone leaving the city so they’ll be stranded, then forces them to work for him in exchange for his “help.” In other words, he’s running an extortion racket, and everyone knows it. So, Akira has to go back to working for him for two days while they fix his ride. At least, that’s what it’s supposed to be.
It’s here where the depths of Kosugi’s abusive nature take center-stage. Everytime he talks, he’ll either be yelling at his workers for not doing their job the way he wants. Worse, he’ll yell at them if they show any initiative, like when Akira tries to freeze some beer for everyone, and he calls it a waste of energy. Then, to add insult to injury, when everyone’s happy about it, he takes full credit for it.
This episode is hard to watch, especially after we've seen how optimistic Akira could be. I am already excited to see how Akira's boss gets his comeuppance. #Zom100#ใพใณ100pic.twitter.com/saNeCJUwTe
Kosugi is the worst aspects of corporate culture personified. He’s sleazy, sexist, and knows how to mix abuse with empty praise so that people like Akira will become dependent on him. No wonder why Akira’s job was absolute hell: this man doesn’t deserve to be the boss of anyone. If anything, he deserves to be in jail.
Akira Needs to Stand Up for Himself
Sadly, the episode ends on this bleak note as Akira, despite his best efforts, is falling back into the same zombie-like mentality he possessed at the beginning. If this keeps up, then he’s going to be a wage-slave again. The saddest part about this is the fact that these sorts of things happen in the real-world only makes this harder to watch.
That said, I enjoyed the lightheartedness at the start of the episode, especially regarding Akira and Shizuka. The ice queen’s not so above it all.
Also, there were cameos from the zombie land saga in the zombies!
Once upon a time, working an office job for a big corporation seemed like the ideal life. To get paid working in a safe place that required minimal physical labor sounded like a dream come true. Then people realized the truth: office jobs suck! You face annoying commutes to work, do something that, in the grand scheme of things, has no value, and potentially deal with bosses that are either jerks or idiots. And when a person deals with that day in and day out, every day, can you even call that living? It’s less like you’re living and more like being a zombie.
Then again, being a zombie might be an even better alternative. That seems to be the philosophy that this new, hilariously comedic horror anime called Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead seems to live by. When everyone living through a zombie apocalypse is the equivalent of hell, this show looks at us and asks, “Was life before any better?”
Akira Tendo, the Corporate Slave Zombie…
The first episode opens with one of the most depressingly realistic introductions to a character I’ve seen in a while. Meet Akira Tendo, who, at the young age of 24, already lives like he was dead. Three years ago, he got a job at a production company fresh out of college. At a glance, it looked like his dream job. He’d be doing what he loved, his co-workers seemed nice, and he even had a crush on this cute one named Saori Ohtori.
It took less than a day for him to start hating it.
If people in America think corporate jobs are bad, then that’s nothing. In Japan, there’s the concept of a “black company.” In essence, it’s everything negative about working in a big business office job. Everyone’s expected to work overtime without pay; the bosses are more like slave drivers and concern for mental and physical health is nonexistent. It gets to the point where some people would rather die than live like that. I’m being serious.
As depressing as this is, Zom 100 plays up Akira’s horrible life for the sake of black comedy. We hear his coworkers bragging about how much overtime they’re putting in; his boss is an abusive demon, and that girl he likes? She’s the boss’ mistress! He can hear them making out from inside the man’s office. By the time we’re introduced to him, he’s more a zombie than a person.
Again, it’s exaggerated for comedy’s sake, but it’s still a big jab at how corporate work sucks.
Wait, a Zombie Apocalypse? I NEVER HAVE TO WORK AGAIN!!
One day, as Akira’s reluctantly headed to his terrible job, the thing so many people dread happens. The zombie apocalypse begins, and Akira starts freaking out. Then, as he’s busy running for his life, he realizes something. Something that will offer him salvation from his hellish life: he never has to work again.
Then suddenly, the formerly monochrome world Akira’s in lights up in an explosion of colors. It’s a big, neon-colored expression of how Akira’s happy for the first time in years. Everyone else is reacting to this like it’s Highschool of the Dead, while Akira’s treating it like the best day of his life. It’s a brilliant moment of black comedy that left me grinning at the sheer audacity. The show’s saying that it would be better to face down zombies rather than sit in an office and do a job that gives you no fulfillment.
So, now alive for the first time in years, Akira does what he should’ve done years ago. He heads to Ohtori’s place to confess his love but finds she’s already a zombie, along with his fat boss. So, killing three birds with one stone, he quits his job, throws his boss out the window, and then confesses to Ohtori before running for it. And he’s still happier than ever.
Get Busy Living Before you Get Busy Dying.
Afterward, Akira realizes that odds are, he’s going to die and become a zombie himself. Before that happens, though, he wants to live his life to the fullest. So, he grabs a notebook from a convenience store and comes up with his bucket list of 100 things to do before he dies. And that is where the first episode is.
There have been many zombie apocalypse stories told over the year, including anime like Highschool of the Dead. But this might be the first time in living memory where the idea of a zombie apocalypse doesnโt look that bad. Yes, society collapses, and people have to fight to stay alive. But when you contrast that to how horrible Akitaโs life was before this, could you even call it living? Life is meant to be more than just slaving away at a job you only do to pay the bills. Itโs enjoying yourself. Maybe Akira has the right idea about what heโs doing. Regardless, Iโm going to enjoy watching this series.
Thereโs more, though. The dub comes out on August 6th on Crunchyroll and Netflix (and has Zeno Robinson as Akira), and the latter is making a live-action version of this. Clearly, the anime distributors seem to have a lot of faith in this, so that should encourage you to watch it. Even if we canโt all quit our dead-end jobs, seeing someone like us do that makes our world a little brighter?
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