Zeno Robinson

Guten Tag, Fraulein Beatrix!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews , , , , , , , ,

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead Ep 8 Review

There comes a time in the lives of many otaku’s, weebs, and Japanophile’s where loving Japan from afar isn’t enough. They have to take the time and save the money to see the land of the Rising Sun for themselves. Unfortunately, life has a way of throwing people curve balls, like a zombie apocalypse. However, as Zom 100’s philosophy has repeatedly espoused, it’s better to follow your dreams than live without them. As Akira, Kencho, and Shizuka continue their trek across Japan, the young woman they run into loves Japan so much, not even zombies will stop her from enjoying it. Guten tag, fraulein Beatrix! 

Shizuka may have competition on the “Best Waifu’s” list for 2023. 

As a side note, the show updated the opening to include footage of their adventures in Tokyo, and a zombie dance number that would make Michael Jackson proud. 

Beatrix Amerhauser, Japanophile Extreme!

After he managed to tell off his worthless former boss and leave him crying on the road, Akira, Kencho, and Shizuka continue their trek across Japan to Akira’s hometown. Shizuka’s finally more open with the others, joining them in scratching off items on their bucket list. Their road trip winds up taking a detour, though, when they see a truck being attacked by zombies. Before Akira can do his hero thing, though, the driver comes out clad in samurai armor and uses a naginata to skewer all the zombies! 

Meet Beatrix Amerhauser, a 21-year-old German student and die-hard Japanophile. She’s dreamed of coming to Japan since she was a child, but by the time she arrived, the Zombie apocalypse was underway. Like the rest of the group, though, she refuses to despair, wanting to experience as much of Japan as possible. Given her attitude, it’s inevitable that she chooses to join the group.

Beatrix is a very worthy new addition to the show’s roster. Much like Akira, she has this fearless attitude that drives her to do things others would call crazy. She’s just as athletic, too, using her samurai armor and naginata to mow down zombies like it’s nobody’s business. At the same time, she’s also knowledgable like Shizuka. She knows more about Japanese culture than some Japanese do!

Also, like Kencho, there’s a few moments where she’s not afraid of stripping naked, albeit because there’s hot springs involved. In other words, she fits right in with the group.

Hot Springs and Sushi Galore

Introductions to Beatrix aside, this episode is noteworthy for adapting stories into one episode. The first half that introduces Beatrix also sees the group fight a horde of zombies for the chance to try authentic sushi. The second sees the group indulge in a common fanservice staple: hot springs and open-air baths. 

Anyone who’s watched a comedy-based anime will know what a hot spring or open-air bath entails. And like many examples, Akira winds up getting in one at the exact same time that Shizuka does. What makes it funny, though, is the fact that Akira’s more interested in enjoying himself than seeing Shizuka, much to her disbelief. It’s a good way of subverting the classic hot-spring scenario by having the man not be a pervert about it. 

Humor aside, their unexpected time together does lead to a tender moment where Shizuka opens up to Akira more. Despite writing him off as an impulsive idiot at first, she’s come to admire how uninhibited he is. She even admits that she’d hope to date someone like him one day.

That’s right; Akira and Shizuka shippers just got a ton of fuel for their cause!

All in all, this episode was a very light-hearted affair. After the heavy stuff that viewers had to endure in the previous two episodes, it’s nice to get a reprieve. Despite being a zombie story, Zom 100 remains, at its core, a comedy series. That, and the episode introduced us to yet another waifu for 2023, Beatrix Amerhauser. Now fans are going to have to debate who’s better: Beatrix or Shizuka?

Let the arguing begin!

I Give “Sushi and Hot Springs of the Dead” a 4.5/5

Sayonara, Tokyo…and Welcome to Hell, Akira

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews , , , , , , , , , , ,

Zom100: Bucket List of the Dead Ep 6 Review

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. It’s time for them leave the city and find greener pastures. However, a man from Akira’s past threatens to derail Akira’s new life. A man who, in this writer’s 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 it’s time to leave. Their next stop is the Kanto countryside and Akira’s 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 Akira’s joy. 

Even though Shizuka acts like an ice queen and tries to be all business, the trio’s search at an RV show makes it clear: Akira is rubbing off on her. She ends up letting her sillier side slip, proving that she’s 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 trio’s forced to flee in an RV from zombies, the matter’s settled. She’s part of their group, whether she likes it or not. Welcome aboard, She-Spock.

Too bad things go wrong right outside the city.

Kosugi is Trash

So the trio’s 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 Akira’s 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. 

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!

I Give “RV of the Dead” a 4/5

‘Zom 100’ is a Hilarious Jab at How Corporate Jobs Can be Hell!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews , , , , , , , ,

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead Review

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 doesn’t look that bad. Yes, society collapses, and people have to fight to stay alive. But when you contrast that to how horrible Akita’s 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. It’s enjoying yourself. Maybe Akira has the right idea about what he’s doing. Regardless, I’m going to enjoy watching this series.

There’s 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 can’t all quit our dead-end jobs, seeing someone like us do that makes our world a little brighter?

I Give “Akira of the Dead” a 4.5/5