I couldn’t help but notice studio Shaft’s name credited under “Animation Production Cooperation” in the OP (which has some static shots and reused footage of Episode 1, neither of which are good signs). I looked it up and found a tweet from Bug Films’ CEO Hiroaki Kojima, confirming that Shaft will provide major assistance in animating Zom 100, starting with the third episode. I thought the first two episodes, moreso the first one, look really darn good but I was curious if Bug Films could maintain that quality for a whole cour. As mentioned in the first episode review, this show is the first time the studio is at the animation helm. That they’re either outscoring animation to Shaft or collaborating with them on it suggests that they might need some help after all. It’ll a little interesting to see how the animation fares going forward. Shaft have their own aesthetic and style to things and they haven’t played second fiddle in a long time but they are a very capable studio so I don’t think the animation would take a nosedive or anything.
As for the episode itself, it’s pretty good. I’ll admit that I enjoyed it less than the first one but to be fair, the first one was a lightning in a bottle. It was the perfect setup with a perfect payoff and very immaculate direction. The bar was set high so I perhaps should be a little forgiving if the show doesn’t reach that height anytime soon.
You would think that after introducing it last episode that Akira would start tackling his bucket list but it turns out that he only wrote the name of the book last episode. Akira doesn’t actually write the list down until halfway through this episode. This episode instead begins with Akira cleaning out his apartment and enjoying some cans of beer, both of which are top priorities in a zombie apocalypse. After running out of beer, Akira ventures outside to grab more from a convenience store. Along the way, Akira runs into some uninfected neighbors and offers to grab supplies for them (which he doesn’t but I guess it ultimately doesn’t matter). At the store, he runs into another survivor, a young woman named Shizuka Mikazuki (Tomori Kusunoki). Akira offers to exchange contact info but Shizuka is seemingly disinterested in sharing hers and instead points out to Akira that he should grab something more essential to survival than beer. Even though Shizuka is a bit rude here, she does have a point. Akira feeling so carefree and liberated is understandable given his backstory but the fact remains that he is in the middle of a zombie infested Tokyo. It really wouldn’t hurt him to take the situation more seriously. Upon returning home, and grabbing a nice motorcycle, Akira finds that his neighbors’ apartment has been ransacked by zombies and the couple are nowhere to be found.
Perhaps motivated by these recent events, Akira starts writing down his bucket list. Some of the things Akira writes down are things he’s already done the past episode and a half so they’re immediately crossed down. Perhaps the most noteworthy entries Akira are writes down is seeing his parents and best friend again. Considering that he never took PTO, I assume that he’s never seen his friends and family in the past three years. It is maybe a tall order to fulfill these resolutions. Considering the situation, who knows if any of these people are still alive. Still, it’s the thought that counts and it gives Akira a good reason to venture outside the comforts of his apartment.
For the third act of the episode, the spotlight shifts over to Shizuka and we see the day retold in her perspective. Evidently, Shizuka takes the zombie outbreak a lot more seriously than Akira. She maintains a supply of survival items, exercises to stay fit, and studies the zombies’ behavior so that she knows how to deal with them. Suffice to say, she’s handling the situation very well. While she’s not as happy-go-lucky as Akira, there is a potential listlessness to her outlook. All Shizuka seems to have on her mind is survive. Give Akira credit, he literally has a list of things he can occupy himself with, some of which are very meaningful for him to do. That might be what causes Shizuka to gravitate to Akira in the near future. And make no mistake, they are going to meet again.
Watch Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Netflix
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