FIF#142-High School of the Dead

It was just another day.  High School.  Romance issues.  Rowdy friends…and then it all came to a halt when a lone creature appeared at the school gates.  For Takashi Komuro and Rei Miyamoto, this was when the world the grew up in ended.  Their High School becomes overrun with legions of Undead and their numbers rapidly grow as more students are slain in the chaos.  Together with four other student survivors, Takashi and Rei must somehow escape from their High School and find sanctuary.  But as the city burns beyond, is anywhere safe from the Zombie outbreak?
 
This is a title that’s been on my radar for a long time.  Long before The Walking Dead came along and progressively sucked the life out of the genre (apologies to anyone who still watches the show and enjoys it), High School of the Dead was the cool kid on campus and it’s easy to see why.  It looks gorgeous, more like an OVA than a TV Series; has stylish, gore filled action; and yes…sexy schoolgirls smashing their way through the Zombie apocalypse and looking good doing so.  The previews show promise, what about the first episode?
 
HSotD on the surface takes several cues from the Zombie Horror subgenre of Horror Films: it’s just an everyday kind of day, the protagonists are or were lovers who have their share of issues…and naturally the horror that comes with the very beginning a Zombie outbreak.  And yet HSotD juggles all of these elements and adds some very Anime ones for a fresh and fun little outing that could only get better with future episodes.  While the show boasts a good sized cast, the focus of Episode 1 is on Takashi and Rei, who could be the focal point of much of the series.  As I said, they have their issues from Rei dating Takashi’s best friend to Takashi being a kind hearted slacker who seems to give up before even trying to solve a problem.  All of that is put to the test when the Zombies arrive and both must embrace their inner bad asses…which comes naturally to both Takashi and Rei, using a bat and a spear to kick some serious ass.  But for all the gore filled spectactle, HSotD isn’t above good drama.  Case in point, the fate of Takashi’s bestie and one of the terrible realities that comes with the Zombie apocalypse.  Even if there is a drop dead gorgeous girl by his side and others he’s sure to meet, I don’t envy Takashi having to do the unthinkable to ensure he and Rei survive the end of Episode 1.
 
High School of the Dead is definitely going on my 2022 review schedule, probably as soon as possible.  I wanna see where this goes, both the premise and the chances to see a bunch of high schoolers embrace their inner survivor and kick zombie ass.  And yes, when I do a proper series review, THEN I will talk about the overabundance of TnA that puts HSotD’s visuals on a near Hentai esque level.  Til then, hang in there.  I’m definitely coming back to this one in a couple of months.