Akira Tendo has been stuck in a soul crushing job for
three years. Driven into a deep
depression, Akira would give anything to just have one day off from work. When the Zombie Apocalypse kicks off without
him realizing it, Akira discovers that he’s about to get his wish but not in
the way he expected. Akira finds himself
reinvigorated and determined to finally make use of his free time to do
whatever he wants, whenever he wants by creating a list of 100 things he wants
to do before he dies. It’s the end of
the world for most but for Akira, life is only just beginning.
Zom 100 is one of the most anticipated Anime of 2023 and
one episode in, I can see why.
The
premise before the Zombies is one everyone can relate to at one point in their
lives: a dead end job, little free time, and the effects it can have on ones
daily life and psyche.
Now, having the
Zombie Apocalypse being a cure for that…it’s non sensical.
But damn if I’m not gonna say it works for
Zom 100.
I saw the first episode
featured at a few panels at this years Otakon and every time it popped up, it
got a huge round of applause and fanfare.
And it’s totally worthy of it because this might be one of the best
premiere episodes I’ve ever seen in Anime and a nice set up for the bizarrely
fun adventures to come.
The pilot works on several levels but Akira and the
Animation are top of the list.
Poor
Akira.
The more you get into his
monotonous and truly depressing daily routine, the more you want something,
anything to go right for this guy.
Again,
we’ve all been there: bright eyed and totally excited to begin a new job only
to discover it’s not what we thought it would be.
The lack of color the more you get into
Akira’s work history is a brilliant touch, symbolizing the deepening depression
to a T.
It’s so effective that when the
Zombie do appear, you’re as gob smacked as Akira when the color starts
blotching it.
It’s almost like the
screen is distorting itself while youre watching, especially on a computer,
until Akira’s big revelation bursts forth into true bright and vibrant
colors…it’s freaking amazing and a weirdly nice breath of fresh air after being
walked through Akira’s daily routine of overworked depression.
That’s not to say that Zom 100 isn’t relying solely on
carefree dark humor.
This is a Zombie
series and very few of them are total comedies.
Just because Akira is free as a bird in this nightmare doesn’t mean
others are not.
Such is the sad fate of
the cute Accountant Girl he fell in love with only to learn she’s the Mistress
of his Boss.
There’s such a thrill in
Akira confronting his overlord of a Manager, only to discover his poor love has
succumbed to the Zombie outbreak.
It’s a
recognizable Zombie genre trope and I’m sure it wont be the last one in Zom
100.
However, this is still Zom 100 and
it isn’t long before Akira is putting the past behind him and looking forward
to his future list of activities, whether it be getting his Motorcycle license,
skydiving or just day drinking and binging shows at home.
Carpe Diem indeed.
Zom 100’s hype is everything you’ve heard it to be.
The first episode alone ranks up there with
some of the best Anime premieres like Cowboy Bebop or Komi Can’t Communicate as
it could open a show or just be a short film, effective and stand alone.
But I definitely wanna see what kind of
trouble Akira can get up to in Zombiefied Japan and see who else might share
his vision of this being the best Vacation ever.
It’s nothing a sane person should ever want.
But for Akira Tendo, this is Anime, and I’m willing
to give him a pass.
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