THRT picks the gems from the past anime year. Today: “Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead.”
Yes, there might be a bit more zombie media than we really need. But who cares when we get anime like “Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead”? The best zombie work in years that also shows that, so far, the last screw has not been invented in the undead genre.
The series follows Akira Tendo, a 24-year-old office worker living in misery, drowned in routine and overwork to the extent that he has practically become a zombie. And then a real zombie apocalypse happens. Society collapses, and Akira wakes up from his stupor. He realizes he doesn’t need to go to work today.
He realizes he only has one life, and it’s happening now. He makes a list of all the things he wants to do before becoming a zombie. And suddenly, he is happier than ever, all while blood starts spraying in all the colors of the rainbow.
“Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead” is an incurably positive series that manages the feat of being both life-affirming and sentimental without being overly naive or provocative. Even though it’s an absurd comedy, it is also very much a zombie drama. It shows that life is fragile and worth living. Making it so much more brutal when it is suddenly ripped away.
The only major drawback the series really has is that, for some reason, it has been put on pause, and it’s unclear when the last episodes of the first season will be released. Fans are keeping their fingers crossed for January-March 2024.
But until then, there are still nine fantastic episodes available to watch today. And in the spirit of “Zom 100,” it’s actually not the ending that matters. It’s the journey there.
“Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead” is available to watch on Netflix and Crunchyroll.
