Zom 100: Cien cosas que quiero hacer antes de convertirme en zombi

"I'm just so happy to have a day off of work!" This would have been my anime of the year of season 2 of Jujutsu Kaisen didn't come out the same year. This is actually perfect at what it is going for and I can't believe I haven't heard more people talk about it. It has everything going for it from the animation, comedy, voice acting, action, and especially the characters. This came out of nowhere on Netflix and I heard basically nothing about it until like a week ago, and I binged the entire thing as soon as it all got dubbed. Zom 100 is the story of Akira Tendo (Zeno Robinson) as he and three others create a bucket list of things they want to do during the zombie apocalypse before they eventually get turned into zombies. Akira is the greatest example of Japanese work culture being worked to death and basically being a zombie before the actual apocalypse occurs, and when it does actually happen he finally feels alive and cares about life. I absolutely adore the way this is illustrated in the first episode, creating one of the most visually appealing tonal changes I've ever seen. Along his journey he meets up with his college best friend Kencho (Xander Mobus), a girl he likes Shizuoka (Abby Trott), and a German girl who's a very big Japanese culture enthusiast Beatrix (Laura Post). The story follows these four as they travel around the zombie ridden world and do everything they've always wanted to do but never had the freedom or the gall to actually do it. It's an insanely feel good story that is wonderfully animated by the studio Bug Films, and it's also their debut anime which is crazy to me that it's so well done. It is filled to the brim with flair and color that really makes it stand out from the crowd. Just in the first episode when Akira is in his boring desk job its very dull and bland visually, but the second he realizes he's free there's this absurd amount of color that floods the screen and really shows the amount of fun he's having. This is also demonstrated with the zombies themselves, because the blood that comes from the zombies whenever they're killed is almost never red. It's a wide variety of different colors from pink, teal, purple, green, and orange. It's such a vibrant display that really makes it so much more fun to watch. It's also filled with some of the best comedy I've witnessed, if a series manages to make fart jokes and nude jokes funny again it has to be doing something right because there is no reason it should've been that hilarious, I genuinely couldn't not laugh every single episode. Also the fight scenes are beautifully animated, there's this one fight halfway through that had some of the most gorgeous visuals I've ever witnessed in an anime and I loved it, the way they animated the electricity and the water and the burst of color as the punch landed was amazing. This show also includes some of the coolest zombie archetypes I've ever seen, there's a literal zombie shark with legs in this and it's awesome. Overall Zom 100 is a blast and absolutely top three anime's of 2023 for me. It has the perfect mix of comedy, action, and seriously topics that make it super engaging and enjoyable to watch. I highly recommend this because it is equal parts the funniest thing I've watched in years and one of the most interesting things I've watched in years. Wonderful animation with really good characters and a great storyline to go with it. I don't think there's anything negative I can say about the show, in my opinion it is unequivocally perfect at everything it is supposed to be. Peak anime. (Also Bryce Papenbrook plays the main "villain" of he season and he was by far my favorite character and had the best design to him as well, plus his motivations and development made him a standout for me).

(Episodes 10-12 have been delayed indefinitely)

For now, let me ignore the frustrating production schedule for this anime. This is a review till episode 9.

The beauty of this anime lies in its simplicity. This is an apocalyptic slice-of-life. As ridiculous as it sounds, somehow it works because of how well the studio Bug Films has envisioned this story.

Zom 100 has one very simple theme - "You only live once". And the story always sticks to the single theme. The author has explored a very different perspective on a Zombie apocalypse. And that alone makes this anime very, very unique. The setup for the protagonist was just perfect for this particular story. Just see the 1st episode and you'll understand.

This is one of those stories that'll make you think about your own life. What's in your bucket list? What are the things you want to do? What's your childhood dream? Or what's your current dream?

The characters are nice and a very wholesome group of 4 forms towards the end of the season. Akira as the protagonist is very integral to the story. As far as his personality goes though, he's not as interesting. The character that actually stole the show was Shizuka. The way she was at the beginning of the anime and how she was slowly influenced by Akira was great to see.

I think they sort of set up a nice cliffhanger towards the end of episode 9 so that we keep waiting for the next 3 episodes to release later. But I do hope that they make a season 2 and take their sweet time instead of rushing into the production and delaying the episodes continuously.

But this is a very good anime and it's great to see the different way in which the author as well as the anime staff has envisioned this story.

Review for Episodes 10-12:

Well, I loved it. It was exactly the kind of finale I would've expected from Zom 100. I think this anime is one of a kind. It knows its message and cherishes it. It also presents itself with a lot of confidence and energy. Just go watch the opening on YouTube and you'll know what I mean. These are exactly the kind of shows that separate anime from other media. Normally, you wouldn't expect a zombie apocalypse story to have a weirdly wholesome, entertaining and somewhat light hearted vibe. But that's exactly what Zom 100 is. There obviously is some dark stuff here and there though. But this anime had a very specific feel to it and I was all for it. This is the way that the author wanted to convey his message. And I found it very creative. The message is very simple, but the way of conveying it is what made this anime what it is. And sometimes simple messages are all that is required for an anime.

The final episode was everything that I love about this series. It brought me to tears - bittersweet ones. It was directed beautifully and animated gorgeously.

I really hope we do get a season 2. I would love to see where this studio goes from here. It would be a shame if they don't continue this series, because so far I have been very impressed with this studio, and this story is worth continuing.

I didn't know this show existed until just a few days ago, and that's thanks to a YouTube channel called "Super Eyepatch Wolf". (by the way he's great go subscribe to him, he makes great video essays). He made a video where he basically talked about his favorite things that came out this year, and in this video he talked about this anime.

The first thing that grabbed my attention was its clever and original premise. The idea of a guy trying to survive during a zombie apocalypse, as he makes a bucket list of 100 things he wants to do before he gets turned into one, instantly grabbed my attention.

Another thing I love about this show is the goofiness of it. There is a zombified shark with human legs in this.

This animation is pure CINEMA. I was really surprised by this anime, which I had been waiting for a long time. The cinematography is amazing, and the animation and art are also superbly done. Every episode has an incredible direction. The first episode is amazing, thrilling, and enjoyable. It features one of the greatest opening episodes ever, I think I can state with confidence. This zombie comedy masterfully shows you how the end of the world impacts you and how individuals may steal your passions and aspirations by using the apocalypse. An incredibly fascinating masterwork that encourages you to break free from these influences in order to fully live your life. Memoriam mori!

It's been a while since I watched an anime like this. One that didn't rely on standard anime tropes (you know... the same kinds of characters, saying the same kinds of things, telling you the story instead of showing etc... you know, bog standard anime stuff).

I've only watched the first episode so far and it's one of the best 1st anime episodes I've seen in a long time. The art style and animation is fantastic.

I Can't wait to watch the rest, but even if you only watch the first episode it's worth it for that alone (the first episode would work perfectly as a stand alone short story).

If more anime was like this I'd be a much bigger weeb than I am (I'm just a casual weeb atm).