Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

Episodes 1-2

The first episode of Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead is one of those anime premieres that cracks right into the center of your cerebral cortex like a bolt of lightning. The sharp social satire and effective characterization of our beleaguered hero work in tandem with BUG FILMS' impeccable animation work to create what is essentially an ideal zombie-apocalypse short film. Akira's desperate hopelessness with his soul-crushing job, and the way it is mirrored by his exuberant realization that the end of the world means that he is finally free, is a wonderful little narrative arc that concludes with the creation of the titular bucket list: “100 Things to Do Before Becoming a Zombie.” If the anime had ended there, full stop, it would have been a satisfying, well-told tale.

So, the big question that Episode 2 has to answer is whether or not Zom 100 will be able to get a whole season of anime out of continuing from that pitch-perfect premiere. Thankfully, if “Bucket List of the Dead” is anything to go by, I don't think we have much to worry about at all.

Naturally, the first thing that both Zom 100 and its main character have to reckon with is the fact that the world—or, at the very least, Japan—is in utter ruins and that life is going to keep moving forward once Akira comes down from the high of getting to start his Indefinite Zombie Apocalypse Vacation. Understandably, Akira wants to start things off on the right foot by vegging out all day on movies and beer, and his paltry refrigerator stash makes it so that his first official mission of Life in the Zombie Apocalypse is to go on a beer run. I'm sure Shaun and Ed would be very proud, indeed.

What makes this episode work so well is that it manages to nail that balance of tone between lighthearted escapism and, you know, the horrifying and inconceivable un-deaths of millions of people. It's one thing to show Akira being the kind of goof who offers to go on a grocery run for his neighbors, the Kosakas, before embarrassing himself in front of the pretty new girl he meets at the convenience store with his “Every Kind of Beer!” anthem (which, to be clear, is a banger). All of this is very much in keeping with Akira's whole vibe, and, just like in the premiere, it feels very relatable for anyone that has ever slaved away at a dead-end job. What do you do with the first taste of real freedom you're given after months if not years of back-breaking labor? Why, you laze around and get drunk, just like you do with all your free time, except now you aren't just doing it out of spite! That's the good life, right there.

At least, that's how it feels until Akira arrives back at the Kosaka residence to find that his new neighbors have probably been eaten alive. Yes, as Akira keeps reminding himself, you could die at any point, whether it's sixty minutes from now or sixty years. The zombie apocalypse has made the stark reality of death just a smidge more immediate and visceral, though, so maybe it's time to really commit to that bucket list.

Akira's slow but steady growth as a character is brought into stark relief by the introduction of that buff and badass new girl, who I'm just going to go ahead and call Shizuka already, even though I'm pretty sure we don't actually get her name, this week. Everything you need to know about Shizuka can be boiled down to the differences between her list and Akira's. Our hero has made it his mission to never take his freedom for granted because he knows that he's going to die eventually, which is why his list specifies the things he wants to do ”Before Becoming a Zombie.” Shizuka, though, is all about practicality and, more importantly, control. She's got her own meticulously crafted spreadsheet of a list, which is all about the “100 Things to Do to Avoid Becoming a Zombie.” Akira is taking the end of the world in as much stride as possible, while Shizuka has managed to turn surviving the zombie outbreak into another full-time job.

What makes Zom 100 such a compelling story so far is the way that it has been able to show us the pros and cons of both ways of looking at the world. Yes, Akira's carefree abandon is infectious, but it's also the reflexive lashing out of someone who has been chained down to an awful system for years. He isn't thinking about the future, which leads him to make choices that nearly get him killed repeatedly. On the other hand, Shizuka could use a little bit of that carefree attitude herself. Sure, she's doing a much better job of staying alive and healthy than most anyone around her, but she seems pretty miserable. It's probably good to avoid junk food when you're training your body to be the Ultimate Survival Machine, but also, what is the point of putting in all that work and effort into living another day if you aren't going to get even a little bit of joy out of that extra time you've afforded yourself?

To not just live, but live well, you have to strike a balance between survival and pleasure. If Akira and Shizuka can teach each other a few of the tricks they've learned, maybe they can do just that.

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Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead is currently streaming on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Netflix.