The appeal and reviews of "Is This a Zombie?": New possibilities for zombie anime

"Is This a Zombie?" - The Strange Cohabitation of a Zombie and a Magical Girl

"Is This a Zombie?" is a TV anime series that aired in 2011, based on a light novel by Kimura Shinichi. The original illustrations are by Kobuichi Muririn, and it was serialized in Dragon Magazine and published by Fantasia Bunko. The work is a comedy fantasy that depicts the daily life of a boy who is brought back to life as a zombie and the unique characters that surround him. It was broadcast from January 10 to April 4, 2011, with a total of 12 episodes. It was broadcast on a wide range of stations, including Teletama, Chiba TV, Sun TV, Gifu Broadcasting, KBS Kyoto, Mie TV, TOKYO MX, tvk, TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting, Niconico Channel, and AT-X, and was enjoyed by a wide range of viewers.

Story and Characters

The main character, Ayumu Aikawa, is a boy who has somehow ended up living his school life as a zombie. His parents are traveling abroad, and Ayumu has been living off convenience store bento all this time, so he is known as a convenience store maniac. He is also a character with a dark past, having won first place in a class survey in the "person whose thoughts are hard to understand" category.

Haruna, who rolled into Ayumu's house, is a magical girl who fell from the sky and came to fight a monster called Megalon from the magical world of "Verie". She has a tsundere personality, and her charm point is her bouncy ahoge. She transforms with a chainsaw (the magical alchemist Mistilteinn) and calls herself a genius, but she has a peculiarity of not being able to remember other people's names correctly. She is good at cooking and can make super delicious food.

Yu (Eucliwood Hellscythe) is a girl who has ended up staying at Ayumu's house. She always wears plate armor and gauntlets and never takes them off. She never shows her emotions or speaks aloud, but communicates by writing curt sentences on a notepad. Ayumu sometimes corrects her delusions.

Sera (Seraphim) is a girl from a vampire ninja village somewhere in Japan. She has the ability to turn leaves into blades, and her specialty is the "secret sword, swallow reversal". She has black hair in a ponytail, big breasts, and a sharp tongue, and often tells Ayumu, "It's disgusting." When she cooks, she has the special feature of producing a lethal item.

Tomonori (Yuki Yoshida) is a healthy, outdoorsy girl who enjoys playing in shorts even in winter and is a member of the track and field club. She seems to have a secret.

Sarasu (Saraswati) is a vampire ninja and Sera's superior. She goes by the name Hoshikawa Kirara at school and also works as an internet idol. She is a tsundere girl who can control water and wields a water sword as her weapon, but she likes Ayumu's unexpected side.

Chris is a mysterious woman whom Ayumi met in the school's science preparation room. She has a cheerful personality, but she appears and disappears suddenly like a ghost. She has vertical curls in her hair and wears white lolita clothes, and she loves old man jokes.

Orido has been friends with Ayumu since kindergarten, and Ayumu finds him annoying. He loves girls and has data on all the girls in the school. Everyone calls him annoying, but he can't bring himself to hate him.

Taeko Hiramatsu is a classmate of Ayumu and an honor student who has the highest grades in her grade. She is a shy girl who is not very good at talking to people, her special skill is Hyakunin Isshu, and her hobby is reading. She hates ghosts and horror movies, especially zombies.

Kanami Mihara is Hiramatsu's friend and a member of the basketball club with a slightly mature atmosphere. She is a bright mood maker.

Shimomura (Anderson) is in the same class as Ayumu, and is a member of the boys' basketball team. He is tall, has a pretty face and blue eyes, and is nicknamed "Anderson" because of his appearance, which is unlike that of a typical Japanese person.

Production Staff

The director is Takaomi Kanazaki, the series composition is Makoto Uezu, the script is by Shigeru Morita, Doko Machida, and Satoko Sekine, the character design is Shinobu Tagashira, the prop design is Yoshiyoshi Iwanaga, the set design is Tomoyuki Aoki, the chief animation directors are Hiroko Yahiro and Takashi Shiokawa, the art director is Kei Ichimura, the color design is Eiko Kitazume, the cinematography is Masayuki Kawaguchi and Akira Shimozaki, the editor is Masahiro Matsumura, the sound director is Yoshikazu Iwanami, the sound effects are Yasumasa Koyama, the sound production is Glowvision, the music production is Flying Dog, the music is Shinji Kakishima, the music producer is Keiichi Nozaki, the music director is Masakazu Sato, the animation producer is Koji Iijima, the animation production is Studio Deen, and the production is Materialise Magic School.

cast

The cast includes Junji Majima as Aikawa Ayumu, Iori Nomizu as Haruna, Midori Tsukimiya as Yu (Eucliwood Hellscythe), Yoko Hikasa as Sera (Seraphim), Hisako Kanemoto as Tomonori, Hiroyuki Yoshino as Orido, Ai Shimizu as O-Sensei, Noriko Shimoya as Kyoko, Rie Yamaguchi as Taeko Hiramatsu, Mina as Kanami Mihara, Itsuki Takizawa as Shimomura, Aya Goda as Sarasu, and Hitomi Nabatame as Chris.

Episodes and subtitles

The subtitles for each episode are as follows:

• Episode 1: Yes, I'm a Magical Girl
• Episode 2: No, I'm a Vampire Ninja
• Episode 3: "Yes, my hair is in twin tails"
• Episode 4: Hey, am I shining?
• Episode 5: "Yes, it's Kyoto tofu"
• Episode 6: Yes, I am the one who brings death
• Episode 7: Hey, Where Are You?
• Episode 8: Eheh, I'm a school wife
• Episode 9: Yes, it's amazing when you take it off
• Episode 10: No, that will explode
• Episode 11: Ah, stay with me!
• Episode 12: Yes, it's still going on

Theme songs and music

The opening theme is "Ma-Ka-Sete Tonight" with lyrics, composition, and arrangement by manzo and sung by Iori Nomizu. The ending theme is "Kizute Zombie-sama, Watashi wa Kurashimate Desu" with lyrics by Aiko Nakano, composition and arrangement by manzo, and sung by Rie Yamaguchi with manzo.

Evaluation and Impressions

"Is This a Zombie?" is an appealing work with its unique setting and distinctive characters. By depicting the theme of zombies with elements of comedy and fantasy, it offers viewers fresh surprises. In particular, the dialogue between characters Ayumu, Haruna, Yu, and Sera is extremely entertaining, providing new laughs in every episode. Additionally, the backstories and growth of each character are carefully depicted, drawing viewers in.

The animation quality is also high, and Studio Deen's production skills shine through. The character designs, background art, and battle scenes are all consistently high quality. The music also matches the atmosphere of the work, and the opening and ending songs are particularly memorable.

This work has been praised for its ability to fuse elements of different genres such as zombies, magical girls, and vampire ninjas while still developing a solid story. Another reason for its popularity is that many of the characters have strong personalities and are loved by viewers. While the comedy elements are strong, the occasional serious scene also touches the heart, giving the work a good overall balance.

Recommendations and related works

If you enjoyed "Is This a Zombie?", we also recommend the following works:

• "K-ON!" - A work about music and youth, with the individuality and growth of its characters being its appeal.
• "The Devil is a Part-Timer!" - A comedy that blends fantasy with modern society, depicting the daily lives of characters from another world.
• "Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?" - A work that combines fantasy and action, where you can enjoy character growth and adventure.

These works also have unique characters and interesting storylines, and are sure to be enjoyed by fans of Is This a Zombie?

Conclusion

"Is This a Zombie?" is a unique work that depicts the theme of zombies with elements of comedy and fantasy. The dialogue between the unique characters, the carefully written story, and the high animation quality will attract viewers. If you haven't seen this work yet, please give it a watch. I'm sure you will find new discoveries and laughs waiting for you.