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

"Is This a Zombie? OF THE DEAD" - The Strange Coexistence of Zombies and Magical Girls

"Is This a Zombie? OF THE DEAD" is a TV anime series that aired in 2012, based on a light novel by Kimura Shinichi. It aired from April 5 to June 6, 2012, and consisted of 10 episodes. It was broadcast on a wide variety of networks, including TOKYO MX, TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting, Sun TV, Gifu Broadcasting, Mie Television Broadcasting, BS11, Chiba TV, Teletama, tvk, and AT-X, entertaining viewers in its 30-minute slot.

Story and Characters

The protagonist of this work is a zombie boy named Aikawa Ayumu. For some reason, he lives his school life as a zombie, and because his parents are traveling overseas, he continues to eat convenience store bento lunches. For this reason, he is known as a convenience store maniac. He is also a character with a dark past, having won first place in the "person whose thoughts are hard to understand" category in a class survey.

A magical girl named Haruna falls from the sky and brings change to Ayumu's life. She comes from the magical world of Verie to fight a monster called Megalon. Haruna, who rolls into Ayumu's house, is a tsundere with a charming personality, her bouncy ahoge. She transforms with a chainsaw (the magical alchemist Mistilteinn), and calls herself a genius, but has the peculiarity of not being able to remember other people's names correctly. Another of her charms is that she is good at cooking.

There is also a girl named Yu (Eucliwood Hellscythe) who has come to stay at Ayumu's house. She always wears plate armor and gauntlets, and is emotionless. She communicates only by writing curt messages on a notepad, not by speaking aloud. Although Ayumu sometimes corrects her delusions, her written communication is kept to a minimum.

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. She often tells Ayumu, "You're gross," but that's also her charm. She also has the side of being able to make deadly items when she cooks.

Tomonori (Yuki Yoshida) is a healthy, outdoorsy girl who wears shorts even in winter and is a member of the track and field club. She seems to have a secret, but what it is will be revealed in the story.

Saras (Saraswati) is a vampire ninja and Sera's boss. At school, she goes by the name Kirara Hoshikawa and also works as an internet idol. She can control water and wields a water sword as her weapon. She's a rather harsh, "tsun" girl, 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 he finds him quite annoying. He loves girls and has data on all the girls in the school, so even though everyone calls him annoying, he can't bring himself to hate him.

Taeko Hiramatsu is Ayumu's classmate and an honor student who is the top of her class. 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 basketball club member with a slightly mature atmosphere. She is a bright and lively mood maker who livens up the class.

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

Nene (Negrelia nebiros) is a mysterious woman who is said to have the power to rival Chris, and has a dynamite buddy that surpasses Serah. She seems to be an acquaintance of Yu, but the details will be revealed in the story.

Production Staff

The series was directed by Takaomi Kanazaki, with series composition by Makoto Uezu, and scripts by Shigeru Morita, Doko Machida, and Satoko Sekine. Character design was by Shinobu Tagashira, prop design by Yoshiyoshi Iwanaga, set design by Tomoyuki Aoki, and chief animation directors by Yuko Yahiro and Takashi Shiokawa. Art director was Kei Ichimura, color design by Eiko Kitazume, directors of photography were Masayuki Kawaguchi and Akira Shimozaki, editor was Masahiro Matsumura, sound director was Yoshikazu Iwanami, sound effects by Yasumasa Koyama, sound production by Glowvision, music production by Flying Dog, music by Shinji Kakishima, music producer by Keiichi Nozaki, music director by Masakazu Sato, animation producer by Koji Iijima, animation by Studio Deen, and production by 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.

subtitle

Episode 1: "Yes, it's time for another magical transformation!"
Episode 2: Ah, Goodbye Me
Episode 3: Yo! That's You! Passion!
Episode 4: No, Go Home, Master
Episode 5: Yes, it's popular every year.
Episode 6: No, I couldn't win
Episode 7: Yes, the teacher is the strongest!
Episode 8: Whew, Kyoko-chan's going on a group date!
Episode 9: Ah, My Darling is a Good-for-Nothing
Episode 10: But That's Good

Related Titles

This is the second season of Is This a Zombie? The first season was also based on a light novel by Shinichi Kimura, and was also animated by Studio Deen.

Theme songs and music

The opening theme is "*** Passionato", written, composed and arranged by manzo, and sung by Iori Nomizu. The ending theme is "I'm a Beginner in Love (T_T)", written by Rie Yamaguchi, composed and arranged by manzo, and sung by Rie Yamaguchi.

Ratings and Recommendations

"Is This a Zombie? OF THE DEAD" is a work that combines humor and action with the unique combination of zombies and magical girls. The setting in which the main character, Ayumu Aikawa, lives a school life as a zombie gives viewers a fresh surprise. In addition, unique characters such as Haruna, Yuu, and Sera liven up the story and keep viewers from getting bored.

The charm of this work is its humor. Comedic elements are scattered throughout, and there are plenty of scenes that will make the viewer laugh. In particular, Haruna's tsundere behavior and Yu's communication through writing will provide laughs to the viewer. Also, Serah's sharp tongue and Chris's old man jokes are not to be missed.

The action scenes are also one of the highlights. The battle scenes of each character, such as Haruna's magical transformation and Serah's "secret sword, swallow reversal", are very impressive and draw the viewers in. In addition, Yu's battles using plate armor and gauntlets are also worth watching.

The music also adds to the appeal of this work. The opening theme "*** Passionato" is impressive with Iori Nomizu's singing voice, capturing the hearts of viewers. The ending theme "I'm a Beginner in Love (T_T)" is also sung by Rie Yamaguchi, leaving a lingering impression on the story.

This work is highly recommended for viewers who want to enjoy fantasy elements such as zombies and magical girls, and for viewers who want a work with a good balance of comedy and action. It is also enjoyable for those who have not seen the first season, so it is open to new viewers. Please watch "Is This a Zombie? OF THE DEAD" and enjoy its unique world view and humor.