Hey, remember that zombie anime from 2 years ago? Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead aired in Summer 2023 and the last three episodes were delayed until the very end of that year in December. Just this week, I finally went back and watched those delayed episodes. Because I’m a bit of a completionist, I wanted to finish covering this series here on Anime Rants. So without further ado, here are my thoughts on Zom 100 episodes 10 and 11.
Contents
- Links to Previous Posts
- Episode 10: Hometown of the Dead Part 1
- Episode 11: Hometown of the Dead Part 2
Links to Previous Posts
Zom 100 Episodes 1 and 2
Zom 100 Episodes 3 and 4
Zom 100 Episodes 5 to 7
Zom 100 Episodes 8 and 9
Episode 10: Hometown of the Dead Part 1
Episode rating: 8/10
Everyone was settling into life in Akira’s hometown. It was a beautiful place with everything needed for survival and a small but thriving community of good, peaceable people. However, as we found out in this episode, not all the people were trustworthy. Kanta Higurashi would stir up trouble before long. In the meantime, Shizuka was dealing with medical complaints from the elderly villagers who mistakenly believed she was a doctor. It was mildly humorous.
This episode introduced Anju and her dog Charo. She was a young girl whose parents were zombified. The dog was all she had left of family, and she was struggling with acute grief. Kencho took it upon himself to try to cheer her up. He succeeded in making her smile with his nonsensical words and juggling. It was sweet. Kencho’s comedic antics rarely amuse me, but I like his personality because he has a big heart.
At one point, during the sunset, Akira passed Higurashi. As Higurashi walked off, smiling to himself about his plan, he made the creepiest giggling laugh. I would know that boyish, hoarse voice anywhere. It’s Nobuhiko Okamoto! He is the voice of unhinged characters like Garfiel from Re: Zero or sometimes less unhinged boys like Nishinoya from Haikyuu. Despite his voice being downright creepy at times, I am a big fan of Okamoto, who also voiced Rin in Blue Exorcist. It’s always good to hear him.
Akira had a good talk with his father (Teruo Tendou) while they sipped alcohol under the stars on the back porch. It was a very atmospheric, pleasant scene with well-written dialogue Interestingly, Teruo always wanted to become an astronaut, but wasn’t smart enough. This conversation was great. It renewed Akira’s respect and admiration for his father. This scene also made me wish I had that kind of relationship with my father. As it stands, I have to be careful what I say, and I can only handle certain topics due to his offensive worldview.
(Side Note: Teruo said, “A man needs dreams to stay straight.” This line spoke to me. I agree that dreams and goals can keep people on track in life – oh, and it doesn’t just apply to men. Women and nonbinary people can obviously also benefit from seeking after their dreams. Anyway, it was an inspiring scene and Teruo is a great character.)
In the last third of the episode, Higurashi began his psychopathic plan with his followers. The three followers were Kurasugi (older man in red sweater), Kanbayashi (long-haired glasses woman), and Atenbou (overweight man with weird pigtails). Together, they set the zombies free, letting them loose on the unsuspecting village. They also had weapons and a tractor. The reprobates rolled around, setting fire to buildings and blowing up homes with sticks of dynamite. Things were not looking good at all.
Episode 11: Hometown of the Dead
Part 2
Episode Rating: 9/10
The animation and visuals were quite amazing in this episode. The action sequences looked great. For example, when Teruo was swinging his pronged farm tool and knocking down zombies, it was visually intense and colorful as all hell. In addition, the music was inspiring and memorable. This was one of the better episodes in terms of audiovisual quality, even if some of the voice-acting was a little over-the-top.
Throughout this episode, we learned the backstories of the three followers. Kurasugi is a man who didn’t treasure his wife and then blamed her for the marriage falling apart. His biggest bucket wish list was slapping his wife. Atenbou was so stupid and careless he accidentally set the restaurant on fire where he worked, costing everyone their jobs. Everyone suffered because of him, but Atenbou was somehow convinced he was the biggest victim.
As for Kanbayashi, she was a toxic, perfectionistic colleague who insisted she was right about everything. She might have had undiagnosed disorders such as OCD or high-functioning autism. Either way, she tried to kill people, so I don’t feel much for her, even though her story was slightly more understandable to me. Broadly speaking, none of the three followers of Higurashi had particularly sympathetic stories considering the weight of their crimes. In my opinion, they’re losers who absolutely deserved to be zombified.
It was very cool when Shizuka saved the elderly villagers. That was, in a way, the climax of her character arc. She learned that there are times where following one’s heart and gut can be beneficial, and you don’t always have time to calculate risks and contigengy plans. It was also amazingly cool when Old Man Hiko and the other old men saved Shizuka from Atenbou. I’m very glad Shizuka wasn’t sexually assaulted or otherwise harmed.
The fight of Bea verses Kanbayashi was epic. What’s better than watching two fit and large-chested ladies try to kill each other? Why, watching two fit and large-chested ladies kill each other with swords and chainsaws, of course. I loved everything about this fight.
Elsewhere, Kencho fought Kurasugi and boldly told him that his wife was not his mommy. That was a good scene. Kencho’s gentlemanly nature is adorable and refreshing. It wasn’t really amusing to me when Kencho jumped into the pool of shit, but some viewers out there would probably find it funny. At any rate, it was clever, since the shit masked his presence and saved him from being eaten by the zombies.
Akira went to save his parents and the young women with them. He helped fend off the zombies, but there were too many for him to keep going alone. Teruo took over the fighting and told Akira to stay behind the door with his mother and the women. Just when Teruo was about to be overwhelmed by zombies, Higurashi grabbed him. The insane young man then gave Akira an ultimatum. If Akira won’t come out and let himself be zombified, Higurashi will kill Teruo. To be continued.
~Thanks for reading~
Written by 7Mononoke
