Review of Is This a Zombie? (2011)
Hey, everyone, it's time for a new review.
I know it's been a while since my last review. I was on a missions trip to Nicaragua (which I will write a full blog on soon), and then I was busy with work, illnesses, and other aspects of my life upon my return. I just finished the first season/series of Is This a Zombie?, so I wanted to write the review while it's still fresh in my head.
As of this day, it has a pretty high popularity rating-in the top 100- according to MyAnimeList (1). I went in with high expectations. In short, I found this anime to be nothing special. I didn't dislike it, but I don't see anything new or exciting with it either, earning it only an average rating.
While the story has some originality, I found the plot at times to be ridiculous. I only found three of the characters likable. I didn't find the humor funny. However, the anime had me at least wanting to finish it, so the plot was at least enticing enough not to drive me away. However, that alone couldn't earn this one a high score.
Story:
The basic story follows the protagonist Ayumu, who has recently died and been brought back to life by the necromancer: Eucliwood Hellscythe (or Eu, as Ayumu calls her). In addition, he runs into a magical girl named Haruna, and accidentally steals her magic. Due to this mishap, Ayumu is forced to fight the evil creatures in her place.
Along the way, we are introduced to other characters such as the vampire ninjas: Seraphim, Sarasvati, and Yuki. The latter becomes accidentally engaged to Ayumu. This group helps with the supernatural battles. During their down time, the team hangs out like an ordinary group of friends.
The plot sounds interesting enough, were the execution not so goofy. Certain elements such as Yuki fighting with ramen noodles, and the enemies being floating whales, as well as how Ayumu has to transform into a magical girl costume to reach full potential robs the show of what awesomeness it might had possessed.
Also, this anime feels like it shoved together so many genres into one. This may sound like a recipe for disaster, but it actually works well here. At its core, I think it's best to consider this a harem with the main male character being surrounded by females (more than one fighting for his affection). Then this anime would also count as an action, a comedy, and a magic series. Personally, I think it fails at comedy, but works fine as all the others listed.
There are several boring moments, such as the bowling scene, or the part where the girls are playing what seems to be extreme Jenga, that serves no purpose to the plot, other than to take up time. Fortunately, these moments don't last long, and it quickly returns to the plot. Even if that particular plot point is over the top or silly.
Characters:
The main character Ayumu is pretty likable. He cares deeply for his friends, and constantly puts himself in danger for them. It helps that he knows he is immortal, and has no real fear of death, however, pain works the same way on him as it does on normal humans. He is a bit of a pervert, which is shown in some of his fantasies surrounding the women, but that detail actually adds to his overall character. However, it's his loyalty to his loved ones that makes him likable.
Eu, the main female, and the necromancer, has to be my favorite of the cast. Her quirk is that she has to remain silent or else cause pain and destruction to those around her. All of her thoughts and communications are written on a notepad. I like how her every interaction is based solely on action and body language, making her a more complex character. The absence of speech makes the love for her friends more amplified. Not to mention, she is the only one who is not violent with Ayumu, making me support them as a pairing.
The only other character in this series that I like is the vampire ninja, Yuki. Due to an accident, Yuki finds herself betrothed to Ayumu. She then tries her best to love him, act as a perfect wife, and make him love her, so as not to betray her laws. I like the amount of devotion she has to her people by keeping her vow, and to Ayumu for trying to make the best of the situation. I also like her for being the only one who treats Ayumu respectfully. Honestly, I think she does eventually develop actual feelings for Ayumu.
The main villain in this season is pretty interesting. I won't say much on him to avoid spoilers, just that I can feel for him and his plight. Perhaps his methods for reaching his goal are messed up, but his motivation is sound. I would have liked to get to know him a little better, as there are many mysteries surrounding him that I feel weren't resolved.
Now onto the rest of the cast. I'll begin with Haruna. When she was introduced I wanted to include her on a list of most annoying anime characters. By the end of the season she had undergone some character development, but is still a candidate for that list. The fact that she beat up Ayumu over a dream involving him as well as his choice of not wanting to kiss her made me detest her. Her arrogance also detracts from her character. She just strikes me as a selfish spoiled brat with an inflated ego.
Despite what I said about Haruna, she is not my least favorite in the series, that spot goes to Seraphim. Sera (as she is referred to) is the first vampire ninja we're introduced to. From what I gathered, their purpose is to protect the world from evil sent to destroy it. She is rude and hateful to Ayumu for no good reason. She is so cold that I find it hard to sympathize with her. At least Haruna has a personality, but I find Sera to be lacking one. However, she does have some development on the issue of free thinking.
As for the minor characters. Orito is pretty much the typical harem anime best friend. Replace him with any other male best friend from any other harem series and there's not much difference. He serves no purpose and has nothing that stands out about him. Also there is Taeko. She is a friend of Yuki's. I get the vibe that she has feelings for Ayumu, but due to her friendship with Yuki, she chooses not to interfere. She strikes me as being kind and supportive, making her more likable than half of the main characters.
Art:
The art is decent. I really like the costumes used here. All of the magical girl garments are adorable. I think my favorite has to be Kyoko's. Also, the part where Ayumu's costume becomes cuter when more power is applied is a nice touch. I also love Eu's costume, it's cute and practical, matching her personality.
On the subject of character designs, they are rather typical. Eu is the only one who truly stands out. Her whole appearance, especially the costume is original. I can't think of another anime character who resembles her. As for the others, there is nothing that really stands out about them. Haruna, Ayumu, Sera, and Yuki all come across as generic in terms of anime design within the last decade.
I like the animation during fight scenes. They're colorful and swift, exactly the way battle scenes should be. On the other hand, I like how the more lighthearted scenes have slower animation, perfectly fitting the moment. This is a minor detail, but I do like the fluid animation used when Ayumu's wounds heal.
In all, my opinion on art and animation is positive. There's nothing spectacular, but it's still good.
Music:
The theme song is a perfect selection for this anime. It fits the overall mood of the show. It also works well with the images used during the opening sequence.
I love the violin music provided by Sera. That entire symphony played by the vampire ninjas in episode eleven is gorgeous. I actually wish that music was not interrupted by the scenes edited between. I think the fight scene could have still worked with that song playing in the background.
Each of the songs played in episode twelve is catchy. Eu's song is beautiful. Even Haruna's song is enjoyable, even if that is solely because of the energy. I wonder if full-length versions of those songs will ever be released.
In all, the music used in this anime is great.
Flaws:
I know I touched on this earlier, but it's hard to take this anime seriously. I know this is a comedy, but I didn't find the silly plot decisions funny, just ridiculous. They are fighting flying whales wearing jackets. How threatening is that? Not to mention Yuki can fight off monsters with certain recipes of ramen noodles. There is a line where the series crosses into the absurd, and that happens within the first episode. I understand that Ayumu accidentally steals Haruna's power, but to the extent that it gives him her costume? That's a little on the extreme side. I don't get how a man wearing a dress that gives him magical powers is funny. Then towards the end (excluding episode twelve) the series tries to take a serious turn, but it doesn't work when ridiculous stunts such as instrument playing to ward off evil spirits, or killer plush toys are being used.
Secondly, and, I know I've mentioned this so many times in previous reviews that I must be sounding like a broken record. Maybe someone can explain this to me, because I don't get the humor in it. Is This a Zombie? is yet another anime in which the women beat up on the male protagonist for no good reason. Okay, when he crosses a line, or does something legitimately perverted, I understand. However, there is a moment in which Haruna has a dream involving him, and she gets angry and clobbers him for it. What more, Sera defends her. Another example is when Ayumu does something that nearly kills him to save Yuki, and immediately after she attacks him for merely calling her by her last name, instead of the more intimate first name. I may be wrong, but that's not the way to show someone gratitude. This type of humor has been overdone in anime, especially in this one, and I just don't find it amusing.
That brings me to the next thing I want to talk about, and that is on the subject of relationships. How am I supposed to believe that one character has developed feelings for another when she treats him so horribly? I see this a lot in anime as well, in which the female shows her "affection" by behaving so awful towards the lead male. There is a scene where Haruna is truly upset that Ayumu refuses to kiss her (not to mention he doesn't love her, at least not at this point), and because of his choice to not partake in an intimate gesture with someone he doesn't have romantic feelings for, Haruna pummels him. How am I supposed to root for her, and hope a relationship forms between the two of them, when I see how abusive she is? (It's not just Haruna, I'm just used her as an example.)
Lastly, I wasn't impressed with the ending. There could have been so much more, and I feel it was lacking. I'm talking about the actual climactic ending of episode eleven, not the filler episode twelve, which was pretty funny (one of the few times I actually laughed during this series). I just felt it was a lot of build up for a low payoff.
Conclusion:
Is This a Zombie? has an original premise, even if it is beyond ridiculous at times; the silly plot points do take away any seriousness from this show. The two leads are likable, but many of the other characters not so much. The art is good, and there are some great moments of animation. The music is enjoyable. The humor however is lacking. I don't find character abuse funny, and that's the majority of the "comedy." The ending was also less than satisfying.
In all, I would say this anime is decent, but it's nothing special. It doesn't deserve to be on the bad end of the spectrum, but I also wouldn't rank it among the best. It's somewhere in the middle. I was entertained, but it's not likely that I would watch it again. There are other seasons, but I'm not rushing to watch them anytime soon.
Is This a Zombie?: 5/10
Beverage: Pink Lemonade
Music: Sleeping Romance
1. "Kore wa Zombie Desu Ka?" MyAnimeList (2015). July 21, 2015.
http://myanimelist.net/anime/8841/Kore_wa_Zombie_Desu_ka
Showing posts with label Zombie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zombie. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Review of Zombie-Loan (2007)
Review of Zombie-Loan (2007)
Hey, everyone. It's time for a new review.
It seems that recently the zombie genre has gained a lot of popularity in the media, with shows such as The Walking Dead on TV, and movies like World War Z and Warm Bodies. In addition there are zombie parties, and artists depicting popular celebrities or characters as zombies.
I for one have never been a fan of the zombie subgenre of horror. I do like Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland due to the fact that they are both comedies that include animated corpses. Even with the latter portraying zombies in a more intelligent fashion, the zombies of today resemble the classic types such as Night of the Living Dead. Well, there does seem to be a show that breaks zombie stereotypes, that being the anime series Zombie-Loan.
I first watched Zombie-Loan about five years ago in my college's anime club. I was surprised to see the zombie genre tackled in a different manner. For one, there are different types of zombies: some that have their own will, some that are more intelligent, and some that just haven't died properly and survive on basic animal instinct. Another difference is the fact that two of the main characters who happen to be zombies are well, attractive. Neither of them show any signs of decay, they still have basic human needs (eating and sleeping), and they have their own thoughts and feelings just like any normal human being. In fact, had it not been for them constantly discussing what they are, and their superhuman abilities, it's possible to forget they are the living dead.
Story:
The story of Zombie-Loan is quite creative, at least in terms of the horror genre, specifically zombies. For one, this is a zombie show that's not that scary. There are a few images of "classic zombies" that might frighten anyone who is opposed to that kind of stuff, but for the most part, the story is not focused on scaring the viewer.
The plot follows a shy and easily scared high school girl named Michiru. She is an orphan, who will inherit a large sum of money when she reaches legal age. Due to this her relatives keep her with the promise that they will receive half of the inheritance on that day. Despite this, they still despise having her in their house, and treat her unkindly. In addition her "friends" at school are verbally abusive and seem to enjoy tormenting her, treating her as their servant rather than an equal.
One day when retrieving the snacks during lunch period, she trips over an object that turns out to be Chika's right hand. Therefore she meets Chika and Shito, two teenage boys who are famous for having survived an accident several months back in which everyone else involved died. One of her acquaintances are curious as to why those boys are speaking to Michiru and she snatches Michiru's glasses from her face. In this moment it is revealed that Michiru has a special ability to see rings around a person's neck indicating how close they are to death. Since Chika and Shito both have black rings she believes they are maybe hours from death.
After nightfall Michiru follows the boys into the school cemetery to warn them about their condition. She sees them remove and exchange hands then summon weapons. Michiru then witnesses them kill a zombie dog.
The next day Michiru learns that Chika and Shito are in fact zombies who are borrowing life and will need to repay their loan within a year in order to regain their real lives. They earn the necessary money by hunting down and killing dangerous and/or illegal zombies, afterwards, they guide their souls into the afterlife. The boys believe Michiru's special ability will help them in their quest and decide to include her as a part of the team.
That is all just in the first episode. Right about now this story sounds pretty awesome. To be honest, I thought it was. Episodes one through six intrigued me, especially the plot twists in episodes five and six. Episode seven is pretty much a filler episode, but it was still enjoyable.
However, in episodes eight through eleven the plot took a sharp turn and the story went in a strange direction. I won't say that I found the latter half of Zombie-Loan to be boring, so much as confusing and straying too far from the original premise. What more, the new direction felt rushed, and wasn't fully explored, leaving quite a few unanswered questions. Not to mention there was a major reveal about a certain character that seemed to have come out of nowhere. I also felt that the ending was too abrupt. Perhaps this is better explained in the manga, or would be build upon in a non-existent second season, but as it stands I feel unsatisfied with the second half of the series.
Characters:
The characters in this story are decent, but I feel that only a few of them really stand out.
To begin with there is the main character, Michiru. She is shy and a pushover. She's okay, but there's nothing that makes her an incredible protagonist, she's actually kind of bland. In one of the last episodes it's revealed that she adores cute things, but other than that not much is given on her likes, dislikes, interests, hobbies, immediate goals, hopes for the future, etc--she's just kind of there. What more she never shows much emotion on her subject of her deceased parents. Other than her special ability to see how close a person is to death, she is shown to have no other talents or ambitions. At the very least she does have some character development halfway through the show. In the first few episodes she is portrayed as easily scared and screams a lot. Of course that is a realistic human reaction to coming across a band of zombies. A little later on she does gather some courage and confidence, mostly when someone she cares about is threatened. Unfortunately, in the last third of the anime she seems to take a back seat to Chika and Shito, who get more screen time and overall attention. While she is not annoying (at least after she stops constantly screaming), she doesn't strike me as being interesting enough to make her a good protagonist.
Next, I'll move onto the two main zombies: Chika and Shito. I'm going to review them together due to the fact they are perfect foils of one another. For one, their appearances significantly contrast. I do think it is clever for the color associated with each character is the negative of the other: Chika's hair and clothing is mostly white while Shito's is primarily black. I won't necessarily say hate, but these two strongly dislike one another, however, due to a mistake they are forced to work together until their debts are paid, or they permanently die. If they spend any substantial amount of time apart, their right hands will rot, making their ability to hunt zombies near impossible. Beyond that while Shito may on the surface appear to be more polite, he is actually cold and distant due to his difficulty trusting others. On the reverse, Chika may come across as rude and complains a lot, but he is actually warmer and friendlier than his partner. I found Chika much easier to like than Shito.
Now onto the supporting characters. My favorite of the cast would have to be Koyomi. She is generally sweet and upbeat. What more, she has a second personality who goes by the name Yomi. Yomi has the ability to recall final moments of a late victim. Also she is proven to be a decent fighter as seen in episode five. She has a crush on Michiru which leads to the team using Michiru to awaken Yomi who prefers to stay dormant. As cool as Koyomi/Yomi may be, unfortunately she gets very little screen time after episode seven.
Among the others there is Bekko, or the Ferryman, who gives life loans to zombies. He wasn't given much time to develop in the anime. However, I'm very interested in learning more about him based on his last scene in episode eleven. There is also Yuuta, another zombie who has the ability to heal wounds. She has a morbid sense of humor, and while she doesn't get much screen time, she is amusing when she is on screen.
The antagonists are underdeveloped in my opinion. I don't know if it is due to the fact that there are so few episodes, and perhaps there is more depth in the manga (this is one manga that I will check out because I want answers to the many lingering questions). Each antagonist may have only two, maybe three if they're lucky, episodes to themselves. I feel that the fights with each antagonist ends too quickly, especially the one revealed in episode six--I felt that one was too anticlimactic. Overall, I feel that they're motives are never clear enough, or they don't make sense. What more I feel unsatisfied with the lack of use of the main villains of the series. They are introduced, have a little dialogue, and then do nothing else.
In short I find some of these characters okay, but other than Koyomi, and Chika for most of the time, I felt they were lacking.
Art:
The art style is decent. I especially like the design of the faces. The pink-haired golem in the last third has one of the most interesting face designs; I also like how much her innocence is displayed through her facial expressions. I also like the design of Michiru. As I mentioned before, the choice of having contrasting color schemes the two male leads is a good one.
For the most part the characters have physical variety. No two characters (well, except for the zombie extras) look alike. The one nitpick I have about character design, is that sometimes with certain angles, Chika's and Shito's bodies look weird. At times their limbs look exaggerated in length, almost out of proportion.
I like the dark, gothic feel of the setting. For instance the dormitory for special cases (such as Michiru, Koyomi, and the zombies) has a haunted house appearance. What more there is a school cemetery right outside that dorm. The same can be said about the abandoned and supposedly haunted inn that they visit for vacation in episode seven. While those designs may seem cliche were it used in a modern horror story, here I feel it adds to the atmosphere.
As for the animation, I have no complaints, but I wasn't blown away by it either. I do like the animation when a soul is released and guided into the afterlife. Also, some of the details of the battle scenes are fun to watch. It flows nicely and nothing looks out of place. However, there is nothing that stuck out as a defining moment of animation.
Music:
I hate the opening and ending songs used in Zombie-Loan. I'm actually a fan of metal and hard rock, and there have been times when that kind of music is an excellent choice ("Guren no Yumiya" in Attack on Titan and "What's Up People?" in Death Note to name two), but the two songs in Zombie-Loan were painful to listen to. I also feel that the songs don't match the tone, or the overall story. While there are plenty of serious moments, there is also a good bit of comedy. In my opinion the theme songs just don't fit.
Several times during a dramatic moment, or right before a cliffhanger ending to an episode, there would be an ominous choir piece. I like that song and I feel that it's eerie enough to fit the tone of the show. It's also vastly different from any of the other musical pieces in this series, making it stand out above the rest.
As for the remaining score, there's nothing much that stands out. It's not bad, as there's nothing apart from the opening and ending that I felt distracted from the show, it's just average.
Flaws:
I've already discussed a few flaws I found in this series, so I'll just recap my top three.
The first of the main problems I had was that the story starts out promising, but then the plot derails and goes off into a direction that makes it feel that this turn was out of the blue, or made up as it went.
I found less than a handful of the characters interesting enough, that they alone can't carry the weight of anyone else. Then there are some that makes me wonder why were the even included since they aren't properly expanded, or serve no purpose to the overall plot (ex: Chika's family). Had the show had more episodes, and allowed the characters to have further development I might not have this opinion. And again, perhaps the manga has the depth I'm looking for.
Lastly, and most importantly, I am unsatisfied with the ending. It's too abrupt that I don't even have time to feel anything before the curtain falls. There are too many questions I feel that are left unanswered. Perhaps a possible second season or the manga holds these answers, but as it stands, I am left wanting much more at the end of episode eleven.
Conclusion:
Zombie-Loan is an original show that had a lot of potential. It has some good characters, some that were less than average, and then some that were a waste of screen time. The art is pretty good: for the most part the character designs are interesting and the settings have their own unique charm.
I expected a lot more from the protagonist who pretty much became a secondary character by the end of the series. The focus is taken away from its main objective and replaced by a strange choice of plot points in the last few episodes. Also the ending is less than satisfying. I do hope there eventually will be a second season to clear some of that up.
I would recommend this anime as it is an entertaining watch. What more it's only eleven episodes, so it won't take long to view the entire series. However, this is a time in which I would recommend the manga over the anime to fill in a lot of holes in the show.
In all I would consider this show to be average.
Zombie-Loan: 6/10
Beverage: Monster Absolutely Zero
Hey, everyone. It's time for a new review.
It seems that recently the zombie genre has gained a lot of popularity in the media, with shows such as The Walking Dead on TV, and movies like World War Z and Warm Bodies. In addition there are zombie parties, and artists depicting popular celebrities or characters as zombies.
I for one have never been a fan of the zombie subgenre of horror. I do like Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland due to the fact that they are both comedies that include animated corpses. Even with the latter portraying zombies in a more intelligent fashion, the zombies of today resemble the classic types such as Night of the Living Dead. Well, there does seem to be a show that breaks zombie stereotypes, that being the anime series Zombie-Loan.
I first watched Zombie-Loan about five years ago in my college's anime club. I was surprised to see the zombie genre tackled in a different manner. For one, there are different types of zombies: some that have their own will, some that are more intelligent, and some that just haven't died properly and survive on basic animal instinct. Another difference is the fact that two of the main characters who happen to be zombies are well, attractive. Neither of them show any signs of decay, they still have basic human needs (eating and sleeping), and they have their own thoughts and feelings just like any normal human being. In fact, had it not been for them constantly discussing what they are, and their superhuman abilities, it's possible to forget they are the living dead.
Story:
The story of Zombie-Loan is quite creative, at least in terms of the horror genre, specifically zombies. For one, this is a zombie show that's not that scary. There are a few images of "classic zombies" that might frighten anyone who is opposed to that kind of stuff, but for the most part, the story is not focused on scaring the viewer.
The plot follows a shy and easily scared high school girl named Michiru. She is an orphan, who will inherit a large sum of money when she reaches legal age. Due to this her relatives keep her with the promise that they will receive half of the inheritance on that day. Despite this, they still despise having her in their house, and treat her unkindly. In addition her "friends" at school are verbally abusive and seem to enjoy tormenting her, treating her as their servant rather than an equal.
One day when retrieving the snacks during lunch period, she trips over an object that turns out to be Chika's right hand. Therefore she meets Chika and Shito, two teenage boys who are famous for having survived an accident several months back in which everyone else involved died. One of her acquaintances are curious as to why those boys are speaking to Michiru and she snatches Michiru's glasses from her face. In this moment it is revealed that Michiru has a special ability to see rings around a person's neck indicating how close they are to death. Since Chika and Shito both have black rings she believes they are maybe hours from death.
After nightfall Michiru follows the boys into the school cemetery to warn them about their condition. She sees them remove and exchange hands then summon weapons. Michiru then witnesses them kill a zombie dog.
The next day Michiru learns that Chika and Shito are in fact zombies who are borrowing life and will need to repay their loan within a year in order to regain their real lives. They earn the necessary money by hunting down and killing dangerous and/or illegal zombies, afterwards, they guide their souls into the afterlife. The boys believe Michiru's special ability will help them in their quest and decide to include her as a part of the team.
That is all just in the first episode. Right about now this story sounds pretty awesome. To be honest, I thought it was. Episodes one through six intrigued me, especially the plot twists in episodes five and six. Episode seven is pretty much a filler episode, but it was still enjoyable.
However, in episodes eight through eleven the plot took a sharp turn and the story went in a strange direction. I won't say that I found the latter half of Zombie-Loan to be boring, so much as confusing and straying too far from the original premise. What more, the new direction felt rushed, and wasn't fully explored, leaving quite a few unanswered questions. Not to mention there was a major reveal about a certain character that seemed to have come out of nowhere. I also felt that the ending was too abrupt. Perhaps this is better explained in the manga, or would be build upon in a non-existent second season, but as it stands I feel unsatisfied with the second half of the series.
Characters:
The characters in this story are decent, but I feel that only a few of them really stand out.
To begin with there is the main character, Michiru. She is shy and a pushover. She's okay, but there's nothing that makes her an incredible protagonist, she's actually kind of bland. In one of the last episodes it's revealed that she adores cute things, but other than that not much is given on her likes, dislikes, interests, hobbies, immediate goals, hopes for the future, etc--she's just kind of there. What more she never shows much emotion on her subject of her deceased parents. Other than her special ability to see how close a person is to death, she is shown to have no other talents or ambitions. At the very least she does have some character development halfway through the show. In the first few episodes she is portrayed as easily scared and screams a lot. Of course that is a realistic human reaction to coming across a band of zombies. A little later on she does gather some courage and confidence, mostly when someone she cares about is threatened. Unfortunately, in the last third of the anime she seems to take a back seat to Chika and Shito, who get more screen time and overall attention. While she is not annoying (at least after she stops constantly screaming), she doesn't strike me as being interesting enough to make her a good protagonist.
Next, I'll move onto the two main zombies: Chika and Shito. I'm going to review them together due to the fact they are perfect foils of one another. For one, their appearances significantly contrast. I do think it is clever for the color associated with each character is the negative of the other: Chika's hair and clothing is mostly white while Shito's is primarily black. I won't necessarily say hate, but these two strongly dislike one another, however, due to a mistake they are forced to work together until their debts are paid, or they permanently die. If they spend any substantial amount of time apart, their right hands will rot, making their ability to hunt zombies near impossible. Beyond that while Shito may on the surface appear to be more polite, he is actually cold and distant due to his difficulty trusting others. On the reverse, Chika may come across as rude and complains a lot, but he is actually warmer and friendlier than his partner. I found Chika much easier to like than Shito.
Now onto the supporting characters. My favorite of the cast would have to be Koyomi. She is generally sweet and upbeat. What more, she has a second personality who goes by the name Yomi. Yomi has the ability to recall final moments of a late victim. Also she is proven to be a decent fighter as seen in episode five. She has a crush on Michiru which leads to the team using Michiru to awaken Yomi who prefers to stay dormant. As cool as Koyomi/Yomi may be, unfortunately she gets very little screen time after episode seven.
Among the others there is Bekko, or the Ferryman, who gives life loans to zombies. He wasn't given much time to develop in the anime. However, I'm very interested in learning more about him based on his last scene in episode eleven. There is also Yuuta, another zombie who has the ability to heal wounds. She has a morbid sense of humor, and while she doesn't get much screen time, she is amusing when she is on screen.
The antagonists are underdeveloped in my opinion. I don't know if it is due to the fact that there are so few episodes, and perhaps there is more depth in the manga (this is one manga that I will check out because I want answers to the many lingering questions). Each antagonist may have only two, maybe three if they're lucky, episodes to themselves. I feel that the fights with each antagonist ends too quickly, especially the one revealed in episode six--I felt that one was too anticlimactic. Overall, I feel that they're motives are never clear enough, or they don't make sense. What more I feel unsatisfied with the lack of use of the main villains of the series. They are introduced, have a little dialogue, and then do nothing else.
In short I find some of these characters okay, but other than Koyomi, and Chika for most of the time, I felt they were lacking.
Art:
The art style is decent. I especially like the design of the faces. The pink-haired golem in the last third has one of the most interesting face designs; I also like how much her innocence is displayed through her facial expressions. I also like the design of Michiru. As I mentioned before, the choice of having contrasting color schemes the two male leads is a good one.
For the most part the characters have physical variety. No two characters (well, except for the zombie extras) look alike. The one nitpick I have about character design, is that sometimes with certain angles, Chika's and Shito's bodies look weird. At times their limbs look exaggerated in length, almost out of proportion.
I like the dark, gothic feel of the setting. For instance the dormitory for special cases (such as Michiru, Koyomi, and the zombies) has a haunted house appearance. What more there is a school cemetery right outside that dorm. The same can be said about the abandoned and supposedly haunted inn that they visit for vacation in episode seven. While those designs may seem cliche were it used in a modern horror story, here I feel it adds to the atmosphere.
As for the animation, I have no complaints, but I wasn't blown away by it either. I do like the animation when a soul is released and guided into the afterlife. Also, some of the details of the battle scenes are fun to watch. It flows nicely and nothing looks out of place. However, there is nothing that stuck out as a defining moment of animation.
Music:
I hate the opening and ending songs used in Zombie-Loan. I'm actually a fan of metal and hard rock, and there have been times when that kind of music is an excellent choice ("Guren no Yumiya" in Attack on Titan and "What's Up People?" in Death Note to name two), but the two songs in Zombie-Loan were painful to listen to. I also feel that the songs don't match the tone, or the overall story. While there are plenty of serious moments, there is also a good bit of comedy. In my opinion the theme songs just don't fit.
Several times during a dramatic moment, or right before a cliffhanger ending to an episode, there would be an ominous choir piece. I like that song and I feel that it's eerie enough to fit the tone of the show. It's also vastly different from any of the other musical pieces in this series, making it stand out above the rest.
As for the remaining score, there's nothing much that stands out. It's not bad, as there's nothing apart from the opening and ending that I felt distracted from the show, it's just average.
Flaws:
I've already discussed a few flaws I found in this series, so I'll just recap my top three.
The first of the main problems I had was that the story starts out promising, but then the plot derails and goes off into a direction that makes it feel that this turn was out of the blue, or made up as it went.
I found less than a handful of the characters interesting enough, that they alone can't carry the weight of anyone else. Then there are some that makes me wonder why were the even included since they aren't properly expanded, or serve no purpose to the overall plot (ex: Chika's family). Had the show had more episodes, and allowed the characters to have further development I might not have this opinion. And again, perhaps the manga has the depth I'm looking for.
Lastly, and most importantly, I am unsatisfied with the ending. It's too abrupt that I don't even have time to feel anything before the curtain falls. There are too many questions I feel that are left unanswered. Perhaps a possible second season or the manga holds these answers, but as it stands, I am left wanting much more at the end of episode eleven.
Conclusion:
Zombie-Loan is an original show that had a lot of potential. It has some good characters, some that were less than average, and then some that were a waste of screen time. The art is pretty good: for the most part the character designs are interesting and the settings have their own unique charm.
I expected a lot more from the protagonist who pretty much became a secondary character by the end of the series. The focus is taken away from its main objective and replaced by a strange choice of plot points in the last few episodes. Also the ending is less than satisfying. I do hope there eventually will be a second season to clear some of that up.
I would recommend this anime as it is an entertaining watch. What more it's only eleven episodes, so it won't take long to view the entire series. However, this is a time in which I would recommend the manga over the anime to fill in a lot of holes in the show.
In all I would consider this show to be average.
Zombie-Loan: 6/10
Beverage: Monster Absolutely Zero
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