Highschool of the Dead - Review

"This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but a whimper." - T. S. Eliot

Underneath all the blatant fanservice and mindless bloodshed, Highschool of the Dead digs deep into the psychology of the human mind, showing us the lengths of cruelty and inhumanity us humans can go to in order to save ourselves. During times of chaos, the disgusting and selfish core of human beings are fully exposed for all to see, and the world which was once keen on peace and unity transforms into one of corruption and division. True, the story depicted in the anime is just that - a fictional story and nothing more - but it does serve as an entertaining way to foreshadow the possible state of the world if a similar international crisis were to happen. However, as this is an anime review, other factors besides the story must also be taken into account.

Art (7/10)
For the most part, the artwork was done quite well. The animation during action-packed scenes was fluid and easy to watch. The zombies were interesting to see given that the animators had no real model to base their work off of. The grotesque features and lethargic, swaying movements of the zombies replicated what I had in mind almost perfectly. On the other hand, I found the character designs to be a bit plain and unoriginal. If this only applied to the side characters, I wouldn't have minded, but when even the main characters look like characters you've seen before, then there's have a problem. In the end, the good cancels out with the bad, resulting in an average score.

Characters (6/10)
Honestly, I was disappointed with the characters. With the exception of a few scenes, I felt there wasn't enough character development. One would think that, in the situation the characters are in, that there'd be plenty of it. However, all that really happens throughout the series is killing, fleeing and resting. There isn't much dynamic dialogue to contribute to the development of the characters. One specific example of failed characterization is unsurprisingly the school nurse, Marikawa Shizuka. At times, I wondered whether she was there just for the sake of fanservice (as if there wasn't enough already). Despite all this, there were indeed some parts where character development was evident. As an example, when comparing Takashi's character from the start to the end, the changes he has gone through are a testament to his strong, composed and leader-like personality. Similarly, the other main characters have, to a slightly lesser degree, gone through the same.

Sound (6/10)
From the amusing groans of the zombies to the flurry of mediocre ending themes, the sounds and music used in this show were generally poor. However, the fast-paced opening was effective in pumping me up for each and every episode. Also, the seiyūs did a great job of voicing their characters. The emotions of the characters were conveyed well through their voices, making scenes more realistic and believable. Lastly, the BGM was not memorable; I can barely remember any of the tracks despite having just finished the series.

Story (8/10)
At first glance, Highschool of the Dead is another one of those typical, post-apocalyptic stories centered on the concept of "survival of the fittest". While this does end up being the case, there were also other messages placed throughout the 12 episodes. Furthermore, even though it'll most likely be useless information, the anime makes an indirect attempt at educating viewers about what might happen if the real world were to end up like what was shown. Personally, I liked how the story was about the journey of a group of high school students trying to survive a zombie apocalypse, even if there was some unrealism to it.

Overall (7/10)
For those who don't mind a repetitive show that features several large-breasted girls (and two regular, teenage boys) slaying zombies, then by all means, give Highschool of the Dead a try. This is one of those shows that don't require one to think too hard about what's going on (in fact, not thinking is probably the best choice as many things that push the limits of reality are shown). It's a surprisingly popular show, nonetheless, so even if you don't fit into the description of the target group, there may be a chance that you'll still like the show. As for me, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Having also read the manga, I'm glad that there's still material left for the possibility of the second season. To sum it all up, HOTD is essentially your run-of-the-mill fanservice anime.