A Group of Zombie Idols Warm my Cold Heart - Zombieland Saga Review

Zombieland Saga is not typically a show I find myself going out of my way to watch, but the idea of an all Zombie Idol group was just odd enough to get me to check the show out. The group is formed of two famous Idols, a courtesan from the 18th century, a child actor, the leader of an all-female biker gang who attempted to take over Japan, a girl who nobody knows the history of and hasn't attained consciousness yet, and an average high school girl.

This seems like a very bizarre group of people to get together as Zombies in order to form an Idol Group, but it really ends up working. The show is basically each character overcoming their own hangups and issues as the group tries to gather enough fame to bring back the lost art of local Idol groups, and in the process reinvigorate the Saga District of Japan and make it a great place again.

Honestly the saving Saga thing, the whole reason they were all revived in the first place, is kind of secondary to the draw of the show, the great characters. The show does a great job mixing the comedy with great character moment. It never forgets it's a comedy, and jokes are non-stop, but despite that, it doesn't take away from the touching moments the show can build up.

The comedy works in large part because the timing is pretty much perfect. When the show opened, I had had no idea who any of the characters were, I just knew the premise. So when I see this happy go lucky girl saying how she is finally going to turn it all around, I immediately guessed what was going to happen, I knew she was about to step outside and get hit by a car. It's a joke I've seen years ago in Excell Saga, where the upbeat protagonist is saying how excited she ends up dying because she wasn't paying attention due to her joy and gets hit by a car.

That said, seeing the punchline coming didn't stop it from being hilarious. Not only did the car strike her at the perfect time, but there are also things this bit does to keep itself different from Excell Saga, specifically the sudden smash to the Heavy Metal Music, and the constant snaps to different angles of poor Sakura getting smashed into with the vehicle. This happens in probably less than a minute of the show starts.

I'll avoid talking about the comedy any more because all I'd be doing is explaining jokes to you. Comedy is one of those things that, while there is a nuance to it, a joke either works for you or it doesn't. You will probably know if you'd enjoy the comedy on some level by reading the above description, any more then that would just be spoiling jokes.

Despite only having 12 episodes so far and a cast of seven recurring characters, the six members of the band Franchouchou and their manager, none of them feel like they are underdeveloped, even if the aforementioned courtesan and Tae don't get episodes dedicated to them. They all seem to have a role they play in the group dynamic, and the interactions between them are genuinely charming and funny. Sakura and Saki, despite being from completely different backgrounds (Sakura being a normal high school girl, and Saki being the leader of the biker gang), after Sakura shows a bit of Backbone when confronting Saki they become strangely close the remainder of the series. This is kind of how it goes with everyone, and never do the relationships feel forced.

Where the show really shines for me, other then the comedy, is how every really touching moment in the show feels earned. They usually take place over the span of a couple episodes, you get a good insight into a character's past and thoughts, and the show does a great job at conveying it and getting you to sympathize. And while there is always kind of a bittersweet look outlook to the whole thing, considering all the characters are technically dead, I just find myself happy at the conclusion of each one of their stories.

And that really is where my love of this show is coming from, just seeing things go the way they do makes me happy. The moments of friendship, the over the top jokes, seeing the passion of the characters building up to every performance, and the moments of triumph as they overcome their personal hang-ups, everything about this show just makes me happy.

This is definitely in my top three anime this season, and it's a show I think deserves a lot more than the 7.5 rating it currently has on My Anime List. If you are down for touching moments and characters dressed up in a ridiculous zombie-themed comedy, it's worth checking out.