Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (Japanese: ゾン100 ～ゾンビになるまでにしたい100のこと～, Hepburn: Zon 100 ~ Zonbi ni Naru made ni Shitai 100 no Koto ~, "Zom 100: 100 Things I Want to do Before I Become a Zombie") is a Japanese manga series written by Haro Aso and illustrated by Kotaro Takata. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Monthly Sunday Gene-X since October 2018, with its chapters collected in 15 tankōbon volumes as of September 2023. The series is licensed for English release in North America by Viz Media.
An anime television series adaptation produced by Bug Films aired from July to December 2023. It is licensed by Viz Media outside of Asia and by Muse Communication for Asia-Pacific. A live-action film adaptation premiered on Netflix in August 2023.
Plot
Akira Tendo, a 24-year-old office worker of ZLM, discovers himself trapped in a routine and meaningless life. He lacks drive and motivation since he is disenchanted with his career; however, when a zombie apocalypse unexpectedly strikes Tokyo, everything is turned upside down. Instead of succumbing to dread, Akira sees this as an opportunity to experience life to the fullest rather than settle for his humdrum existence. He decides to create a bucket list of everything he wants to do before dying in order to not only experience it firsthand but also to show that he is still alive and well. This decision is made with a newfound sense of purpose.
With the happy company of his friend, Kencho, Akira embarks on a number of exciting and frequently bizarre excursions throughout zombie-infested Japan. Their pranks range from simple pleasures like eating at expensive restaurants for free to more extravagant pursuits like going on roller coasters and visiting haunted houses. Akira and Kencho come across other survivors who have their own motivations for surviving as they make their way across the country and its swarms of flesh-eating zombies. Along the journey, they forge odd alliances, face their own anxieties, and learn the importance of friendship and the human spirit's ability to persevere in the face of difficulty.
Haro Aso, the author of the series, commented that the handling of the zombie genre as entertainment has been overused in several types of media. Aso was planning a new work when he came up with the idea of "let's do a zombie one". So, Aso came up with the idea of a protagonist who can see zombies as something fun, thinking that real people might be more disgusting than zombies, and "It would be interesting to mix zombies and company beasts." He has come up with the idea of having company animals as the main characters.[10] However, he was impressed after watching the 2018 Japanese film One Cut of the Dead. Aso was amazed by the take a "heartwarming zombie comedy" by Shin'ichirō Ueda. Though the manga predated the film, Aso enjoyed One Cut of the Dead while adding that he wrote the manga without being conscious of the international market. Aso originally preferred Western movies over domestic ones, leading to his manga being more influenced by the former. In order to stand out as a manga author, he wanted to make a commentary about Japanese society in order to tell the audience to laugh, something different from previous zombie works. The style is described as "a little offbeat, a little silly". While telling a ridiculous story, his message was telling the readers to do whatever they want like his characters do.[11]
Aso, who had no experience working in a company, interviewed his friend, an office worker. While drinking on the weekend and taking notes on his friend's complaints, Aso thought to himself, "Wouldn't zombies be better if this were the case?" From that story, he envisioned the main character, Akira, who puts off everything he wants to do and devotes himself to his work at the company. Then, he threw Akira into Zombie World, and this work was produced.[10]
Artist Kotaro Takata said that the theme of zombies was something he always wanted to work on, with some of his favorite works in the horror genre being Zombieland and Z Nation.[12] Aso and Takada, who is in charge of the animation, were "originally private friends who often went camping together." According to Aso, Takada said things like "When this series is over, I'm going to go back to my parents' house and start farming and hunting," as if he "always wanted to escape from reality." When Aso was thinking about the story, Takada came to mind, and he called him and asked, "What are you doing now? Do you want to go hunting?" and asked him, "Would you like to create a work together?". Therefore, Takada "accepted the project with two replies," and Takada was in charge of the illustrations.[10]
Media
Manga
Written by Haro Aso and illustrated by Kotaro Takata, Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead began serialization in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Monthly Sunday Gene-X on October 19, 2018.[13] Shogakukan has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on March 19, 2019.[14] As of September 19, 2023, 15 volumes have been released.[15]
In North America, Viz Media announced the English release of the series in July 2020.[16] On May 9, 2023, Viz Media launched their Viz Manga digital manga service, with the series' chapters receiving simultaneous English publication in North America as they are released in Japan.[17]
#58: "Haunted Manor of the Dead (1)" (ホラーマンションオブザデッド①, Horā Manshon obu za Deddo 1)
#59: "Haunted Manor of the Dead (2)" (ホラーマンションオブザデッド②, Horā Manshon obu za Deddo 2)
#60: "Haunted Manor of the Dead (3)" (ホラーマンションオブザデッド③, Horā Manshon obu za Deddo 3)
#61: "Happiness of the Dead" (ハピネス オブ ザ デッド, Hapinesu obu za Deddo)
Anime
On January 6, 2023, an anime television series adaptation was announced, as part of a deal between Viz Media, Shogakukan, and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions. It was produced by Bug Films and directed by Kazuki Kawagoe, with assistant direction by Hanako Ueda, scripts supervised by Hiroshi Seko, character designs by Kii Tanaka, zombie designs by Junpei Fukuchi, and music composed by Makoto Miyazaki.[3] The series aired from July 9 to December 26, 2023, on the Nichi-5 [ja] programming block on all JNN stations in Japan, including MBS and TBS.[49][50] The opening theme is "Song of the Dead" (ソングオブザデッド, Songu obu za Deddo) by Kana-Boon, while the ending theme is "Happiness of the Dead" (ハピネス オブ ザ デッド, Hapinesu obu za Deddo) by Shiyui [ja].[51]
"Akira of the Dead" Transliteration: "Akira obu za Deddo" (Japanese: アキラ オブ ザ デッド)
Kazuki Kawagoe
Kazuki Kawagoe
July 9, 2023 (2023-07-09)
Akira Tendo is a young office worker who hates his job. Three years ago, an excited Akira came to Tokyo to work after graduation but increasingly becomes disillusioned after learning his company ruthlessly exploits their employees. Despite being depressed, he continues to stay due to his coworker, Saori Ohtori, the only one who treats him with kindness but is unable to confess his feelings since Ohtori is also the CEO's mistress. When a zombie outbreak hits Tokyo, rather than despair, Akira greets it with happiness since he is finally free. He heads to Ohtori's apartment to rescue her only to discover he was too late as she and the CEO have turned into zombies. Akira tells the CEO he quits before pushing him to his death and confesses his feelings to a zombified Ohtori before escaping. Realizing he might get killed during the outbreak, Akira makes a bucket list of 100 things he wants to do before he becomes a zombie.
2
"Bucket List of the Dead" Transliteration: "Baketto Risuto obu za Deddo" (Japanese: バケットリスト オブ ザ デッド)
Toshihiro Maeya
Hanako Ueda
July 16, 2023 (2023-07-16)
Akira starts to revel in his newfound freedom by drinking beer in the morning. However, he soon realizes that he has run out. Sneaking down a pipe to avoid zombies, he meets the Kousakas, his despairing neighbors who become more hopeful seeing his cheerful demeanor. When he arrives at the convenience store, Akira meets another survivor scavenging the place, who admonishes him for only taking items she considers unnecessary for survival. She takes off after she saves his life. With his bike destroyed, he ultimately finds a motorcycle and uses it to escape. When he finally returns home, Akira notices zombies have managed to break into the Kousakas' apartment. Retreating to his apartment, he solemnly reflects on his situation. As such, Akira writes down a bucket list of 100 things he wants to do before he becomes a zombie. Meanwhile, a flashback shows that prior to meeting Akira, the girl was obsessed with survival, but after meeting him begins to wonder if there might be room for some fun.
3
"Best Friend of the Dead" Transliteration: "Besuto Furendo obu za Deddo" (Japanese: ベストフレンド オブ ザ デッド)
Jun Shinohara
Jun Shinohara
July 23, 2023 (2023-07-23)
Shou and other survivors defend Club Shou-Time. Meanwhile, after Akira crosses growing a cool beard off his bucket list, he vows to find his friend Kencho. He then notices his phone has unread notifications. Elsewhere, Kencho is trapped at Club Shou-Time when he receives a call from Akira, who promises to meet him. As he heads to Shinjuku, Akira recalls their friendship prior to the outbreak. Just as the zombies are about to kill Shou, they are distracted when they hear some noise. Once Akira and Kencho reunite, Akira apologizes to Kencho for being jealous of him before zombies chase them onto the roof. After Akira successfully jumps onto the roof of another building, he tells Kencho to do the same. Kencho refuses and reveals to Akira he hated his job as a real estate agent and what he really wants to do is be a stand-up comedian. With Akira's encouragement, Kencho makes it while he takes off his clothes. Later that night, Akira and Kencho have a conversation while they are naked.
4
"Flight Attendant of the Dead" Transliteration: "Shī Ē obu za Deddo" (Japanese: CA オブ ザ デッド)
Akira and Kencho decide to go to the department store to get a flat-screen TV as Akira had it on his bucket list. When they arrive there, they discover they are not alone as they meet an old man and three flight attendants named Yukari, Maki, and Reika. They end up wining and dining with the girls, which was another thing on the bucket list. Akira eventually drinks too much trying to impress the girls, while Kencho and Maki head to the furniture department to have sex. Meanwhile, Reika is attacked by the zombified old man. Yukari later approaches Akira and the two ultimately have a conversation about their dream jobs. When Kencho investigates the commotion, Maki is killed by a zombified Reika, while Kencho himself is forced to smash Reika's head. As Yukari is about to say something to Akira, she is attacked and bitten by the old man. Despite Akira's pleas, she willingly sacrifices herself when the old man attacks them again. Akira and Kencho manage to escape with a flat-screen TV. When they get back to their base, Akira adds his desire to recall his childhood dream to his bucket list.
SP–1
"Zom 100 Special Program: 100 Things You Need to Prepare to Run Away from Zombies" Transliteration: "Zom 100 Tokuban ~Zombie Kara Nigekiru Tame ni Junbi Shitai 100 no Koto~" (Japanese: ゾン100 特番～ゾンビから逃げ切るために準備したい100のこと～)
Recalling what his childhood dream was, Akira heads to the aquarium with Kencho to grab a shark suit so he can achieve said dream of being a superhero. Elsewhere, the girl Akira previously met is on a bus when one of the passengers turns into a zombie. She and the remaining survivors head to the aquarium where they are rescued by Akira. When he approaches her, she questions his motives. After investigating a loud noise, Akira and Kencho discover a zombified shark with legs is on the loose. While everyone is running away, the girl gets left behind. Once Akira rescues her again, she comes up with a plan to stop the shark. A naked Kencho provides a distraction which allows Akira to electrocute the shark. Before they part ways, Akira and the girl, whose name is Shizuka Mikazuki, exchange contact information.
6
"RV of the Dead" Transliteration: "Kyanpingu Kā obu za Deddo" (Japanese: キャンピングカー オブ ザ デッド)
After Akira and Kencho grab a pair of solid gold watches, they decide to head to Gunma. When they arrive at an RV dealership, they run into Shizuka. Once an RV is chosen, the trio continue their journey until they are stopped by a spike strip, which also injures Kencho. They are then confronted by a group led by Gonzou Kosugi, Akira's former boss. A nervous Akira reluctantly agrees to work for Kosugi again for two days in exchange to use his truck stop. The next day, while Shizuka is with Kencho, an annoyed Kosugi is forced to announce that he is throwing a welcome party for Akira and his friends after he catches Akira chilling beer for everyone. Kosugi later taunts Akira when the former reveals he is using the latter, the zombies, and everyone else as cheap labor.
7
"Truck Stop of the Dead" Transliteration: "Sābisu Eria obu za Deddo" (Japanese: SA オブ ザ デッド)
Seeing Akira being abused by Kosugi reminds Shizuka how her father controlled every aspect of her life. While she is in the RV, Shizuka finds Akira's bucket list and writes "Tell Kosugi Off" in it. Elsewhere, unbeknownst to a couple of members of the supply gathering team, a zombie is hiding in their truck. Back at the truck stop, when Akira, Kencho and Shizuka attempt to leave, Kosugi manipulates Akira into staying. A furious Shizuka calls out Kosugi for being a coward before she hands Akira his bucket list back to him, which reveals what she wrote down earlier. As such, Akira finally gains the confidence to tell Kosugi off. Once chaos ensues when the truck arrives and releases the zombie, Akira successfully neutralizes the situation and saves everyone, even Kosugi. After Kosugi's gang leaves him behind at the truck stop due to his abusive and controlling behavior as well as his cowardice, Akira, Kencho, and Shizuka continue their journey.
8
"Sushi & Hot Springs of the Dead" Transliteration: "Sushi ando Hotto Supuringu obu za Deddo" (Japanese: スシ&ホットスプリング オブ ザ デッド)
After Akira, Kencho, and Shizuka try Paddleboard Yoga, the trio continue their journey where they encounter a female otaku from Germany named Beatrix Amerhauser. Akira agrees to help her deliver fish to Takasaki since eating at a sushi restaurant is on his bucket list. When they arrive there, Akira and Beatrix fight a horde of zombies until the latter are lured away and killed in an explosion caused by Kencho and Shizuka. Everyone has a good time eating sushi that night. Sometime later, the quartet arrive at a hot spring. As they are enjoying themselves, they discover it is surrounded and are forced to flee. While he is alone, Akira finds a seemingly unoccupied hot spring in the mountains. However, he runs into Shizuka where they have a heartfelt conversation about love before they are joined by Kencho and Beatrix.
9
"Treehouse of the Dead" Transliteration: "Tsurīhausu obu za Deddo" (Japanese: ツリーハウス オブ ザ デッド)
Akira, Kencho, Shizuka, and Beatrix are near Gunma when they come across a barricaded tunnel full of zombies. While taking a detour through the forest, they rescue an old man named Masaru Kumano from a zombified boar. A thankful Kumano shows the quartet the treehouse he is building, which causes an excited Akira to help out. Once the treehouse is completed, the quartet part ways with Kumano. After a while, they finally arrive at Akira's home village. When Akira reunites with his parents, he has a hard time repaying them. Elsewhere, it is revealed Akira's father has a wound. Meanwhile, another group in the village is completing a bucket list of their own.
10
"Hometown of the Dead I" Transliteration: "Hōmutaun obu za Deddo Wan" (Japanese: ホームタウン オブ ザ デッド I)
As the quartet settles into Akira's village, they meet other survivors from the nearby city and slowly get to know them. That evening, Akira listens to his father talk about his dream of wanting to be an astronaut and how small world their really is once they get to explore more. Meanwhile, the other group led by Akira and Kencho's former university classmate, Kanta Higurashi, take down the barriers blocking the tunnel and soon lead the zombies to the village, causing havoc and terrorizing the villagers along the way. Akira and the others realize an electric fence has trapped everyone in the village, forcing them to make plans to evacuate the village and fight back.
11
"Hometown of the Dead II" Transliteration: "Hōmutaun obu za Deddo Tsū" (Japanese: ホームタウン オブ ザ デッド II)
While the members of the quartet brawl with others from Higurashi's group, Akira goes to defend his parents and other survivors from the zombies. However, Akira's father resolves to defend the family and throws Akira into the house to confront the zombies on his own. In a series of flashbacks, each member of Higurashi's group recount their worst memories before the pandemic started that caused their resentment towards society. They decided to vent their frustrations by destroying the village, but are instead thwarted in their encounters with Akira's quartet. Before Akira's father is turned into a zombie, Higurashi saves him but then holds him hostage, taunting Akira to prove that he is a good son.
12
"Hometown of the Dead III" Transliteration: "Hōmutaun obu za Deddo Surī" (Japanese: ホームタウン オブ ザ デッド III)
A flashback shows that Higurashi grew from a happy child to an antisocial loner who began to despise society, especially people like Akira. He decides to take it out on Akira and make him choose between him and his father. Akira seemingly turns into a zombie but quickly gets the upper hand on Higurashi. It is revealed that Akira disguised himself as a zombie with the help of some of the survivors to trick Higurashi. When Akira confronts him, Higurashi has a breakdown while he reveals that he just wanted to have friends. After he is bitten by a zombie, Higurashi accepts his fate while Akira and the other survivors attempt to evacuate the village but realize the bridge connecting them across a canyon has been destroyed. Fortunately, Kumano has built a bridge just in time. Akira and Kencho hold the bridge while the villagers evacuate, and they barely escape. The villagers eventually manage to trap the zombies in the tunnel again and begin to rebuild. Akira learns his father is not infected and instead has hemorrhoids. The quartet soon makes plans to continue their goals to survive the zombie apocalypse and leave the village to explore the world and fulfil their dreams.
Live-action film
On June 7, 2022, during the Geeked Week livestream, Netflix announced a live-action film adaptation.[5] Yusuke Ishida directed the film, based on a screenplay by Tatsuro Mishima. Akira Morii served as producer at Robot Communications, in collaboration with Plus One Entertainment. The film premiered on August 3, 2023.[64][65] The theme song is "HoriZOM", performed by Ren.[66]
Reception
Manga
Critical reception
Briana Lawrence of The Mary Sue praised the manga's premise for making the reader care not for Akira's quest but instead of the fact that he does not care about the fact there are zombies in Japan and how he spends his free time. Akira's viewpoint of the post-apocalyptic world was compared to an optimistic view to the world's situation during the COVID-19 pandemic.[67] Kara Dennison of Otaku USA said the series gives several positive messages, such as Akira's optimism when dealing with the chaotic world as well as the cast in general's outlook to the current status quo.[68] Koiwai of Manga News found the story quirky, crazy, and cynical, praising the handling of Akira, while responding positively to the artwork, especially the drawing of zombies.[69]
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season of Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead holds an approval rating of 100% based on five reviews, with an average rating of 9.7/10.[72] The critics from Anime News Network gave the first episode of the series a very positive reception. James Beckett and Richard Eisenbeis gave it a perfect score, complimenting the storytelling, visuals, direction, animation and the handling of Akira's character. Rebecca Silverman described that the art direction is fascinating and does a remarkable job of emphasizing the decline of Akira's quality of life and its sudden resurgence. Nicholas Dupree praised its animation, direction and Akira's character while noting that "[the show] is simple, a bit trashy, and doesn't do much to innovate in the well-trodden ground of zombie fiction, but it has a solid emotional core and an excess of energy."[73]
Daniel Kurland of Den of Geek describing the series premiere, saying, "This first episode utilizes a simple, yet effective, trick where the color palette is actively muted during the extended flashback that's set during the early days at Akira's job." Regarding the series' opening theme song, he described it as "an absolute banger and perfectly captures the anime's bombastic, care-free energy".[74] Rafael Motamayor of IGN called the series premiere as "one of the best first episodes of an anime in a long time", praising its visual storytelling, framing, and color in handling Akira's miserable work life. He also praised the series for its refreshing take on a zombie genre, characters, and humor, while criticizing its animation quality as unreliable due to the studio's production delays that made it a "less-than-perfect watch".[75]
Accolades
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead received six nominations at the 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards in the categories: Best New Series, Best Comedy, Best Art Direction (Taketo Gonpei), Best Opening Sequence ("Song of the Dead" by Kana-Boon), Best Ending Sequence ("Happiness of the Dead" by Shiyui), and Best Voice Artist Performance – German (Patrick Keller as Akira Tendo).[76]
Notes
^ abInformation is taken from the ending credits of each episode.
^Due to production circumstances, the premiere of episode 4 was delayed a day on some streaming services.[55]
^ abEpisode 5 was delayed a week from its originally scheduled air date of August 6, 2023.[56]
^Due to the broadcast of the 2023 World Athletics Championships, episode 6 was delayed by a week from its originally scheduled air date of August 20, 2023.[57] The premiere of the episode was delayed by a day on some streaming services due to production circumstances.[58]
^Due to production circumstances, the premiere of episode 7 was delayed by a day on some streaming services.[59]
^Episode 8 was delayed a week due to a recap episode.[60] The premiere of the episode was delayed by a day on some streaming services due to production circumstances.[61]
^Due to production circumstances, the premiere of episode 9 was delayed by a day on some streaming services.[62]
^ abcEpisodes 10–12 aired consecutively on JNN affiliates on December 25, 2023, at 11:40 p.m., until December 26 at 1:10 a.m. JST.[63]
^Unlike previous years, the nominees were not divided into categories in the 2023 award.
