Zom 100: Zombie ni Naru made ni Shitai 100 no Koto
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

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Zom 100 has one of the best first volumes that I have ever read. I laughed out loud many times, and those laughs were interspersed with bursting out into tears – no exaggeration – as many as three times in the span of four chapters.

The first volume sets up a zombie apocalypse story like no other: it's unbridledly optimistic. Faced with the end of the world, our main character is overjoyed that he doesn't have to work anymore. With people scared and dying around him, he goes on foolhardy excursions with an unbreakable smile on his face. He's content with life as long as he ... can have a beer. He encourages his best friend to pursue his dream now that he's out of a job. The mix of overwhelming adversity, and then silly irreverence, cheerful optimism and the romance of the little things in life… It's truly special. I've never experienced a story quite like it – by eschewing zombie drama in favor of extolling the joy of life, it brings a refreshing, uplifting perspective that really resonated with me.

Alas, it wasn't meant to last. In volume 2 and on, the story turns into oil and water: it toggles back and forth between being a straight-laced B-movie-style zombie drama – angst, action, and astonishingly ludicrous villains – and having the main characters doing sundry activities with nary a zombie in sight. No longer are the two elements mixed and contrasted, but rather separate. Neither element is particularly interesting on its own.

After straying from its winning recipe, cracks start to show elsewhere. The characters' motivations turn to the more stereotypical “save the world”-type fare, robbing the story of its uniqueness. The manga is considerably “trashy” throughout – licentious and fanservicey – and with as low a tolerance for tastelessness as I have, the fact that I loved volume 1 despite this says quite a bit… but having lost that je ne sais quois, that starts to grate as well. Moments that focus on the bucket list are still occasional bright points, but by and large, the manga quickly loses its spark, loses its indomitable joie de vivre, and loses my enthusiasm.

Zom 100 won't stick with me as an incredible story, but I will keep volume 1 on my shelf as a token of the time I was reminded that even in a tired genre, there is always potential for a fresh, beautiful perspective.

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As an aside, the translation (by Nova Skipper; edited by Karla Clark) is absolutely stellar. I was taking notes; that's how good it is – absolutely buy volume 1, half because it's fantastic, and half to raise your bar for how natural and funny a translation can be while still maintaining accuracy.

I know the guidelines say to not comment on others reviews but this is not it for me. I enjoyed this work alot and anyone who can appreciate strong realistic themes with high levels of enjoyment can agree with me. The main character is a strong representation of freedom and the true purpose of the life given to us. This is reflected through heavy real life topics like "social pressure, regret, anxiety, fear and depression" with very fun but strong execution. This manga teaches us to not only value our life but to appreciate the moment. Before i get into ratings i ask you this, ... "If you are living mindlessly, by order and what's in front of you, what makes you fundamentally different from the zombies? This Manga attacks the concept of sense of self and it really makes you think about the true priorities in life and what to take for granted.

Overall: I gave this a 9 as the pacing was good, chapters are extremely enjoyable, and characters are not only very strong, but superbly realistic. Art is good and character designs are diverse from one another, with very nice visuals and facial expressions that will make you pee from laughter. Themes are strong and the antagonist are integral to the story. Must read for those who appreciate what i listed above

(disclaimer: this is my first review, so I might not be very good)

STORY: 7
the story is not too good or too bad atm. I do like the whole black company trauma that was going on in the first chapter tho. also, I'm not really a huge fan of zombie stories, but it's not sure yet if this is a comedy or a serious zombie apocolypse story. until that's made clear, it'll stay a 7 for me.
also, the dialogue can be pretty interesting sometimes. like in chapter 11

ART: 8
the art-style looks kinda cliche with a unique twist to it. I don't know how to describe it ... exactly, but it kinda looks shounen and at the same time doesn't.

CHARACTER: 8
the characters aren't amazing or something, but they do have pretty good character development.

ENJOYMENT: 8
I'm really enjoying this manga right now. It has great funny moments and knows how to bring tension with interesting battles.

OVERALL: 8
till now the manga has a pretty funny story and it has the potential to turn into a hilarious comedy or (if they give an explanation for the apocolypse) a great seinen (with shounen elements). for now we just have to wait.


edit: nevermind the manga went downhill a bit. there's a dumb villain now, the characters are getting more shounen and it seems like they decided to be serious with the story, but not to give even a hint of eventually showing us how the zombie apocolypse started. maybe I shouldn't review shit when they're still at beginning?
story: 7
art: 7
character: 7
enjoyment: 8 (I'm easily enjoyed)
overall: 7

After seeing everyone simultaneously give up on reviewing this manga after chapter 28, I took it upon myself to see if anything went wrong since it has managed to sit at a comfortable score and its anime adaptation it's currently premiering. So, did something happen?

Akira Tendou, an exploited wagie, finds a second shot in life when the world goes to hell facing a zombie apocalypse. Promising himself to live his life to its fullest, he writes down "100" things he wants to do before becoming a zombie (aka, a bucket list).

As the story goes on, you'll realize this is just your run-of-the-mill zombie survival ... story but with the bucket twist. But as with any media, the execution is more important than originality/creativity.

So, does it work? Yeah! The formula of having the end goal (filling the bucket list) always around the corner and ACTIVELY working towards it every chapter (unlike a shonen) makes the story feel as it never growing stale.

That being said, it's not flawless... Two really tropey and mediocre arcs (one being on the back-end of the prologue and the other one waiting for you right after it) really damage the overall vibe and flow of the manga. But if you can find the silver lining on them (that being that they're not filler) and keep on reading, you'll instantly get back the very zany shenanigans of the main cast you started reading for in the first place. I promise.

Speaking of the main cast, they got a lot of chemistry between each other: Akira, Shizuka, Kenichirou and Beatrix are all just out looking for fun and casually helping people along the way. They're the incarnation of "Me and the boys chilling in the zombie apocalypse".

If you're looking for the whys or hows for the apocalypse happening: don't worry, you'll get them eventually. Just sit down and enjoy the ride.

If you're here for the art style, you night notice it slowly switching and becoming less detailed as the story goes on. It's not necessarily a deal-breaker.

Overall, it's a nice story with a little bit of everything going into it. Give it a shot.

Okay, now this is a certified epic gamer moment.
Real talk, this is the kind of manga that reaffirms my taste in the medium of anime as a whole. I absolutely adore stuff like this; balls to the walls action that isn't afraid to not take itself to seriously, but has the unique quality to tell a meaningful story with interesting characters alongside the chaos and insanity, not in spite of it. It's not perfect, but it does everything it sets out to do phenomenally and that has to be worth something.

Story 8/10: It's a zombie survival story, the fact it's a zombie apocalypse is a ... good jumping point because everyone is already familiar with it, but it's also a crutch because everyone is already sick of hearing them. The actual whole world ending thing takes a massive backseat to the characters just having a grand time doing whatever they feel like, and the impulsive, warped priorities of pretty much every character in this manga retell a story that's usually: "live to fight another day," instead as: "live everyday like it's your last." It's an almost disgustingly optimistic and upbeat smorgasbord of blood, guts, and pure insanity; with the only goal in sight to seize everything life has left to offer in the face of the rapture itself. Overall, an extremely interesting take on a remarkably stale genre, it's oddly inspiring and I'm very impressed.

Art 8/10: It was good, does a great job for setting the tone of any scene, but idk this is a little hard to talk about objectively. It doesn't go for anything to crazy in the artstyle department, but the zombies are genuinely really well drawn and absolutely terrifying, in stark contrast to the cheerful and upbeat nature of the manga any time they become an immediate threat to our characters. Also, some animals are also depicted as being zombified which is totally awesome; a zombie shark is both the dumbest and coolest thing I have ever seen get a full page illustration. Everything else is really well done and overall just has a very high bar of quality it consistently adheres to.

Characters 10/10: While not perfect, this story is definitely more character driven than plot driven. The plot sets the stage for the characters, and this manga takes that cardinal rule of story writing and runs wild with it. The characters are amazing in this manga, all of them. The chemistry between everyone is nearing the upper limit of perfection, and I don't really know what to say from here. For how goofy and campy this manga is, the main cast has extremely impressive emotional depth and feel scarily real, which is astounding that your able to connect with them so strongly when the manga is constantly trying to portray them as being over the top all the time. All the characters in this manga, not just limited to the main cast, aren't fighting to survive, but fighting to truly live. Everyone is sick and tired of just surviving, they've been doing nothing but surviving since the day they where born, and it took an apocalypse for them to finally be free enough to dream of being alive.

Enjoyment 10/10: This is what the cool kids call an "absolute banger." This slaps, I started reading this at like 4 in the morning last night, and pulled an all-nighter to catch up to the English translation. This is a massive clusterfuck, and I love me some organized chaos; it's by far my favorite kind of entertainment.

Overall an easy 10/10: An overmilked setting painted on an ridiculously absurd canvas that somehow masterfully captures a cast of wildly unrealistic but eerily human and uncomfortably relatable main leads, as they live out their wildest fantasies without a care in the world while said world is ending around them. It has this indescribable X factor about it that makes it's characters, as outlandish as they may be, pop out and just simply feel human. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

Writing my first review ever so please bare with me. I'll make this as short as possible since this series is publishing and much more of the story needs to come out. No spoilers so do not worry. After reading the first two volumes I can say this is turning out to be a great one. It's a different take on a zombie apocalypse survival story. The main character outlook on the situation is refreshing he chooses to make the most out of his life while he still has it. He hated his job and being a slave to it (which most of us can ... relate to) and because of this his new found sense of freedom is what gives this story its light-hearted feel it needs. Another note to point out is how realistic the actions and reactions are to his environment/situations. When confronted by zombies I believe he does what any average person experiencing it would do. No crazy power ups that come out of nowhere last minute. Despite it being a manga about zombies the characters are still very relatable. Overall, this is a great read with some gore and comedy. I am excited to see how the story unfolds. If anything changes I will definitely give an update.

With a growing awareness of toxic work culture and a need for more humane working conditions globally, along with the ongoing reaction against the terrible and near inhumane work cultures in East-Asian countries like Japan and Korea, of course, a story like Zom 100 would emerge to become such a force among the anime and manga community.

Zom 100 is set during the onslaught of a zombie apocalypse. But not necessarily the kind of zombie apocalypse that you would find in a horror movie where nihilism and despair reign supreme. This one subverts that trope to show that perhaps, one's happiness can only come from ... being free, from the destruction of societal rules and norms as the zombie apocalypse rides on to completely overturn all the toxicity built by people and systems. That turns ordinary people into mindless beings made to work and work and work. We can see this in our central character, Akira who, before the zombie apocalypse was an office worker stuck in a toxic work culture, constantly plagued by the need to be productive and meet deadlines. But upon the destruction of society, as zombies overrun the streets, he suddenly finds himself free to pursue the pleasures of 'ordinary' life and find meaning in his existence.

This is clearly some form of critique of capitalism, of the system's explicit need to constantly strive for productivity and numbers in spite of human working conditions and suffering. It is only when this system comes crashing down that our protagonist can live life as a human being, to become someone he sees fit of being. It's kind of fitting that Zom 100 would take on such an angle especially when you consider how the advent of the zombie genre in popular consciousness, Romero's Night of the Living Dead has been reinterpreted into a grand social critique of capitalism, of the mindless, endless consumption that comes about from unbridled, unrestrained capitalism.

Unfortunately, apart from the opening chapter and an arc about 20 chapters down the line, the social critique, drops away for a more conventional comedy-action adventure where the mindset of 'YOLO' and 'Not giving up on your dreams' takes centre stage. As a result, while the first few chapters were enthralling and quite thought-provoking, the rest of the chapters end up feeling more like your typical Shounen series.

Humour definitely takes the front seat for the manga, with most of the zombies being played for comedy more than anything. As the story continues, this approach deepens greatly with the ways our central characters take on the challenge of zombies becoming all the more absurd. (Why does Kencho have to get butt naked? Why does that raise the zombies agro? Why is running away from a horde of zombies a recurring comedic gag?)

Yet, despite this emphasis on comedy above all else, the manga still has aspirations of drama and tragedy. Consider how much of the conflict in the story revolves around the threat of the zombies (zombies attacking a village, zombie bites, etc.). As the story bounces back and forth between treating the zombies as both comedy and conflict, where we see the characters take on the zombies in such absurd ways whilst still trying to impress on us how dangerous the zombies are, the tension surrounding zombies as a legitimate source of conflict becomes negligible. When a bad situation surrounding zombies pops up, you don't fear for the characters' survival or anything else. Just like how Kencho is able to run away from the zombies butt-naked basically all the time, you know that the main characters will always survive regardless of the zombie horde numbers that are thrown at them.

While this might be fine as superficial engagement for the reader when the manga pivots its intent and tries to deliver a dramatic narrative -- things like people losing loved ones to the zombies, it all just falls flat and doesn't have the emotional punch that the manga thinks it has.

Other conflicts that are not centred on zombies are also done with such an absurdist touch with the characters resolving the conflict through comedic ways (e.g. luring zombies by doing some kind of Buddhist chant). Be it other humans, or mutated zombie experimentations... as long as the central characters are tackling the conflict from a more comedic angle, regardless of how great the art is, or how great the action set pieces are, tension always seems to be lacking.

All in all, Zom 100 is an interesting work. The art is great, and the characters are quite endearing (though they do act a little too much like caricatures of themselves for comedy's sake from time to time), and the variety of scenarios that the gang gets wrapped up in is actually quite inspired and entertaining to see unfold. However, as you continue to read on, you'll eventually come to realise that there are no real stakes to this whole story. So, what's the point of reading on? If anything, the manga seems more like a platform for random educational facts and trivia that while intriguing, seem rather touch-and-go. They'll be unlikely to ever appear again in any other chapter other than the arc that they popped up in. It is also quite a shame that the more heady and intriguing social critique promised in the beginning has been left behind for something more conventional and typical of the demographic.

The Zombie apocalypse has never seemed so appealing as when your stuck in a never-ending cycle of work at a soul-destroying job! Akira is working for a "black corporation", where he is forced to work unpaid overtime in an office full of other miserable folks. Now that the zombie apocalypse is in full swing, he's living his best life, riding motorcycles, drinking beer, and working on his bucket list. A fresh take on the zombie genre, and a nice mix of horror, action, and comedy. Having said that, I'm not sure if I will continue the series because I'm a shojo/josei reader at heart. I ... think those that like manga in this genre will enjoy this series. Thanks to NetGalley and Viz for a digital copy to read and review.

Haro Aso is striking again after Alice in Borderland and I have to say, this one disn't disappointed me in the slightest !

Bucket List of the Dead is a well done mix of serious and chill, funny moments. It's a real breath of pure air that is very enjoyable. Maybe it isn't for everyone, as humour is something very different among people, but for me it was a great experience.

The story tackles traditional, dramatic zombie stories by bringing a totally different ambiance and themes you wouldn't see normally in those stories. It's pretty well handled and some arcs are excellent. The more serious moments are ... pretty good too and blends in well with the light, chill ones. That's a good critic of japanese society among other things.

The characters are all enjoyable and very unique. Their dynamic is an amazing one and even if more people join their group, it will never affect negatively the balance and relationships between them and that's pretty cool. Akira is a carefree guy with a dark past but it's the light that shines above everyone in a doomed world. Kencho is the best friend everyone wants (that is, if you don't have a girlfriend). Shizuka is the cool-headed one but her interactions with the others in the party are very funny to read? Bea is a Japan fan and blends in very well with the others. Some other characters join later but it's up to you to discover them, I'm sure that you will love these ones !

The art is really good, nothing to say more I guess. I mean, I'm not a professionnal when it comes to drawings so yeah my gut feeling tells me that it's good.

I will end this review by saying that if you loved this manga, check out the anime it's very well made. And if you already did that, then read the manga it's as enjoyable as the adaptation !

It wasn't all that, people hype it up to where you think it'll be a absolute masterpiece with hidden meanings and exciting plot but its plain and average. It was okay at first but as i got deeper in the chapters felt repetitive and boring, I felt like I could be reading better stories. I may have judged it harshly mainly due to others reviews though, I read it and felt disappointed in what I received. What really gets me is the author tries hard to make it meaningful but all the lessons are so obvious that I feel nothing reading this, it's not funny ... either so what is there to this that makes everyone love it so much???

As somebody said... it went from 100 to 0.

This is manga is about survival of black company employee during zombie apocalypse and trying to fullfill list of wishes.

The art is decent, the story has shounen tropes in it, meaning protagonist being naive/saintly, villains being on occasion nearly comical and inhuman and so on. It was a decent read for duration of manga, touching on tougher subjects, not overly silly and with plenty of black humor in it, but around chapter 17 they introduced a story turn which, as far as I can tell, flushed everything they were building for down the drain. A pity.

In greater ... detail:

Story: 4/10.
It is mostly decent not super realistic but with shounen-like overtones (exagerrated characters, mostly, either overly good or overly malevolent), all the way down to chapters 16-17. Past that point they screwed up.

Art: 6/10:
It is kinda unique and fairly detailed. There's slight resemblance of "Mairimashita, Iruma Kun", but it is not very strong, and in general the art is somewhere halfway between comical and serious.

Characters: 4/10:
Exagerrated emotions/motivations, shounen style. It isn't truly horrible, but shounen-like behaviors with preachign, overly moral or overly malevolent characters is definitely there.

Enjoyment: 4/10:
It was mostly okay, but after chapter 17 I decided to drop it, as the direction story took felt too uninspired to me.

Overall: 4/10.
Maybe worth checking out up to chapter 15 or so.