Highschool of the Dead

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It’s worth reading it even though the author has passed away causing Highschool of the Dead to be discontinued. We will never get a true ending, but what was left here is a true gem. The fact is, I’m sad but not frustrated that it’s over. There are no great mysteries left to be solved.

This manga has a BEAUTIFUL full-color version from Yen Press that you should look for if you are considering reading Highschool of the Dead. I got the digital version, it was quite amazing. For those of you who are about to experience that edition for the 1st time: I envy you.

It starts off as a standard zombie story, but very quickly the story pans out dependant on the personality of the characters. It is also unique through it seemingly starting off near a school, and the main cast all being in education in some way or another (Marikawa-sensei is in training).


The art is not particularly unique in an of itself, but you can still feel the passion and love that went into it. It truly is a shame that we will not be able to see it again. Rest in Peace, Daisuke Satō.


Alice Maresato - Alice is a young girl who's father was killed while ... trying to take her somewhere safe and was saved by Takashi.

Kouta Hirano - Kouta is a second-year student and is knowledgable in all things firearms and weaponry.

Rei Miyamoto - Rei is a member of the Sojutsu club and Takashi's childhood friend.

Saeko Busujima - Saeko is the captain of the Kendo club and an expert swordswoman.

Saya Takagi - Saya is a genius with expansive knowledge and amazing deductive capabilities, as well as coming from a very prestigious family.

Shizuka Marikawa - The school nurse and the groups medical expert.

Takashi Komuro - The founder and leader of the group.

In a sentence, this is one of the worst manga I've ever read but one of the best I've ever seen.

In terms of narrative- You've seen it a million times. Zombies exist now, press play on civilization collapsing. Whatever. It's fun like every other ____ Of The Dead.
But the actual prose quality on display here is ABOMINABLE. I hope I don't get haunted for saying this, but Daisuke Sato's (all jokes and criticism of his work aside, rest in peace) writing is so bad here as to be incomprehensible from panel to panel.

Once they get to the nurse's friend's house, the events we are ... shown bounce between fanservice (Excellent, because Shouji Sato's art carries this series HARD) to infodumps about guns, random, poorly-handled political screeds (regardless of your politics, admit you cringed at "leftists tend to be sick in the head, just as sick as ultra-conservative racists." He just wants to grill for god's sake.)

Add in the expected amounts of gore and at least attempted character development, and you have a certifiable clusterfuck. On any given page, you can find blood, pantsu, gun porn, someone acting unbelievably stupid and yet surviving, and probably some weird rant about politics or something. I will give it this, the dialogue does sound like the kind of stupid shit I've heard high schoolers say, so points for realism I guess.

At this point, I'm just reading it for the artwork. I wish there was some version that was JUST the art with no speech bubbles, actually. In conclusion, these high schoolers of the dead need to shut the fuck up and let the art shine, which it certainly can do.