Oct 25, 2011
One could say Highschool of the Dead is somewhat clichéd. Yeah, I know, dead people are turning into zombies and attacking the living, and there are some hot girls involved as well as a lucky guy (well, technically two) who they all seem to fall in love with. It does give you a déjà vu feeling and I can't deny that.
You're quite wrong, though, if you think the show is all about that. I just don't get it why so many people hate this series, which is why I'll try to make my point with this review.
Story: 9
Everything starts when a mysterious disease spreads itself
...
around the globe and no one knows the reason behind it. Those who are infected by the disease die and come back to life as human-eating zombies. The story revolves around Takashi and his friends while they try to escape from those monsters.
What I find most intriguing, though, is how the show manages to depict what would happen to the world if such a high-scale disaster were to happen. How would the world and authorities respond to it? Indeed, humans tend to be really selfish at those times, but what would be of our current society if everyone were to think like this? A lot of things happen during Takashi's journey and he begins to realize that the world is just not the same anymore: humankind is facing a crisis that has already halved its population.
A few (minor) deviations aside, the anime is a faithful adaption from the manga, from the start to the end. It felt awesome to see one of my favorite manga animated.
Art: 10
All I can say is that the art is gorgeous. From backgrounds to character designs, everything is well done. Madhose did a really (and I mean REALLY) good job with the animation and I can't imagine how they could do any better.
Some might complain about the so-called excessive fanservice, but I at least don't think that's such a bad thing. If you don't like fan service, just ignore it. Highschool of the Dead has so much more to offer than just plain fanservice.
Then again, this a seinen anime and I happen to fall exactly into the targeted audience, so you could also take that into account.
Sound: 9
Again, the sound is there and does a pretty good job. It gets you hooked during fighting scenes and matches the mood when it's needed. I found the background songs specially good.
The opening got me excited right from the start. There's a new ending song for each episode, and I actually enjoyed most of them.
As for the Japanese voice-acting, I think the voices matched the characters surprisingly well, they were just like I imagined they would be when reading the manga.
Character: 10
Even for a relatively short-lengthed series, Highschool of the Dead leaves nothing to be desired character-wise.
The characters aren't just there. All main characters are given some development, and you come to understand and like them. They all have trials they must face if they want to survive in this new-born world.
Even though the show has some harem treats, the girls all have their own reasons to start developing feelings for the main character.
Enjoyment: 10
Highschool of the Dead is one of my favorite series, period. I actually watched all 12 episodes in one night and will probably spend a fair amount of time rewatching it. Honestly, I didn't think I would like it as much as I did.
I hope we will have a second season soon as I just can't get enough of it.
Overall: 9
Don't let the fanservice deceive you. Highschool of the Dead is much more than that and gives you plenty amount of action, comedy, drama, horror, and romance. It's amazing how the production team managed to do so many things with only 12 episodes, if I do say so myself.
Just try it for yourself and I'm sure you'll at least have a good watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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