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It's dumb fun. A 3 for quality brought up to a 6 for being a silly, good time.
If you're wondering if this is some sort of hidden gem? Not really. But it's cheesy and kinda bad but in a fun way. I wouldn't say it's "so bad it's good," but if you're a Sega fan and like pointing at the random little references (at least 1/3 of the MC's lines are just SA1 quotes in the dub), it's worth a shot, especially if you can get friends along for the ride to riff on it a bit. Just keep in mind there's there's some of ... that classic "2000s anime pervertry," even if it finished airing the same year as "Attack on Titan" started.
Otherwise this is a safe skip.

WARNING! This review/rant spoils the first season of Zombieland Saga near-completely.

This is one of the most frustrating anime I have ever seen. The characters are wonderful. In terms of introducing an ensemble cast for an idol group, it was way better at getting me to care than the first season of "Love Live" for instance. However, some aspects of the animation and writing really let down the rest of the anime.

The episodes themselves range from great to eh. I think this show is best when focusing on character conflict and interaction, like when the two idols were battling in ideology of what it means ... to be an idol, or Saki & Lily’s battles with their own pasts. Another highlight is when the show leans into “cute girls doing cute things” territory, like with the mountaintop survival episode, the bath house episode, and so on; this is when the show can be it’s most unashamedly goofy and fun.

I think the anime’s preference to having idol shows/musical numbers as the climax to a lot of situations hurts it deeply for one unfortunate reason: the animation. I have a ton of respect for animators, and I feel that the team for the 3D animated portions did their best. That said, I feel like there was a lack of communication or something when creating the models, as there is a discrepancy between the way the 2D and 3D animation look, especially regarding bodily proportions (chests, heads, etc). This is prominent in the latter half of the season where there are more big shows they contend with and use 3D for. It makes sense for an idol anime that there would be some 3D for dances, but when the 2D animation is so good, the 3D is a painfully jarring downgrade. Yugiri and Sakura’s models I found especially distracting. I know they can do better, as Ai and Junko’s models look wonderful. Hell, other than some mouth weirdness, I thought Lily’s model was great too. Speaking of Lily, there was a notable bit of restraint with 3D during her song in episode 8, and it made it by far the best looking musical number in the show. It also helped the song succeed in being the emotional apex of the episode in a way few other episodes in the show can.

To be clear, I could nitpick the animation of this show more, but I feel like anime only finally figured out how to integrate 3D well in the 2020s, so I won’t pick on a 2018 anime for that.

Where this show really becomes disappointing though is with the tonal shifts I experienced, mainly during the shows. There are points where there is a mix of drama and goofy zombie antics that just does not mix well. I thought that when they were all zapped by lightning during the "Saga Rock" show it was hilarious, but I feel like the show _also_ wanted me to take it seriously as a symbol of their persistence in the face of adversity. However, it’s so absurd that I can’t suspend my disbelief and can only treat it as comedic. There’s lots of stuff in anime and beyond that can both be silly and serious without breaking tone, but it has to be a grounded sort of silliness, or the silliness has to be representative of something. A good example in my mind comes from the anime “NEW GAME!” There is a character who goes by Nene, who is generally somewhat of a comedic relief due to her goofy, childish antics and appearance. However, during the anime, she expresses her own insecurity over the lack of seriousness she is given due to these traits of hers. Seeing the success that her friend Aoba has in game development while dealing with many of these similar issues is what moves her towards game development as well. (Apologies for inaccuracies in details, it’s been a long time since I last saw this anime.) Back to the anime at hand, Zombieland Saga wants the viewer to roll with taking absurd situations in an otherwise realistic setting with realistic characters, and It just doesn’t work. I think this is something a lot of the best "cute girl doing cute things"-type anime excel at, and something this show could have learned from.

I want to end on a positive note as I overall enjoyed the show. I think that Zombieland Saga has really well developed characters, which is not something I expected going in. I already mentioned this a bit, but most of the main characters have a good amount of depth to them for this type of show. The oddly progressive handling of Lily’s story was deeply appreciated, and I found many of the show’s narratives to be refreshingly mature. For instance, Sakura’s depression late into the season was something I really appreciated. A lot of media, both in Japan and abroad, tend to struggle with portraying depression. There is a tendency to rush the healing process, or even treat depression as someone “just needing to be cheered up.” Not so here. Sakura’s depression is a multi-episode affair, and one that is not resolved overnight. Depression is a bitch, and it takes more than encouragement to work through it and improve. Encouragement only goes so far, and that’s why the consistent and continuous support helping her heal is an appreciated bit of realism. Even in the last moments of the season, even after Sakura finally recovered _all_ her memories, she was still unsure about whether the rest of Franchouchu wanted to stick by her side. And when she brightened up some after their reassurances, it was heartwarming. THIS is where Zombieland Saga succeeds the most, and probably what gave this anime the level of staying power it has had. THIS is why this anime became more than just a seasonal idol anime. These wonderful characters interacting with one another, going through realistic developments, and supporting one another? THIS is what makes this show worth watching.

Despite everything, I still recommend the show (knowing the conditions), and I’m definitely gonna be watching Season 2.

7/10