CC: "Highschool of the Dead"

(Blogger's note: "ALRIGHT! POST #200!! Sorry it took me so long to finally make one!!")

Wow, what is there to be said about Highschool of the Dead, shortened to HOTD? An insanely popular title back in 2010 and last year, the name is still heard even today, in spite of its short run. First hearing about it, I thought of it as a cross between High School and a bit of Resident Evil (a Capcom franchise), but was taken aback when I sat down to watch it.

Set in present day, the students of Fujimi High School lives their days as normal... initially. Unfortunately for them, this take the turn for the bizarre and deadly when zombies emerge. Takashi Komuro witness this and warns his friend Rei and her bf Hisashi. Soon, a normal day in high school becomes a game of survival, with the students and faculty trying escape with their lives: be it working together, or tossing someone else to take the fall for them. With societal collapse, moral breakdowns, zombies, and crazed survivors, they have no time to think about a mere diploma, as they fight to live against an epidemic of a Zombie Outbreak! Will they live, or will they, too, be driven to become the undead?

Another short series, there are 12 episodes in counting attached with an OVA episode. However, given it's ending, it has grounds for a succeeding season, but alas, no talk is solid for that as of yet, and the plot continues through the manga only. Created in the Madhouse studio, it was licensed for US under Sentai Filmworks, premiering on Anime Network. The Kadokawa Shoten manga was put on haitus as of last year, unconfirmed if it has resumed since then. By then, the anime had it's first run, from July to September of the previous year. Dubbed in English, the voices for Takashi and Rei are done respectively by Leraldo Andzaula (Ken Washiro/G-1 of Gatchaman) and Jessica Boone (Ayumi Mamiya of Magikano/Yuna Miyama of Maburaho)

An addicting show, but it was more so fanservice than horror for me, but it did have its winning moments too. That said, I don't put this series in high marks, but because of plot, I'll go with a 7 of 10 for HOTD. And I only hope that they don't call it quits on the anime with the way they ended it.