Review | Netflix's Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

“Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead is a fun and silly zombie adventure while also being a story with a lot of heart. It mixes horror, comedy and slice of life in the right way. This is a heartfelt film with great character development. Eiji Akaso is perfect for the role. He leads a fantastic cast.”

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead is an ongoing manga series written by Haro Aso. Fans of the franchise are lucky this Summer. Indeed, they are getting a double adaptation. An anime adaptation is currently airing on Crunchyroll and Netflix gave us a live-action adaptation film. There is something for everyone.

ZOMBIE MADNESS

If you are not familiar with the manga as the title indicates this is a zombie story. We have seen dozens of films/series about zombies but this one really stands out. Akira Tendo (Eiji Akaso) works at a company where his boss (Kazuki Kitamura) makes him work endless late hours and uses his power to harass him. It’s not the life Akira had imagined for himself. He barely sleeps and he is unhappy. When you see him, he feels like a zombie, completely lifeless. However, everything changes when one morning Akira wakes up and it’s zombie apocalypse in Japan. This means he doesn’t have to go to work any more. He finds joy again in his life. The contrast between Akira’s life before the apocalypse and after is so striking. In fact, in a world where people are zombies, he gets a new lease on life.

Since he has nothing to loose now, Akira comes up with a list of things he wants to do before he becomes a zombie. He wants to get this list to 100 things. It’s a fun and mostly silly adventure. I’m here for the silly part. We are talking about zombies here, this is not a serious topic. Akira puts himself in a lot of ridiculous situations, it definitely brings out the laughs.

A STORY WITH A LOT OF HEART

Moreover, beyond the silly stuff, this is actually a story with a lot of heart. Akira’s journey is a heartfelt one. It’s a journey about enjoying one’s life again and finding the light within the dark. There is an underlying message about people often forgetting what they really want along the way. Akira starts the story alone but he is later joined by his best friend Kenichiro Ryuuzaki (Shuntarô Yanagi) and Shizuka Mikazuki (Mai Shiraishi), a young woman trying to survive. This becomes a trio and each of the characters has a development. When you look at them at the beginning and how they are at the end, they have changed for the better. They have changed because they found each other and helped each other.

I think this is what makes this film stands out among other zombie stories. It doesn’t try to reinvent the zombie genre, it’s nothing new on that side. Though, the film giving heart to the story by focusing on its characters is what makes all the difference. During the second act, the film even turns into a road movie with the characters just having fun. Zom 100 breathes positivity. At the same time, it is a horror film with the zombie apocalypse, a comedy with all the silliness and a slice of life with the characters just trying to live their life in the middle of all this.

The film ends on a hopeful note. If there is no sequel, that is perfectly fine because the film is self-sufficient. But it also leaves the door open for a sequel. After all, there is always more story to tell. With its success in Japan, I think it is safe to say a sequel is likely going to happen.

On a side note, there is a post-credits scene so make sure to watch the credits all the way to the end.

CAST

Furthermore, Zom 100 has a fantastic cast. I recently saw Eiji Akaso in the series Pending Train. And here again, he is just perfect for Akira. There is something about this actor that feels like he is an ordinary person. This is exactly who is Akira – a normal guy who is being exploited by his boss at work and who gets to live again when the apocalypse hits Japan. Eiji Akaso delivers a sincere performance. He is the MVP of this film. While being sincere, he also knows when to be ridiculously funny during the scenes with the zombies. Akaso captures the duality of the character.

Shuntarô Yanagi brings a touch of craziness and impulsivity which is what you need for his character. While Mai Shiraishi delivers a more serious, yet touching performance. I also want to mention Kazuki Kitamura who I think we love to hate as Akaso’s boss. He marvellously plays this despicable character.

VISUALS & SOUNDTRACK

Additionally, this film has done an incredible work recreating the streets of Tokyo. It looks like the real deal. What you may not know is that it’s actually VFX. Filming zombie apocalypse scenes right in the middle of Kabukicho is a bit complicated so they had to recreate that. The make-up work on the zombie is also quite impressive. Even though, you can tell the shark is CG, it’s still very well done. This film was made with a lot of care.

Finally, Kohei Chida delivers a good score mixing rock and pop. It is electrifying for the zombie scenes while the tone of the score is lighter for the slice of life scenes. The film also uses some great J-pop song. The theme is ‘HoriZOM’ by Ren. This uplifting song just feels right for the end.

VERDICT

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead is a fun and silly zombie adventure while also being a story with a lot of heart. It mixes horror, comedy and slice of life in the right way. This is a heartfelt film with great character development. Eiji Akaso is perfect for the role. He leads a fantastic cast.