One of Summer 2010’s anticipated title, High School of Dead is finally here, with Sentai Filmworks licensing it and giving us legal access to this title! Sorry for being late on this review, here it is, High School of the Dead Episode 1 – Spring of the Dead.
It was spring when it happened, Takashi thought this would be just an ordinary day, it turned out to be this, he will be fighting zombies with his best friend, Hisashi and his girlfriend, Rei. After seeing a couple of zombies running around, opening credits starts to roll.
We are now taken into a scene in which Takashi reminisced the past. Back then, Rei promised to Takashi that they would end up with each other but because of Takashi being slow, Hisashi got Rei. Ouch. And so, Takagi, his pink haired classmate is asking him to go to class because he is stupid. Okaaay.
This is when the fun begins. Takashi witnessed a guy limping around and he attacked the PE teacher and here is when we start seeing zombies running around. Witnessing this, Takashi decides to go to their classroom to warn everyone, from the class, only Rei and Hisashi believed him. The trio left the classroom and prepared to fight the zombies. Plants vs. Zombies minus the Plants begin.
While preparing to fight them, Rei tried to contact the police, no answer. On the PA system, it is announced that there is a violent incident going on in the school grounds while announcing, it seems a zombie is attacking the announcer in the PA system. Because of the screams, the students started to panic.
Hisashi and co. left in which they saw their Modern Japanese Teacher, now a zombie, the zombie attacked Rei and Hisashi ordered Rei to attack the teacher. After she stabbed the zombie in the heart, the attack is not effective. The zombie is still alive. Hisashi grabbed the zombie and bit him, because of the zombie’s strength, it cleanly cut a piece of his flesh. This is Takashi came in and cut the zombie’s head.
The group went to the rooftop because they can observe what is happening. We saw Japan in great chaos. In short, Japan is in a zombie apocalypse. Aside from that, the Self-Defense Force came and they are heading to a direction in which they have a special mission. I am pretty sure it is related to the zombies. Next, we have a montage of zombie attacks. This were we see friends betraying each other, a guy who can’t stand the zombie attacks and etc.
This is were Hisashi explains what he thinks is happening. To sum it all up, this is basically a certain disease spread by some guy who ended up turning into a zombie, passed the disease by biting a person, a Hisashi is one of those victims. Sooner or later, he will turn into one of “them.”
After seeing a quick replay on what happened earlier, we are now in the top of the school in which the three climbed earlier. To sum it up, we saw Hisashi died with Takashi killing him in his zombie mode. One thing that surprised me is this, Rei INSTANTLY loving Takashi… again! And so, the two hugged. End of the first act.
On to the review, it is a modern zombie film stuck in a TV show. This is the second time I saw this theme on TV. The first is on episode of Smallville in which we saw Zombie Lois, Zombie Mercer and Zombie Security Guards! To bad, we didn’t see a decent Zombie Clark!
Anyways, High School of the Dead has three things that guys love. Zombies, Gore and Hot Chicks, put them in one show, we have a series that kicks ass plus making them a bunch of High School students, a stage in which the kids are in puberty, we will see them develop as young adults in the next episodes while fighting zombies.
The only weakness I can see in the first episode is the rather instant romantic reconnection of Rei and Takashi. I mean, heck, her boyfriend died and now, he instantly love Takashi because he protected her from Zombie Hisashi? What the hell?!
As a fan of GateKeepers, I have this certain vibe that the show will end up like that. I mean, we have a single lead guy and a couple of hot chicks circulating him. Plus that fat guy kinda reminded me of that guy from GateKeepers who wears a beret and is Shun’s junior.
Overall, the first episode kicks ass with giving us the best bits of what the show will offer to its viewers in the near future. Namely, zombies, gore, more zombies and ecchi goodness.