Highschool of the Dead

The other week I came across something so awesome that I am now addicted. That awesomeness if none other than Highschool of the Dead! What’s this got to do with gaming? Well not a great deal but I don’t care; there are references so that will do. It has zombies, yes zombies, does it need anything else? Press the magic button and we shall continue this inside [pops kettle on].

Aside from my big gaming obsession, I am also (like a lot of gamers) a fan of Japanese manga and anime. A few weeks ago I watched the very first episode of an anime called Highschool of the Dead, which I had never heard anything about before that day. To cut a long story short, it starts in a highschool, and follows some of the students as they escape from a Zombie outbreak that has not only infected Japan, but every country in the world.

Following the six main characters as they try to escape the mayhem, the carnage and all the death, they attempt to leave the city, thinking that maybe there is somewhere isn’t infected. Sadly, although they don’t know it yet, nowhere is safe. Along the way they do meet other people; some good and in need of help, and others that should be left to die.

My first impression was the animation was very graphic, this has been designed for the adult audience and they are not censoring and bloodshed. The first couple of episodes show the new team come together and form a bond as they escape the school and the remainder as they try to survive.

The more episodes that you watch, the more you will see elements of games like Left 4 Dead, Dead Rising and Resident Evil. One of the characters played a lot of FPS games; he is slightly disturbed with a strong bloodlust, and a thing for guns, possibly added intentionally just to mock the ‘violence in video games’ debate. There are other videogame references in there too, but it’s fun to find them as you’re watching.

Like most anime these days, there is a fanservice presence, it’s not over the top or anything but it is there. There is also a sexual tension between one of the male characters and the four women of the group. The storytelling is brilliant and the animation is some of the best I have seen this year. All in all, without any real spoilers, you all should watch this. Especially any Zombie fan or fans of films like 28 days later.