Zom 100 Is the Perfect Gateway Anime For Comedy Horror Cinephiles

Comedy horror cinephiles will be surprised to discover Zom 100 is a gateway anime series they will love.

For anime fans, Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead is already a crowd-pleaser. Among the Summer 2023 anime season, this horror comedy is the third most popular series according to My Anime List, but even outside the anime community, this series has the potential to grab the attention of non-anime fans.

Anime isn't everyone’s cup of tea, it's a completely separate sub-culture that not everyone may understand or appreciate. Zom 100, however, has fewer anime stereotypes and more substance that takes full advantage of the comedy horror genre, which already has a huge following on its own. With similarities to two iconic comedy horror films – Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead – and its own brilliantly devised plot, there are many reasons why Zom 100 is the gateway anime for fans of comedy horror, especially movie lovers.

Zom 100's Plot, Explained

The popular anime Zom 100 is not only a story about a horrific zombie apocalypse that comes with intense action scenes, it's also surprisingly about the coming of age of its main character Akira Tendou. In the beginning of Episode 1, Akira is a hopeful 24-year-old college graduate entering the workforce for the first time. He chooses a production company that promises him a positive working environment and the best employee benefits, but this perfect office is quickly revealed to be an exploitative company. For the next few years, Akira is overworked by manipulative superiors. As a fan of zombie films, Akira looks no different from the empty walking dead he watches on screen, when he has the time to spend a few moments home that is. Longing for an end to his stress, Akira is open to anything that will keep him from work, which just so happens to be the zombie apocalypse.

While the rest of Japan runs in terror from the zombie outbreak, Akira is overwhelmed with joy, finally free from the chains of his awful job. Not wanting to go back to the daily grind, Akira's approach to the zombies is laid back and full of hilarity, but the seriousness of the situation doesn't escape his mind. The show's premise is jump started when Akira takes a serious moment to contemplate how he wants to live his life before he kicks the bucket, or in this case, is turned into a zombie. After starting a list of different things he wants to do, Akira finally begins to live his life one day at a time.

A Cleverly Laid back Approach To Zombies

Many times, the zombie genre is more about the drama of survival and the shock-factor of the horrific apocalypse. Zom 100 has some moments which touches upon this trend, but at the anime's core, it's more of a slice-of-life comedy than anything else. Certain die-hard zombie fans may be turned away from this approach, but fans of comedy and horror will find this anime to be a delight, especially fans of the films Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland.

Both the anime and these two iconic films share a comedic, yet heartfelt approach to the zombie subgenre that lands an emotional impact in the most unexpected ways. With Shaun of the Dead, the zombies were a challenge to push its protagonist to be more responsible. In Zombieland, the zombies represented the main character's social anxiety that he needed to overcome. For Zom 100, zombies are the pressure of the daily grind and overwork that prevent people from actually living their lives. It's nothing new to have zombies serve a symbolic purpose, but the story's silliness and hilarity certainly catches the audience off guard. Like the two widely successful films, this anime will make viewers laugh, but it maintains a brilliant balance between comedy and drama.

Laughs And Heartfelt Emotion Combined

Fans of Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland felt a deep emotional connection to the main characters because they were designed with sympathetic emotions and purposes for their individual actions. In both films, the main group grew into a beloved family facing zombies against all odds. This analysis can be used for Zom 100 as well. The main characters aren't only on screen to make the audience laugh. Akira and his allies have their own personal struggles that they have to balance with the constant struggle for survival and these authentic aspects of their characters make them lovable for viewers.

Despite zombies being such a niche genre, especially with the common visuals of gore, these movies and the anime are easier to watch because of the lighter, comedic elements. Viewers who normally wouldn't be into the horror genre can take a step into it through horror comedy since there are breaks from the terrifying moments that one can laugh off. This would certainly explain why Zom 100 has grown to be so popular across the anime community; it's a series that anyone can sink their teeth into.

With similar tones and genres to the classic films Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland, Zom 100 is a series that could become a gateway series for non-anime fans. Fans of series like What We Do In The Shadows, The Santa Clarita Diet, or even IZombie could also enjoy this anime because of their shared comedy horror genre. The anime makes full use of zombies as a tool to scare viewers as well as a poetic device to drive the heart and core purpose of the main character's story. Thanks to the hilarious moments in this anime, even viewers who aren't fans of horror may enjoy it, but this much is certain for comedy horror fans.