'Zombie Land Saga' Is Enchantingly Hilarious and Heartwarming

When I wrote “My First Impressions on Six New Anime Series of the 2018 Fall Season” two months ago, Zombie Land Saga was not one of the featured titles.  But a few weeks after that, I just had to add it to my watch list because of all the fun things I was hearing about it and the charming clips I stumbled upon.

Zombie Land Saga starts off in 2008 with high school girl Sakura Minamoto, who – while being cheerily optimistic of the day ahead, and just barely out of the gate of her house – gets hit by a speeding truck out of nowhere, instantaneously killing her.  Ten years later, she awakens as a zombie, with no memories of who she was, along with six “legendary” girls coming from various time periods – Saki Nikaido, a leader of an all-female biker gang who died in a drag race crash in 1997; Ai Mizuno, a member of an idol group that Sakura had been a fan of who was killed when a lightning struck her during an outdoor concert; Junko Konno, an 80’s idol who died in a plane crash; Yugiri, a 19^th century oiran; Lily Hoshikawa, a child actor who died from a heart attack caused by the shock of discovering the growth of facial hair; and Tae Yamada, a “legend” just because, and the only one among them that continues to behave like a zombie. 

Assembling them is the manic Kotaro Tatsumi, who intends to turn the zombie girls into an idol group that will save Saga Prefecture while he serves as their manager.  He’s an exceptionally skilled make-up artist, and he can impeccably make them look like normal humans whenever they have to appear in public.  At first, some of the girls are uninterested, but soon, everyone becomes invested in working to become a great idol group, taking on the name “Franchouchou.”

The premise is objectively ludicrous.  But it’s the kind of twist that compelled me to watch my very first idol anime.  And it’s something that totally works.

I really get to love Zombie Lond Saga.  It brilliantly lampoons the idol industry, but at the same time, celebrates its merits – particularly how it inspires, uplifts, and can bring different people from all aspects of life together.  Moreover, the anime promotes, without being heavy-handed about it, the value of moving forward amid the fear of replicating past pitfalls as well as the profound strength that can be found in belonging to a group.  And all these are delivered while being accompanied by gut-busting hilarity, endearing quirkiness, and efficient placements of the feels.

Of course, it wouldn’t be much of an idol anime show if the featured idol group is bland.  So a huge reason why Zombie Land Saga is such a delight is because Franchouchou is genuinely adorable and interesting, either as a group or as separate individuals.

Meanwhile, their songs are winsomely catchy and touching.  My personal favorite is “Mezama Returner”, which, at one point, I listened to repeatedly in one sitting.  The thing that kind of bugs me a bit is that it isn’t made clear who is composing their songs.  At one scene, it’s implied to be Kotaro, but it isn’t quite definite.  I would have loved to have seen an extended scene wherein Kotaro – if it’s truly him – is writing a song and recording its music.

The CGI work on the animation of their performances is fairly noticeable.  But it’s not to the point of being off-putting.  It never takes away the pleasure of relishing their cute choreography and superb stage presence.  Franchouchou’s gigs are animated competently enough to serve as the captivating highlights of the show.

All in all, for what it is, Zombie Land Saga completely enchanted me.  My only real complaint is that its debut season only had the standard 12 episodes.  Can’t wait to see more of these adorable girls.