Highschool of the Dead

But I knew that this was the beginning of the end. - Takashi Komuro

Status

Anime: complete. (12 episodes subbed.)

Thoughts

Zombies and fanservice. You name it, the series has lots of it. And the latter is often used to the point where it really becomes tiring, even if it's your thing. But then again, the series was never really meant for much more than that.

Which is a shame, in some sense, because the underlying plot is actually fairly decent. The consequences of a zombie apocalypse are explored quite realistically, with society's breaking apart being shown in surprising detail, and concerns about supplies and survival are well addressed. And guns...details on guns. I have to say I'm quite impressed with the research.

The characters themselves? Fairly cookie-cutter (Takashi being no exception), and Rei is definitely going to be hit-or-miss (mostly miss, at least from my perspective) with viewers, but they still work within the plot, and angsting is thankfully kept to a minimum as the characters quickly adjust to the realities of the zombie apocalypse. My personal favorite would definitely be Saeko - her always-calm exterior and awesome sword skills instantly sold me. And her backstory (when revealed) isn't that bad, either.

Oh, and the music. The opening theme is kind of bland, but Maon Kurosaki really went all out with the ending themes, at least in my opinion, making HOTD one of the best ever animes for ending themes.