Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead episode 3 aired on Sunday giving us yet another fantastic episode. Even though the previous two episodes had a lot more to dissect production-wise, this episode still had its own charm that could only be unique to Kencho’s character and his relationship with Akira. With touching moments, situational comedy, and a “best bros” ending, we finally have Akira’s first zombie apocalypse partner!
Kencho – The Aspiring Comedian!
Kencho already provides a wonderful dynamic to the story and a stellar contrast to Akira himself on a character level. But what I love most about all of this is that Akiro didn’t look for Kencho on a “need” basis. He just wanted to be with his best friend and make amends for how they left off on their last hangout — all while the country is in chaos.
Kencho ends up honing his ridiculously admirable resolve of becoming a comedian while the world is in dire need of help. Think about that, he’s someone that is still inspired to make as many people laugh as much as possible in a world where laughing is completely scarce. This is where Zom 100 becomes a special series because it just defies everything that a zombie apocalypse series usually brings forth.
His willingness to change for the better after admitting all of the horrible lies he’s had to live through wasn’t just a touching moment — it was glorious in every sense of the word. The music. The voice acting by Makoto Furukawa. The camera work and emphasis on rack focus and eye tracking. It was amazingly done, once again, proving this anime adaptation is a success even three episodes in.
Usually in anime when people want to change, they’ll hug the person they’re sobbing to or they have some sort of anger in them that always includes a speech ending with something like “I’m going to change”, or they just get a haircut for some reason. But Kencho? Nope. He jumps from one rooftop to another in all his naked glory.
The symbolic meaning of leaping away from his past life to a new one was something that was emotional at first because it combines the fear of starting anew and the fear of literally risking his life jumping across rooftops, that’s when it turned into something hilarious. Then it hits you that Kencho is already accomplishing what he set out to do and that’s making everyone laugh, including Akira and all of us that watched.
Even with a goofy character like Kencho, there are some layers to be peeled back. While it’s not as much as Shizuka from last week’s episode. it doesn’t need to be. Kencho peeled back all of those layers (and clothes) himself showing Akira and the rest of us who he really is and what type of character we’re going to get from here on out. Take note that he mentioned he’s going to do the naked bit a lot from now on. So if any of you at some point grow tired of it, just know, he warned you.
Akira – The Admirable!
Akira’s character growth isn’t really character growth. In a way, it’s just more of Akira being himself and doing what he’s always wanted to do. Sure, there’s always room for the main character to grow and he will over the course of the series. But it’s refreshing to have a main character not take many things seriously for once, especially in a setting where you think he should be.
For god’s sake, his best friend was about to fall to his death and you can hear Akira still laughing in the background. But we all knew he wasn’t going to let Kencho die. Then to just have Kencho on the roof with him throughout the rest of the day and kicking back and having beers is the most Akira thing ever.
He didn’t care about any zombies. He didn’t care about what to do tomorrow. He was just enjoying his time with his best friend drinking beers and listening to what his friend wanted to really do with his life. If you don’t like Akira as a character at this point, I don’t know what more he needs to do to be likable.
Production – Marvelous!
As many were concerned about the animation production for the series faltering due to it now being co-animated by studio SHAFT, this episode helped ease those nerves a little bit. The color work was as popping as it was in the previous episodes. The camera work was extremely well done and Director Kawagoe’s framing decisions were noticeable in this episode as usual.
So I think it’s safe to assume going forward that the manga is going to continue to receive a proper adaptation all the way to the very end of the season. One of my favorite shots of this episode comes from when Kencho was hitting his emotional breakthrough. The constant blurring and sharpening of his character as if the camera was imitating him crying without actually showing the view from his own eyes was a wonderful touch.
Zom 100 Episode 3 Wrap Up
Another week, another superb episode of Zom 100. There’s nothing left to be said. The beginning of the episode with the new mysterious character may have felt a little random but it was still wonderfully animated and it gave us a little more insight on how serious the situation is throughout the country and it’s not all just fun and bucket list adventures.
No matter what, Zom 100 will continue to make its case for the top anime every single week until the summer season is over. Don’t let Zom 100 be the series you miss out on this summer. It’s a wonderful adaptation that every anime fan needs to be watching.
Episode rating: 9.5/10
If you enjoyed episode 3 of Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead then be sure to vote for it in our weekly poll! Episode 4 is set to air on Sunday, July 30, and will be available to watch on Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Hulu with English subtitles.
Screenshots via Crunchyroll
© Haro Aso, Kotaro Takata, Shogakukan / Zom100 Project
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