Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead episode 5 aired on Sunday giving us the most thrilling moments of the entire series up to this point. With Shizuka back in the picture and Akira going through more wonderful character development, this series is proving to be what some may consider not just the best new anime of the season, but possibly the best new anime of the entire year.
Akira – The #1 Hero!
If this episode didn’t start to feel like My Hero Academia when Akira saved Shizuka then I don’t know how else to describe it. Want to know why this could possibly be? The episode director and storyboard artist for this episode was none other than Shoutaro Tamemizu, a prominent key animator for seasons 2-6 of My Hero Academia! From the moment the music cut off in a flash, leaving the viewers with only the sound of Akira’s less-than-inspiration battle cry, to him tackling the shark with all the force he could accumulate layered on top of the beat drop, this moment showed that Zom 100 can deliver the best of entertainment just as any series from this entire year has shown. Akira questioning what it means to be a hero while having flashbacks of everything we’ve seen so far was the perfect hero cherry on top.
This wasn’t just a wildly crazy moment in terms of animation, cinematography, voice acting, and artwork. It had so many layers to it in terms of scriptwriting that made it even better as well! Shizuka being called out on her constant reasoning by Akira’s idealism was a breath of fresh air. I think Akira discovered that being a hero isn’t just about saving people with no expected reward, but it’s someone that can change the hearts of those he saves as well. Who expects something dramatic like that in a zombie apocalypse series? Nobody! And that’s what makes this entire scenario even more awesome than it already was!
Another thing I love about Zom 100, and it is honestly a very underrated aspect of the series, is the character development. Not only because the characters grow themselves, but it’s how they forcefully help those around them grow as well. Akira forced Kencho to be in a situation where he chose life or death and to take “the leap” in episode 3. Then again in this episode, he indirectly forced Kencho to stare directly at the 6-legged sharktooth face of death with his brown eye making us all laugh even in a life-or-death situation. Kencho is joining Akira and embodying what it means to live on the edge.
Akira also forced Shizuka to decide whether she wanted to live or not, and that woke her up to the reality that her notes aren’t going to be what save her. It’s the reliance and trust in the right people that will. He gives the other main characters room to grow themselves. Shizuka was ready to give up her life before Akira gave her a reason to fight for it and I think that’s something special that makes for a great main character.
Like I said in my last article, each episode of Zom 100 feels like it is its own story in a way. But the fascinating thing is that the series manages to use separate incidents from the past episodes as a callback to the present time, and they end up becoming the foundation for each of the character’s growth in split-second moments. They don’t have time to sit back and reflect for the most part — the series corners them to realize who they truly are and what their hearts want. That’s just something you’re not getting from any other anime this season.
Production – Best Since the Season Premiere?
Zom 100 hasn’t given fans anything short of wonderfully animated moments since the series first premiered, but I think this episode really turned it up a notch from the previous three episodes. The camera work throughout the episode was stellar in every sense of the word. Beautiful perspectives combined with fluid animation and pinpoint accurate artwork from the manga turned this episode into a spectacle.
The shark zombie situation is one of the best from the earlier parts of the manga and is considered a fan favorite among many fans of the series — rightfully so. This was the diciest moment of the series for our favorite main characters and Tamemizu made sure to capture everything perfectly in his episode directing debut!
When I say the camera work and framing in this episode was exquisite, I mean it. Throughout the episode, we noticed that Tamemizu and series director Kazuki Kawagoe both hammered the importance of framing and depth of field. It’s not something that showcases anything symbolic in a series like Zom 100, but dammit does it uplift the source material to new heights that it rightfully deserves.
Take for example the shots below. Notice how in this one shot, we barely even see Shizuka being used to frame the one girl’s panic attack. I had to rewind the scene to figure out that was Shizuka standing in the bus. This power of framing and eye tracing — a technique in cinematography that forces the viewer to look at a certain subject in the frame. By keeping Shizuka out of focus and using her to create the frame, it’s definitely easy to not notice her at first glance.
What I’m a sucker for when it comes to cinematography is how a director uses depth of field and rack (pull) focus. Overuse of this technique can become stressful for a viewer’s eyes so it’s key to implement it at the right times, just as this episode did. Not only does it make the scenes and characters look crisp, but it can have an emotional effect depending on the situation as well.
The production wasn’t just flawless on an animation level, the color design and coordination in this episode deserve high praise. It’s not like this episode took place in an open field with a sunset. Most of it was in an enclosed space that weighed heavily on the lights from the fish tanks and them only. So every frame has to keep in mind which fish tanks are providing the light and where it’s hitting the characters to maintain the certain “aqua” color palette consistency on characters that are already colorful in their own right. That level of detail requires an insane amount of concentration and directional awareness, especially in fast-paced action sequences like the one we witnessed near the end.
Zom 100 Episode 5 Wrap Up
Episode 5 of Zom 100 was the best one since the season premiere and I have no doubts about it. It was one of the best moments in the manga and it’ll live on as one of the best forever how long the anime continues for. It executed everything flawlessly down to the finest detail and I was blown away from start to finish — continue the trend of Zom 100 not missing.
Episode 5 rating: 10/10
If you enjoyed episode 5 of Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead then be sure to vote for it in our weekly poll! Episode 6 was delayed and is set to air on Sunday, August 27, and will be available to watch on Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Hulu with English subtitles.
Screenshots via Crunchyroll
© Haro Aso, Kotaro Takata, Shogakukan / Zom100 Project
