Goodbye is a second chance: a "Zombie Land Saga" review
Marketing can be a fun, twisted game. When I first saw this visual for Zombie Land Saga, I was under the impression it was a horror anime, mostly because of the word "zombie" in the title. Then I saw more from this show (the iconic rap battle) and was hit with the announcement of "HIE! This is an anime about zombie idols LOL uwu <3 *raspberry*." It had me intrigued, so when I got the Blu-Ray release for Christmas, I knew I had to watch it.
My brother and I watched Zombie Land Saga recently, and we found it to be fun and full of heart. This zany anime both mocks the idol shows that have come before it while embracing the sincerity and gumption that comes with those it pokes fun at. Combined with a wild and endearing story, colorful characters and animation, an eclectic score, and a great dub, this is a really great show that'll bring the laughs and the feels. While it does take a little bit to grow to these young women and their circumstances (some of them we get to know better than others), Kotaro Tatsumi is a piece of work, and the animation does have its off moments, Zombie Land Saga should bring a smile to your face during this turbulent time in the world.
Sakura Minamoto vows to become an idol and do her best at whatever comes her way. She wasn't expecting the truck to hit her. Ten years later, she wakes up in a decrepit mansion on a stormy night with no memories of how she got there. When a zombie barrels through a window of the room, she's horrified. Then she realizes more surround her in the room. She bolts out of there real fast. However, when she asks for help from a policeman, he freaks out. That's when Sakura discovers that being a human was mere illusion, and the make-up slides away to reveal a zombie, just like the young women she encountered in the mansion. She passes out after getting shot by the policeman and returns to the mansion, where an eccentric and rude young man named Kotaro Tatsumi reveals that she is part of a plan to save Saga Prefecture from obscurity. His solution: bringing together seven zombies, disguising them as humans with the make-up skills he learned in Hollywood, and having them perform as an idol group. From the leader of a girls biker gang to a courtesan from the 19th century, Sakura meets old idols, potential new rivals and foes, and hesitates to find her place among them when she can't remember her life. Will this group of zombies make a splash on the idol scene? Or will their efforts die out before they even begin?
Zombie Land Saga's story is bizarre and endearing. The anime makes excellent use of the ragtag idol zombie group set-up to spoof a whole bunch of classic idol anime scenarios. A performance for a group of older people turns into an epic rap battle. A commercial for a drive-in chicken restaurant enters feral territory when a member decides to chase after a man dressed up as the mascot. A rock concert leads to one of the girls having to relive her traumatic death and create a spellbinding performance that could've been tragic if they were human. However, these second-hand embarrassment moments are anchored by a raw earnestness beneath the surface. Somehow, these idols want to succeed, albeit for their own reasons (Saki, the biker gang leader, wants to take over Japan, for example). As each event propels them closer to Kotaro's persistent goal, that's when they come together and realize their unit is something truly magical. Franchouchou might not be the typical idol group, but their connection through music and their passion to keep pushing forward despite all odds is similar to a lot of idol anime. By contrasting the hilarity of the idols being zombies with the gumption of their peers from other titles, Zombie Land Saga nails its wacky blend of black comedy and drama without losing its sincerity.
Its cast also helps with that sincerity. Each idol represents a different era and ideal of being famous. Sakura comes from the 2000s like her icon, Ai Mizuno, but while Ai was gaining momentum within her idol unit before her untimely death, Sakura never got that opportunity to despite her aspirations. This makes her an ideal protagonist; despite having no memories of her past, Kotaro's dream seems familiar enough to attach to, and her encouragement glues her and the other young women together in the way the center of an idol unit should. Saki's boisterous energy circa the 90's allows her to lead in a way she finds suitable: taking over the world while caring for her Tamagotchi. Junko, as an 80's Shōwa idol, comes from a period where singers were kept at a distance from their fans, and as a result, she's more reserved than the others and isn't entirely sure about the new publicity methods. Lily was a child actress with crossover appeal, and being forever young allows her to be the girl she always wanted to stay in life (props to the staff for handling a trans girl respectfully and wholeheartedly; Lily is a precious bean). While each idol does fit into an archetype (and two, Yugiri the courtesan and Tae the actual zombie, lack development), they're fun and get moments to shine (Yugiri has a bad habit of inferring people want to give up, which results in slaps, and Tae is just an iconic zombie legend, so we have no choice but to stan). It also leads to a riveting final arc with Sakura and her memories. However, I do wish we saw more of a balance between Kotaro's verbally abusive eccentricities and the brief moments of tenderness. He's a fascinating character that lacked development for me, and hopefully we see more from him in the next season.
MAPPA's animation for the show was something I was concerned about. Although MAPPA has always been good at distinct character animation and colorful designs, their quality can be hit and miss sometimes (Yuri on Ice's broadcast animation comes to mind). I was relieved to find out that I shouldn't have been worried. The coloring is great, each character has a distinct style of holding themselves, and the quality of the animation is consistent. Maybe I just get too caught up on faraway shots versus close-ups? Most of the time, faraway shots aren't as crisp as when characters are closer to the "camera," so to speak, but here, everything worked out.
Yasuharu Takanashi and Funta7's score for the show is a fun and eclectic blend of electro-pop, heavy rock, and some other fun touches. It matches up perfectly with the show's blend of horror, comedy, and drama. The insert songs are also all fun and diverse, showing that idols can fit into so many different genres. The rap battle will always be superior, though.
I like this new test my brother and I do whenever we start watching a show together. We watch the first episodes of the show in Japanese and English before deciding what language to stick with for the whole show. In Zombie Land Saga, it was the dub, and what a fun ride. Well-acted and well-sung (all of Franchouchou's songs are dubbed, with great adapted lyrics and precise attention to the flow and syllable count of the original lines), it's full of more Katelyn Barr zingers (we love you, Ms. Barr) and great chemistry between all the characters. YouTube singer AmaLee is Junko here, and she's a potent threat when it comes to singing and acting. I was really impressed! Other standouts include Brina Palencia as Sakura, Caitlin Glass as Saki, Sarah Wiedenheft continuing to have one of the most endearing voices in dubbing as Lily, and Ricco Fajardo forgoing his Mamoru Miyano impersonation by the second episode to embrace Kotaro's ludicrous antics all on his own. I also loved Dawn M. Bennett's Tae, particularly as her growls slowly gained the emotional gravity and cadences of her peers. There's a particularly cool moment in the final episode I don't want to spoil that I really liked. Everyone is great here, so Zombie Land Saga's dub is high quality.
Zombie Land Saga may seem like an odd show with its focus on horror, idol, comedic, and character-building antics, but it packs a lot of color into its twelve episodes, seemingly with ease. It's as much a show about character growth and embracing the power of music as it is about humoring the pitfalls of idol anime. It's a bizarre project, but it's one that remains endearing throughout its run.
