Zom 100 A Bright Clash Of Mediums

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead came like a storm and made a resounding place in the pop culture scene. From Manga to Anime, from Anime to Live-Action, it has journeyed through three different mediums in such a short amount of time that it feels unbelievable. Well, the zombie frenzy is a sure hit so far, no matter from which country the genre surfaces from.

Just last week I was immersed in writing a review on Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, when our Chief Editor called me and asked me to write a review on Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead. I was thrilled at this proposition and got into thinking up what to write. However, he didn’t specify exactly which medium of the three should I write the review on. So, I decided to do all thee, XD!

The anime hasn’t even finished airing one season, and Zom 100 is making rounds by releasing a Live-Action Netflix Adaptation and gaining popularity throughout the mediums. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for those who consumed neither medium, today I will be delivering my experiences with every version of Zom 100 to you in this article.

Zom 100: Bucket List Of The Dead

Where USA has The Walking Dead, Koreans have Train to Busan, Japan came into the game with Zom 100. Original title, Zom 100: 100 Things I Want to do Before I Become a Zombie, aka Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead or just Zom 100 in short, is a serialized Seinen Manga that takes upon the concept of Zombie Apocalypse and surviving it in a whole new way. It not only pays homage to satires of this genre such as Zombieland and Shaun of The Dead, but also delivers this piece with its own unique flair.

Since October 19, 2018, the franchise has released 14 Volumes, an Anime series which is currently airing. And if that wasn’t enough, on August 3, 2023; it released a Live Action Adaptation on Netflix. And surprisingly it didn’t suck. And for the first time in my life, I’ll be reviewing all three of the mediums in one go. Dissecting and explaining the pros and cons of each medium and their adaptation.

A Manga For The Dead

What would you do in a Zombie Apocalypse? What would be your first priority? Would you prioritize safety? Rations? Your survival? Or would you take a notepad and write down a list of things you want to do, but can’t because of the eat-or-be-eaten life of the world? Akira Tendo does exactly that in Zom 100. After working in an exploitative company for 3 years, he forgot what it was like to live. And ironically, he learnt the value of life, in a world where everyone’s dead. And he decides to live to the fullest.

And he’s not alone in this journey. Joining him are Shizuka Mikazuki, a person whose logical and rational way of surviving clashes with Akira’s fun-loving and reckless way of living. And with time, her cold heart melts with each adventure with him.

Then there’s Kenichiro Ryuuzaki aka Kencho, Akira’s best friend since College who breaks the archetype of your typical best friend in a Zombie Apocalypse. *cough* Shane from Walking Dead anyone? *cough* He also exceeds our expectations since his first introduction, when we all thought that he would die. But he survives and stays by Akira’s side as his ride-or-die best friend. This makes us all happy as we’re still not over Shota and Karube from Imawa no Kuni no Arisu, aka Alice in Borderland.

Lastly, the late-but-fun edition to the party, Beatrix Amerhauser. A Japanophile (i.e, Weeb) from Germany, who had the misfortune of experiencing the Zombie Apocalypse the moment she arrived in Japan. Her introduction screams Weeb as she decks out on a full Samurai Gear and prefers Kimono over Gowns.

With all these characters, you get to see how their life gets shaped in this world of the dead. Where others give in to the depravity and desperation to live or become monsters themselves to survive, they break out of their lifeless shell and learn to live. Even at the start of the series, when Akira makes sense of the situation, his first priority isn’t to save himself or survive. It was to get to his job on time until he realized, he didn’t have to go. Because the world is already in ruins. And to that, he rejoices.

Because he is free for the first time in three years, and he leaves no stones untouched as he fulfils all his dreams and desires. He even makes up with his best-friend Kencho, with whom he lost touch and inspires him to live his own life. Even the cold-hearted Shizuka had no life of her own until Akira shows her the value and she returns that favor when he falls back to his old exploited-employee ways. And there are Akira’s neighbors and other people Akira meets along the way.

However, among all of them, Beatrix is the only person who has a sense of value in her life. Because even a Zombie Apocalypse could not shake her dreams of exploring Japan. In short, you could feel the colors of the characters’ life shine in the manga.

Visually Stunning Spectacle Of Life And Death

If my review of the Zom 100 manga makes you believe you can feel the colors of the characters’ lives flesh out of the material, then what about the anime? Does it fare well compared to its manga counterpart?

Well, where in the manga you can feel the colors, the anime visualizes those very colors x100. Never have I ever felt mesmerized by blood and gore in an Anime Series. And that’s given the track record Seinen Anime has of being catered to young adults and adults. But they made sure that even the faint of heart and children could enjoy this show as well.

And as I had mentioned in my last few articles regarding the differences between Manga and Anime along with the Adaptation game that a production company plays in order to have their material stand out more compared to the source material itself. Zom 100 utilizes the very do’s and don’t’s of the medium and uses the cinematics to their advantage.

Though they have only released 5 episodes so far of Zom 100 anime, and Beatrix has yet to make an appearance, that doesn’t mean the anime is lacking. And with Kana-Boon (best known for their Opening of Naruto, Silhouette), leaving a Banger of an Opening by the name of “Song of The Dead,” you can’t help but enjoy the anime. I highly recommend it. Especially to the people who’d prefer watching anime over reading manga.

Netflix Adaptation Surprisingly Got It Right

We’ve all seen the memes. Right? How Manga, Anime and Live-Action adaptations are compared? And that was until Netflix joined and lost a chunk of its reputation and replaced the Live-Action part within the Memes the moment they brought in the Full-Metal Alchemist Live Action. But that doesn’t mean Netflix has always put out bad adaptations only.

On December 10, 2020 (which is my birthday), they released a show titled Alice in Borderland, which was adapted from a Manga known as Imawa no Kuni no Arisu. It had a three-episode OVA as well which didn’t get that much response compared to its Live-Action counterpart. And the next thing you know, the Netflix Adaptation is a global sensation.

Netflix has attempted but failed with similar ventures such as Cowboy Bebop and of course, One-Piece (I know, it’s too soon to say, but come on). It’s like Netflix thought that if they attempted and made something similar to Live Action Adaptation, they’d get another success. But no. And they continued to be the source of the memes. Until…

On August 3, 2023, Netflix released a Live-Action Adaptation of Zom 100. And at that time, the Anime began airing. And unlike other Netflix Adaptations of Anime, it fared surprisingly well. Not just as an Anime or Manga Adaptation, but as a movie itself. Sure, it was not Alice in Borderland but was not boring or cringey either.

I remember watching this movie with a friend of mine. He had not yet consumed either medium of Zom 100, yet he knew about their existence. And even he enjoyed the film alongside me. And this was his quote, “This is the best Zombie film, I have ever seen. And this Akira has a chance to a Happy Ending compared to all the Akira’s I know of.”

Despite being enjoyable, the film had its fare-share of faults. And those faults stemmed from its limitations. The limitations that I am speaking of are with the runtime. As I mentioned that it is a film, therefore unlike a series, it has a limited runtime. And for this reason, they either had to cut a few contents or merge a few to save time.

For example, Akira and Kencho’s double date with the Flight Attendants (shown in Episode 4 of the Anime and CA of The Dead in the Manga), and their reunion with Shizuka (in Episode 5 in the Anime and Hero of the Dead in the Manga) were merged together. The same went with the Aquarium moment and Akira’s confrontation with his old boss. But given they had a limited time and the fact that they went past those limitations and presented us with an enjoyable experience was a feat of its own.

However, one thing I did not like about the Anime was that Kencho was made too realistic. He has a ride-or-die side to him, but they also added an extra feature on him in exchange for a feature that was present in both Manga and Anime. But then again, in the battle of mediums, what flies in the Anime, won’t fly for the Movie. So, I’m gonna let them off the hook on this one.

Which Medium Did Better Than The Other?

Now with me reviewing all of them, you may be wondering, which medium was better and which one should you pick over the other. To that I have something to say. Zom 100 Manga was recommended by my favorite AniTubers long before the anime was announced. And I only picked it up because I wanted to stay ahead of the Anime. Then I got to know about the movie when I was tasked with this article. So, I thought I’d check the movie and then realize, I can’t pass this adaptation off.

But if you’re still having some problems with me being unable to help you recommend, then there’s one thing I can do. That is something that you have to partake in as well.

Read the first two chapters of the manga, then watch the first episode of the anime. Then go and watch the first half of the Live-Action. There are three scenes that made it to all mediums and one topped the other.

But I’ll say. Where Anime topped Manga with the Colors, Animation and Visuals, Live-Action stood on its own with its characters and the emotions within them. Even a scene from the anime/manga which many people found hilarious, was made emotional in the Live Action. And it topped that scene.

Verdict

But if you were to ask my personal opinion, I’d say the Anime fairs well compared to the other mediums. And I have a valid reason for that.

Even with just 5 episodes and currently airing, it surpassed the manga in my opinion. And of course, Live Action came close, but the runtime and second half kept it from taking the cake.

But that doesn’t mean you should discard the other mediums. They deserve a chance as well. And if you have made it at the end of the article, then you know why I am recommending it. But no matter which you choose to see, at the end of the day, it’s your choice. And I hope you guys are happy with your decision.