After nearly 3 years…season 2 of Zombieland Saga dropped today. This is a celebratory review of the GREATNESS of season 1, which I highly recommend. When I watched this way back when it just wrapped up, I had absolute no idea it was an idol anime. I went in blind, thinking it was a story about zombies, being a fan of the walking dead. Well the story is about zombies. Zombie idols. Pulled a sneaky on ya.
Ironically, Zombieland Saga is what sucked me into the vast world of idol anime, that’s how good it is. Without it, I would not have been the Love Live, Bang Dream, D4DJ, and many more degenerate I am today. Setting aside the idol aspect, Zombieland Saga is just a good anime in general. Time for the full dive.
What is Zombieland Saga?
It starts off with Sakura Minamoto (the egg redhead), who strongly wishes to become an idol. She’s just so excited to try out for the audition, inspired by idols she’s seen on TV. She eagerly walks outside, and….is hit by a truck and her life is snuffed out.
But that’s not the end. Because she reawakens as a zombie. Along with six other not-so-fortunate girls. Scarily enough, she’s the only zombie who has any semblance of humanity, as the others act like, well, your stereotypical eat brains zombies. She flees for her life, until she is stopped by a crazy man named Kotaro Tatsumi. He proclaims that he is their idol manager, and they have a performance in like right about now?
It’s a bust of a performance, but the group manages to capture the hearts of the rock punk metal fans. And we find out that the rest of the girls have awakened, and discovered they are zombies to their horror.
Their manager Tatsumi gives them an ultimatum of sorts; they were all essentially given a second chance at life, to become idols that will surpass all others or wallow into rot like the zombies they are. And so the hilarity ensues.
Why watch it?
If that intro didn’t hook you, no worries. Zombieland Saga isn’t your typical idol anime, so fear not. It has a great mix of slap stick comedy as to be expected of cute zombie girls trying to hide the fact that they’re undead abominations. However, each girl has a ton of backstory that is explored, as each girl slowly regains all of their past life’s memories and remember exactly how they died. The anime does a wonderful job in diving deep into each girl’s story and how they eventually overcome their past regrets. It’s surprisingly serious and deep at times, and you really empathetic with the characters. The story is a great mix of character drama and humor at all times. Heck, their idol group name, Franchouchou, is named after when one of the characters sneezes, and they unanimously decide that will be their unit’s name. Just one of the random but funny tidbits.
These poor girls go through comedic hell and it is glorious.
The Idol Aspects
Now what would an idol anime be without the songs and performances? What’s great about this, is that the songs have MEANING. The songs have real heart, usually being dedicated to a character’s story arc or something related to the idol group’s growth. They’re not just random songs about friendship or crap like that. Nah, it’s the real stuff, about how one character’s strength and rise above her past death, and another about them sending off their love and thanks to her father. (Small spoiler: the zombie girls’ families and friends are still alive, and do encounter the zombie girls but do not recognize them, but it ties to crucial story arcs that will shed some tears).
The animated performances are really great too, not too much CG involved, and looks very smooth. The music is ASTOUNDING, like they’re super catchy and really pump you up, even more so when you start rooting for the characters. And do not skip the opening. It is one of those openings that is just eye candy art wise, and healthy for the ears. Franchouchou’s full album is on Spotify too, so hit that up.
A small taste of one of their performances. Yes, they’re literally glowing, after being electrocuted. The life of idols is a treacherous path.
The Final Piece
So if you’re not convinced yet, well just watch for the zombie waifus. Idols are dime a dozen, but zombie idols are one in a billion. After an episode or two, you’ll be rooting for these girls as hard as the punk rockers who became their first fans. Also, Kotaro Tatsumi’s voice actor is Okabe from Steins Gate, fun easter egg.
Long live Franchouchou, and here’s to season two.
Anime Drabbles 