Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

## Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead *Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead* is one of the most original and joyful anime of Summer 2023 — BUG FILMS and Bug Films' adaptation of Haro Aso's manga that flips the zombie apocalypse genre on its head by treating societal collapse as liberation rather than catastrophe. Its 12 episodes are visually inventive, consistently funny, and genuinely moving in ways that elevate it well beyond its goofy premise. Akira Tendo spent three years being slowly crushed by his exploitative black company, working unpaid overtime every night under a tyrannical boss until he became a hollowed-out shell of himself. When a zombie apocalypse breaks out overnight and transforms his city into a chaos of the undead, Akira's first reaction is not terror — it's euphoria. He never has to go to work again. Seizing this freedom with both hands, Akira writes a bucket list of 100 things he wants to do before becoming a zombie himself: surf a wave, drink beer in a pool, reunite with his college friends, and more. Joined by his practical best friend Kencho, the resourceful survivalist Shizuka, and the free-spirited farmer's daughter Beatrix, Akira embarks on a chaotic, heartwarming road trip through a zombie-infested Japan that is somehow more alive than his pre-apocalypse existence. BUG FILMS' animation is wildly creative — each episode experiments with different visual styles to reflect Akira's shifting emotional state — and Haro Aso's social commentary on Japanese work culture cuts surprisingly deep.