Kore wa Zombie Desu Ka? of the Dead Review

Hello there. This is review number twenty two and finally, I am reviewing a Spring 2012 anime. I am super excited with this one too. It’s Kore wa Zombie desu ka? of the dead. I’m not really sure about the title. So it’s a parody of high school of the dead? So we’ll see zombies and slow motion boobs/bullet scenes. I’ll doubt it.

I actually enjoyed the first season so I am really excited for this one. We’ll get to see more of Ayumu and his freaky mahou shoujo transformations. Those panty shots are still stuck in my head. It’s only ten episodes long? What?!

Story

Ayumu Aikawa is back with his cross dressing adventures and mishaps from the supernatural world. After a battle with a megalo, he finds himself the talk of the town when they discover his mahou shoujo secrets. Without the ability to erase people’s memory, Ayumu unwillingly finds himself in the center of attention.

Now Ayumu faces a dreaded enemy, his everyday life!!!

Taking the Pants Off

I was really excited when I heard Kore wa Zombie desu ka? would get a second season. I fell in love with the first season with its disturbing comedy elements, satisfying fight scenes and a nice service of ecchi. Let me cut to the chase right away, the second season wasn’t as great. Maybe I just had high expectations but there was very little action sequences, there was very little chances for Ayumu to creep me out with his mahout shoujo transformation and the plot was very plain. What does season two had that season one doesn’t have? Season two was nothing but a harem show focusing on the relationships of Ayumu and the different girls in the anime. There are the three girls living with him, some vampire ninjas and his female class mates.

The anime diluted the story and just focus on the harem aspect. Every episode was designed to make Ayumu get a step closer to a girl and thus strengthening his harem. The plot was very ordinary and seemingly generic. There was nothing amazing about the plot. Ayumu would just go into crazy misadventures with his friends. They would visit a maid café, help the class in the school festival and other normal things involving a girl that likes Ayumu. Though it was fun seeing Ayumu fumble trying to take Eucliwood’s clothes off when she was sick.

I guess the relationship between Ayumu and the girls was nice to watch. I particularly love Eucliwood slowly opening up to Ayumu. There are a lot of girls though and some of them aren’t given much screen time. It was disappointing not seeing Seraphim have her time with Ayumu. The girls are all cute and their individual archetype helps improve the relationship aspect. The anime greatly accomplishes what it sets out to do but sadly it sacrificed a lot to achieve it. I’m really shock at how the anime downplayed all of the good things that made season one amazing.

Season one had Ayumu freak us out with his mahou shoujo transformations. Here in season two, the plot actually forced him to stop being a mahou shoujo to focus on other things, mainly his relationships with the girls. In season one; there were a lot of enemies that Ayumu and Haruka would cut with their chainsaw. There are only two episodes where that happened and it wasn’t even the main focus of the episodes. This anime didn’t even have a villain. I was hoping for a villain more evil than Kyoko. Satisfying the fans by giving more air time to the characters they love is acceptable but serving such a horrid plot is truly despicable.

The anime only had a small new cast. It focused on Ayumu’s school life so previous characters who had very little role was given more depth. This includes almost everyone. His best friend, the cute girl who likes her, those vampire ninjas and even this handsome dude I don’t even remember seeing in season one. They have lively interaction with Ayumu that helps explore his life before he got plunged into the world of the occult. The new characters are great and, though serves very little to strengthen the plot, they are very memorable. There is this drunken girl with pink hair Ayumu believes to be a manifestation of his stress and, a personal favorite of mine, the superior vampire ninja idol who has an ass fetish. Yeah, take that archetype.

There is also an impressive twist in the anime. The story was so weak that I didn’t have a chance to know it was coming. Though this twist really serves nothing to the story, it is something worth noting though. I thought this twist would make the latter half of the anime more action packed but it lead nowhere and it still focused on Ayumu and his harem. This anime was missing a crucial plot element that would’ve elevated it pretty nicely. I’m talking about “conflict”. There is no conflict in the anime so therefore, there is nothing to resolve which then make the ending super disappointing.

I don’t care about the girls. Their appeal shines when they unleash their power and help Ayumu. I’m not particularly fond of the direction the anime took. Though I guess it is worth noting that Eucliwood speaking, instead of writing down her thoughts, was a rare treat that I really enjoyed. The comedy elements were still very alive here though so I guess that is also a good thing.

Hey, if you like season one then I guess you should pick up season two for curiosity’s sake. Don’t expect a dazzling story like in the first season though. I do believe there are more coming up. Just my otaku senses tingling. This season was more about fan service and tying up loose ends. There was a great set up though and a lot of unfinished business so if they do plan to release a season three, you can bet it’ll be satisfying. I bet my pants on it.

Sight and Sound

The only thing worth mentioning about the animation is the way the fan service is handled. It was up to par to the previous season but with more craziness mixed in. Clothes eating slime was a nice touch. There were no great action sequences so the animation is just plain. It’s above average at best but doesn’t ruin the enjoyment factor.

The opening and ending song was very ordinary. It fits the anime pretty nicely but it was overshadowed by everything else in the anime. The last segment about Eu’s imaginary self was nice though. I often skip the previews for the next episode but the anime had none of it. Instead they have chibi Eus acting all cute and cheerful.

Overall Score

3/10 “A weak plot buried by fan service and harem elements.”

If you’re a fan of fan service then you’ll enjoy the anime. There is a lot here but the disappointing plot did hamper the overall enjoyment. I’m not complaining that much as I did manage to finish the anime. So its fan service by very much appreciated by someone like me who enjoyed the previous season.