[Anime] Highschool of the Dead: A Review

[† RazorDan]

So I just finished watching the OVA and decided to write a review on the anime. Leave comments!

Highschool of the Dead

When I first heard about this, I was excited. Really excited. The lack of zombie anime is something that really disappoints me and so I immediately added this one to my list. It was an enjoyable and very nice watch but by the time I finished it, I was kind of disappointed. Let me tell you why:

It started off with a bang. Immediate zombie killing action. It grabbed me and had me wanting more. I had high hopes this could go on to be one of my all time favourites. This wasn't the case, unfortunately 'fanservice' reared it's head. There was even a whole episode, in a short anime at that, dedicated to fanservice. In the middle few episodes, it was fanservice and more fanservice. The anime was in danger of falling very low. Luckily, it managed to pick up again.

Story: 6/10

A group of high school students frantically escaping zombies using swords and bats? Oh the potential! The story showed a lot of promise but because of the middle episodes, it was like the story had run out of time. Maybe if the series was longer, the story could have been great but the sort of rushed vibe I got from the last few episodes means it was decent, not epic.

Art: 10/10

I thought the art was fabulous. The zombies were designed perfectly and the characters looked very sharp and were well defined. The backgrounds were very nicely defined and the art was really excellent. Though the breasts were excessively large lol

Sound: 10/10

Realistic sounds when the zombies had their heads bashed in. Very nice ending themes...... the opening was EPIC! I loved it and still have the full version on my ipod. The sound really added to the anime.

Characters: 7/10

Mixed bag. Takashi and Kouta were great. I really liked their characters and they seemed kinda badass when they fought. The girls...... meh. Takagi annoyed me with how she treated Kouta, Shizuka was fun at first but then grated me a bit, Rei was awesome at first but then kinda turned pointless towards the end. Though her relationship with the creepy teacher was interesting. Saeko was good. She would have been one of my favourites if it wasn't for the whole, 'fighting turns me on' thing. Takagi's parents were kinda cool, liked them. The teacher I hated. He actually seemed like a complete bastard. All in all, a mixed bag.

Overall: 8/10

Yes, I gave it a good score. The art, sound, the fights, the enjoyment factor, were all plus points. The sad thing is that the excessive fanservice means that instead of being a 'Masterpiece', this anime is just very good.

Edited November 11, 2012 by Emotional Outlet

[Koby]

The story had promise, the premise (episode 1) was excellent, but it all went downhill from there. Fanservice took over from there. Now I like a little fanservice but this was just way too much when it took precedent over the actual story. Suddenly the zombies weren't scary when you had boobs that could jiggle faster than a speeding bullet. From there it was nothing but fanservice and lack of plot and I doubt I could give it a passing grade. Which is unfortunate after all considering there isn't any decent zombie anime and this one actually had promise. The first episode was homage to excellent movies like 28 Days later (even stole some of it's theme music which had really set the mood of the show). I guess the creator just didn't quite know what he/she wanted to do with the show. By like episode 4 you had just about completely forgotten zombies existed.

[robzombiezombie]

series was pretty awesome for 12 eps but ova was pretty lame

[Oblivia]

God how i hate fanservice... Ruined lots of animes that had really great potentials. I was really looking forward to watch HOTD, now i've put it at the end of my to-watch list, that is, if i watch it at all. :/ Will probably just check it out out of the curiosity, to see how much they ruined it lol.

[Hicks]

Here's my review if you want to compare notes at all. I wasn't nearly as generous in my score, though.

[Ryanheart]

i agree with hicks alot mroe then OP