Movies / Animé and Toons

High School of the Dead Blu-ray

By Chris Zimmerman
July 18, 2011 - 10:10

Zombies are rarely utilized in anime, and never in a way to evoke American biting (pardon the pun) horror films ala George A. Romero. Then High School of the Dead came along, touting torpedo shaped breasts and enough blood to fill a lake. On paper the concept is a good one if done properly, following the typical Hollywood trend of placing young attractive people in over-the-top horrific situations, unfortunately the series nearly derails by the midway point due to the creator’s incessant need to accentuate the focus on jiggling breasts. What begins life as a fun mix of anime and horror quickly degenerates into girls gone wild with zombies.

High School of the Dead opens in the aforementioned high school, with the story centering on Takashi, a normal teen characterized by normal teenage issues of angst and romance. One day while taking a breather from the rigors of school, he spies on a savage man trying to force his way into the school. When confronted, the man sinks his teeth into one of the faculty, and before long the entire school faces an outbreak of flesh eating corpses.

Joined by his childhood friend and sweetheart, Rei, Takashi viciously bludgeons his attackers while trying to cut his way through the army of infected. Soon he finds himself in the company of other students, such as the demanding Takagi, a kendo expert named Busujima, and the nerdy Hirano.

The group escape into the streets only to find society has begun to collapse as a result of the unknown virus, with city turning into a virtual warzone of crazed individuals looking to cash in on the chaos. Even one of the teachers takes it upon himself to set up his own cult-like following, targeting the Takashi and the others for standing against him.

Sadly, this is where the series begins to expose its weakness as an over saturated mess of big breasted women and awkward pacing. The constant zoom-in on exposed boobs and barely dressed teenage girls gives the series a hentai feel that follows it through the remainder of its run. The situations in which the women find themselves are ridiculous, including Rei having to lie on her back while Takashi aims a rifle using her breasts as support, not to mention the absurdity that follows, in which Busujima dodges every bullet in the most questionable manner possible.

With all that being said, High School of the Dead is retains one key aspect familiar to several B-movie zombie thrillers, and that’s a perpetual sense of fun. The gory action and clichéd characters all add to the experience, and while the series is thin on plot, it’s heavy on stereotypes and violence, and they work nicely in conjunction here.

The Blu-ray comes courtesy of Sentai Filmworks and like most of their releases, is light on the extras. There are trailers and clean animations and that’s about it. I really wish the company would follow the direction of other companies and include a commentary or two; perhaps port over some of the Japanese features if any exist.

Despite its over-reliance on fanservice, High School of the Dead succeeds in its attempt at integrating B-movie zombie satire into anime. While the attempt is by no means perfect, and even eyebrow raising at times, the series knows just what notes to hit for those who enjoy a raunchy romp and gratuitous violence. Just don’t expect much else.

B-
 

Last Updated: November 29, 2025 - 16:51