Zom100: Bucket List of the Dead Ep 6 Review
After another round of delays, Zom100 is back and about to be bigger than ever. With Tokyo finally losing electricity, resources running low, and more zombies showing up, Akira and Kencho have no need to stay in Tokyo. It’s time for them leave the city and find greener pastures. However, a man from Akira’s past threatens to derail Akira’s new life. A man who, in this writer’s honest opinion, belongs in one of two places: in jail, or dead in a gutter.
I am being serious. This person is worth less than pond scum.
Sayonara, Tokyo!
With the power now out and the apartment out of water, Akira and Kencho have little to gain by staying in Tokyo. The zombie hordes are becoming too big a problem to ignore, so they decide it’s time to leave. Their next stop is the Kanto countryside and Akira’s hometown, Gunma. In addition to their decision to leave making sense from a logical stance, it also makes sense from a narrative standpoint. Having the series take place in a single location would risk losing its initial appeal. Having them leave gives more opportunities for storytelling.
That, and it leads to the duo running into Shizuka once more, to her chagrin, and Akira’s joy.
Even though Shizuka acts like an ice queen and tries to be all business, the trio’s search at an RV show makes it clear: Akira is rubbing off on her. She ends up letting her sillier side slip, proving that she’s not as cold as she makes herself out to be. Besides giving her more character, it also endears her to the others. And when the trio’s forced to flee in an RV from zombies, the matter’s settled. She’s part of their group, whether she likes it or not. Welcome aboard, She-Spock.
Too bad things go wrong right outside the city.
Kosugi is Trash
So the trio’s driving on the highway when, all of a sudden, they run over a spike strip, leaving them stranded and Kencho injured. The culprit is a group of literal highwaymen led by none other than Akira’s worst nightmare. The man responsible for making the last three years of his life Hell, a man who is the absolute worst: his former boss, Kosugi.
If Zom100 is an argument against the exploitative nature of capitalism, then Kosugi is the worst aspects of it personified into a piece of trash. Shizuka sees right through him: he sabotages anyone leaving the city so they’ll be stranded, then forces them to work for him in exchange for his “help.” In other words, he’s running an extortion racket, and everyone knows it. So, Akira has to go back to working for him for two days while they fix his ride. At least, that’s what it’s supposed to be.
It’s here where the depths of Kosugi’s abusive nature take center-stage. Everytime he talks, he’ll either be yelling at his workers for not doing their job the way he wants. Worse, he’ll yell at them if they show any initiative, like when Akira tries to freeze some beer for everyone, and he calls it a waste of energy. Then, to add insult to injury, when everyone’s happy about it, he takes full credit for it.
Kosugi is the worst aspects of corporate culture personified. He’s sleazy, sexist, and knows how to mix abuse with empty praise so that people like Akira will become dependent on him. No wonder why Akira’s job was absolute hell: this man doesn’t deserve to be the boss of anyone. If anything, he deserves to be in jail.
Akira Needs to Stand Up for Himself
Sadly, the episode ends on this bleak note as Akira, despite his best efforts, is falling back into the same zombie-like mentality he possessed at the beginning. If this keeps up, then he’s going to be a wage-slave again. The saddest part about this is the fact that these sorts of things happen in the real-world only makes this harder to watch.
That said, I enjoyed the lightheartedness at the start of the episode, especially regarding Akira and Shizuka. The ice queen’s not so above it all.
Also, there were cameos from the zombie land saga in the zombies!
