Airing in the Summer of 2023, Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead is a series that focuses more on the exciting side of surviving in a post-apocalyptic world. It follows the adventures of former wage slave Akira Tendou in his journey to find happiness and meaning while completing a list of things he has always dreamt of doing. Since this is a relatively new anime, you might enjoy the premise but want to experience the entire thing before twelve weeks.
Whether you’re looking for a show set in a dangerous world or free-spirited protagonists who don’t know when to quit, many other stories can help scratch your itch. There is a good mix of adventure, comedy, and even horror out there, and here are a few shows you can find them in.
10 Is This A Zombie
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An anime that mixes horror, comedy, and action in a bizarre way, Is This a Zombie is a series that centers around a zombie and his other supernatural housemates. Even after being revived and turned into a zombie by a necromancer, Ayumu Aikawa’s life is thrown into further disarray. He is compelled to work as a magical girl after inadvertently stripping a real one of her powers and has to fight dangerous monsters on a frequent basis.
The story is filled with tons of absurd situations, as well as touching and dramatic moments, as Ayumu tries to deal with his new reality and cope with his troublesome housemates.
9 Zombieland Saga
An unlikely mix of idols, zombies, and comedy, Zombieland Saga was one of the standout anime of the Fall 2018 season. It features a cast of seven girls who suffered tragic deaths but have been revived with the aim of taking the idol world by storm. The show explores the origins of each character and tells the story of an ambitious group trying to make the most of their unfortunate circumstances.
Filled with a unique and quirky cast of characters, this anime is a creative and original work sure to evoke laughter, tears, and admiration from its viewers.
8 Tokyo Ghoul
Tokyo Ghoul is a dark psychological thriller where deadly man-eating ghouls live among humans. Unfortunately, the story’s protagonist Ken Kaneki finds himself caught in a war between ghouls and humans after being turned into a half-ghoul. His life from then on is filled with painful challenges, bloodshed, and betrayal, as he tries to adapt to his new conditions.
Though dark themes dominate the series, it also explores the message of friendship and growth, as well as a character struggling to find his place in a new environment.
7 Made in Abyss
Made in Abyss focuses on exploration and adventure. It is an intriguing fantasy with many interesting mysteries and twists. Its plot centers around an enormous pit known as the Abyss, which is filled with fascinating lands and dangerous monsters. The main duo, Riko and Reg, are a pair of delvers aiming to reach to deepest depths of the Abyss, largely undeterred by the arduous trials that await them.
Overall, it is a story that contains hardship, love, and sacrifice, as Riko and Reg face the wonders of the Abyss head-on.
6 Dorohedoro
Animated by MAPPA, Dorohedoro is an anime set in a bizarre world where oppressive sorcerers reign supreme. It is also a dark fantasy series with a unique protagonist that goes against the world order. Caiman, part lizard, part man, is an individual with the power to resist magic and fight back against the sorcerers, with his main goal being to find answers and revert himself to a normal human being.
Despite featuring large amounts of gore and carnage, the anime still manages to fit in a good bit of comedy and humor. The series also has a diverse cast of characters with special abilities, circumstances, and backgrounds.
5 Magical Girl Site
Just like Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, Magical Girl Site features a protagonist fed up with life and looking for any possible form of escape. Though Akira gets his permanent release, for Asagiri Aya, it is a lot more complicated. After suffering through unbearable abuse for most of her life, she finally considers putting an end to it all. However, after being contacted through a shady site, she receives a magical gun and is dragged into a significant struggle that changes her life forever.
It is a dark horror series with themes of death, survival, and friendship. Additionally, it explores the twisted fate of magical girls bound together to prevent an apocalyptic crisis.
4 Heavenly Delusion
Heavenly Delusion is a sci-fi adventure manga also set in a post-apocalyptic world. It features two main leads, Kiruko and Maru, who do their best to survive in a desolate Japan, given their limited resources and manpower. Their main aim is to reach an ambiguous location, referred to by both of them as heaven, with Kiruko acting as Maru’s guide and bodyguard.
There is an overarching mystery surrounding the series, as there are dangerous unknown creatures who mostly roam at night, as well as children possessing special abilities with unknown origins. The anime strikes a balance between action, horror, drama, and comedy, as the characters face various challenges and encounter different factions and allies along their journey.
3 Parasyte: The Maxim
Set in a world where humans are preyed upon by supernatural creatures, Parasyte: The Maxim is a psychological sci-fi horror featuring a protagonist Izumi and his right hand with a mind of its own. The true nature of his hand is that of a parasitic alien, with the ability to take different shapes and act as a weapon. Filled with other aliens inhabiting human bodies, the series portrays the battles between Izumi and the threatening alien impostors.
The mix of human and non-human characters creates interesting dynamics and conflicts, making for an engaging story. Furthermore, it explores themes of identity and coexistence between species.
2 School-Live!
School-Live! is a suspenseful horror disguised as a regular cute-girl-doing-cute things anime. The main characters in the show are trapped in a school building surrounded by zombies and are forced to live within its walls in order to survive. As in Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, the main characters have to fend for themselves amidst a post-apocalyptic crisis, with dangers and secrets lurking around every corner.
The series, however, does stay true to some of its slice-of-life elements, as it mixes the grim atmosphere with bright scenes and wholesome interactions.
1 Highschool of the Dead
Packed with relentless fanservice and over-the-top violence, Highschool of the Dead is an intense anime with dynamic characters and stunning animation. It tells the story of a group of high school students suddenly caught up in a zombie apocalypse, altering their lives and relationships forever.
The series follows the group in their quest for survival as they also deal with their own personal issues and emotions. It has garnered a massive following in the years since it was released, and many of its beloved fans to this day wish it had a second season.