Highlights
- Akira is finally free from his dead-end job and is embracing the colorful world of zombies, but he will need to maintain his positive attitude to survive.
- Akira's encounter with his neighbors and a strange girl reveals the importance of enjoying life while staying alive in a zombie-filled world.
- While the girl focuses solely on survival, Akira finds joy in life's little pleasures, showing that happiness is a crucial part of surviving the apocalypse.
Warning: The following contains spoilers for Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead Episode 2, "Bucket List of the Dead", now streaming on Netflix & Crunchyroll.
Last week on Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead the main character Akira Tendo finally quit his dead end job, right after the zombie apocalypse hits. Most would be devastated to see their world crumble around them but Akira can’t want to finally experience the world and not have to go to work. As a small reminder of episode one, warning some spoilers for episode one “Akira of the Dead”, Akira has been all but trapped in his dead-end job crushing on his boss's mistress, and all but surviving in his colorless world. Then the zombies invade, a mixture of gore and color fill Akira’s world. Finally, he can quit his shitty job and work on his bucket list.
This episode we will finally get the chance to see more of this colorful world of zombies. Along with this, a new look into Akira’s character is revealed. No longer shackled to his job, the audience sees more of the happy go-getter that was Akira when he first started his job. The real question is if he can keep this attitude while trying to live through the apocalypse.
Episode Breakdown
The episode starts out by showing the audience how Akira is settling into his new situation. He is still experiencing the trauma from his job through a nightmare, but this isn’t stopping him. For the first time in three Akira cleans his apartment, by throwing the trash off the balcony and scrubbing the place from top to bottom. Having a clean apartment and a beer in hand, Akira enjoys his morning for the first time since his job.
While Akira is planning on staying inside to drink as much beer as he can, the rest of Japan is collapsing. Based on the news broadcast no word has come from the government leading the caster to speculate if they’ve collapsed. Immediately after the studio is overrun with zombies, cutting the signal. This doesn't seem to phase Akira, but realizing that he is out of beer changes things. How is he supposed to enjoy his day of drinking and doing nothing without beer? With no other choice, Akira must brave the streets to get more beer.
During his trip out Akira meets his neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Kosaka and a strange girl at the market. Thankfully, the forethought of the strange girl saved Akira from not only a swarm of zombies, but a runaway truck that ran into the building. Akira is beginning to realize that this isn’t just a vacation from work, he is going to have to consider his movies in order to survive. Keeping this in mind Akira upgrades his broken bike to his dream motorcycle that he finds abandoned on the street. High on happiness Akira returns home wanting to invite the Kosaka’s over for drinks. Except like so many others they were attacked by zombies. That night after drinking all of his beer, Akira writes down 33 of 100 items he wants to do before he gets eaten by a zombie.
Cutting away from Akira, the audience gets a look at the life the strange girl lives. Unlike Akira, she has created a list of rules to follow in order to survive. Instead of indulging in cakes, she eats clean, stays fit, and lives in the safest area of town. She is a striking contrast to Akira’s character. It is revealed when Akira walks in that what the viewers are watching is the same encounter at the market that was seen before. Even though it appears that she found Akira foolish, in reality she finally sees the importance of enjoying life while also staying alive. Without these little pleasures there will be nothing left living for, something Akira has already experienced first hand.
Life's Little Pleasures
These episodes provided fans with a glimpse at the world Akira is now living in. Many who are familiar with the zombie genre may have found Akira’s actions rather reckless like the strange girl at the market. Akira realizes this as well when he nearly gets hit by the oncoming truck that he didn’t see. In order for him to survive long enough to live his life Akira is going to have to think before going out from now on. Of course, that doesn’t mean he can’t enjoy life while doing it. Strategically getting a motorcycle does make him move faster, but getting the bike he’s always wanted makes it all the sweeter. These little pleasures in life are what keep Akira going every day, even after seeing his neighbors killed by zombies.
This message of enjoying life while surviving as well is the key message. Viewers see this at the halfway mark in the episode. Unlike Akira, the girl leaves her home only for the necessities to survive. She studies the zombies in order to better anticipate how to evade them, she only eats clean, and refuses herself a small cake, because one of her rules is to cut out sugar. The issue with this is that she is only surviving and not also enjoying life's little pleasures like sweets. Meeting Akira, seeing the joy on his face for beer, shows her that she is missing a crucial part in her survival regimen, happiness.
Since the unnamed girl was such an important part of the episode, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see her again next episode or even later. Her opposite mindset compliments Akira’s character fabulously, giving the two a nice dynamic needed to survive the apocalypse.