Zombie-Loan

Life and death are two opposing phenomena that cannot exist without the other. Whatever comes to life must someday embrace death, but the beauty of living lies in how we use the time given to us. The terror of death is that most cannot predict when and where they will meet their demise, making them fear the unknown ending to their story.

Everything is transient; it's just that every living being has varying lifespans and fates. Some choose to fight it, while others prefer to accept it as a universal truth. Whichever the case may be, Anime has a knack for capturing the Yin and Yang of Life and Death within its unique style.

Zombie-Loan is a TV Anime series that spanned 11 episodes from the 4th of July until the 12th of September, in Summer 2007. It was produced by Xebec and Nihon Ad Systems, licensed by Discotek Media, and brought to life by Studio XEBEC M2.

The central staff behind its creation are Motohashi Hideyuki as Producer and Chief Animation Director, Iwanami Yoshikazu as Sound Director, Nishimori Akira as Director, Episode Director, and on Storyboard and Yamato Naomichi also as Episode Director. Targeted at the Shounen demographic, it featured Action, Horror, and Supernatural genres. It received a rating of R - 17+ for its violence and profanity.

The Zombie-Loan Anime series is based on the source Manga of the same title spanning 13 Volumes. It was published from the 18th of October 2002 until the 18th of February 2011.

Targeted at the Shounen demographic and serialized in GFantasy, it collectively featured the genres of Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Horror, and Supernatural. Spawned from the mind of Author and Artist PEACH‐PIT, the Manga was also published in English via Yen Press from the 17th of October 2007 until the 24th of January 2012.

A sequel, titled “Zombie-Loan OVA,” was released in the form of two Special episodes on the 25th of April 2008 by the same creators. The prequel Anime series was initially planned to be longer than 20 episodes but was cut short due to unknown circumstances. Thus, these specials released on the 7th DVD Volume serve to continue the story further.

Just like in the real world, the people of Zombie-Loan are also unaware of when they will die. This applies to everyone except protagonist Michiru Kita, who has the peculiar ability to see a "Ring of Death" on the necks of those around her.

The point? The darker this ring is, the closer that person is to their death. It was a freaky ability, but she lived with it until one fateful day when she noticed something even more strange; two of the boys in her class, named Chika Akatsuki and Shito Tachibana, seemed to have completely black rings on their napes.

She sought to warn them of their impending demise with kind intentions but accidentally strumbled upon their dark secret: they are already dead! These boys are kept alive due to a peculiar contract with the Zombie-Loan, a mysterious loan office.

The incident causes the boys to learn about Michiru's ability, the "Shinigami Eyes," and drag her into their crazy and supernatural world! Of course, such a feat comes at a hearty price, as these boys must spend their days hunting down and killing zombies to pay off their debts.

The Story is not the strongest point, as it is full of plot holes and inconsistencies. This is a Zombie Anime with fan service, action, and comedy, but it fails to execute this ambitious combo well. The initial episodes are pretty exciting and do an excellent job of pulling viewers into its world, but the series starts progressively falling off with time.

Towards the middle of the series, viewers would notice things getting ridiculous, no matter how open-minded one may be. The enemies are pretty unimpressive and boring. The “brutal” zombie fights fail to live up to their names, and there is so much lacking in this regard.

The show gets pretty decent towards the end, though, especially after all the characters are done establishing themselves. There is also A LOT of fanservice, ranging from bishoujo to loli to bishonen, so be prepared.

Overall, it has a unique storyline, different from most series out there. It certainly had the potential to develop more and get better if they had more episodes to work with, but the result was a Story that was way too short and disappointing.

The Characters are overall decent. But from the start, it is difficult to take any of them seriously owing to the leading trio’s weird and ridiculous abilities. While Michiru has her unique eyes, the two boys have to switch hands with each other to call forth a sword or gun to fight.

The reason they cannot just keep their own hands to themselves is pretty lame as well. Plot holes like this are widespread throughout this show, and these are never resolved due to the limited episodes either.

Big questions like how the duo got so adept at fighting or why they even bother going to school when they’re already dead and broke will plague viewers continuously. These are, but the cream of the crop and many others will haunt the watch.

They do serve a wide array of fan service aspects, plus points for that. Chika and Shito’s tension is enjoyable, and Michiru possesses a good background story. The remaining cast is pretty interesting in their own ways but lacks development.

The Art and Animation are pretty mediocre, with nothing really horrible nor praiseworthy. The main focuses are their appeals for fanservice and their hair, which is incredibly detailed and pointy. It makes viewers wonder if their hair won’t poke their eyes out at some point.

Characteristics are well-drawn as well. Males are drawn in the bishounen style, and females are illustrated in the moe style, a treat for fans of the Art style. The settings, static objects, and background characters are pretty average.

The Sounds and Music are decent as well. The Opening theme is "OOKAMI no NODO" by The Birthday, and the Ending theme is "Chain Ring" by MUCC, which are both average. The prior portray a hard j-rock theme (with Death Note vibes), albeit having no relevance to the show.

The sound effects are also mediocre, and comedic sounds are abundant. There is plenty of music in the show and many 'dead air' moments. The show would've been better if they lightened up on the background music.

The Voice Casting is okay, but not stellar either. The girls have typical cutesy voices, but the guys don’t sound as good. Some of them even sound profoundly nasal and irritating at times, so be prepared.

Overall, Zombie-Loan is a mediocre Anime that attempts to please a broad audience too hard within a minimal number of episodes. If the series focused more on the Story, it had the potential to be better. If you're a fan of the genres and their unique style, this series is recommended. If not, better avoid this one, especially if you're looking for a good story.