Zombieland Saga Revenge Anime Review

ZOMBIELAND SAGA REVENGE

I'm going to confess forthrightly that the sequel to Zombieland Saga was among the top 3 releases I had been looking forward to the most in 2021. There are many Idol anime, but few are the ones that have managed to captivate me and hold themselves in my high regard over the years. And, Jesus Christ, this season just shot to the top of my list of not only my favorite idol anime but anime in general. Without further ado, let's get started with the review.

After the success of Franchouchou's first season finale performance, Tatsumi wanted to make a giant leap with the group by planning their most ambitious concert at the Ekimae Fudosan stadium, only to see the same number of people from the season finale performance attend this concert, which is a minimum number of seats in a vast stadium.

Now with millions of yen in debt and without the support of Tatsumi (who after the failure now spends his time going from bar to bar drowning his sorrows in alcohol) and with their reputation back to almost zero among idol groups, mainly because their fame being almost exclusively local, Tae, Sakura, Saki, Ai, Junko, Yugiri and Lily decide to work to pay off the debt, get back on their feet and try to shine on stage again. And, of course, our girls will do everything without fear of failure. It's not like they're going to die for it.

Revenge is a sequel that builds on what is already laid out to expand further its characters and the world in which they lived, live, and will live by playing with its sense of humor, drama, and even some horror with some of the implications of certain events.

The girls' pasts and how their lives have changed are again explored with new facets, reminding them that they have lost things but gained some new ones in this second chance at life, all the while becoming part of the community that lives in the town of Saga in a series that moves forward with its characters.

However, having a mature dramatic side where the zombies contemplate their existence and the situations they find themselves in does not detract from the fact that this is still an anime with a sense of humor that does not hesitate to be ridiculous and optimistic in a way that makes its episodes easy to watch and enjoy.

This second part achieves a fairly natural balance between all its elements, polishing the details of the first season but remaining unique with its revelations and surprises, to the point of surpassing itself with what it can achieve when it decides to get serious.

From start to finish, the story arcs are a rollercoaster of emotions and revelations that are very important for what looks to be an even more complex future for the franchise.

The development for each of them was more than divine, starting from the fact that we already had their personalities well established and, except for Yugiri and Tae, their respective causes of death. This season does more than anything else to go deeper into each of them and give them a moment to shine.

Zombieland Saga shows that even though we have a main character, it's not all about her; it’s about Franchouchou as a group. This strangely puts Sakura as a supporting character for the vast majority of episodes, and that’s not a bad thing at all. To be honest, Sakura, as a supporting character in the arcs centered around her mates, is still a lot of fun.

My personal favorite character arc was definitely Junko's. I've been waiting for a solo arc and song ever since I heard her voice in the first season. Especially since she and Ai were the only ones with real-life stage experience but in contrasting eras.

Another crucial character arc was that of Yugiri, who turned out to be a character who was basically at the origin of everything and whose story helped reveal a lot of lore of the franchise.

Colorful, with plenty of detail in close-ups and movements that are either very natural or exaggerated as the scene requires, the visual work put into this production is surprising in how well it manages to hold up during its episodes.

The creators worked with the local government (specifically the tourism department). The settings try to recreate quite faithfully real places in Saga prefecture, from dried squid companies, restaurants, stadiums, and generally traditional locations for the people who live there.

Otherwise, the characters are just as striking as before and work for the calmer moments and the exaggerated moments, maintaining a solid balance between the two. As for the CGI of the dance routines, I have to say that although they have improved compared to the first season, it's still easy to differentiate from the animation of the rest of the episode, but that's something you come to expect from almost any idol series that comes out.

For me, the climax of the animation was the final concert, I've seen many animated concerts, but this is the first one that managed to capture and transmit the energy and essence of being in one. Also, the sequence where all the characters that Franchouchou helped along the way arrive was simply epic.

And in comparison to its previous season, like any respectable idol series, this is a production that makes an effort in its soundtrack because even if it uses an instrumentalization that is not particularly memorable to set its scenes, it still shines for its insert song that sometimes does not hesitate to leave the typical J-pop for a change, including even the anthem of a local company... yes, the dried squid one, a real hit.

The first season surprised the world after keeping everything a secret until the last minute so that its mix of elements hit viewers with the force of a truck who did not know what kind of series they were getting into. With its secrets in the air, the sequel achieved the unexpected by surprising again, offering a much more solid show than one would expect from its premise that looks ridiculous at the beginning.

Honestly, like its first season, I have to say that this series is my idol series recommendation for those who don't think they will enjoy it or for anyone looking for something a little different. This is truly a worthy sequel like few others and an idol anime that has established itself as the best of them all.