High School of the Dead
2010
Original language: Japanese
- animation
- action & adventure
- drama
- sci-fi & fantasy
The story
A small group of students at Fujimi High are fighting for their lives after surviving a zombie outbreak. It is up to Takashi to unite the survivors and escape the horrors that surround them. In this new world of the living dead...will they escape?
What it’s like
Bright, saturated anime palettes set against sickly grey-green city streets, with blood rendered in loud, bold arcs; the school hallways and rooftops are lit by flat daylight that turns harsh once the outbreak spreads. Camera work is kinetic, with fast cuts, dramatic low angles and jittery handheld-style pans during chases and gunfights, and the sound is driven by pounding percussion, electric guitar stings and clattering weapons, with quieter moments dropping into eerie ambient hum. The vibe is pulpy, adrenaline-heavy and gleefully over-the-top, a mix of teen melodrama and grim survival horror that tilts toward fan-service in places. Pacing is relentless, with action beats stacking one after another and short bursts of character talk in between. Intensity is high: frequent graphic gore, dismemberment, zombie attacks, gunfire and some sexualised fan-service and nudity; fear comes more from shock and carnage than slow dread. Suited to viewers who want loud, bloody, fast-moving apocalypse action and don't mind gratuitous content, not to anyone seeking something gentle.
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