MANGA REVIEW | "Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead" - Vol. 16
This review of Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead’s sixteenth volume is dedicated to the memory of Kotaro Takata…’s rice cooker.
So Akira and Shizuka in Zom 100 are finally a couple. Good on them. I hate it when manga just keeps dragging on a “will they/won’t they” vibe with two characters. We get it: they’re gonna be a thing, so stop teasing us! You can’t be dangling a ship in front of our eyes and expect us to not believe it was going to happen! Who do you think you are?! Takagi-san and Nishikata?! Miss Nagatoro and…Hachiouji?! (Yeah, that’s his name.)
Anywho, now that Akira and Shizuka are a couple, what’s next for Zom 100? Well, all one can do is move forward, but that’s hard when your means of transportation poops out. This leads to two other characters taking the spotlight from the main three: Takeru and Izuna. Their plan to find gasoline shoves them deep into a horror movie. But no, not a George A. Romero one, that’s for sure!
Nay, this time, “Horror Mansion of the Dead” plants Takeru and Izuna straight into Texas Chainsaw Massacre territory. It has all the makings of that iconic franchise: ne’er-do-well kids, rumors of disappearances, and a masked killer wielding a…mochi hammer. (Okay, two out of three ain’t bad!) Sprinkle in a sarcastic funny man and an unnecessary sex scene, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for classic slasher horror!
The strengths of Takeru and Izuna shine throughout this three-chapter arc. With Takeru’s luck and intuition and Izuna’s huge knowledge of video games, the two wind up being a heck of a pair together. Evading traps, hiding from threats, and even outsmarting giant killers come relatively easy for the duo. How they get out of this sticky and bloody situation is also part of the fun, as they use their wits and quick thinking to get out of becoming a stereotypical schlocky horror film victim.
There’s a break from the carnage and frights in the last chapter of the volume: “Happiness of the Dead”. Now that Akira’s found love, he’s now wondering where to go from here. Much of Zom 100 is about chasing down dreams and accomplishing goals. But a nice talk with Beatrix about her mother allows Akira to actually appreciate the things he’s got in life, and that includes Shizuka.
For once, Akira’s fine with taking it easy. Perhaps the readers should be okay with that, too. Zom 100 may take our heroes onto wild adventures and the like, but sometimes moments of contentment are just as rewarding. Volume Sixteen of Zom 100 may start off with a wild and violent adventure, but by its conclusion, it serves as a reminder that we should all be happy with what we’ve all got.
Unless the thing you’ve got is a zombie bite. In which case, prepping a last will and testament is recommended.
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
