REVIEW: ‘Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead’ Episodes 10-12 — “Hometown of the Dead, Parts 1-3”

Having reached the village where Akira’s parents live, Akira (Shuichiro Umeda, Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie), Kenichirô (Makoto Furukawa), Shizuka (Tomori Kusunoki), and Beatrix (Minami Takahashi) were ready to enjoy some peace and quiet, free of the zombie threat. But when Kanta Higurashi (Nobuhiko Okamoto) and his friends sabotage the safety of the town, it’ll be up to Akira   and company to save the day in Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (Zom 100: Zombie ni Naru made ni Shitai 100 no Koto) finale which is made up of Episodes 10-12, “Hometown of the Dead, Parts 1-3.”

The final three entries in this season are utilized to deliver a fantastically paced three-act story. Part one allows the audience to get to know some of the locals as they interact with the established cast. This makes it so the core cast all have people they need to save, while the audience is invested in seeing them saved. Part two sees the situation devolve to its lowest ebb as our heroes struggle to get the villagers to safety while contending with each of Higurashi’s gang members. In contrast, part three sees the struggle resolved in a way that allows Zom 100 Finale to serve as a great wrap-up point for the show’s first season.

Before the zombies come pouring in, the pair of moments that have to be talked about belong to Akira and Kenichirô respectively. Kenichirô shines here when he discovers a young girl who managed to escape the zombies by fleeing to the village but lost her mom and dad in the process. With only her dog by her side, no one in the village has ever seen the girl smile. Ever the jester, Kenichirô takes it upon himself to see the young girl smile and laugh, with heartwarming results.

Akira’s moment is more reflective as he spends a night on his front porch drinking with his dad. Lit by the glow of a cloudless night sky, Akira learns a lot about his dad, what his dreams were, and what he wants for his son.  This wonderful moment delivers a lot of emotional payoff for Akira. Seeing him happily gazing up at the stars with his dad makes him feel like an entirely different person from the zombie-like workaholic we were introduced to back in episode one.

The only weak point in this opening episode comes with the heavy-handed way the show lays out some of the elements of the village that will come into play once the crisis begins. Most egregious of these is when a villager randomly explains to Beatrix how the electric fence that surrounds the village works, including how it can be messed with to make it dangerous. A little bit of subtlety in how the episode presented some of these elements would’ve been nice.

Sadly though, the happy moments don’t last long as the zombies are soon sauntering through the village courtesy of Higurashi. The middle chapter of Zom 100 Finale delivers far more than I expected it to. It dives into the motives of not only Higurashi, but each of his henchmen as well, laying out how they each think the world has wronged them and why they want to ruin what little happiness others have been able to find.

Each motive is interesting in how diverse it is from the others, while also being equally contemptible. They all largely boil down to blaming the world for things that are clearly their fault. Rather than accept what they did, learn, and grow from it, they push outward, lashing out at the world that they see as being unfair.

While one may expect this portion of the story to be filled with anger, rage, and despair, Zom 100 Finale avoids the bridge of its story becoming too dark by counterpointing each of the villains’ dark moments with the positivity of the villagers, as well as our heroes. Self-sacrifice, compassion, and bravery shine brightly, even as the village falls apart around them. This wonderful balance allows the story to display the duality of humanity, showing that we can be the worst monsters, as well as the greatest heroes.

As the final entry in this trilogy begins, Akira is forced to confront Higurashi, who has taken his dad captive. Trying to force Akira to allow himself to be eaten by zombies to save his father from the same fate, Akira is torn between what the right thing to do is, even as his dad begs him to leave him to die. Luckily, Akira can concoct a third alternative, with a bit of help from some of the other survivors. While the ultimate solution to Akira’s dilemma is a bit telegraphed, it works wonderfully nonetheless. It showcases how clever and trusting the protagonist can be.

What I love most about this scene though is Akira’s final moments with Higurashi before the two are separated by the coming zombie hoard. As Higurashi confides in Akira about what his real dreams are for life, the viewer comes to expect sympathy from the kind-hearted protagonist. This does not come. Rather, Akira calls him a foul, and to be fair, he deserves it. Like all the others in his group, Higurashi’s problems could’ve been overcome simply by looking beyond himself and taking a simple step to learn how to be what he needed to be. It could be viewed as a bit cold perhaps, but given the fact that he nearly got Akira’s parents killed for a pity party, I think it’s a fair reaction.

Once everyone is gathered together, we see a few last hurdles overcome, along with a last-minute save from an unexpected party. The conclusion provides a wonderful upbeat note to end the season on, as Akira, Kenichirô, Shizuka, and Beatrix prepare for the next leg of their grand adventure across Japan.

Sprinkled lightly throughout all of Zom 100 Episodes 10-12 is a reasonable amount of the show’s trademark humor. While it keeps the laughs clear of the truly emotional scenes, the show utilizes its lighter moments to keep the final entries in line with what fans will expect of the series. Kenchirô manages to find an excuse to strip down one last time, and Beatrix goes on an unexpected run involving a waterwheel. It’s just your average zombie apocalypse.

Despite the prolonged wait, Zom 100 Episodes 10-12 make sure that the ending is ultimately worth it. It delivers humor, heart, and enough tension to give the triumphs of its protagonists plenty of weight. More than enough to hold fans over until they get to meet back up with the craziest crew to adventure through a zombie apocalypse.

Zom 100 Episodes 10-12 are streaming now on  Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Netflix.