I now realize that if I hadn’t told you about my little vacation… I might have gotten away with it. Seems like all the anime waited for me and I am grateful! I am a little worried about all the delays in the ZOM 100 production though. They seem to be having a hard time. I hope this won’t bring down the series too much.
Obviously, they couldn’t just stay on their little roof drinking beer and playing video games forever. But just like me, they had to be forced out of there by outside forces. Or else they would have just stayed on their roof drinking beer and playing video games forever. Can you blame them?
I’m not quite sure how autonomous the infrastructure of big towns is. Like how long do things keep running if there is no material damage. In some movies, it’s like instantaneous. The minute the DJ gets zombied the radio station just goes down altogether. In others it seems like rusty old fridges in ransacked grocery stores are still chugging away months if not years after pretty much everyone’s bit it.
I suspect that ZOM 100 has the closest image we’re going to get to reality. As in things are going to keep up for a little while and eventually, whatever fail-safes and backup emergency measures have been put in place will just shut down. I think… I need to learn how 5G works. Let’s face it, a zombie apocalypse is around the corner and I have to be prepared. Learn from Shizuka!
Speaking of Shizuka, she’s kind of adorable when she dorks out about something, isn’t she? It’s probably because she’s so serious all the time, seeing her loosen up a bit is a really refreshing change, but she’s also adorable.
Here’s a question, is an RV really the optimal vehicle for a zombie invasion. I haven’t been in an RV for years so I’m not sure. On the one hand, I can see the advantages. Essentially having everything at your disposal so you don’t have to leave your vehicle and can stay nice and safe is a huge plus. Because if there’s one thing that zombie movies have taught me is that zombies can’t get inside cars. They can rock them and stuff but if you hold tight, you’re safe. They can totally break down doors and windows in your house though so it has to be a car. And RVs count as cars so that’s a huge plus.
But like how far can you get in one of those before you have to fil ip the tank again? And how fast can they go? And are they really comfortable? What exactly is the bathroom situation? There are a lot of things to take into consideration here. Then again. even without any of those answers, I’m pretty sure it’s a better choice for the situation than a motorcycle. I can’t imagine a zombie invasion smells very good…
See guys? What did I tell you about the bike? Never a good idea!
I’ll be honest, I kind of forgot about this little arc. It was in the manga but my mind just pushed it to the side. I guess I didn’t find it that interesting. I mean there’s always a makeshift little community of survivors that are essentially just a violent bunch of thugs in these types of stories. Every since Lord of the Flies, we have all collectively agreed that the first thing humans will do once you remove society is revert to savages and band together but in violent and authoritarian regimes. We do not have much faith in each other, do we.
Of course, there’s a twist here. ZOM 100 has always had a really on-the-nose and in-your-face anti-labor message. And that’s cool. I no longer dream of labor myself. So meeting up with Akira’s old boss as this huge bully who lords power over him and makes his life miserable even in these circumstances is a pretty obvious move for the show. But it’s kind of been there done that a bit. At least for me.
Also, my favourite character shows up after this and I’m really impatient to see her again so maybe that’s why I was a bit weary of this episode. I didn’t dislike it but I didn’t have as much fun with it as…giant zombie shark. How the heck can you even follow that?
So the second that Akira goes back to some form of organized “work” he essentially turns into a zombie again. For him, it’s the stifling job market that’s the real zombie invasion… They really beat us over the head with it this week.
But it does make me wonder, if we are to take this entire zombie outbreak as a metaphor for a society that demands that its members spend the great majority of their lives in either back-breaking, soul-sucking, or mind-numbing labor, often a combination of the three, then what is the message of the show?
As Shizuka pointed out, Akira and Ken aren’t really expecting to get out of this. They both seem completely resigned to becoming zombies at some point, They just want to do a bunch of things before they become zombies. Live to the fullest before dying if you will. So is the show just telling us to like to take a year before college and travel or something? That would be great but, in this economy?
The first thing that got me was when they saw the night sky without city lights blotting everything out. I lived in a big city with huge amounts of light pollution and when we have a blackout it never fails to surprise the city folk. They always forget about stars and the Milky Way.
The blackout is also a help. If you see light that implies people. To visit or to avoid is up to you.
Kencho is still my kind of guy. Sizuku is really cute. Akira is very lucky.
I’d kill Kosugi in his sleep.
Message? It’s complicated for me. I’m not sure we’re supposed to take the zombie outbreak as a metaphor for Japanese workculture at large. Akira’s been working for a “black company” specifically. And Akira’s boss is, IMO, portrayed as a villain – even on the background of Japanese work culture. The beer escapade, for example. Hardworking folks should be rewarded; motivation is key. Black company boss knows this, which is why he’s going doublefaced in that scene. So is it just black companies we’re after? A zombie apocalypse is the result if black companies take over (they’re the perfect work force, as we’ve been both shown and told this episode)?
Well, it’s not quite so easy either. There’s also job choice: whether it’s comedians vs. sales men, or the tough parts of being a flight attendant… It’s motivation: why do you power through the tough parts? Is it worth it? Do you get satification out of a job well done?
Zombies don’t care. They just do what they do, infect others, or exploit them for their flesh. We’ve had a conversation with Shizuka this episode, too: there may be people out there who try to “cure the virus”.
So basically I think what the show might want to say is: if you’re about to become a zombie, get in touch with yourself and find out what you want, before you put up with this drudgery: is it all bad, or are there parts that make it worth it? And somewhere there may be smart people with suits and glasses to push up the bridge of their nose who will figure out how make all this easier. Shizuka might be an expy of those smart people; and then the danger might be to lose touch with what motivates you. Basically, you need to keep track of what the point of surviving is. But you also can’t be too irresponsible.
I think the show might ultimately want a suitable balance? That’s pretty much how I see it. I’m not exactly convinced I’m right, or that I won’t change my mind at some point. But that’s what it feels like. I don’t think the zombie apocalypse is a governing metaphor; it’s more a set of shifting situational metaphors; a vehicle for exploration of ideas more than a message. And a lot depends on where the plot will lead.
I’ve been reading a novel – which I will *HIGHLY* recommend when I review it on my blog – entitled “Hikikomori: The Girl Who Couldn’t Go Outside.” It delves pretty deep into some pretty significant subject matter, including Japan’s work culture. It is built on some sound principles and practices, but has become extreme in their application, resulting in tremendously exploitative environments and attitudes. The initial success of these practices has been corrupted into a stagnating, cancerous blight upon the whole of Japan. The suffering of so many people in a dehumanizing work culture is impacting the entire nation in profoundly negative ways.
In that light, I’d say the message is fairly simple so far, and directed almost entirely at the people of Japan: stop being like zombies and actually live.