I've never seen any idol anime before, though it seems like the type of genre I'd enjoy. I like music, I like colorful casts of characters, I like cute slice of life shenanigans. Hell, one of my favorite animes is K-On, that ones basically about a band! But which one do I start with... how about the one with zombies in it?
Zombieland Saga is an anime about an idol group of zombies, brought to consciousness by Kotaro with the purpose of revitalizing a prefecture called Saga. However, Kotaro is kind of an idiot, so most of the zombies aren't exactly idols. Two are, Ai and Junko, but then there's also the child actor Lily, biker gang leader Saki, Meiji-era courtesan Yugiri, and average high school student Sakura. All of the zombies are from different time periods and died in a variety of different ways, and what is probably the most compelling aspect of this series is the cast grappling with being zombies, being displaced out of time, and having recently been killed. Subplots like Ai being traumatized by being killed by a lightning bolt, Lily unintentionally running into her father, and Sakura struggling with what she feels is a seemingly endless stretch of poorly-timed bad luck (totally felt that, by the way) are really fascinating and manage to flesh out the characters. This anime is also really cool for how it critiques and explores the concept of idol culture, like how Junko and Yugiri have to adapt to different styles of performance compared to their time periods, or how Kotaro feels like a caricature of idol managers.
However, while Zombieland Saga nails the dramatic elements, the rest of the series feels a bit more hit-or-miss, especially when it comes to the comedy. There are several moments that made me laugh here and there, particularly when it comes to the still-a-mindless-zombie Tae, but there were also plenty of jokes that fell flat, especially with Kotaro, whose incessant screaming got very annoying fast. Episode 5, in particular, was almost entirely a standalone comedy-focused episode that felt a bit meandering. I also found the overall presentation to be a bit hit-or-miss. On the good side, I was very impressed with how the zombies managed to remain cute and likable despite being... you know, dead and rotting. I also thought the music was generally pretty solid, mostly due to its variety. There wasn't just pop here, there's death metal, power rock, EDM, and best of all, rap. That rap battle in second episode is hands down the best song of the season and probably my favorite scene in general. However, one thing I did find very shoddy about the presentation was the CGI concert scenes, that frankly looked pretty awful and distracting. These were supposed to be some of the most important scenes of the show, and they just didn't land as well because of it.
While this season was pretty uneven, it did have some high high points:
I Love Hip Hop SAGA: While most of this episode was solid, introducing the rest of the cast as they deal with skepticism about Kotaro's plan, the rap battle that ended it was hands-down my favorite sequence of the season. The animation is at its most fluid and expressive, the comedy timing of the lines and background elements are fantastic, Sakura and Saki have genuinely great flows, and the shamisen beat works surprisingly well. Honestly one of the coolest scenes ever.
Go Go Neverland SAGA: If you've seen some of my past reviews, you'd probably know that LGBT (and especially trans) representation is always a big win in my book. And believe or not, Zombieland Saga doesn't just have trans rep, Lily, one of its main characters is trans! Go Go Neverland Saga tackles Lily's backstory, and between Lily's puberty angst and the rift between her and her father, it's absolutely heartbreaking. I love how supportive the rest of the group is for her throughout the episode, even Kotaro, the prickly Saki, and those who aren't even from this time period. But it's not just about the rep, this episode also deals with the danger that one of the zombies (except for obviously Yugiri) could be identified by someone who knew them, along with the fact that the zombies are never going to age. It's Zombieland Saga at its dramatic best. Oh yeah, and the performance wasn't CGI this time!
Good Morning Again SAGA: I wasn't really expecting Sakura to become my favorite character, for all intents and purposes she seemed like your standard clumsy and optimistic main character, but this season's depiction of her depression hit me shockingly hard, and it made for a very climactic and satisfying finale where she overcomes it to give a fantastic final performance. It was also surprising how many plot twists this finale had, from Kotaro's true identity, to the solid cliffhanger.
Overall, Zombieland Saga has been a fine enough first idol anime. The drama and character work at the show's core is incredible, but the hit-or-miss comedy and inconsistent animation does drag the show down quite a bit.
3/5 Stars
