Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Review: Kore wa Zombie desu ka? 5

I call upon these flower petals to shield me!

At first glance, Kore wa Zombie desu ka? seems like a show that might go stale awfully fast. Thankfully, it hasn't even lost any taste.  Why is this so? Perhaps it's the crossdressing zombie with a pink chainsaw. Or maybe it's the mute necromancer. Could it possibly be the vampire ninja? Regardless, this show means "zombie" in a COMPLETELY different way than, say, Highschool of the Dead.  Not that I mind...

More zombie antics after the break!

This week's adventure opens with... Haruna and the vampire ninja about to kiss?  Oookay, then. Oh, wait. Haruna's just getting her blood sucked. Never mind.  And Ayumu is, as any boy might, peeping. Afterwards, we learn that Sera, being a vampire, needs a continuous supply of blood, or else she'll die. Um, aren't vampires nigh immortal?  Touhou preconceptions of vampires aside, Ayumu questions Sera's preferences, to which Ms. Ninja replies "I will tear out your legs, stuff them down your throat, and fry you in oil."  Apparently, this show's breed of vampires use kissing as an anesthetic.  Makes sense, when you really think about it.  Later on, Ayumu's phone rings. He answers it, and it's Dai-sensei.  Forget the kyo-dofu, Dai-sensei says.   Immediately after the call with Dai-sensei finishes, Kyouko calls. Her grandfather just happens to live in Kyoto, so Ayumu asks her to ask him to send some Kyo-dofu to Ayumu's house. Oh, and Kyouko's out of the hospital.  First thing Ayumu does?  Ask her out on a date.  Boys will be boys.  Also, when sunlight, zombies apparently function at a the level of a 3-year-old.  Anyway, Ayumu meets Kyouko in the romantic setting... of a cemetary. Zombies will be zombies.  Oh, and Kyouko's the serial killer.  And a Masou-Shoujo.  Nice twist, that.  Yuu has some work to do... And Ayumu has some crossdressing to do.  It looks bad, but the power of cute crossdressing saves the day. Sorta. Cliffhanger!

The hints at an overarching plot are nice, and the animation was pretty.  Well-written dialogue kept my attention on the episode.  Comedy was through the roof, despite the seriousness in the second half.  The revelation that Kyouko is not only the killer, but also a Masou Shoujo was built up to very well, as I was certainly startled, but not thrown way off by it.

As for negatives, it's becoming VERY difficult to find anything wrong with this show.  Nothing beats a well-written plot with deep characters, after all.  The mood whiplash didn't throw me for a loop, but it's certainly worth noting.

Overall, this was a damn near perfect episode, putting in a cliffhanger that will certainly keep anyone not turned off by the mild whiplash watching.  I'm running out of things to say about this show. It's becoming an excellent example of what you can do with interesting characters and good amazing writing.

Kore wa Zombie desu ka? 5

Plot Advancement: 5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Comedy/Action: 4.5/5
Episode Plot: 4/5
Animation Quality: 5/5

Overall:  4.5/5

No comments:

Post a Comment