FrightFest Animie in the Store review of High School Of The Dead

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DSCI0103 HIGH SCHOOL OF THE DEAD - ****

Directed by Tetsuro Araki. Anime. Cert 15.

Released in UK on DVD and Blu-ray by Manga Entertainment on 29th August, DVD £24.99, Blu-ray £34.99.

Anime may be a latecomer to the zombie ball, but with HIGH SCHOOL OF THE DEAD animation studio Madhouse has found a series that will certainly turn horror fans’ heads. Set in Tokyo following the outbreak of a worldwide pandemic that turns people into the walking, flesh-devouring dead, the show follows the gory adventures of a group of high school kids - baseball bat wielding Takashi; his crush Rei; kick-ass kendo girl Saeko; geeky gun nut Kohta and fiery genius Saya – and their school nurse, the improbably bosomed Shizuka. Mind you, big breasts are de rigueur in HIGH SCHOOL OF THE DEAD, a show that garnishes its zombie apocalypse with hearty helpings of fan service. Director Tetsuro Araki, who also helmed supernatural thriller DEATH NOTE, gleefully cuts to bouncing boobs and panty shots at every available opportunity – one scene where we follow a bullet in slo-mo as it passes between Saeko’s thighs and breasts is almost breathtakingly gratuitous. Not that HIGH SCHOOL OF THE DEAD’s 12 episodes skimp on yer actual zombie slaying action; the fight scenes are as bloody and inventive as you’d want, helped by some genuinely impressive animation. The artwork is pretty good as well – ruggedly energetic with distinctive character designs for the main cast and some lovely little touches, such as the mad gleam that comes into chubby otaku Kohta’s eyes when he snags some serious firepower. Are the levels of fan service in HIGH SCHOOL OF THE DEAD laughably ridiculous? Absolutely. Is the series fun to watch? Hell yes!

David Axbey.