Among all the literary mediums utilized as source material for live-action adaptations, adapting manga or anime is one of the most difficult. Often, variances in emotion, visual output, and tone derail the adaptation, and sometimes the topic itself is deemed unsuitable for a live-action version. When it comes to live-action anime adaptations, Netflix has a terrible track record, as evidenced by its treatment of two of the most influential anime of all time, Death Note and Cowboy Bebop.
There were legitimate reservations about Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, but the odd admixture of post-apocalyptic horror and humor, as well as gorgeous spectacle, deserved to be exhibited by actors on screen. And series aficionados will be pleased to hear that, despite some important differences, Zom 100 stands out as a distinct take on the source material that respects the original narrative’s basic essence.
Tendo Akira: Who Is He? What was the point of a bucket list?
The film begins on the balcony of one of Tokyo’s numerous flats, with the young protagonist, Tendo Akira, fleeing a horde of violent flesh-eating zombies. More important for Tendo than his dread for his life and the existence of zombies is the fact that he is late for work. We are transported exactly one year back in time, revealing the source of his mistaken priorities.
Tendo began working in the commercial production division of an advertising firm a year ago. In the flashback sequence, we see Tendo getting ready for his first day at his first full-time job, which he has earned via hard work. Tendo, full of hopes and vigor, greets his coworkers cheerfully, demonstrates his dedication at work, and expresses his gratitude for the opportunity to prove himself. His day appears to improve when he falls in love with his senior colleague, Saori Ohtori, prompting him to contemplate the notion that this may be the best job he has ever had. His dream is broken, however, when he gets a harsh awakening on the first day, pulling two all-nighters in a row and returning home almost as a living corpse.
Tendo’s predicament has only gotten worse since then, as opportunistic employer Gonzou Kosugi wrings the life out of him with his crazy workload. In a rough sense, his workplace becomes his home because he rarely has the opportunity to escape. Tendo’s financial problems prevent him from quitting his job; free choice becomes a faraway fantasy as he continues to get drawn into the toxic quicksand of his employment. Only his crush, Ohtori, the best employee in the organization, is kind to him. Tendo admires her work ethic and the fact that she appears to be doing what she enjoys, but Ohtori explains that this isn’t the case for her either.
Tendo’s disturbed mental state almost compels him to commit suicide rather than spend another day at his profession after a year in such a horrible existence. The next day, he is fleeing a zombie pandemic that has engulfed the entire country. Tendo realizes, when he watches the gravity of the situation, that he may never have to return to his workplace again, and a great sense of emancipation exhilarates him tremendously. Finally, he is free to live his life as he wishes, without having to worry about anything. An ecstatic Tendo having a revelation while being pursued by swarms of undead is a frame to remember.
Tendo is suddenly reminded of Ohtori and resolves to go check on her. As he descends the stairs of his apartment building, he encounters Mr. Kousaka and his expectant wife and offers to run errands for them as well. Tendo sees Ohtori escaping from the zombified director of their company, whom Tendo knocks out with the rugby skills he learned in college. Tendo is dismayed to learn that Ohtori was in a relationship with the zombie director, and his sadness is compounded when Ohtori, who had already been bitten, turns into a zombie herself. Tendo, still in tears, expresses his feelings for her and flees the apartment.