Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead Volumes 1 & 2 by Haro Aso

Illustrated by: Kotaro Takata

Published: 16 February 2021 & 18 May 2021

Genres: Graphic Novel, Seinen*, Slice of Life**, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Horror, Supernatural

* Seinen is a genre with a target audience of young adult males

** Slice of Life is a genre that shows a part of a character’s life

Available as: Paperback, E-book

Manga Trailer

Summary:

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead Volume 1 introduces Akira Tendo as he watches a zombie horror movie. He wishes that he were in the zombie apocalypse rather than having to continue his endless work grind. The next day, his dream comes true and he finally feels he has truly begun his life. He starts to make his list of 100 things to do before he becomes a zombie. There is nudity.

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead Volume 2 follows Akira Tendo and his friend, Kenichiro Ryuzaki. Kenichiro decides to add his own items to Akira’s list. Together, they explore Tokyo a little more to find a big screen tv for playing games. Along the way, they succeed in wining and dining flight attendants as well as getting the number of another survivor who has her own bucket list.

Review

I would recommend this book to young adults and adults who enjoy shows like Aggressive Retsuko, manga like ReLIFE, or Haro Aso’s other work Alice in Borderland. All of these texts involve adult characters who are jaded by their experience of becoming a working adult. Both of the Zom 100 texts are quick reads between 150-160 pages. I ended up enjoying Akira’s journey, the contrast between his relaxed atmosphere and the external environment, and the expressiveness of the art so much that I was surprised when I reached the last page. I do wish the text was in colour to show the excitement Akira feels about his new way of life.