‘Zom 100’ Brings an Apocalyptic Manga to Live Action
Nothing reminds you that you’re alive quite like a zombie apocalypse. Usually, zombie apocalypse shows and movies are dark, gritty, and violent survivor-type stories. However, the manga Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead puts a unique twist on the zombie apocalypse premise that acknowledges how many humans today would gladly welcome the catastrophic event if it meant they didn’t have to go to work for the day. The manga series created by Haro Aso and Kotaro Takata debuted in 2018 and consists of 14 volumes so far. The story centers on a young man named Akira Tendo, who finds his mundane and unfulfilling life working an office job interrupted by a zombie outbreak in Tokyo. This apocalypse motivates him to take charge of his life once more and he sets out to complete the items on his bucket list before becoming a zombie.
The series has been well-received, even nabbing two Eisner Award nominations in 2022. Like any popular manga series, Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead quickly scored an anime adaptation. The anime series was announced back in January and premiered July 9 on Hulu, Netflix, and Crunchyroll, simultaneous with the series’ debut in Japan. While an anime adaptation was expected, Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead also actually nabbed a live-action adaptation before the anime series was announced.
Live-action adaptations of anime are becoming more popular, especially on Netflix. The streamer has adapted popular anime such as Cowboy Bebop and Bleach, and will soon release its live-action One Piece series. However, most of the time, these live-action adaptations come years and years after the manga/anime first started running. So, it’s quite exciting that the live-action film adaptation of Zom 100: Bucket of List of the Dead was so swift. Here’s everything we know about Netflix’s latest live-action anime adaptation so far.
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead release date
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead will release exclusively on Netflix on August 3, 2023.
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead official trailer
Netflix dropped the official trailer for Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead on July 1:
The trailer promises viewers a very wild and funny zombie apocalypse adventure. While the premise—a disillusioned worker rejoices at the zombie apocalypse—is quite humorous , there are suggestions in the trailer that the film will dive deeper into the concept of living life to the fullest, especially when one is confronted so dramatically by their mortality. However, Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead also looks like it will have a lot of fun moments, as Akira and his friends are literally dodging and fighting zombies while trying to have the experience of a lifetime. Bucket list films are fairly common, but the trailer demonstrates how having a zombie apocalypse going on changes things and add a nice layer of absurdity, humor, and suspense.
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead cast
Eiji Akaso, who most recently starred in the TBS series Pending Train, will lead Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead as the lead protagonist Akira. Starring opposite him is Alice in Borderland‘s Shuntaro Yanagi as Kenichiro “Kencho” Ryuuzaki, a former real estate agent and Akira’s best friend. Singer, YouTuber, and actress Mai Shiraishi will also star in Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead as Shizuka Mikazuki, a brilliant and tough accountant who joins Akira in his quest. Kazuki Kitamura, who recently starred alongside Akaso in The Great Yokai War: Guardians, will also appear in the film as Gonzo Kosugi, Akira’s nightmare boss at his office job.
Additionally, Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead will feature Akari Hayami, Yui Ichikawa, Doronzu Ishimoto, Miwako Kakei, and Maya Kawasaki in undisclosed roles.
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead plot
The Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead live-action adaptation is expected to follow the plot of the manga fairly closely. Of course, it will likely be pretty condensed to fit into a feature-length film. However, the general plot appears to be the same. In the trailer, Akira hates his soul-crushing job so much that he embraces any excuse to not have to go in to work. At the same time, he realizes his life has been unfulfilling and, if he’s not going to do anything significant in his final moments, he might as well just be eaten by a zombie. So he composes a bucket list of 100 things he wants to do and gathers a few friends to go complete the items on his list. It’s unclear how many items they’ll actually be able to tick off, as the majority of the trailer shows them running from zombies, but they appear to be having a good time as they do it.
In addition to being zany and humorous, hopefully the film will also delve a little deeper into toxic work culture. Many workers can relate to Akira, feeling like zombies while working for exploitative companies. However, the film may raise some hope by emphasizing that it shouldn’t take something like a zombie apocalypse to inspire you to begin living.
(featured image: Netflix)
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