Highschool of the Dead. A franchise that is as much of a joke as it is a failure. Well, at least, that what some people think. There are a number of people who just can't look past the "bullet dodging boobs" and the apron-wearing, breast smother antics of the series' heroines. As a former member of that mindset, I at first could not stomach the cheesiness of the work, simply because I thought it had no substance. However, after sitting through some truly terrible shows and reading a selection of mind-numbing series, I decided to check back with the franchise, just to see if it was as bad as I first thought. Well, here is my take on the series.
Story:
The story of HOTD starts off as a predictable mix of harem with a dash of zombie outbreak. The first arcs are focused on escape, while the rest of the series (thus far, at least) has been more oriented on simple survival. The story has its moments of breast dangling and panty flashing, like all harems typically do, yet this story actually does more than sate oppai-lovers' fantasies. I would not call the story deep by any means, but what's there is a world of madness and degeneration. The atmosphere of desperation is apparent, as the reader can frequently see the deaths of civilians and the background struggle to deal with this new world filled with "them". Betrayal and lunacy run rampant. There is sexual tension like in all harems, but the show does not shy away from borderline rape. After all, if a insane, mentally unstable male sees an oblivious girl with a huge rack at a gas station, do you think he's just going to let her go? What about when a group of highschoolers engage in a massive orgy on a school bus in a religious cult-like fashion? Is that truly fanservice? I personally think not, so I commend this series for its surprisingly thorough portrayal of a world ravaged by a zombie apocalypse, as unrealistic as it may sometimes seem.
Art:
Shouji Sato's illustrations still have his hentai influences, with wet clothes, boob squishes, the whole nine-yards. However, some of those breast-grabs aren't consensual. The "fanservice" shocks you back into reality of the world the characters live in: a world where emotions run wild and primal urges take over. Even Marikawa, the huge-breasted comic relief character, gets some powerful scenes, as weird as that might sound.
The looks of terror, distress and wildness are clearly shown on the expressive faces of the characters. Proportions of the females are messed up, but hey, they have to pay the bills somehow. The gore from zombies eating flesh and the effects of guns ripping holes in skulls adds a vivid picture of the action, making the illustrations top quality.
Character:
All of the characters begin the series fitting into their stereotypes at first, like actors getting into their roles on stage. However, most of them get dashes of characterization. Saeko, the big sister samurai fatale, spends some quality time with Takashi, while gun nut Hirano gets a lady in his life. Tsundere Takagi meets up with her family, while little Alice grows up face to face with the death around her. Shizuka, in all her klutziness, works hard to bring smiles to others and comes through when it really counts. There are quite a few side characters who, despite their brief appearances, leave impressions on both the characters and the reader. The only two who lag behind are the protagonist, Takashi and his childhood friend, Rei Miyamoto. Rei, while having a decently interesting past, fails to separate herself from the childhood friend tag as she mood swings her way right into Takashi's love life. Takashi, on the other hand, is a simple vessel for badassery and while some may argue that a person should not go into this work expecting deep characters, I am a believer that the best "turn off your brain" enjoyment has character development so natural that you don't even know its happening (Think Gurren Lagann). However, I have to give credit where its due and while Takashi might not be the most interesting MC, he doesn't feel copy and pasted into the series. He reacts in the ways you'd expect and says the things the viewer is (probably) thinking, asks decently smart questions and is not a complete idiot.
Enjoyment:
My further investigation of the series revealed to me that it wasn't just a nightmare-induced horror harem. The atmosphere is rich, the art is both finely cut and smoothly placed and the characters actually have a creative backbone. I would recommend this series to anyone who likes harems or zombie works and I would easily put this above the anime in terms of quality (which actually is a bit unfair since the anime didn't get as far is the manga did).
I can give this series, with confidence, the grade of a "meaty 7", as it's a work that is not a must see, but I do not regret (re)reading it and, for the right person, this manga can scratch an itch that many series can't.
I look forward to where the manga will go from here. Get out of your hiatus, mangakas!
