First of all, this is my first ever review in MyAnimeList. I'm very enticed to write a review on this particular anime because even though cliche as it may seem, it actually has a feel to it. Highschool of the Dead or H.O.T.D. is your typical zombie-killing, gore series, but because of the changes in major elements such as characters, art, sounds, and execution, I give it a perfect 10. The plot is, of course, cliche (yes, we understand that--all of us understands that), but what really invites the audience to the movie is not the content of the movie itself, but the execution, the art, the sounds, and the characters themselves. Even if you have an overused plot, as long as you change the major elements and make it presentable, it should have a good effect on the audience especially with the upcoming generations.
I would give the story 8 because of its cliche. The art would be 10 because it seems that it was taken off from Katekyo Hitman Reborn (and I like that anime as well). The sound suits the anime itself--zombie-bashing, blood-spilling, and ecchi. The characters is of course 10 because of Hirano Kouta. You mostly see only fit guys roaming around, killing zombies, but now you get to see a chubby, nerd guy killing zombies as well. Apparently, enjoyment depends on those factors, thus I'd have to give it a 10. Overall: 10
Let's just hope that this series won't go like Kampfer (it got destroyed in the end).
