Title: Kore Wa Zombie Desu Ka?!! (So I’m a zombie?!!)
Length: 22 Episodes
Genre: Comedy, Parody, Action, Romance, Harem
Overall: 28/35 80% Very Good Anime For Girls
Story: 9/10 Kore Wa Zombie is a fun series that pokes fun at both itself and several other anime tropes. For example, the main character becomes a magical girl who fights with a giant chainsaw while wearing a pink uniform and hairstyle very similar to Card Captor Sakura. He finds himself in the middle of a harem with a house full of beautiful, but strange other worldly girls, including a Necromancer, Magical Girl, Ninja, and more. One episode even parodies and pokes fun at the idol culture in Japan.
While all of that sounds silly (and it is pretty hilarious), the story is not without substance, feeling, and heart also. Namely, in the relationship between the main character and Necromancer who is responsible for turning him into a zombie (and thus saving his life). The Necromancer (almost) never speaks because she’s so powerful that her words become magical spells. Since she can’t control this, she isolates herself from others and writes her thoughts down instead of speaking. This causes her to be very sad and lonely which becomes a plot device later to strengthen the relationship between everyone in the house.
It is a little bit tongue and cheek and over the top at times, but that’s part of what makes it so much fun to watch.
Characters: 8/10 The characters, like the story itself, are over the top; this also makes them highly original. Although each one represents a common character trope, archetype, or stereotype, this is the only anime that asks “what would happen if you stick the characters from series like Bleach into Sailor Moon, or the characters from Inu-Yasha into Tenchi? Because it’s the only anime that has such extreme opposites for characters and blends characters from other worlds all into the apartment of one young (undead) highschool student.
Also, this series is not without a fair amount of character development and you do watch the characters and their relationships with one another evolve and grow throughout the series.
Art: 3/5 The art is kawaii (cute) and very distinctive. The animation is clean and it does have some nice special effects. The character designs are a bit awkward at times and almost reminiscent of the 90s with the very pointy chins and large eyes; however the characters also have a cute charm of their own. Backgrounds are colorful and detailed as well.
Voice Acting: 3/5 (I watched the original Japanese version with subtitles). I wasn’t blown away with the voice acting, but certainly can’t complain either. It can at times be as over dramatic and over the top as the characters and story itself, but that is the intention here.
Music: 5/5 It has a zany fast paced, loud, and in your face soundtrack with memorable opening and ending themes. It’s not always to my tastes or my style, but I can’t deduct points just for that. It seems rather fitting for an action harem comedy parody anime