Currently streaming on Netflix is Zom 100: Bucket List Of The Dead, a post-apocalyptic zombie comedy based on the Japanese manga series written by Haro Aso and illustrated by Kotaro Takata.
The film focuses on a young man named Akira Tendou (Eiji Akaso), a young man who loses sight of his dreams because of his demeaning job and non-existent social life.
But one day, he wakes up to discover something that will change his life forever: a zombie apocalypse! For most people, the undead uprising is quite terrifying. But for Akira, it’s his chance to break free from the shackles of his boring job.
Ironically (considering the walking dead around him), this undead invasion causes him to come alive and live life to the fullest. He does this by creating a bucket list of all the things he wants to do before he becomes zombie food!
At the end of the movie, he has a new purpose in life. What is this purpose? And what is the significance of his new life goal?
Let’s take a closer look at this manga adaptation.
Why does Akira hate his job?
Akira is excited to begin his new job but when his boss begins to overwork him and treat him poorly, he starts to hate his office position. He, like many people in his workplace, are like walking zombies, mindlessly going from one dull task to another.
The toxic environment Akira works in is one that may be relatable to many. But for this young office worker, escape is just around the corner. When he wakes up to discover the world has been taken over by actual zombies, he starts to come alive. He celebrates because he no longer has to go to work and for the first time in an age, he starts to enjoy his life again.
What does Akira do next?
After relishing his newfound freedom, Akira heads to his workplace, not to start work for the day but to save Ohtori, the only person in his office who was kind to him.
He arrives at the office and finds her alive. Another office worker hasn’t been so lucky, however, as he is now a zombie. After Akira defeats him, his attention turns to the woman he secretly loved, but to his horror, discovers that she has been bitten. It’s not long before she too becomes a member of the undead.
Akira leaves and begins to think about the reality of his new life. Determined not to let his life go to waste, he decides to write a bucket list of all the things he wants to achieve before he too becomes a zombie.
In the days following, he is able to tick off some of the things on his list, such as riding a motorcycle, cooking new recipes, and setting off a fireworks display. He also meets a woman at a supermarket – Shizuka – who tells him zombies can be distracted by noise. She and Akira are very different. He wants to save people while she thinks helping others will only bring trouble. Her opinions change later but for now, the two separate.
Another item on Akira’s list is to apologize to his best friend Kencho for behaving badly the last time they met. After putting on a suit of made-up armour, he rides to where Kencho is staying – The Love Hotel – and diverts zombies away from his friend’s location with the use of loud music.
After Akira makes amends with his friend, the two head to the aquarium, which has become a place of sanctuary for survivors.
What happens at the aquarium?
Most people have headed to the aquarium for the security it provides as well as the fishy food supplies. But Akira’s reason for going there is different – he wants a shark suit that will protect him from zombie bites!
On arrival, he meets Shizuka again as well as his old boss, Kosugi, who is running the place like the office he once dominated over. This tyrannical boss is even using zombies as security guards as he considers them “exemplary employees who work without complaint.”
The survivors have to earn their place at the aquarium by working hard for Kosugi. Not long after his arrival, Akira becomes like them and starts to lose sight of his bucket list. But when Shizuka sees his list, she reminds him of his wishes and encourages him to break free from Kosugi’s rule.
Akira wakes up from his depressed state but before he can stand up to Kosugi, the place is overrun by zombies. They aren’t Akira’s biggest problem, however, as he also has to face off against a great white zombie shark with legs that has broken free from its captivity.
Does Akira defeat the killer shark?
Akira, Kencho, and Shizuka work together to fend off the zombie attack and the mutated shark. This is a first for Shizuka who previously thought the only way to survive was to work alone.
She comes up with a plan to defeat the shark which involves electrocuting its brain with batteries. To do this, Kencho throws the batteries to Akira, who then uses them against the shark while wearing the shark suit which acts as an electrical conductor.
After zapping the shark and trapping the remaining zombies, Akira is hailed as a hero. The other survivors consider him their true leader, which is bad news for Kosugi, who loses his authority over them.
What is Akira’s new purpose in life?
As Akira, Kencho and Shizuka set off on a road trip together, Akira reveals his new purpose to his friends – to make being a superhero his new job.
As we know after seeing the film, Akira had already proven his hero credentials when he saved people from the zombies in the city. He was a hero because he wanted to be, with the courage to risk his own life to protect others. As such, his decision to become a superhero at the end of the film is of no surprise.
His new purpose is rather significant as it is one we can all relate to. We don’t all want to become superheroes but many of us want to do something more meaningful with our lives than the jobs we have been given. Akira hated his job because it was far removed from his dreams. At the end of the film, he decides to grasp hold of one of his life goals – to be a hero – and make that his purpose. Could you do the same? If you hate your job, perhaps now is the time to follow Akira’s example and pursue your purpose in life!
In the film, Akira isn’t the only one to have a new purpose. As it closes, Kencho reveals his wish to become a comedian and Shizuka reveals she wants to become a doctor that saves lives. It’s her decision that surprises the most considering her previous decision to fend for herself and not help people. It’s good that she had a change of heart and it’s also good that Akira and Kencho found a goal worth having as they set off for adventures new.
Read More: Zom 100: Bucket List Of The Dead Movie Review
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