Otaku Digest: Romancing Zombie Students
Where is the time going, people? Another week down only means one thing; time for another round of Otaku Digest. We are jumping right into the summer anime season and truly taking a big bite out of it. The summer season is usually the big season for new releases and usually showcase those anime that make the big splash of the year.
Following an amazing spring season, the summer has big shoes to fill! Let’s jump right in and see what it has to offer us. Coming up this week is Gakkou Gurashi!, Classroom☆Crisis and Akagami no Shirayuki-hime.
Gakkou Gurashi!
First to take the Otaku Digest stage this week is the supernatural, school and slice of life (why do I do 
this to myself?) anime Gakkou Gurashi! or SCHOOL-LIVE! Which originally aired on July 9. The anime centres on a group of girls who each have different qualities they bring to their little group; shovel-loving Rumi, spirited Yuki, centre of it all Rurii and, lastly, the glue of the group, the spaced-out school advisor Megu. All the girls decide to spend the night at their school but mysterious things begin to happen and the girls now find themselves as the sole survivors of a zombie attack, so they decide to continue to live at the school. Are they alone and will they survive?
Another week, another slice of life anime for me to suffer through. Once again, I do not go into any anime hating it automatically, but I proceed with caution when it comes to slice of life anime. I was, however, intrigued by the entire premise behind this anime. They are a group of girls who live in their school and then there is a zombie wipe-out; this actually sounds bearable. As one would imagine, with an anime centred mainly on girls, this anime is all sorts of cute with many innuendoes slotted in there. This anime has such a twist at the end that it genuinely took me a second to fully comprehend what had actually happened here. The change of pace this anime took from what we had at the beginning, which was a distinctly pre-apocalyptic utopia, to the end of the first episode was shocking. Talk about a hook! This took such a dark turn and I loved it.
Will I Continue To Watch: Hold the presses, I have found a slice of life anime I am willing to continue with!
Classroom☆Crisis
Next up is Classroom☆Crisis, a romantic comedy and school anime that first aired at the start of July. The anime takes us to a near and futuristic version of the world where we get a glimpse at the trials and misfortunes of working high school students. Humanity, with the aim of reaching the stars have, colonised all the planets of the solar system. We follow Iris Shirasaki, a third year high school student in Fourth Tokyo, a Japanese Martian territory. Along with Iris, who is also an aspiring pilot, we follow her peer and mechanic, Mizuki Sera, along with her brother Kaito (their homeroom teacher) as the director of the program, as he helps these young individuals harness and develop their individual talents. It is within the hopes and talents of these young people that our romantic comedy takes flight.
First off, what? That opening introduction was utterly confusing and then it swings us into a school environment. The rest of the anime really did not go much better; it is a very talky type of anime which, in regards to the subject matter, is no surprise but there is such thing as too much talking in an anime and this anime truly drove it over the edge of too much. Which is a shame, as I had much higher hopes for the show. However, it barely reached watchable. There are two stories running side by side within the anime, which do eventually interlace, but it really doesn’t do much for the anime as a whole. There is no hook, and they attempt a massive action moment towards the end that just doesn’t work. If you hadn’t already given up on the anime and were still watching the action moments at the end, you may as well have given up because they were completely overshadowed by yet more talking. Yawn.
Will I Continue To Watch: Unlikely. How about stop talking and actually utilise the action scenes properly?
Akagami no Shirayuki-hime
Last, but certainly not least, we have Akagami no Shirayuki-hime or, as most people will know it, Snow White with the Red Hair. There has been a good amount of coverage for this anime, adapted from a manga of the same name. Originally airing on July 7, this is a historical, fantasy, drama, Shoujo and romance anime. Within the kingdom of Tanbarun we meet a skilled pharmacist and strong willed young woman called Shirayuki, who has been recognised not only for her skills but most iconically for her striking apple red hair. This stunning attribute has even got the attention of the kingdom’s prince, but romance is lost on this prince as he demands for her to be his concubine. Shiayuki refuses and in protest chops away all her red locks and seeks refuge in the neighbouring kingdom of Clarines, where she meets another prince called Zen. We see Shirayuki find her place in her new surroundings and into Zen’s heart.
This anime is one of the shows I have been waiting for since it was first announced. This anime comes with all that you would want from an anime; it has glorious animation and a stellar narrative. Now, I can only hope it is maintained properly to offer a long-lasting and satisfying anime series. There is no filler anywhere to be seen in this anime, and it is delightfully straight forward and to the point. The story flows really well and, unlike the last anime, this show makes the dialogue work to its advantage with engaging action scenes and entertaining characters. An aspect I actually enjoyed in the anime is the developing relationships between the characters, in particular the one between Shirayuki and Zen after she has fled her homeland. He sees her as his equal and she is intrigued by his attitude. It is a refreshing courtship. Also, I hope the arrogant prince gets what’s coming to him. He is the perfect type of antagonist, though; arrogant and utterly fill of himself, which is the complete opposite of Zen.
Will I Continue To Watch: Yes! This is a well written anime and I cannot wait to see what is to come.
What have you been watching this season? I want your suggestions! What should I be watching? Let me know in the comments!
