Adapted from a light novel series of the same name by Shinichi Kimura, Is This a Zombie? was directed by Takaomi Kanasaki and produced by Studio Deen. Character designs, original and anime, were provided by Kobuichi and Shinobu Tagashira respectively. We follow one Ayumu Aikawa who, after finding a random sword sticking out of his gut before keeling over, was reanimated by the mysterious, beautiful, and seemingly mute necromancer Eucliwood Hellscythe. The both of them now living under the same roof as servant and master, our undead male protagonist tries to live his school life the best he can without anyone normal finding out. Trouble finds him, however, juggling the eccentric company of ninja vampires and magical garment girls wielding leaf blades and chainsaws on top of the caveats that being a zombie in his universe entails, and suddenly, he's also living with a vampire ninja and a magical garment girl. And, for whatever reason, he magically becomes a magical garment boy. Yeah, boy, though unfortunately, the costume's not tailored to his specific gender.
Lots and lots of random, over-the-top hilarity ensues, and it's precisely the random and over-the-top qualities that make the comedy work well in this series. The show's no stranger to exploiting anime tropes, most notably the -dere series, but the show is so audaciously gung-ho about each of them that their comedic value stays fairly constant. In addition to these running gag anchors are just a stream of ridiculously absurd developments, puns, gags, one after another, keeping the funny consistently fresh for a good portion of the show.
The characterization deserves a mention. Granted, it's not going to win any accolades for it, but for what it is, a random, over-the-top harem comedy, I appreciate that the show were able to characterize these girls as individuals outside of their designated stereotypes, and that they show a significant amount competence independent of the male protagonist. Aikawa himself also comes off as a decent character, with humorous quirks and relatable worries. You know, ones that don't constantly scream pervert all the time and end up with him getting constantly decked. Getting beaten down's a reality for him, but it's not something the staff overly abuses for constant laughs. Outside fairly harmless daydreams about Eucliwood, or Eu, he doesn't harbor any obsessive lust for the women that surround him; in fact, he genuinely respects, cares, and tries his damndest to shield them from grief.
Outside comedy, at least for the more episodic first half, there's also some fairly decent drama, the majority of it centering around Eu and how her necromantic abilities, powerful enough to raise the dead, and possibly more powerful still, are related to her seeming inability to speak. Outside her exotic headdress and armor plate, outside her quiet, emotionless exterior, is a girl who's lonely and, because of circumstances, has been alone until now.
I mentioned first half, because the show starts to come off from its seams by the second once there's a transition to something more plot-centric. Simply put, the writers behind this series do not know how to write a decent plot, especially one meant to be dramatic. Here random, over-the-top, and this show's brand of comedic are not welcome. Everything supposedly linear comes out fragmented, everything supposedly serious comes out unfulfilling, and everything supposedly silly comes out contrived. For instance, we got a life-threatening situation over here involving someone being crushed to death. Is it really a smart time to be stupid by making the perpetrator a giant plushie? We got a world-ending scenario involving the creation of a portal to hell on top of kidnapping and coersion. Is it the best time to animate a completely nonsensical scene of walking in to everyone nonchalantly eating pasta? The potential those few precious moments of drama early to make something delightful is wasted on the show's later lack of focus and tact.
Utilizing the heavy elements of the electric guitar and drum set, OP “Ma-Ka-Se-Te Tonight,” or “Leave-It-To-Me Tonight” by Iori Nomizu is strong enough rock to get into for those who are fans of that genre, coupled with the action-packed introductions of the main cast in a rather bleak, apocalyptic setting, but overall, in my opinion, it wouldn't be the number I'd use to characterize this show, the action is more a supplementary element than a major focus, however well-animated it may be at times. I'd also have to question, limited my understanding of the Japanese language may be, why opening seconds grammatically misuse some of the romaji for the show's title. ED “Kizuite Zombie-sama, Watashi wa Classmate desu,” or “Notice me Mr. Zombie, I am your Classmate,” fits the bill better. Essentially a duet by Rie Yamaguchi, who also seiyuus one of the characters, and Manzo, it has this goofy sense charm that playfully shifts tempo, style, and pitch at sections to fit with the visual whimsy of the male protagonist dying while in heat. That's a double entendre.
A generally funny show that doesn't go too overboard on fan service, as far as harem comedies go, with a surprising amount of depth, the second half soured what would otherwise have been a mainly positive experience. If the staff could get a better handle at working the plot, or just making future content more episodic like before, then I'd be a happy zombie.
Speaking of which, it occurred to me that there were less messy ways for sniffing out zombies than using chainsaws. Oops.
I give Is This a Zombie? a 7 out of 10.
