Zom 100 Vol .2 continues to bring joy to a world where joy seems to be scarce. The idea of a bucket list is iconic, and when done right, you can really deliver a compelling journey. But how does one complete a bucket list in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? Akira Tendo and his friend Kenichiro Ryuzaki intend to find a way!
Aside from an easy-to-pick-up plot, this volume is a rapid read. At only 160 pages, Zom 100 Vol .2 is shorter than the average tonkobon. When I reached the end of the book, I was a little surprised- though not disappointed. Every page of this story is filled with lots of fantastic moments. I love to see a story that doesn’t take itself too seriously at times. Although this is a post-apocalyptic world, there is a humor and a hopeful sense of adventure that radiates from Akira.
Once a zombie himself working as a wage slave, Akira is free to finally pursue his bucket list in a world gone to hell. The most impactful item on that list is remembering his childhood dream of becoming a hero. As with the many greats that came before Akira, they too wrestle with the question of what actually makes one a hero? I really enjoyed Zom 100’s approach in answering this question. There are certainly many more items on the list to cross off, but I feel that this dream of Akira’s will drive the story forward in much more interesting ways.
To talk about the setting, obviously, we are dealing with classic zombies – though they are made out to be faster than your usual flesh eaters. I like this because it really drives up the stakes of everything going on. The way they are drawn, too, makes them all the more intimidating. Kotaro Takata has a vivid style capable of capturing some amazing moments in this unforgiving world. My favorite moment has definitely got to be the zombie shark. Seeing Akira, Kencho, and co fight through this obstacle was a visual buffet. The way Kotaro portrays rapid movement drives home the action sequences too. 
Zom 100 Vol .2 does a great job of making side characters impactful. Though many of them have a short time in the story, the way they impact Akira and Kenichiro is heavy and forces growth upon our two lead men. An example of this is one of the girls they encounter in the train station. As a former airline attendant, Akira and Kenichiro find themselves with the opportunity to cross off a bucket list item. Number 9 on the bucket list is “wine and dine with a flight attendant. In what is obviously one of the more shallow items on the list, we soon realize that it takes a real person to make a dream come true. Yukari, the flight attendant, can dream too, and it’s up to one another to help realize those dreams no matter how big or small.
Akira may have won me over, but our buff former real estate agent, in my opinion, has much more to do to prove himself. I’m not sure what to make of his goal to become a stand-up comic. I am eagerly waiting to see how Kencho develops as the bucket list gets shorter. One can’t help to ask just what will happen when the final item is crossed off and just what will it be? Zom 100 certainly has me fascinated with this wacky adventure, and I am happy to continue to see through Akira’s goals in a world where it doesn’t seem there is too much to hope for. One might say that alone is enough to become a hero.
