Warning: Contains spoilers for Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead episode #1.The Summer 2023 anime season has only just started, but Crunchyroll’s new horror anime, Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, is already a must-watch. Zom 100 is centered around Akira Tendo, a recent college graduate who has lost all hope as he’s forced into the harsh realities of the Japanese working world. Just as Akira falls to his lowest point, a zombie apocalypse breaks out, but rather than fear for his life, Akira becomes euphoric over the revelation that he doesn’t have to go to work anymore, and he decides to capitalize on the situation by creating a bucket list of everything he wants to do before becoming a zombie.

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead is based on the manga of the same name written by Haro Aso and illustrated by Kotaro Takata.The show has a pretty standard premise for a horror story, but even with that, it already set itself as a must-watch for the summer 2023 season. Between animation that excels in both quality and creativity and a story that comes off as highly cathartic, Zom 100 is already doing a lot to stand out among its competition, and that’s more than worth paying attention to.

Related: 10 Most Anticipated Anime of Summer 2023

Zom 100: Bucket List Of The Dead Is A Visual Masterpiece

Akira breaking the fourth wall

The first thing that makes Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead so worthwhile is its visual aesthetic. In addition to looking good from a technical standpoint, episode #1 is filled with moments of incredible cinematography, most notably when Akira tackles his zombified boss. Even better are the moments of pure creativity: episode #1 is mostly in black and white to represent Akira’s depression, but when the color returns as Akira regains his joy, he breaks the fourth wall to destroy the aspect ratio bars and put the series in widescreen. Most anime don’t strive for that level of quality, so Zom 100 doing so is nothing short of incredible.

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead’s animation is among the best of the Summer 2023 season, and what makes it even more notable is the talent behind it. Zom 100 is directed by Kazuki Kawagoe, whose work on Komi Can’t Communicate also provided it with great visuals, and equally notable is that this is the first full-fledged production of its animation studio, Bug Films, yet it still managed to put out such a high-quality product. With a combination of experienced and new talent, Zom 100 has plenty going for it behind the scenes, and the rest of the series is bound to show that off even further.

Related: 10 Best Anime About Zombies

Zom 100 Is Creative But Also Incredibly Relatable

zom 100 bucket list of the dead anime

Beyond its impressive visuals, what really makes Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead so great is how much it works as a metaphor for many real-world issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic, when some people were able to find relief in having the freedom to do things they couldn’t while they were working. Akira’s struggles are very relatable, especially for Japanese people who have to deal every day with the harsh reality of a demanding and ruthless work environment.

Being able to relate to a story can do a lot to help elevate its overall quality, so the fact that it's able to resonate with people in such a unique and cathartic way is exactly the kind of thing to get it to stand out in a big way. All in all, with its harsh real-life metaphors wrapped around gorgeous and creative animation, Crunchyroll's Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead has a lot to offer and is a definite must-watch for the Summer 2023 season.

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead releases new episodes Sundays on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Netflix.