Episodes: 12
Genre(s): Comedy, Idol
Aired: Oct 2018 – Dec 2018
Also known as: Zombie Land Saga; ゾンビランドサガ
Summary: A idol group consisting of zombies rise up in an attempt to save Saga! So how will they exactly save Saga? The series never quite addresses that, but that’s okay!
Review: Truth be told, I sort of ignored this series for a long time. Sure, I heard people clamor about the infamous rap and so on, but Fall 2018 was a hectic and busy time for me. I fell behind several episodes on all the shows I was following at one point.
I caught up by week 10, however, and by then I was determined to binge watch Zombieland Saga. All because of a tweet that made me realize I was missing out big time.
To me, this captures a bit of the charm Zombieland Saga holds. At its core it’s “just” an idol show (a very funny one, admittedly), but it also manages to resonate with so many different kind of people through the exploration of the tragic backstories for the girls (no wonder the idol group in question has such a variety of fans within the series). Feeling that you’re out of touch, or that you’ve missed out, or that you’re trans, or that your hard work never works – all of these are sensitive topics that are treated with care by the show and thus are so powerful to witness.
I know I already spoiled the fact that Lily is trans (and that the series is actually largely about idols – I do believe some viewers were initially convinced the series was about scary zombies, not zombie idols), but I’ll lay off the spoilers for the rest of the review. Instead, I’ll just vaguely say that the series really leans on emotional punches. The effectiveness of (and response to) such a tactic will clearly vary from person to person. My stance being as mentioned above, I personally loved it. I’m not always a fan of the the roller coaster plot, but the execution here was on-point in my opinion.
I will admit that there are a few details that are left intentionally vague, which will obviously bother the viewer who wants answers to everything. So this also bothers me a bit. Be that as it may, I think that could means there’s room for a potential second season or movie adaptation, right?! Maybe I’m being a bit optimistic here, haha…
Big, big fan of the OP, “Adabana Necromancy,” for its explosive energy. The ED, “Hikari e,” is also somber and beautiful. The insert songs, as expected of an idol series, are also top-notch!!
I would say the yuri is quite minimal in Zombieland Saga, but you could totally ship a few girls with each other. From what I’ve seen, Ai and Junk is a very popular pairing!
The Lily Garden 
Do you think Lily is trans or is their attachment to their character driven by the special bond it created with their father after their mother’s death and how having that taken away would also inevitably change the relationship, something Lily desperately wants to avoid, even if just in memory?
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I’m not sure what being a trans really means if you are dead. Most parts appear detachable and reattachable.
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I would say it remains a personal identity issue.
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Hmm. To me, Lily is trans since she identifies as being a girl despite being designated male at birth.
Sure, she loved her dad, but that seems like a seperate matter unless if I’m missing what you’re saying here ;__;
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I guess I don’t remember them identifying as anything other than Lily or addressing gender directly (the other characters do though) so I wasn’t sure if Lily’s identity issues actually had to do with gender at all or with a specific character and I didn’t want to assume. I definitely could have missed it though, I’ll have to reread that episode review. It was charming in either case.
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You’re opening picture reminded me of something I just have to share.
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I can see the resemblance!
But the little one can go to hell.
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