First Impressions / HIGHSCHOOL OF THE DEAD

「DEAD storm rising」

First things first, orgybus was not elongated. I repeat, orgybus was not elongated. Now with that aside, HOTD takes a more mellow mood this time around, with the rain pouring throughout the entire episode. The completely psychotic middle to low class group was shown this time, but was made to be a joke more than a serious threat. Hirano makes a comment about how humans don’t want to see what they don’t like, which acts a foil for Takashi to think back on his own actions dealing with Hisashi. Besides Hirano being awesome yet again, that was a great line. From all the odd forced scenes that embody HOTD, a line like this gets it right. Focus then shifted towards Saeko, who was being shown a katana of utmost quality. I like how Saeko and Takagi’s father, Takagi Soichiro, was talking about Takagi’s problem, but swiftly shifted focus to Takashi instead, with no resolution on why Takagi’s dad won’t keep her by his side. However, I believe that’s actually resolved next episode if memory serves right. Anyway, next up is Rei’s insecurities.

The confession by Rei was so stupid, do I really even need to point out how much of a hypocrite she is? “I never realized how awesome you were back when I left you for Hisashi, but now that I’ve seen you in action, my female organs can’t resist wanting you.” Give me a break. And what’s the deal with pushing her down on the bed? It wasn’t in the manga, so why add it in? I’ve joked about his “manliness” but they’re really pushing it. It seems whenever something sexual occurs, he turns into some sort of high strung alpha male. They also tried to imply another sex scene, although this one didn’t quite finish due to Rei’s injuries. What is Madhouse thinking? This stuff wasn’t even remotely implied in the manga, so what could possibly be their motive? A fine mystery indeed.

After preparing to leave the mansion, Shido arrives with his party bus. Shido’s character is then more or so explained, and to be honest, you can’t really blame him for his actions in the past. However, after his revenge on his father, you’d think he’d return to a healthy normal life. Perhaps his past history left too deep of a scar on him, but it doesn’t really explain why he’s trying to start some sort of cult following. Near the end of the episode, they show some people on a submarine firing missiles, presumably trying to wipe out the zombies. I honestly have no clue where they’re shooting it at, but it doesn’t really seem to matter, seeing that the missiles haven’t even affected the story in the manga yet.

Surprisingly, there still haven’t been signs of the show heading off into an original ending just yet. Of course, there’s only one left to go, so it will all be revealed by then.

 

ED11 Sequence

ED11: 「Hollow Men」 by 黒崎真音 (Kurosaki Maon)
Watch the 11th ED!: Download, Streaming ▼

Preview

64 Comments

  4. This episode title caught my eye,reminded me that Dead Rising 2 is gonna be released this month.seems like there is a scene omitted after Takashi pushes Rei on the bed,we’ll just have to see the DVD/BD for that incase.

    I laughed when they portray Kouta as an archer with a crossbow in what seemed to be Link’s suit from Zelda.If My memory ain’t foggy,Noboyuki Hiyama(Kouta’s seiyuu) also voices Link in the Japanese editions of Zelda.

    fluidity
    Reply

  5. You’re wondering why Rei is pissed at calling her Sempai? It’s because they’re both supposed to be in the same grade, not Rei below Saeko. They even say so in the same episode later on when Rei confronts Shido. It’s not a matter of shoddy writing there, that’s one of the emotions that actually makes sense for once. It’s been hinted early on that Rei was held back a year, and with Saeko being only a grade higher, it’s again clear why she hates saying it. It’s a direct link to Shido holding her back on purpose.

    Wild
    Reply

    1. Ah, okay. Thanks for clearing that up for me.
      I get the reasoning behind the whole thing, but it seems like she was pissed to not call her sempai. If they were originally in the same year, shouldn’t she want to call her by her name instead? If it were the other way around like you told me, it’d make more sense.

      Kiiragi
      Reply

  7. I’m not sure if you meant whether they will show the effect of the missiles by the end of the anime or something… but they do show where the missiles were supposed to hit and the reasons why they did it in the manga, not sure which chapter though

    the results of the missiles? one big frigging EMP across japan

    Xziled
    Reply

  8. “I honestly have no clue where they’re shooting it at”

    The code words are easy to understand.

    November Kilo = NK = North Korea

    Now the 2nd one is funny because they got it wrong.

    Romeo Charlie is supposed to be China but they got it wrong since RC (Republic of China) is actually the official name of Taiwan. They obviously intended that to be China which would be PRC (People’s).

    Hypernova
    Reply

  12. Show Spoiler ▼

    The Secretary of Defense in the previous episode convinced the President to give the launch command before they died to take all of the US’s enemies down too.

    EliteF22
    Reply

    2. I assume there has been mutual exchange of nukes between major nuclear powers. Japan being non-nuclear isnt getting targetted, but will be side-eefected by EMP and possibly fallout (depending on monsoon direction).

      ewok40k
      Reply

  14. This episode is kinda boring. What’s with MadHouse dimming down the tone of this? The manga had good tone and and it got Shino getting pissed even more. This is however too straight forward. MadHouse should have put more effort into this because the first episode had brilliant tone and they should have carried out the same tone throughout every episode.

    Since we know that Rei didn’t feel like killing Shino, they could have atleast show him getting pissed, for the comment Rei and Takagi’s dad made but also see his face when he was told to leave.

    I think they are loosing their edge in this, which as a viewer I find it dissapointing. So I am really hoping that the last episode will end with a bang and a hint for the next season. Also I wanna see Shino get eaten by a zombie when he crashed his bus and notice that his followers are gone.

    Hehehe…thats cute: https://randomc.net/image/HIGHSCHOOL%20OF%20THE%20DEAD/HIGHSCHOOL%20OF%20THE%20DEAD%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2018.jpg

    SilentmanX
    Reply

    1. Other than that cute random moment and Saeko coming back to battle form (even if she does look beautiful in kimono), there was nothing real interesting in that episode.
      Takashi is way too different in his approach to the girls than in the manga. Alpha male? I dunno but the way he acts is steadily getting to me.

      Shinjiro
      Reply

    1. The manga is chapter 27 right now, and no, no signs of it ending any time soon. The anime is going at almost the same pace as the manga with a few differences, so this episode basically covered 12-14, skipping 13.

      Aex
      Reply

  18. If there is not going to be a second season I hope they just blow everyone up, or kill them off in one way or another (especially Takashi). Having a “happy cliffhanger” ending would just be too annoying.

    Also, I am sure I have said this too many times but…. I HATE TAKASHI! That guy needs to be castrated for all the sh*t he has been pulling since that episode where he was separated with Saeko. He is taking advantage of his power to act like a total ass. What next? A implied sex scene with the nurse? What about Takagi and the little girl? Someone needs to leash this mutt.

    XxDestinyXx
    Reply

    1. As a fan of the manga I just need to say that Takashi being a player is total bullsh*t, and totally new to the anime. In the manga he always shows signs of liking Saeko and Rei, but he never lets it go anywhere, even when Rei basically throws herself at him. He just kinda says a few nice things and walks away, keeping things pretty normal, and there’s definitely been no implied sex of any kind. The furthest he’s gone with them is when Rei jumped him with a kiss back at the Special Force’s girl’s house, which he pulled away from I might add. All these scenes with him coming onto both girls is just a dumb change for the anime that I don’t see a reason for.

      Aex
      Reply

  19. Okay, first I gotta say that even though I wasn’t surprised, I disliked the changing of the “romance” scene with Rei. The anime is making it look like Takashi is trying to have both girls, while in the manga he’s never really sure what to do about Saeko and Rei coming on to him. Personally I find hesitation and indecisiveness better then him hooking up with both of them like he doesn’t really care about the other.

    Next, it’ll be interesting to see where they leave off as opposed to the manga. We all know we’re heading towards a cliffhanger, so I’m just curious how they’re gonna swing it. Anime-original, or stick to the manga? Either way won’t be that satisfying…

    Aex
    Reply

    1. Somehow I knew nothing would really come out of the new chapter…

      I like the manga (especially compared to the anime), but nothing is really going on. It takes FOREVER to get new chapters, then when it is finally out… NOTHING HAPPENS! Just more “filler” type storyline without much plot progression.

      Thank you for posting the link though. 🙂
      I was wondering when the new chapter would be out, and I did not know what site to go to after OneManga.com closed down. 🙁

      XxDestinyXx
      Reply

  21. I’m not that bothered by how they’ve allowed Takashi to take advantage of certain situations. They don’t explicitly say that he had sex with Saeko in the anime, so they’re not really straying from the story in a meaningful manner.

    Plus… let’s be realistic here. They’re in the middle of an “end of the world” scenario, where they are constantly fighting for survival. They don’t know if any of their friends or family are alive, let alone safe. All that they have left to maintain your sanity is the other people in their group. If I were in Takashi’s situation and I had very attractive women coming to me for physical (and emotional) comfort, there is no way that I’d be able to hold back, and it wouldn’t be purely sexual reasons either. Intimacy is comforting and makes you feel wanted.

    Notice… I didn’t once mention romance. The notion of pure romance in a situation like this is pretty much absurd if you think about it realistically. People have essentially reverted to a more primal, animalistic state. I also don’t doubt that there would eventually be a School Days ending due to all of those emotions involved if Takashi were to sleep with everyone.

    Jaysus
    Reply

    1. In the manga, Rei’s dialogue is different if the translator back then got it right.

      Manga Rei: If you fell in love with another girl, I won’t be able to go on.
      Anime Rei: Even if you fell in love with another girl, I’d do anything to be with you so I can keep living.

      Anime Rei seems to be a little more open to the idea of sharing.

      Cronus
      Reply

  22. I do have to say that I was annoyed at the studio for this episode (seriously you have enough fan service already so stop trying to sell more) but I have to admit that Rei’s character going downhill was in the original manga. Honestly the same guy that gave us Asami and Saeko wrote this? All in all the episode wasn’t terrible or unwatchable, just a bit less than it could have been.

    Grant
    Reply

  23. After such a flimsy confession, I can’t believe Takashi thought that was good enough to just ravage her on the bed. =.= does he have no control of his hormones? It seems a bit contradictory to his character as such a great leader to just fool around with every girl he sees.

    I cannot possibly see a decent ending for the next episode. I mean…nukes? And I’ve only seen 1 zombie the past 2 episodes, now I have to suddenly remember that they’re actually in danger and this isn’t some mediocre soap opera. Gahh, why did such an awesome show have to take such a bad turn?

    Overcooled
    Reply

    1. The guy doesn’t know if her mom who works as a teacher is still alive. He’s witnessed what happened at his school so he’s a little worried. He knows the world he knew has ended and he’s eventually going to have to go out there again and kill something that used to be human.

      The whole group looks to him as a leader and for support. He is Alice’s onii-chan, Saya, Hirano, Shizuka’s leader and Saeko’s pillar. He then has his childhood sweetheart in bed, throwing herself at him and you expect him not to try and comfort himself? I don’t think he’s even thinking of “Love and Marriage” at this point in time, just comfort so he doesn’t snap. Even Saeko acknowledges this later in the manga.

      They all have to deal with it in different ways. Alice found a new family in the group, Hirano has Saya and his newfound power in his guns, Saeko has Takashi who would accept her darkness. What does Takashi get? He’s not perfect.

      Cronus
      Reply

      1. Mmm, all this is definitely true. Takashi is going to act different from his usual self under all of this pressure, it’s a completely novel situation for him and everyone else afterall. I should probably have cut the guy some slack…but I can’t help but think he should still be able to reason right from wrong a little bit. If he wants his comfort in the form of love/lust/whatever, I guess I’d just prefer it if he picked one instead of potentially deeply hurting his 2 teammates and friends. While the others all have their ways of coping, none of them are really detrimental to someone else. They’re not doing anything that could be seen as “bad” (except maybe Saeko’s killing intent…) By not thinking and allowing himself to just act on feeling…It just didn’t seem like the kind of way he’d find his release. You think he’d find comfort in a different way. You’re right that he’s not perfect and needs some sort of release though, I didn’t think of that before~

        Overcooled
        Reply

      2. I’d admit that it’s probably detrimental to someone else and it’s better if he picks just one. True. But what if the girls are willing to “share”?

        I say this because I’ve noticed that Madhouse seems to have made some big changes to their relationship dynamic. For example, Rei’s line changed from “If you fell in love with another girl, I won’t be able to move on” (manga) to “Even if you fell in love with another girl, I would do anything to be with you so I can survive.” (Anime)

        Add to that the fact that they made Takashi more sexually agressive and the girls more reciprocating seems as if they’re pushing for a harem. In the manga, it was more of a bitter love triangle. Saeko even waited outside the door and calmly talked to Rei afterwards (even after the whole shrine kiss/possible sex scene). She knew Takashi and Rei’s relationship and was probably fine with it. Rei seems to be more open to sharing in the anime as well.

        I guess you can think of it this way. In the manga, Takashi’s more of a nice guy who won’t go beyond a kiss and is torn between his attraction for Saeko and his history with Rei. Rei and Saeko on the other hand compete against each other, Rei bitches about Saeko while Saeko cockblocks her.

        In the anime, Takashi’s sexually agressive and the girls are more accomodating. Rei and Saeko seem to be still friends and Rei even went so far as to entertain the notion of Takashi falling for someone else (something manga Rei would never do). I could be wrong about all this of course and Madhouse just wanted to add more fanservice by making Takashi a pimp. This is pure speculation. Either way, Harem or Nice Boat, I’d consider that we viewers win.

        Cronus
        Reply

  24. Quote” You’re wondering why Rei is pissed at calling her Sempai? It’s because they’re both supposed to be in the same grade, not Rei below Saeko. It’s been hinted early on that Rei was held back a year, and with Saeko being only a grade higher, it’s again clear why she hates saying it ”

    I think thats wrong, because Takashi calling Saeko senpai as well, so that mean that Saeko is older then Takashi. So let say Takashi is the same grade as Rei, she would still be 1 yr younger than Saeko, so even if she got left back 1 yr then it only means now she is 2 yrs younger. So eitehr way I don’t think they are the same grade nor why Saeko or Rei angry at call senpai.

    mike
    Reply

    1. Takashi and Rei are in the same grade. Rei was held back a year, meaning that she is one year older then everyone else in her grade. Saeko is a grade above both of them, so she and Rei are the same age, and were in the same grade until Rei was held back. Rei calls Saeko “senpai” so she can forget how crazy-cult-teacher held her back just to screw with her dad, and she gets angry at Saeko because she was reminded of that fact.

      Aex
      Reply

      2. Like you say “Saeko is a grade above both of them, so she and Rei are the same age”

        If she is a grade above both of them how can they be same age, so whether rei got left back or not Saeko is still one yr older and one grade above them both, for example Saeko now is 3rd yr high school, Takeshi is second yr in high school, Rei is first yr in high school due to the fact she got left back. So even if she didn’t get left back she and takeshi would still be only second yr compare to 3rd yr Saeko.

        mike
        Reply

    4. AFAIK it is a Mutual Assured Destruction reaction, if we are going down the drain because of zombies, all our enemies will go down too, affected by zombies or not. I doubt Japan would be purposefully targeted, its military isnt that big, and has no nukes, so explosion over Japan was probably a missile off-course.

      ewok40k
      Reply

  26. WTF seriously? Now this is just getting stupid. I’ve been pretty neutral on the changes made in the adaptation. (Aside from the few i mentioned.) But c’mon now there trying to add ’emotional conflict.’ Not cool Bones, not cool.

    For those of you curious about what was launched from the sub.

    Show Spoiler ▼

    Snicket
    Reply

    1. Strictly speaking so wasn’t the nukes launched for any good reason. It’s simply for political reasons. Ie, everything is going to hell, lets take out the ‘bad’ guys while we can. We have been very close to nuclear war before, so it’s not unprecedented. Somewhat interesting for the historic interested so was it a rather similar situation with most the presidents advisers advocating a first strike then too. Only difference is that this time so did the presidency gets passed down until it ended up with someone pro nuclear war.

      Znail
      Reply

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