First Impressions / Gakkou Gurashi!

「あめのひ」 (Ame no Hi)
“Rainy Day”

There’s times where you want to be correct about things and times you wish you were wrong. This week was one of those times I wish I was wrong.

Rest In Peace Taroumaru

As an additional character that technically didn’t even appear in the manga except for a small flashback, it never fails to surprise me just how popular Taroumaru became. Being the cute puppy that’s smarter than a baby of the same age, he’s always managed to bring a wave of fun whenever he shows up on screen. Sure, it might not be in the safest of manners, but like it or not he’s been integral throughout a lot of the happy moments we’ve seen from the show. Which is why it’s so disappointing to see him meet the same fate he did in the manga. I had been hoping he’d maybe be able to escape his fate of becoming infected since he’s become such a big part of the show, but it looks like even Taroumaru isn’t strong enough to overcome the source material.

Kurumi’s Mistake

So, as if seeing Taroumaru turn into a zombie wasn’t bad enough, we also had to watch Kurumi become the first person in the group to tragically slip up. Ignoring all the warning signs with her mind clouded by a mixture of adrenaline and rage, it was tough to see her run head first into the one person she’d be unable to deal with. I mean, who can really fault her for not wanting to attack her beloved sensei who had been there for her when she needed it? Even if you factor in the suspicions that Megu-nee might have known about the emergency basement or what her true intentions might have been, I bet you anyone else would have ended up the exact same way (except for maybe Miki).

Show Spoiler ▼

Yuki and Reality + Looking Ahead

With everyone quickly falling apart and a horde of zombies lurking nearby, it looks like we’ll be in for an exciting episode next week. But with Rii-san overwhelmed with Kurumi’s condition and Miki on her way to hopefully find whatever medicine is down in the basement, it looks like Yuki’s the only one left to really hold the fort down. Luckily, it seems like she’s slowly starting to return to the real world and it the nick of time no less. Hopefully everything ends up okay next week!

Thanks for reading the post and I hope to catch you around for the rest of the season! On a side note, please refrain from posting spoilers in the comments. Not only are you ruining someone’s experiences, but because this is an adaptation, it’s possible you could be spreading misinformation! So, please abuse that spoiler tag and if you want to talk about anything related to this anime or if you wanted to ask me something specific, shoot me a tweet @rctakaii!

See you next week!

 

Preview

46 Comments

  1. …fastest first impression ever…

    But yeah…who is up for watching videos of cute puppies to cheer up? Or is it too soon 🙁

    The thing that worries me is that Tanomaru isn’t fully dead yet. With how smart he is, I would not be surprised if he found a way out the door. Miki might have a handful to deal with next week if both Tanomaru and Megu-nee are lurking in the depths of the school.

    Off topic – where are all the other zombie teachers? I wouldn’t thought that some of them might’ve remembered the emergency shelter too and would also be lurking down there. Or perhaps a surprise zombie horde in a future episode?

    Taiakun
    Reply

    3. The other teachers didn’t know. Remember the manuals were under instructions to only open on the principal’s go-ahead, so Megu-nee only opened her’s after the fact since there obviously wasn’t a principal around to give the word anymore.

      Aex
      Reply

  2. So Tanomaru becomes a Ceberus in this episode. Once again, the visual changes are just killing me. The opening (despite its cute song) is really turning into a horror now.

    The whole episode is very intense from start to finish. So many things are happening at once. This anime has reached a point where there is no going back now. The story from now on will be dead serious, literally, and we are going to be in one hell of a ride.

    Another very nice piece of writing that recalls an event from the past. Show Spoiler ▼

    So this is confirmed anime original ending. I am absolutely dreaded right now because I really want a sequel (manga is still ongoing) and not important characters to get killed (or join the legion of undead, for that matter). I don’t want this to be like Corpse Party: Tortured Souls where the ending is very bleak compared to the uplifting spirit of the ending of the game. I would not like to see another Akame ga Kill where characters supposed to live in the manga drop like flies.

    bibotot
    Reply

    1. Sort of spoiler warning ->
      Show Spoiler ▼

      Also this is just my thought how things could end:
      Show Spoiler ▼

      Takaii
      Reply

      1. Show Spoiler ▼

        Aex
        Reply

      2. Show Spoiler ▼

        Horus
        Reply

  5. They had a lot of people riled up about the fanservice episode where I think they did on purpose to lull everybody into a happy state of Mind !

    Wrong they just pulled a fast one by showing how dark , tragic and sad School Live really is and the Happy cute moments is what keeps them “sane” if you can call it that !

    The best episode so far ! This is not a spoiler but I read the manga and the rewrite is just brilliant ! By holding back Megumi’s heroics / Taroumaru being infected / and Kurumi’s being bitten turned out to be spectatular and yes quite tragic ! The author / production committee doing great work!

    The flags raised at the begining segment was so ominous ! Then the scenes /flashbacks were just stuning ! The quiet moment on the roof with Kurumi just adds to the episode !

    The usually calm Yuri kind of losing it! She knows things are desperate there between supplies and the increasing number of Zombies and maybe a new plan is needed!. Oh then pulling out Kurumi’s knife only to have Miki come in and says there is medicine available ! Just in Time ?

    And Yuki kept calm helping out and even noticing the window broken!

    15FAN
    Reply

  6. I have been enjoying this series but both here and on /a/ you get a people complaining about how they have changed enough of this from the manga to ruin pacing and keep the anime from being truly great instead of just being good. I haven’t read the manga but from what I have heard/seen about it they may be right.

    Gouka Ryuu
    Reply

    1. I think it really comes down to your personal preference. In my opinion though, if you look at this show simply as an anime, I think it retains enough of the feel from the source while not breaking from the typical anime-mold to keep the higher ups who actually fund the project happy.

      That and I’m sure we’re all happy the show as a whole is at least fun to watch (:

      Takaii
      Reply

  7. Well, looks like the slice of life is over, was a cute ride,and made a hell of a contrast, but now is time for some zombie action.
    Still i want an adaptation of I am a Hero, but this series worked surprisingly well so far.

    Micheleuno
    Reply

  9. was a intense episode, i love how they managed to do the megu-nee reveal but i was scared because i though taromaru will infect kurumi instead of megu-nee :l. best episode so far, and all we know this isn’t a cute anime, so i was worried about another filler episode. i hope the series will get more than 12 eps to let the writers do the right things

    vicdavel
    Reply

      1. Well next episode Miki will have to dodge zombies to get the cure and get it back to Kurumi along with Show Spoiler ▼

        That could be a full episode. Things would feel too rushed here if they just bolted out of the school as soon as Kurumi got her shot, though. Too much would be left out, too.

        Aex
        Reply

  11. “I hate being right…” moment
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DO0kxKMHIA
    seriously when it rains it pours, with Kurumi bitten and unconscious, Yuuri in shock for the first time, and even Miki shaken to the core. But if anyone can deal with zombiefied Megu-nee it’s Miki, exactly because she ahs no emotional ties to her.
    The news about vaccine? serum? cure? might be the biggest surprise, has it been used together with some more effective reaction of the staff, it could have saved many lives… But everything was being so tight-wrapped so nobody knew about it when the disaster struck.

    ewok40k
    Reply

  12. damnit Kuromi, why did you go out there alone instead of paired up, you’re not Daryl Dixon!

    poor poor delusional Yuki.

    Yuki should give Rii-san a hug for shared emotional support.

    my one nitpick was with the way Taroumaru got free from his leash, seems more likely it should have just broke as opposed to him slipping out even when it was tight. RIP Taroumaru.

    Frog? No. Hippo!
    Reply

  13. There’s been a feeling of dread hanging over the the show for a while, that all the happy moments were a calm before the storm…and man, the storm sure came this episode. It says a lot when the cute puppy getting zombified isn’t even the worst thing to happen this episode.

    As if coming face to face with Megu-nee wasn’t bad enough already, Kurumi Shovel Knight ended up getting bitten, and seeing her struggle in pain and having nightmares, with a horrific fate awaiting her, is just painful to watch. She’s my favourite character, dammit! And then there’s Yuuri slowly breaking down, Yuki seemingly crawling herself back to reality, the fact that summer vacation’s over (crap, I didn’t even realize at first that’d cause more zombies) and the rain causing them to pour inside. Oh, and a super-fast scary zombie dog. Everything went to hell in a handbasket. And to cap it off, a zombified Megu-nee seemingly crying over her journal – just rub it in, why don’t ya?

    Still, I can’t say this episode wasn’t effective. It kept my heart racing throughout the episode and it’s been lingering in my mind ever since – it’s been a while since a show has been able to do that. The series continues to be a pinnacle of execution of its concept, and it has been of the best zombie stories I’ve seen in recent years (kind of on par with Telltale’s Walking Dead game).

    Hopefully at least someone makes it to the end though, that ominous ED is making me worried :/

    Dvalinn
    Reply

  14. Aw, hell naw… 🙁

    Yeah, I’ve already been spoilered that Kurumi would get bitten (and most likely zombiefied), but OMG…seeing it actually happen still hits you in the heartstrings like a truck.

    Incognito
    Reply

  17. Theory alert! Has anyone else noticed a significant lack of thoughts or feelings towards these girls’ families? It’s not like this is a boarding school, and even if it was, why would the girls never mention any aspect of their lives aside from what they experienced with people they knew from school? I’m starting to think the show’s final twist could have something to do with this lack of discussion of parentage. We can’t know at this point whether the girls even have parents.

    More of my non-manga-reader thoughts here: https://unnecessaryexclamationmark.wordpress.com/2015/09/11/gakkou-gurashi-10/

    Shovel Knight’s inner conflict – the dream-world of being abandoned in a classroom surrounded by the dead – also made me think more and more about how this show’s take on ‘graduation’ is pretty significant. Is the whole zombie thing a massive metaphor for entering adult life? Do we not as adults naturally get drawn to memories of our youth, and must we not also as adults bring more children into our monotonous world of adulthood? It was the adult creation of the ‘bioweapon’, after all, that wrecked these girls’ high school lives.

    I think there’s a bitter commentary riding underneath this show, and it’s just another thing that has me hooked.

    JekoJeko
    Reply

    1. I dunno, I think it’s just the trend with a lot of anime in general where characters families are rarely mentioned or seen. You think every kid in Japan lives alone with their parents working overseas or sth. with a cute kid sister!

      Frog? No. Hippo!
      Reply

      1. Parentless adventures are certainly common in teenage storytelling, but they at least make some passing reference to why there are no parents around. Having nothing of the sort seems suspicious when you weigh it up against the norm.

        JekoJeko
        Reply

      2. oh yeah, some do mention it in passing, some might even show the parents, but seems like these days the trend is they’re barely worth a mention.

        In my imagination, so many kids in Japan live by themselves only because anime told me so!

        Frog? No. Hippo!
        Reply

    2. There’s more family stuff in the manga that the anime has yet to/won’t be able to cover.

      For example with Kurumi in the manga when they take their trip to the mall Show Spoiler ▼

      For Rii-san it’s something that they won’t get to unless the show gets a second season.Show Spoiler ▼

      qwert
      Reply

      2. oh sure, I would certainly be happy with them changing miki from one of the more headstrong and independent character into a girl who is sad every other time and is emotionally vulnerable…

        amado
        Reply

  20. you know what, at this point I am actually wanting for the anime to just go on its own now and kill off everyone.

    the anime has screwed up too many great points and peaks of the manga. I wont tell them, but I will say that you guys should at least read the manga, at least to the points where the anime has reached to know.

    amado
    Reply

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