In honor of Anime Expo, this week’s #ThrowbackThursday throws down with one of my personal favorites, Highschool of the Dead! 

Highschool of the Dead first appeared as a manga in 2006. In 2010, Madhouse (Ninja Scroll, Trigun) adapted the series into a twelve-episode anime. The series follows a group of students from Fujimi High School that find themselves amidst a global pandemic. The anime follows the many guidelines set forth about zombies by earlier works.

If that opening doesn’t make you want to watch, I don’t know what will. I’m not going to lie. If you look up this series, you might see that it’s a bunch of girls with big boobs fighting zombies. You’re actually half-right. It is populated with well-equipped female characters. While that may draw you in, the story is a gripping tale of what happens when the world goes to hell.

I am an advocate for strong female characters. Highschool of the Dead has strong female characters and shows the growth of the group as the story progresses. All characters find themselves in a giant moral dilemma over what to do in order to survive.

The story places you in the action and emotion with the characters. All I kept thinking was, “What would I do in that situation?” There are times when the emotion gets to you and you can’t help but feel for the characters.

In addition, the zombie killing action is so worth it. There is a sequence where Takashi learns how to use a sniper rifle and the bullets interact with Saeko in a… *ahem* “timely” manner. The blood and guts is not glorified. It’s almost symbolism of doing the thing you don’t want to do most (the saying, “having blood on your hands”).

The beauty about Highschool of the Dead is that there are several rumors (more than likely started by fans) about a second season. After all, the manga has been on hiatus since May 2011. The future of this series has yet to be decided. Now is the perfect time to catch up!