Highschool Of The Dead (Color Edition), Vol 1 (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
I checked out the 1st 4 volumes of this from the SPL. I wanted to get into it, since I had heard that the anime was really good. The anime version has been recommended to me several times. So, I gave the manga a chance. But, honestly, I could not get into this at all, and dropped it almost immediately. I didn't even finish the first chapter. The art is decent at best, and the storyline is stupid and unbelievable. I will be adding this series to my *Will NOT Read* list, as it just is NOT for me. I think this book seals it for me. I'm over YA dystopias where only teens have the answer, that with minor exceptions, I do not like ultraviolent manga and that I'm SO over zombie plagues. I should say though that those factors are the reason for the low rating. If you like YA dystopias or zombies, you might enjoy it since the story, at least, is sound.A strange man shows up at the gates of Fujimi high school and attacks some of the staff. One bite and you're dead and infected. Needless to say, most of the school is infected quickly. In the long act I, you meet Takashi, the narrator, and his long time friend, Rei who has left him for a mutual friend, Hisashi. They along with a few others do make it to isolation, but not all of them have made it unbitten, leaving them with tough choices. The police can not be contacted due to a flood of calls, including Rei's father who is on the force.Act 2 brings more characters, Shizuka, the ridiculously big-boobed school nurse (and about the only adult), Saeko, the captain of the kendo club (and about the one girl who is actively slicing and dicing zombies) Kouta, the out of shape school geek and Saya, girl super genius. All of them team up with Takashi and Rei to bust out of the school and get to the school bus to try to get to town (even though reports from around the world show everywhere is in a zombie apocalypse.) They also pick up a few more nameless students and one cold bastard (I'm not sure if he's a senior or a teacher).Act 3 brings rebellion on the school bus and is much shorter than the other two acts. Honestly, the story line is solid and the art is good if you don't mind the constant up-skirt shots or button-straining boobs. At least Saeko is drawn like an actual girl and is good for more than falling down screaming (actually Rei and Saya aren't too bad but they're not the badass Saeko is). It's just not my type of story.
What do You think about Highschool Of The Dead (Color Edition), Vol 1 (2012)?
Utter poop. Page after page of mindless killing with nary an interesting story. Pass.
—shan
Nothing really special but it is funny and I can relax while reading.
—andrea
