[Ended] Kore wa Zombie Desu ka: All About the Moments

Once a while, you get an anime there is no way in a conventional sense you would call it "good", but it's so different and refreshing, you can't help but to tag it as "awesome".  

Kore wa Zombie Desu ka is one of those.

Kore wa Zombie Desu ka is an anime all about the "moments". In fact, you can describe the entire anime as a series of "moments"--they are what really makes this anime. But that's not to say the rest is unimportant. All the seemingly stupid day-to-day action actually servers as a foil to the "moments"--without having made the entire series seem like a completely stupid make-no-sense show, when the "moment" comes around, it probably won't have nearly as much impact as it did.

So you ask, what is this "moment" thing you keep talking about? Well, to put it plainly, they are sequences of events that suddenly changes the mood of the story which in turn creates a sudden shock in emotion. Here in Kore wa Zombie Desu ka, it was very well made, very well timed. Add in the strong contrast to rest of the series, which is so ridiculous (yet so hilarious), when such a sudden change of mood occurs, it feels so much more powerful.

But it doesn't stop there. Just as they don't think there's not enough shock value for these mood switching moments, they decide to throw something the other direction: as you are being drenched full of sorrow by the heart wrenching moment, some humor just pops out of nowhere and you almost can't help yourself but to laugh while with the tears from the sadness are still trying to squeeze their way out of your eyes. This is some really brilliant play in human emotion.

While some part of the plot feels somewhat "bolted on", especially when they decide to end the series one episode early, and have the infamous "hot spring" filler episode at the end of the series instead of the traditional midway break point, the flow of the story is generally fluent. Many of the character introductions felt pretty random, but they'd surprise you when they become a key personnel at the least expected moments.

Final Scoreboard:

Drama: 90 (Emotional)

Comedy: 91 (Great)

Action: 87 (Magical Girl Man)

Art/Animation: 84(Not bad)

Sound/Music: 88 (So so)

Character: 95 (Hilarious)

Plot:90 (Expect the unexpected)

Ending: 92 (Well terminated)

Re-watch value: 60 - Could still be interesting

Overall: 90 - Surprisingly Good

Recommendation: This is quite an interesting piece of work. There's no stunning art, nor complex story. What this anime possess is something strange, unconventional, yet stunning. I would not have thought early in the season an anime involves a zombie guy that transforms into a magical girl would ever have any emotional impact on anybody. But I was wrong. This may not fit the taste of many, but for those who are willing to give this seemingly outrageously ridiculous anime a try, I think you won't be disappointed.