So uh…. WHAT?

That basically sums up my thoughts after this first episode. I mean, it’s a pretty… I mean, REALLY FREAKING WEIRD show. But… not in a bad way, honestly. While I didn’t really know what I was getting into when I first picked it up, I found myself with a big, dumb grin on my face like, 60 seconds into the show. Because, it’s hilarious!

I’m always talking about a group of principles that I call the “Rules of Comedy”, and Zombie Land SAGA fits a lot of these rules really well. It does the unexpected, giving us comedy in some very unique and surprising ways. With all the shows nowadays that are inundated with “comedy” based around seeing a character get slapped for the 50th time as a “running gag”, there was something so fresh and new about seeing our main character get HIT BY A FREAKING TRUCK only 60 seconds into the episode.

With a setting that’s all about zombie girls being turned into idols, there’s a lot that could be done poorly, so many tropes that could be fallen into… but it doesn’t. It uses the setting, the characters… everything is used to the greatest advantage possible to create a real, genuinely fun experience.

Studio MAPPA has done an awesome job with this show. The visuals are perfect; fluid, smooth, and just fit the setting so well. The sound design, the character voices… it’s all so good. While the concept of the show is pretty simple, I feel like this show can appeal to a much wider audience than fans of Idol shows, blending small elements of horror and turning it into comedy along the way.

Perhaps  it’s just because I went in with pretty low anticipation, and promptly had my expectations exceeded, but I really, really enjoyed this first episode. I’m excited to meet the rest of the characters that we got a brief introduction to, and to learn more about why they’re zombies in the first place. Plus, what’s the deal with glasses dude, huh?

In essence, maybe I only enjoyed this first episode as much as I did because of the surprise factor. Unexpected comedy, unexpected quality… but I think this may be a show to keep up with this season.  What do you guys think? For those of you who’ve picked up the show this season, or maybe just sampled it, what are your thoughts on this first episode? Let me know down in the comments, and I hope to see you all in the next post!