Highschool of the Dead (Episode 10) – The Dead’s House Rules
Saeko and Takashi make it back to Saya’s house but are shocked by how secure and comfortable things are. The adults are running things, pushing them back into the life they knew before. But can they go back and do they want to?
Highschool of the Dead (Episode 10) – The Dead’s House Rules
What did you watch?
So, this is the tenth episode of Highschool of the Dead which is usually where it hits me that the end is approaching and since the author, Daisuke Sato died too young, there will never be any more. His brother Shouji, who was the artist for the series has his own series, Triage X and there are no plans to continue Highschool of the Dead. I’m not sure if that makes these last episodes hit that much harder, but it definitely helps with the sense that things are about to end. I guess I had better get on with it.
What happened?
It had been a couple of days since Saeko and Takashi safely made it to Saya’s house. During that time, they had somehow slipped back into the way things were before the outbreak. Of course, Rei was still recovering from her back injury and needed some numbing lotion applied to her back. Takashi held her down as Shizuka covered her in her own personal healing ointment. Once Shizuka was done, Rei turned to Takashi and told him off. Clearly, she had hoped that he would apply the ointment and not Shizuka. Either way, she was mad and told him to get out.
After running from Rei’s rage, Takashi came across a couple of guys carrying heavy boxes. He offered to help, but they told him to leave it to the men and that he should go be pretty somewhere else. Takashi was surprised by their comments, but then Saeko appeared in a kimono, which caught him completely off guard. They had an awkward exchange which was then interrupted by Saya yelling at her mother. When he tried to find out what was going on, she yelled at him and then stormed off. Saya’s mother, Yuriko then bumped into Takashi. She asked him to talk to her as they had known each other since kindergarten. Yeah, like Saya would listen to him!
Saya stormed off and then found Kouta in the garage working on the guns. They were then interrupted by one of the workers who told Kouta that he shouldn’t be playing with real guns. Kouta apologized but Saya stepped in and dismissed him. She asked Kouta why he let the worker talk to him like that. Things aren’t like before. They had been through just as much and suffered just as much. She said that things were about to change and that they needed to decide what path they would take.
Saya got everyone together so that they could discuss the future, and since Rei couldn’t move yet, they gathered in her room, much to her annoyance. They needed to decide if they would merge with her parent’s group or go it alone. Saeko agreed. If they stayed then they would be treated like children and have no say in how things went. If they go alone, they would have to survive on their own, but they would make the decisions. Then, she went into a rant about her parents and how they needed everything to be perfect. Takashi reminded her that no one else knew if their parents were dead or alive and that she should ease off. The tension in the room was getting out of control.
A commotion at the front gate caused them all to head outside. Saya’s father, Soichiro Takagi had returned with more survivors and supplies. One of his men had also been bitten and was being transported in a cage. Soichiro told everyone that once they were bitten they were no longer their family or friends. The cage opened and the zombie charged at him. With a single slice, he removed his former friend’s head, leaving the onlookers stunned. With tension already high, Kouta went into an attack on how ineffective swords were, which rattled Saeko’s cage. When Takashi tried to step between them, Kouta turned on him and then ran off.
Takashi remembered a story from history class about the Mutiny on the Bounty and how the sailors couldn’t return to their normal life after experiencing the paradise of Tahiti. He never got the point until now. How could they go back to just being teenagers again after everything they’d been through? Then, Alice found Takashi and told him to come with her – Kouta was in trouble. They found Kouta in the garden surrounded by workers who were demanding that he give up his guns as he was just a kid. Meanwhile, Saya and Saeko were in the middle of a tense discussion about the new world.
Then, Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi arrived in the garden and asked what was going on. Soichiro could tell instantly that Kouta had been through a lot and wasn’t just a child as his workers had deemed him. However, Kouta struggled to explain things in front of such a threatening presence. Takashi ran in and defended him, telling Soichiro about how Kouta saved his daughter’s life on more than one occasion. Saya appeared and backed him up, even telling her father and mother off for not being there when she needed them.
Meanwhile, one of Shidou’s students had recently found Saya’s house and was reporting back to Shidou about it. He believed that they would let them join the group and that would ensure their safety. Shidou was pleased with his work and returned to watching the others acting on their carnal instincts. It would appear that Rei would get another chance to tell Shidou exactly what she thought of him!
What did you think?
This was a slower episode that focused on how they might adapt if life were to return to normal and it didn’t look like it would go too well. Without the constant threat of the zombies, they turned on one another fighting about the smallest and most mundane things. After what they had been through, who could blame them? I see this in the same light as combat veterans who struggle to resume a “normal” life after experiencing active combat. Of course, this group has the added impact of being teenagers and having to deal with usual teenage things like paranoia and jealousy. We also saw that Saya was once again quite astute with her observations, but lacked the social skills to convey the message without attacking or belittling someone. With too much time on their hands and nowhere to channel their energy, they have turned on one another and that’s sad, but also incredibly insightful from the author.
What was your favourite moment?
I love that the author used the relative safety of their new situation to put the group against one another. As bad as things were before, they were all focused on the same things. Ironically, the constant threat of zombies made them stronger. It made them ignore the little things that might annoy them since all that mattered was staying alive. As I’ve already said they are teenagers which added to the intensity of the moment. Adults have a hard enough time dealing with trauma so it’s going to be that much harder for someone who is still a bubbling mess of hormones and emotions. We saw it with the fights they ended up getting into. There was no need for Kouta to criticise the use of a sword to kill the zombie and who in their right mind would pick a fight with Saeko, but he did. Then, he jumped on Takashi for stepping between them. Without something to focus on, they have turned to in-fighting over silly things. I love that Daisuke added this to his story.
Who was the most impactful character?
Even though she has a hard time explaining herself in a manner that is receptive to those around her, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that Saya has been right time and again. And, she’s right this time too. They are seen as children by the majority of the workforce and treated that way too. I can understand the need to protect the children, but at the same time, they survived on their own when many, many adults did not. They needed to be given a chance. Not all teenagers are the same just as not all adults are the same. Surviving alone should be enough to convince them of their worth. Ironically, I think Saya’s father, Soichiro is the only one who instantly recognises that, but then he appears to be just as practical as her.
What have you learned?
This has been yet another great example of finding parallels between fiction and real life to make connections with the audience. It’s even more important that you’re able to achieve that in stories as unbelievable as zombie stories. No one can relate to the idea of zombies appearing so the author needs to look for similar things that can bridge that gap in experiences. The use of the Mutiny on the Bounty was a great opening to this idea and then using Takashi’s summer holidays as a similarity was inspired. Most people will have experienced that feeling of unease when they return to school after spending the summer doing their own thing. Change isn’t easy, but changing back is even harder. They had to adapt in the beginning or they would have died. Falling back into normal life doesn’t have the same stakes and that showed with how they all handled it. Making it easy to understand what the characters are experiencing is key to creating bonds between the audience and the characters. Once we understand, it’s easier to care about them.
Series Information
| English Title | Highschool of the Dead |
| Japanese Title | Gakuen Mokushiroku: Haisukūru obu za Deddo |
| Genres | Action, Apocalyptic, Ecchi, Harem, Horror, Supernatural, Zombies |
| Demographic | Seinen |
Anime
OVA
| Title | Drifters of the Dead |
| Released | Spring 2011 |
| Animation Studios | Madhouse |
Bonus Posts
| Analysis | Introduction – A Killer Opening! |
| Saturday Spinoff | Sniper of the Dead |
| Saturday Spinoff | Meet the Takagis |
| Fan Fiction | Isekai of the Dead |
