Highschool of the Dead (Episode 12) – All Dead’s Attack
A high-altitude nuclear explosion has just shorted out almost every electronic device and that includes the gates. It doesn’t take long for the zombies to pour into the compound, forcing everyone to fight or die!
Highschool of the Dead (Episode 12) – All Dead’s Attack
What did you watch?
Well, here I am again – staring down the final episode of Highschool of the Dead. Sure, there is an OVA which I will get to shortly, but this is the last moment of the anime and likely will be forever more. The manga does go beyond this point, delivering another arc that would make a great season or even movie, but I doubt that’ll ever happen either. So, I’ll just have to keep revisiting this series whenever I need to spend more time with this group. Knowing that this is the end, makes it that much more emotional, for me at least. Anyhow, let’s rip off that bandaid!
What happened?
Shizuka has just remembered something amazing. She’s practically jumping for joy as she asks Kouta to borrow his phone. After verifying that all the buttons are in the right place, she dials Rika’s number and gets through. Shizuka tells Rika that they took her guns, but Rika isn’t worried. She just wants to know where she is. However, just as Shizuka is about to tell her the phones sizzle. A bright light fills the sky for a second and then… silence. Saya has a very bad feeling about this and asks Rei to check the scope on her gun. It’s not working. It’s just as she feared. That was a high-altitude nuclear explosion and it’s just peppered the ground with the effects of an EMP. Anything electrical will not work. Cars that use computers are dead. Even the motors that close the gates are gone.
Shidou who was driving away from the Takagi resident suddenly found that the brakes on the bus wouldn’t respond. He crashed into a forklift truck that was removing a barrier for them to leave. That was all the opening the zombies needed and the sound of the crash brought hordes of them in. The zombies funnelled through the opening and headed to the house. Soichiro yelled for the gates to be closed, but without the motors, they were forced to do it manually and there was no way to lock them, not that it would have mattered. The horde grew larger and larger until the gate couldn’t hold it any longer. It came crashing down and the zombies flooded into the compound.
They swarmed the survivors’ camp forcing those who denied their existence to have a very sudden change of heart. Of course, for many, it was too late. Soichiro and Yuriko gathered their men and prepared to fight. If they could get to the building next door there was a chance they could survive this, but it would mean that everyone who could would have to fight. Then, Soichiro turned to Takashi and asked why he hadn’t gone looking for his parents yet. It was now or never. He took the hint and led the group to the Humvee.
However, it wasn’t quite ready. There were a few adjustments required and since all of the electronics were triple copper plated it survived the EMP. They would need to hold off the zombies while the mechanic tinkered with the Humvee for the last time. Takashi, Saeko, Hirano, and Rei charged into battle. Saya even got involved before yelling at Shizuka to get in the Humvee with Alice and Zeke. Once they had been given the all-clear, Shizuka started the engine. The others rushed back and prepared to escape. However, there were still a lot of zombies between them and the exit.
Soichiro and Yuriko were fighting in the middle of the courtyard as the Humvee flew past. Saya watched out the window as they left her parents behind. With Saya gone, Soichiro and Yuriko could finally go all out. They had done what they could for her and believed that she was more than capable of looking after herself now. Not to mention that she had a strong group of friends around her. It’s always sad when the baby bird flies the nest, but now there was nothing holding them back. The Humvee raced towards the exit, but as they approached, they saw Shidou’s bus blocking their way. Amazingly, Shizuka managed to bump the Humvee onto two wheels and hold it steady.
Takashi grabbed Saeko’s hand and pulled her inside as they smashed through the barricade. They did it. They escaped. However, there was no time to rest. They pushed on in search of their families. First, they would find Takashi’s mother and Rei’s parents. Then, they would search for Shizuka’s friend Rika. However, nothing ever goes quite as planned. They were forced to abandon the Humvee after taking too much damage. Force to continue on foot, they came across a mall and decided that they should check it out.
What did you think?
Ending the season with a bang! Just incredible. I loved the way the zombies swarmed the gate and eventually pushed it over. That’s the most terrifying thing about zombies and I’m glad that Soichiro realised it. Yes, they could have barricaded themselves inside the house, but it’s just a matter of time before they break in. If enough of them gather in one place, they will break through your defences. They’re not clever, but they are unrelenting. We also never got to see what happened to Shidou and unless you see the pantomime villain die, you can’t be sure that it happened.
And then, if you watch the ED, which I do every time, we saw a police officer run past the wall of photos. She would have been a key character in the next arc which takes place in the mall. Knowing that and the fact that this series will never likely get any sort of follow-on hurts even more. They were planning for a second season. They had everything in place to make it happen, but then the unimaginable happened – Daisuke Sato died and the decision was made to leave Highschool of the Dead unfinished. So sad, but at least we have this much.
What was your favourite moment?
I loved Saya’s parents, Soichiro and Yuriko. They were an insane pair. He was the head of a nationalist political group. She was a Wall Street stockbroker and still is an incredible shot with a gun. Like Saya, she is incredibly intelligent, however, she is more reserved. They are a fascinating pair and inspired me to dream up a spin-off idea focused entirely on them – Meet the Takagis. Anyhow, I loved the moment that Saya and the others escaped in the Humvee and how it literally flew through the air past Soichiro. He stood firm, barely moving as it shot past him. Then, he turned to Yuriko and complimented her on being a good wife. They seemed to imply that they may not have been the best parents in the world but were pleased with how Saya had turned out, and now that she had gone, they were free to really let loose. Did that mean they had been holding back for her sake? I love to think that they fought off the entire horde, back to back until the early hours of the morning.
Who was the most impactful character?
I can’t bring myself to pick between them. This is the last episode and everything had been building towards this moment for the last couple of episodes. As such, everyone was involved in their own way and everyone made an impact. If anything, I’d say the group made the biggest impact by taking the opportunity to go it alone. They chose to fight for themselves rather than remain with the bigger group and lose their identity. I’ve no idea how many times I’ve watched this series, but this will not be the last. I love every one of them. They’ve undoubtedly made an impact on me.
What have you learned?
I’ve seen and read a lot of zombie stories. Some are incredibly flat and dull while others grab you from the first moment and never let go. The biggest difference as far as I can tell has nothing to do with the zombies. They can be fast, slow, dumb, intelligent, alive, or dead. It doesn’t matter. The important thing is the characters the story follows and how they respond to the situations. On top of that, it’s the way they react to one another that draws us in. Much like any other successful story, there are subplots that reveal more about the characters and their actions. The most boring stories are very simple and linear with single-note characters who only do one thing. Highschool of the Dead gave us depth. Things that happened to them before the outbreak made an impact on them and their relationships. Without any depth to these characters, this series wouldn’t have been anywhere near as good. Sadly, many people see the fan service and instantly assume that there is no substance. They couldn’t be more wrong.
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 |
