Highschool of the Dead (Episode 4) – Running in the Dead
Separated from the group, Takashi and Rei have to survive the night alone in the city. Haunted by the things that have happened, they keep moving, desperately trying to stay ahead of their relentless pursuers.
Highschool of the Dead (Episode 4) – Running in the Dead
What did you watch?
I’m not sure how many times I’ve watched Highschool of the Dead but I never seem to get tired of it. Even a recap episode can’t dampen my mood. Of course, this isn’t just any old recap episode mind you. They’ve managed to deliver several flashbacks in a way that makes it feel like the characters are going over recent events in their heads. And let’s be frank here, they’ve gone through a lot in less than twenty-four hours. Well, let’s dive in!
What happened?
Takashi and Rei reached the city on their stolen motorcycle and it didn’t look good. Hordes of zombies staggered around, several following their every move. Rei wondered if anyone was going to save them, but Takashi had no doubts that they were on their own. That angered Rei. She hated that he was so pessimistic. The glass wasn’t half-full with Takashi, there was no glass at all. He said he was just trying to be realistic, but that didn’t help her mood. They drove off as more zombies shuffled towards them. The city appeared to be empty with abandoned cars, broken windows, and doors left open as if someone left in a hurry. Blood splattered everything. Did anyone survive?
As they drove through the empty streets, they reflected on the last day. Takashi struggled to believe that it was only that morning that the world had been normal, and now, it looked like it would never be the same again. After a while, they came across a police car and hurried to see if there was any help coming. However, the police car had been crushed by a garbage truck, killing both officers inside. Rei went to the car and examined the situation. She came back with a pair of handcuffs, a revolver, and some extra bullets. The second gun had been damaged, but the bullets should work, even if they were covered in blood. Rei appeared to be coming to terms with the situation – the world she knew was over.
They continued to keep on the move because every time they stopped, more zombies emerged. Before long, they were forced to stop at a gas station, however, they needed to put money into the pump to get any out and neither of them had any money on them. Rei got frustrated with Takashi, calling him the worst which made him bring up Hisashi again. If he was the worst, maybe Hisashi was the best. Maybe, she would have been better if he had survived instead of Takashi. He took the baseball bat and went into the store to get some money. As he walked away, Rei reflected on how she had treated him. Maybe, she was too harsh. Maybe, they’d just been through a lot!
As Takashi took the bat to the cash register he heard Rei scream. He ran outside to see what was going on and found a man holding a knife to Rei’s throat. The man yelled at Takashi to drop his weapon and then started to talk about Rei as he grabbed her boob. Takashi asked him if he was crazy. Hell yeah, he was crazy. Earlier that day, he killed his entire family when they turned into walking corpses. He smashed all of their heads in, so yeah, he was a little crazy. He told Takashi to fill up the bike and then give him the keys. Takashi tossed the baseball bat away, the clang of metal echoing around the streets.
After filling the motorcycle with gas he walked towards the man holding Rei. He yelled for Takashi to stop and warned him that he would kill him if he got any closer. Takashi asked if they could go free if they let him have the bike, but that didn’t seem likely. Then, in a flash, Takashi rushed forward, drawing the gun Rei had given him. He pointed at the guy’s chest. From that distance, he wasn’t going to miss. The guy mumbled something about the gas, but Takashi didn’t care. He pulled the trigger, shooting a hole in the guy’s chest. Rei ran away from him as he fell to the ground. He screamed as blood poured from his wound. Rei stood over him and glared. He was lucky that she hadn’t shot him too.
Takashi reminded her that they needed to leave. They were out of time. She looked around, realising that zombies were shuffling towards them. The guy continued to cry out in pain on the floor. Rei jumped on the back of the motorcycle and held on as they drove away, leaving the zombies to finish off their attacker. As they drove away, Takashi commented that stuff like that was going to happen more and more now. Rei didn’t seem to want to accept it, but after a moment’s pause, she agreed and then leaned into Takashi, gripping him tightly. They kept moving all night long and were spotted by a military surveillance place who flew alongside them briefly as they crossed a bridge. Hopefully, the others would still be alive!
What did you think?
There’s a real art to delivering a good recap episode and this is one of my favourites. We weren’t just shown flashbacks from the previous three episodes. Each scene was accompanied by either Takashi or Rei’s thoughts on what happened and how that was impacting them. It added another level to what we’d already seen, fleshing out the characters and their motivations. It also happened in a way that made sense. They were riding the motorcycle through dead, empty streets. Of course, their minds were going to wander. They had been through a lot and it hadn’t even been a full day. I also loved how it showed Rei’s progression from still clinging to the idea that things could go back to how they were at the beginning of the episode to accepting the reality of the situation by the end of the episode. They both went through a lot that night!
What was your favourite moment?
I love deserted city scenes in apocalyptic movies. There’s something incredibly haunting about seeing a place that was once vibrant and highly populated reduced to a ghost town. You don’t have to look far for more examples either – London in 28 Days Later or Atlanta at the beginning of The Walking Dead series. Seeing them like that really paints a picture of how bad things have gotten. It was still the first day of the outbreak and the city appeared deserted, well that part of it. Then, we arrived at my favourite moment, which was shown at the beginning of the episode with the way we were shown things. Takashi and Rei were crossing a bridge to the main area of Tokyo when a military jet flew alongside them for a moment. I loved the look on Rei’s face as she waved to the pilot. Even in the midst of such horror, they can still find things that bring a smile to their faces.
Who was the most impactful character?
This episode was about Takashi and Rei rebuilding the bridges between them, making the scene where they were driving across a bridge a little more symbolic. They definitely got some of their issues out in the open and I think that will help them reconcile. Will it always be something that festers, regardless? It’s possible, but at least they’ve tried to get it out in the open. Anyhow, Takashi was the most impactful character thanks to the scene at the gas station. Making the decision to rush their attacker and point the gun at him from point blank was a crazy move. I think it stunned the guy so much that he couldn’t react. Then, I loved that Takashi took advantage of that and pulled the trigger. If he had allowed him to gather his senses he could have missed the opportunity and lost Rei and maybe his life. It showed how serious Takashi was about protecting his friends. He’s come a long way from considering himself the fourth most pathetic high schooler in the world.
What have you learned?
The reason I loved the recap moments in this episode is because they gave us the characters’ thoughts about what happened then. We saw it happen but now we get to see it happen and understand what they were thinking. And not just that, but how they reflected on it as something that happened to them. I’ve seen a lot of recap episodes that just mash together a bunch of clips from the previous episodes and skip over things to squeeze it all into one episode, however, this episode showed us stuff with context and incorporated it into the ongoing story. Their night together in the city was an important part of the story and showing how they were feeling at the beginning and at the end after processing everything that has happened made this a must-watch episode. This isn’t just a recap episode it’s a period of reflection and growth.
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 |
