Highschool of the Dead (Episode 5) – Streets of the Dead
Saya, Saeko, Kouta, and Shizuka have had enough of listening to Shidou’s cult talk so they are getting off the bus, ready to find another way across the river so that they can meet up with Takashi and Rei.
Highschool of the Dead (Episode 5) – Streets of the Dead
What did you watch?
It’s time for another episode of Highschool of the Dead! Now that we’ve seen Takashi and Rei’s character growth, it’s time to see how the others are getting on. I just want to say that I love being back here with my favourite group of characters and am pleased that I’m able to give this series the time that I think it deserves. Too often, I’ve seen it being instantly dismissed because of a bit of fan service, which is frustrating because it’s so much more than that. Anyhow, let’s get on with examining this episode.
What happened?
At Kansai International Airport, an artificial island near Tokyo, planes were preparing to fly survivors to a safer location. However, before they could do that, they needed to deal with the zombies that had flooded the runway. That’s where Rika Minami and her partner, Tajima from the prefectural police department were on hand to take out the zombies. After they were done, the plane took off, leaving them to discuss the future, whatever that was. Rika revealed that she had a friend to get back to, so she wasn’t going to stick around too much longer.
Back on the school bus, Shizuka was getting bored. The traffic hadn’t moved in ages, leaving them stuck with everyone else trying to flee. Saya stared out the window watching a plane fly into the distance. Listening to Shidou cement his position as the group’s cult leader had become too much for her to handle. She woke Kouta and explained that the future would be made of small groups, looking out for themselves and that they needed to decide who their group was. Kouta understood that they needed to get away from Shidou. Saeko and Shizuka agreed. Shizuka even went as far as to call him a bit of a douche.
Shidou caught wind of what was going on at the front of the bus and questioned their intentions. Saya told him that she had no connection to him and that this wasn’t a school trip so she was leaving. They were all leaving. However, Shidou told them he couldn’t stop them, but refused to let Shizuka go. Having a doctor was too important to the group he was looking after. Kouta stepped between them, firing a nail that grazed Shidou’s cheek. He told him that he missed on purpose and that he could have killed him if he wanted to… and he wanted to. Shidou had made fun of him repeatedly at school.
Kouta had just taken it, but he didn’t need to anymore. He told the others to get off the bus while he watched Shidou. They didn’t need any time to think about it. Saeko even glanced back at Kouta and commented on how manly he was behaving. He followed behind, leaving Shidou angry and belittled in front of his followers. The others quickly cut through the traffic since the bridge wouldn’t be much use to them. The police had barricaded the bridge and were not taking any chances with anyone as a group of fool-hardy students discovered.
Meanwhile, Rei and Takashi were also trying to get across the river. They had a brief run-in with a violent group who were attacking anything, living or dead, but escaped thanks to their motorcycle. Then, as they slowed to think about where they might go, they gun a gunshot… No, not a gunshot. It was a nail gun. Takashi figured that they were on the bridge in front of them and the quickest way to get there was to use a parked transport truck that had its ramp down. Rei thought he was crazy, but it was too late to object. They flew through the air, leaping onto the bridge and straight into the middle of the fight.
Rei leapt off the bike and attacked. Takashi tossed the revolver to Kouta and then sped to help Saeko. He caught her hand and slingshotted her towards the remaining zombies. She cut them down instantly and then ran to check on Takashi. They were delighted to have found one another and not a moment too soon. However, there was still no way across the river. Luckily, Shizuka had a friend with an apartment nearby. She also had a Humvee which might come in handy. Takashi took Shizuka there on his motorcycle to check if it was safe, which she seemed to enjoy. After going back for everyone else, they returned to settle in for the night. However, there were zombies in the complex. Rather than running from the zombies, they took the fight to them for the first time since this all began.
What did you think?
This was the first time the anime really deviated from the manga and it was a very good choice. In the manga, Rei and Takashi find the others walking down the street after they left the bus. There was no fight on the bridge, there was no Grand Theft Auto-style vehicle jump, and there was no Saeko sling-shot! I love both versions, but adding some extra action was not a bad move at all. I loved that we saw a little more of the world around them too, introducing us to Rika Minami, Shizuka’s sniper friend. I even came up with a Rika-inspired spin-off a while back – Sniper of the Dead. The scene with the police defending the bridge was good too, although maybe they were a little harsh on those delinquents! Maybe… I don’t know. Either way, it continued to paint a picture of a world falling apart, especially the group that shot at Rei and Takashi. The world has gone crazy!
What was your favourite moment?
It had to be the action scene on the bridge. They were fighting for their lives once more. Kouta was running out of nails, and Shizuka had fallen on Saya in a panic. All that stood between them and the zombies was Saeko with a wooden practice sword. Even with her skills, would she be able to save them all? Well, they didn’t need to worry as Rei and Takashi flew onto the bridge on a motorcycle having driven up a parked transport truck. This scene was completely ridiculous. Landing that jump would have been tough, let alone doing it with someone else on the back of the bike. I loved how Rei used the momentum to launch herself at the zombies and that Takashi used a similar method to fire Saeko at some more. Kouta catching the gun was hilarious too. The over-the-top action is just one of the wonderful elements that make this series great.
Who was the most impactful character?
It would be easy to focus entirely on Takashi, especially as he is the one narrating this story, however, I love that everyone in the core group gets a chance to shine and grow. We learned in this episode that Kouta was basically one bad day away from becoming a real problem. There have been hints about his love of guns and now we know that the teachers bullied him and most likely the students too. Normally, this would be the beginning or a tragic tale. However, in this situation, he’s been able to channel those feelings into protecting the ones he loves. It was great seeing him stand up to Shidou and earn the respect of the others. I’m sure Saeko could have resolved it herself, but she does seem to enjoy seeing some being manly. Incidentally, Kouta Hirano is named after the author of Hellsing, who Daisuke Sato was a big fan of.
What have you learned?
I love that this story is still able to make you smile despite everything that has gone on. Seeing Shizuka get a thrill out of riding on the back of Takashi’s bike as she hugged him was hilarious, especially as she continued to pretend she couldn’t hear him questioning what it was she was enjoying. It’s the bike, right? Anyhow, it’s important to put moments like this in a story that looks at something as dark as the end of the world and walking corpses. It’s a good to break the tension and it also makes the serious moments that much more exciting. And finally, all those people questioning the need for panty shots, jiggle-physics, and unusual camera angles must have not seen any horror movies ever. It’s not just anime. This is a part of horror stories the world over. The line between arousal and fear is paper thin!
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 |
Yeah, that male teacher is a complete scum.
It’s funny how much of a moustache-twirling villain he is and it still works. Definitely a scumbag, though.