31 Days of Halloween - High School of the Dead - Episode 4 "Running in the Dead"

Danger Zone!

We start with a JASDF RF-4EJ flying a photo recon mission over the city. It is 'Z-day +1'; or so the helpful onscreen graphic tells us. The jet performs a low-level flyby of Takashi and Rei as they are crossing a bridge on their motorcycle. Rei waves enthusiastically, her action reduced by the jet's camera to just another image.

After the credits, there is a flashback to the previous day, just before the attack at the school's front gate from episode one. This begins what will take up a big chunk the episode runtime, recap of the first three episodes with Takashi narrating. We then cut to the present. Takashi and Rei are watching a mass of zombies in the distance. Takashi tells Rei that help is not coming, while Rei scolds Takashi for be a "bummer" about the state of the world. Then, there are more flashbacks from the school.

Saya has such an odd way of flirting.

After that, it's time to check in on the bus. It is stuck in a traffic jam of people fleeing the city. The authorities are trying to keep things under control, but it's a losing battle. Shido is making the moves on some of the female students. Saya harasses Khota for having a growling stomach. He complains that he's always hungry since he started PX90 (LOL). Then, more flashbacks! These are of the bus crash that separated Takashi and Rei form the rest of the group in the last episode.

We get a musical homage to 28 Days Later. While we are shown the carnage around the city, the song playing is similar in tone to "Abide with Me" which was used in that film. Takashi and Rei find a crashed cop car and are able to salvage a pistol. Oddly, she gives the gun to Takashi - who has never used one - even though she says "I've been around guns my whole life; my dad collects them." Wouldn't she be a better choice for el pistola? Oh well, on with the apocalypse.

Rei and Takashi stop at a service station to fill up the bike. While there, a knife wielding goon grabs Rei. While he gropes her, he tells Takashi to leave the bike and take off or he'll kill Rei. He also says he is going to rape her. So, basically, he's begging to be killed. Takashi shoots and disables the thug, grabs Rei and the two of them leave, using the screaming thug as a distraction for the gathering horde of zombies. The end.

Well, that's one way not to miss.

This is an episode that starts weak, but ends strong. About half the run-time is a recap of the first three episodes with Takashi's pointless narration. He basically tells us what we already know, while adding his own morose "this is the end of the world" monologues. Well, yeah, got it, because...zombies! However, the scene in the gas station is tense. It shows how some people would completely snap. A strong point of the series so far has been showing how different people cope with tragedy, disaster, or shock. While our heroes generally kick butt, there are people who give up, think it's all a dream (kind of reasonable, given the circumstances) or become violent, nihilistic, rapist jerks.

Best line of the episode: Rei telling Takashi, "This is Armageddon, man up." You go girl!

Best kill: A little sparse on new kills, but I'll go with the thug being shot point blank by Takashi and then being left as zombie chow.

Fan service of the episode: It is creepy, since it's in the context of Rei being groped by the thug, but we do get a shot of her bra. So...yay?

Note: The filling station at the end of the episode is called...Shaun. Of course it is.

Bonus: Pretty sweet Plants vs Zombies CG short.