Netflix unleashes trailer for Japanese live-action zombie extravaganza

NEW YORK: Netflix has released the trailer of Japanese live action zombie movie Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, streaming worldwide on August 3.

Based on the popular Japenese “Manga series” by Aso Haro and Takata Kotaro, which premiered in Shogakukan’s monthly Sunday Gene-X magazine in October 2018, the horror-comedy has already spawned an animated series available on the streaming platform Hulu in North America and other regions.

The movie is an amalgamation of the comedic elements of the “salaryman gag” genre, a popular genre in Japan, and the zombie apocalypse theme.

The story revolves around Akira (portrayed by Akaso Eiji), an overworked office worker who, amidst a zombie outbreak, finds more excitement in avoiding work than worrying about the undead. He creates a bucket list of 100 things to do before becoming a zombie and embarks on a journey with Shizuka (Shiraishi Mai) and Kencho (Yanagi Shuntaro) to check off his list.

The trailer offers a glimpse of the fan-favorite “zombie shark”, a character from the manga.

Directed by Ishida Yusuke and written by Mishima Tatsuro, the movie is produced by Morii Akira.

Earlier this year, Haro expressed that while the Japanese media landscape has been saturated with zombies across comics, TV shows, and movies, he aimed to present a fresh perspective.

“I wanted to try a different approach. I wrote the manga to be a little offbeat, a little silly, and I’m fine if people find it ridiculous, but there’s also a message: Do what you want to do, as fully as you can,” the manga artist added.

Haro is renowned for Alice in Borderland, a sci-fi-fantasy survival-game comic that was adapted into a successful Netflix live-action series in 2020, currently running its second season.

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead joins the recent wave of Japanese local live-action films debuting on Netflix, following Call Me Chihiro and Re/member.