Series Review: Kore wa Zombie desu ka?

Nice image to represent the whole series. Yes, I know.
The final episode nicely sums up everything that's good - and bad - about this series. Unfortunately, it leans more to the "bad" side.

You know, at the start of the season, Kore wa Zombie desu ka actually created a bit more hype than Madoka. Well, Madoka was just a cute and fluffy magical girl series with an absurb level of quality before the mindfucking after all. Kore wa Zombie desu ka, on another hand, was a surprise hit, because the whacky combination of different themes made a really good impression. And probably no one expected something like this from Studio Deen with its shitty reputation.

The concept is fairly simple. It's your usual harem setting with girls joins the male protagonist's household for no reason, but every girl is a Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot, with completely contrasting personalities. It might seem like a cheap trick, but know that it made the novel a bestseller.

I can't praise the taste Studio Deen had for fanservice and moé, but the "themes" that represent each character fits in very well with their personalities, because they totally contradict. It's not everyday we get to see a cute magical girl wearing a fluffy pink costume to be a tomboy, trash-talks, violent and wield a chainsaw as her main weapon. A pink chainsaw. That's genki girl Haruna, where her (stolen) abilities play a huge part in the story.

The show is fun when it's random and nonsensical, but it fails hard when the show tries to get serious with the story, To keep this as spoiler-free as possible, I'll just say that a lot of serious events that took place in the story happened for the sole reason to give the protagonist the hero spotlight. And the chance to do a manly speech, which is usually uncomfortably corny. Sometimes a monster would appear out of nowhere and for no apparent reason, and sometimes, someone might attack the main characters without a real reason for doing so. The worst part is that these events ended as fast as they began; without really an impact on the rest of the storyline, or a reason for us to look back on why it happened in the first place.

The show is average in terms of production values, but it's already a huge improvement for Studio Deen. The songs are pretty good, but the animation could have use a lot more work (budget problems?).

I can't recommend this at all, unless you are looking for some nonsensical fun with very little concern for the story (which, unfortunately, still remains a large focus in the show). The second season is announced by the way. Obviously I don't feel very excited about this, but I'll like to see if they've made any improvements in the story direction.

Plot/Concept: Very Good!
Story Style: Weak
Audio/Visual: Fair
Value: 5