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While most of the AKB48 projects can be connected to the actual group and the idols’ performances, there are some unexpected ones too! Sailor Zombie is a perfect example. It featured a look at a world after a zombie apocalypse and the young women and their teachers that form a community at a school in hopes of survival. While the manga is over 10 years old at this point, it still feels fresh and enjoyable because of the execution. Having all four volumes in an omnibus makes it easier to see how well it all came together.
Editor’s Note: There are no spoilers for the Sailor Zombie manga below.
Maiko was living an ordinary life, preparing to put on an idol performance with her two best friends for a school festival, when the zombie pandemic hit. It took one of them, B-ko, first. She managed to escape, and she’s living on the run when some undead chase her past Fujimi All Girls’ High School. She sees the lights and runs towards it, and “students/residents” there named Mutsumi and Yuri see and save her. They bring her in to become part of the community, which includes teachers, original students from that school, and other survivors who’d come by. Some are friendly and welcoming, like Arisa! Others seem stand-off-ish and like potential bullies, such as Momoka. However, while this place seems like a peaceful haven, there’s no true respite in a world dealing with such a crisis. And Maiko innocently releasing a male teacher accused of murder and locked up for his crimes, claiming Mutsumi is a problem and nobody in the school is sane, kicks off a series of problems that begins with her, Mutsumi, and Yuri being “exiled” unless they find and bring him back.
One thing that’s fantastic about the Sailor Zombie manga is the way in which Maiko starts out seeming like a normal high school girl. While she carries a bow and arrow, she’s absolutely terrified of zombies. Mutsumi and Yuri are better equipped for the situation, but only because we see they’re established “defenders” at the school. (Not to mention Mutsumi’s personality is a bit warped in some ways.) It’s only as the story goes on that she starts to adapt for various reasons.
The Isshin Inudo story is also great in how it gradually foreshadows connections between situations and characters. So much so that in the first volume, you get an idea there’s some sort of tie to what’s going on and Maiko. But it’s only later that we start to see how her own relationships meant she had her own unique connection to everything that happened. Likewise, her love for her first crush Takurou and admiration for the music from Aruru he shared with her keeps pulling things together and advancing the story for not only her, but others.
Another great element of it is that we see clearly how things cascade. Again, Isshin Inudo doesn’t tell us how societies and social constructs collapse. We see in real time and watch with actual examples how things start to go awry, snowball, and then turn into absolute nightmares. It feels quite realistic, given the nature of things. Like even though there are very supernatural elements at play, it’s easy to understand how these sorts of abuses of power and darker sides of human nature could become the undoing of a potential safe haven.
Most importantly, Isshin Inudo designed it as such that you would never know this is tied to AKB48 unless you looked it up or perhaps recognized the performers in the live-action series. The only hint that it might be associated with it is the fact that there are a lot of references to music, especially its influence on zombies. It’s handled so well, and I feel like it increases its reach.
Sailor Zombie is a fascinating take on the zombie apocalypse sort of story, and the manga omnibus is still a great read after 12 years. Especially since, while tied to AKB48, you don’t need any experience or knowledge of the group to appreciate it. It’s just a story about hope, the downfall of society, and zombies.
The Sailor Zombie: Complete Omnibus of all four volumes is available now through Yen Press. A live-action drama appeared in Japan and an anime adaptation is in development.
