THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS 1000https://i.ur.com/NXBPMHS.jpg/ Zombie Land Saga has yet again proven to us that an idol anime can be more than just the music and the dancing. It entails a perfect combination of an enjoyable story and an excellent ensemble of characters. This anime easily creates a compelling narrative that can get anyone hooked on it instantly. These lovable characters always comfortably put a smile on my face and theres no doubt about that. Every episode contains a plethora of comedic moments with something new and creative added in each time. This season has decided to take more of a serious edge on things in the story. And that is where Franchouchous revenge comes into play. STORY Lets start from the beginning. Franchouchous original mission was to save the Saga Prefecture as these zombie idols. After overcoming the difficulties generated by being from different eras in history their undead zombie bodies allowed them to challenge all the limits of what a typical idol can achieve. But some things are inevitable and cannot be stopped. Everything seemed to be going fine and dandy for these seven idols until a devastating defeat led the girls scrambling for cash to pay off a crucial debt from the disastrous EFS concert. Franchouchou was at the height of its glory yet this one fatal mistake made by Kotaro turned everything upside down. Due to this concert being a failure the group went into debt and each member of Franchouchou including Tae had to get jobs to provide for themselves. Kotaro would sink into a deep depression because he couldnt stand the failure of the performance. Franchouchou would later on make a comeback after performing at a small event. After gaining some confidence this is where these idols would start making their moves. But once Franchouchous secret was unconcealed to one person their plan for revenge wasnt going to go as smoothly as planned. With Saga on the verge of danger Franchouchou would need to overcome any obstacles that stand in their way. Sagas curse will do everything in its power to stop Franchouchou. The revenge element plays a huge role in this second season. I mean its literally in the title. In the first season it was all about establishing the characters and getting introduced to each individual. But this season provided us more background information on what this whole project is and the mystery surrounding the plot. Witnessing Franchouchou exact their revenge for Saga is what we needed this season. We also get more characterdriven stories throughout the show all of them being impactful and remarkable in every way. These multiple elements made me want to see what was in store for this show. Its just that great of a season. 1000https://i.ur.com/hcK7YUi.jpg/ CHARACTERS Since we already know who these characters are Ill briefly summarize the essential episodes dedicated to them and give my thoughts. Bolded if you dont want summaries Kotaro Tatsumi In this season Kotaro plays a crucial role in the story. His decision to have Franchouchou perform at the EFS concert led to his depressed state as he would frequently get drunk because of his careless mistake. He would consistently ignore Sakura whenever she would try to convince him to stop drinking. After his talk with XuFu concerning the girls he still did not want to give up on them. Time was running out as he needed to do something to save Saga itself. His passionate feelings towards the group gave Franchouchou a second chance. Kotaro properly apologized to the group after what had happened at the EFS concert that year. He was determined to get their revenge at the same concert by advertising campaigns to make sure it would succeed this time. To me Kotaro completes Franchouchou. Without him these girls would be distressed if he was not around. Doing their makeup planning their performances and giving them advice makes him a perfect manager for this idol group. No one could do an even better job than him. 1000https://i.ur.com/gGa6QPa.jpg/ Lily Hoshikawa Her plan to accrue even more fame for the group would involve a national TV talent show. She would be competing against her main competitor Light Oozara who is also a child actor. Sakura finds out that Light has a plan to win over the audience. Lily is unaffected by this since she is an experienced actor with immense courage. As Light declares that he would not lose his fame when his youth fades he also intends to have Lily out of the picture as part of the process. When it is his turn to perform in the finals Lily is surprised to find out that he was singing the same song she was planning to execute. She would then quickly change up her costume and both the lyrics and the music on the fly. Although her efforts were efficient Lily was still unable to defeat Light. She shows good sportsmanship by congratulating him but Light feels like he was the one to be defeated. He thinks his skills are not on par with Lily but she reassures him that he is a successful performer that should chase after his dreams. Lily has been a great addition to Franchouchou. Despite being so young she acts like an adult with her professional aspects. Her mature nature demonstrates her ability to fit in with the group. Lilys Shrimpys iconic personality makes her a very memorable character throughout the series. 1000https://i.ur.com/Q1cjfkL.jpg/ Yuugiri The show saved her story for the second season and they did not disappoint with this one. Her backstory goes way back to the year 1881 where she was a legendary courtesan. She meets a clumsy yet courageous person named Kiichi Momozaki. He talks about his vision for a free Saga a Saga independent of Nagasaki as he pursues this goal because of his grandfather. Yuugiri admires his dream but Kiichis friend Shojiro Ito utters that times have changed and that everyone should accept that Saga is gone permanently. Kiichis grandfather is not doing well but their plan to petition for the return to Saga moves apace. Kiichi manages to find some new comrades who are also willing to revive Saga but this raises Yuugiris suspicions. She later overhears the distrustful comrades discussing a more violent means of retaking Saga and would discuss this with XuFu the grandfather who isnt healthy. XuFu makes a claim saying he is Saga itself and refused the medicine given by Yuugiri since it wont help. She forces him to take it as it presages Yuugiris involvement in freeing the prefecture. Shojiro warns her about this revolution that Kiichi unwittingly stirred up but Yuugiri trusts Kiichis actions and is willing to assist him. She writes three letters one to her allies in Nagasaki that will help Kiichi later on another one to Kiichi himself on instructions to free Saga and the last one to XuFu to inform him about her actions. Shojiro would massacre the revolutionists almost killing Kiichi in the process but Yuugiri would eventually stop him. She would guide Kiichi away to Nagasaki with the letter telling him to read it when he arrives. Yuugiris and Shojiros battle begins with Shojiro collapsing in the end after being struck by her sword. As he lies dying he admits that he wanted to see the Saga that Kiichi would save. After his death Yuugiri takes all the blame for the failed revolution. It resulted in her execution by the military. Kiichi restores Saga and XuFu is healthy again. Now back to the present she performs her song with Franchouchou and retires to a private bar. XuFu runs this bar as they discuss the modern era. Yuugiri mentions that she intends to walk her path in Kiichis new Saga. These episodes were just godtier. What looked like an uninteresting character in season one became one of the most legendary characters in season two. Im glad that shes a part of Franchouchou. Her motherly nature towards the girls and her ability to learn very quickly in the group makes her one of the best members. I love how she is particularly collaborative with the group. She doesnt ask any questions and complies with any instructions. She shows concern and acts maturely as she is intelligent in analyzing every situation. 1000https://i.ur.com/d5S21L5.jpg/ Junko Konno After Ai lets Junko take over as a leader she becomes worried that they werent making any progress at all because of her. Junko feels useless belittling herself for not knowing how to guide the girls. She questions if Franchouchou would be able to leave a powerful impact on their performance. Sakura reassures her that everything would be fine and that blaming herself wasnt the right thing to do. After Ai and Sakura overheard the conversation between Ai and Shiori she gets into an argument with Ai asking her if she prefers being in Iron Frill over Franchouchou. She then consults Kotaro about this dilemma but would then be told that shes admitting her worthlessness to the group. Kotaro encourages her to win Ai back by breaking everything in her path and would eventually do so. Junkos calm and collected traits assist Franchouchou even though she tends to get shy sometimes. Throughout the series she manages to feel more secure and lends her idol experience to the group. Her determination to get what she wants gives Franchouchou a path to success and without her Ai wouldnt be able to handle the group herself. 1000https://i.ur.com/VCa8yw5.jpg/ Ai Mizuno In her episode she warns Franchouchou not to become too confident in their abilities just because they were finding success in the radio show and the performances that they were consistently having. The other members would soon rely on Ai a lot more as later on Kotaro would realize that they were dependent on her way too much. He would then sign Ai up for multiple solo gigs as she would then task Junko with leading in her stead. Ai wouldnt be able to perform against Iron Frill because of this. The leader of Iron Frill Shiori approaches Ai and asks her to enlist into her group since she thinks Franchouchou isnt well suited for her. Ai and Junko would later get into an argument because of this matter. After Junko regains her confidence in herself Franchouchou finally performs their show without Ai. After a successful first song they would later on invite Ai to the stage where they would sing as a group this time. Both Ai and Junko would reject Shioris offer afterward. Ais determined personality as a former idol constantly grants Franchouchou the experience that they require. Her guidance and the skillset she possesses aid the group in becoming thriving idols. She is the most responsible member in Franchouchou as she always plans out their training teaches the basics of the idol business and speaks the most on how they should approach their shared goal. Ai strives to be constructive but is very kind and supportive of each member. 1000https://i.ur.com/bf01xsr.jpg/ Saki Nikaidou She gets an episode that focuses on her connection with White Ryu and how he was her childhood idol back in the day. Kotaro announced that Franchouchou would be participating in a television program to reach a larger audience. They would be collaborating with White Ryu as Saki is delighted to spend the whole day with her longtime idol. The day ends with White Ryu announcing that he would be discontinuing his radio show. He wanted to hand it over to Franchouchou instead of putting an end to it. Saki was deeply affected by this as it was thanks to him that she didnt feel alone and lost in Saga. After saying their goodbyes Saki confesses her feelings for him but White Ryu reminds her to direct her passion towards those who are lost in Saga not to him. After he tells her that theyll meet again once she becomes a fully grown woman Saki realizes that shell never be able to experience life as an adult since theyre zombies that cannot age. Saki would break down into tears as Sakura would try to comfort her but would later on start crying with her too. Saki has been my favorite character since day one. Her transition from being a badass leader of a biker gang to becoming the leader of an idol group is astonishing. It was emotional to see this courageous and rebellious character crying. This scene undeniably broke my heart. Without Saki Franchouchou wouldnt be the same. Her great appreciation towards the group is what makes her an outstanding leader. 1000https://i.ur.com/eTFYP9Y.jpg/ Sakura Minamoto She didnt have an episode dedicated to her but Sakura was still an important character nonetheless. Sakura did her best to convince Kotaro to attend their concert while trying to make their comeback but this would result in a minor argument. She has always looked up to him as Sakura wanted the old Kotaro back the one that comforted her and the one that had promised her that he would never leave her. Kotaro would eventually show up and encourage the girls to keep singing for the displeased audience. Sakura was moved by his words as the new song performed by Franchouchou would finally satisfy the audience. She thanks Kotaro for everything that he has done and for not giving up on Franchouchou. Sakura is a character that has been very unlucky from the beginning. From the constant struggles she faced she finally managed to find her place within Franchouchou. Sakura is a resilient character that never gives up on her dreams. Even though she has a sweet personality Sakura in my opinion is the strongest out of all of them. 1000https://i.ur.com/Lwq4tVw.jpg/ Tae Yamada If shes legendary then her episode also deserves to be legendary. It starts with Yuugiri giving Tae the task to buy groceries. She would soon become followed by the investigative journalist Shinta Okoba. After stalking her for quite a while we see at the grocery store Maria Amabuki who fills Taes order for her. She starts talking about her group dance performances and their intentions to become famous. After inviting Tae to a dance event Maria and her group were competing in we see the chicken mascot Coccokun also participate in the event. Tae gets on stage lastminute to challenge the mascot and would become victorious. Tae earns the prize money and offers it to Maria but she attempts to refuse it. We can see Officer Suenaga intervene as he takes everyone to a jet ski race so that they can spend the prize money on making bets. Tae bets on Maria Higashitsuru and wins tens of millions in yen just enough to absolve them of their steep debts. Tae is just way too legendary. I honestly dont have anything else to say. cough cough read Gaiden if youre interested in Taes backstory 1000https://i.ur.com/2sJOcpi.jpg/ Other characters like Maimai were also great. I was a little disappointed that she wasnt able to join the group. Being voiced by Kana Hanazawa just made me feel worse. It was nice seeing a potential Franchouchou member participate in one episode though. Im glad theres one person outside of Franchouchou that the girls can trust. 1000https://i.ur.com/oA6oyqf.jpg/ ART / MUSIC There isnt much to say about the art. Its similar to the first seasons art style so it hasnt changed. Of course there are a few touches here and there that make it more visually appealing. The beautifully made art for the OP and ED was fascinating. Everything looked great but the CG animation for other songs couldve been better still. But thats just only when Franchouchou performs as a group so it generally doesnt affect the anime itself. Its a lot easier to use CG for dancing scenes so I cant blame them on that. Some performances were better than I expected so Ill give them props. Now for the music. The anime does a fantastic job with the background music and the actual songs from Franchouchou. The sound design was great and not to mention the characterdedicated music perfectly fits in with each members personality as this element also resonates deeply within the plot. Zombie Land Saga has never failed to provide us with the best music. I always find myself listening to the official soundtrack. Everything was flawless in this category and thats what you would expect from an idol anime. Franchouchou has the ideal voices that a musical group would want. Its all thanks to these extraordinary seiyuus who put in all of their love for these characters. 1000https://i.ur.com/Iv2Iswn.jpg/ CONCLUSION I cant express how much I adore this series. From the wellestablished characters and story to the wonderfully produced music and art it provides you with everything a fan of this series could ever want. Were already three years into Zombie Land Saga. Now that season two has ended I find myself questioning what I should do with my life. If youre looking for answers just like me I recommend checking out Zombie Land Saga Gaidenhttps://anilist.co/manga/132552/ZombieLandSagaGaidenTheFirstZombie/ if you want more content as previously mentioned. Zombie Land Saga is a mustwatch anime for nonidol fans and I cant stress this enough. If you liked season one then season two is something that you should consider watching. You wont regret it. Wouldnt you like to witness some zombie idols save their prefecture? 1000https://i.ur.com/nQggIJE.jpg/
95 /100
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