Best of the Rest: Anime of 2011

It is once again time for me to pick the Best of the Rest. This year had some amazing, must watch anime... but what about the rest? Is there anything you might not of heard of that is worth the watch? I meticulously look through all the anime released in 2011 and narrowed it down to a few choices. In the end I picked something so terrifying, so unsettling, so unnerving you might not want to watch it with the lights off. Are you ready?

 

 

My choice for the Best of the Rest 2011 is...

Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? Aka Is This a Zombie?

Scary right? It is Halloween after all I guess.

The picture above you shows a guy, who has the outfit and powers of a magical girl, and uses a chainsaw as his main weapon. Oh, he is also a zombie. Yes, this show actually exists and yes, it is magical (pun intended). The premise of the show, such as it is, is the main character Ayumu gets murdered out of the blue. He is then later resurrected by a necromancer girl named Eu. She is unable or unwilling to speak and writes down commands for her new zombie, like make my dinner or other household chores. Other than the zombie thing, Ayumu still goes to school and leads a normal "life". One night, as he is out searching for his murderer, he runs into a magical girl fighting evil... and comedy ensues. As the story progresses he gets himself into further trouble, as if turning into a magical girl wasn't enough, with various women with powers. Yes, the show does have some harem traits, has some fan service but nothing too bad, and can get violent and bloody, so be aware. All that said, I still thought it was good, but there are reasons this is a Best of the Rest and not just one of the best. This isn't for the kids either folks, but for an entirely different reason than my Best of the Rest 2010 pick, Shiki.

A lot of the comedy comes from puns, innuendos, and the fact a zombie Ayumu can't really get hurt. This is also one of the few anime that I'd say the dub is better than the sub. It really adds more to the show with added lines and inflection you won't get in the sub. This might be an out there pick, but if you like funny, strange, unique shows, this is the show for you... as long as you can look past its faults I mentioned earlier. It is one of my favorite really. You see that gif on the "about us" page of this site? That is from this anime :) In conclusion, I name "Is This a Zombie" the Best of the Rest '11...just ignore the fact the dub technically came out in '12...okay?

http://youtu.be/epyxjXd6O5w is the link to the first episode dubbed to try it out, courtesy of Funimation, Kadokawa, and studio Deen. If it doesn't work in your region, the sub is available as well elsewhere, it's just not as good. Until next time, thanks for reading.