#I'm Looking For a Zombie ‒ Episode 5
Interestingly, the lowest-stakes episode of the season by far is my favorite. While there were still wacky recurring bits, this episode was more about the falling action from last week, focusing on the characters figuring out what they were going to do next and how Natsuki's going to adjust to her new life without an arm. I want to give the show a lot of credit for how Natsuki was handled because it fully committed to the fact that her entire way of life changed. Some tasks will be inherently harder with just one arm; certain tasks are going to take longer, and obviously she can't use her bow anymore. But the show never treats this situation as a major tragedy. In fact, none of the characters really draw too much attention to it; they just ask if she needs anything, and everyone carries on with their chores. One of the main themes of this show is making the best out of terrible situations, and while it definitely plays with that by utilizing the zombie apocalypse, I like that this theme applies to something a lot more simple.
This show sums itself up perfectly at the end of the episode with the pudding. Before, pudding was constantly brought up as a simple yet illustrious reward. But here, it's literally the symbol of everyone's efforts. All Natsuki said she wanted was pudding as a treat, and the cast made that happen despite the circumstances. I even like how that revelation ties into the recurring bit with Aki constantly going out hunting. It turns out she was just looking for a goat so they could get milk to make it. Does it suck that Natsuki lost her arm? Yeah, but she's still alive, she is still with her family, and they can all cover for each other.
This show works at its best when it's at its simplest. Last week's episode struggled because it was trying to use very specific, morally questionable existential circumstances to communicate a point, and that clashes with the simpler characters. Here, this is still an arguably sad situation, but it's much more within the realm of what the characters can deal with. The episode even continues on with Yū's arc from the last episode by her trying to repair the car after it got damaged and finding new ways of being useful despite her physical weakness. Her taking up Natsuki's bow while still giving Natsuki a way to defend herself with a weapon that Aki made was a great way to show that there is progress with these characters, even if they want to keep the lighter status quo feeling. While the episode was very slow in the first half to establish the characters getting back into their chores and routine, the second half more than makes up for that by having the satisfying emotional payoffs to everything that the characters are going through.
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Bolts also streams regularly on Twitch as the indie VtuberBolts The Mechanic where they talk about and play retro media!#I’m Looking For a Zombie is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
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