The Daily Grind vs. Zombie Life: Zom 100’s Reflections on Corporate Experiences
So if you are an anime fan like me, you know there is so much more than goofy girls and heroic masculine guys! It is fun to see the popular gorgeous girl fall in love with the introverted and not noticeable guy of the class and make the best couple and transition of all time! But not all animes are all shallow. They talk about friendship and kindness, bullying and the traumas, not giving up, and all other necessary life lessons. So please don’t look at animes as they are some shallow cartoons (!).
Anyway, I just want to introduce you to an anime that I just finished and the aspect that I want to share with you guys which you might think really? Is this what the anime is about?
The anime I am going to talk about is Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead.
Yes, it is another zombie movie and the world is going to end BUT there is a catch to the story!
LET ME TELL YOU WHY.
So this is our main character. Meet Akira Tendou.
A farmer’s son who after graduating from a top university with an impressive extracurricular record in the rugby club, has nailed every step of the way to securing his dream job. He landed a job in a production company and the industry he dreamed about. But, as we’ve all experienced, reality often diverges from our dreams.
Akira slowly realizes that sleepless nights and brutal work are his new reality. Being in a toxic environment and having a brutal chief killed his spirit. And contrary to his best friend’s advice that he should quit his job, he just can’t quit! Isn’t it a familiar situation?
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The reasons that Akira had for not quitting his job were:
- Where would he find the time to search for a new job?
- Feeling guilty that if he leaves, the team will have to pick up his slack and that means more overnight work and pressure for them.
- The thought that there are worse companies than his in the industry.
We’ve all been there, trapped in an exploitative corporate cycle.
This routine continues until this young motivated employee is ready to jump in front of a subway as an alternative to not going to work the next day.
And then a miracle happens. A pandemic hits and there is a virus that turns people into zombies. So guess what our main character’s reaction is?
He yells out of his lungs that he is free and now he doesn’t go to work!
Here’s the kicker: Akira was a zombie even before the pandemic, oblivious to the world’s colors and stuck in a monotonous routine. not visiting his parents for 3 years because of some important upcoming work and hoping that there would be a reward at the end. And then after a shift in the world and releasing him from the cage that he built for himself from work he sees the world differently. And this is where it hits me! The anime brilliantly captures the monotony of the 9-to-6 work life, where days blur into one another, akin to a zombie existence.
So, let’s reflect — is there much difference between the daily grind and a zombie’s monotonous life? Zom 100 sparks a thought-provoking perspective on the ‘living dead’ in our corporate world. How does your work routine compare? Think about it.
Oh, by the way, there is a fun fact hidden in the story.
Check out this video:
