Highschool of the Dead - Episode 10

With the whole group now re-united, things take a more sedate turn as far as zombie killing antics go for Highschool of the Dead's tenth episode, as all and sundry find themselves under the protection of Takagi's rather impressive family mansion, while her family and associates seem to have done a stand-up job of mobilising themselves to survive as comfortably as possible in the face of the current threat.

Although this state of relative safety has its perks (not least for Rei, who gets treatment for her previous injuries - amazing how being thrown off a fast moving vehicle onto tarmac before your breasts are used to dampen the recoil of a shotgun can be treated with a hefty dose of ointment), there's clearly some unrest amongst all and sundry within the group of students. From being the "top dogs" within their own small group, they now find themselves looked down upon by the largely adult presence as "just kids", while Takagi is clearly wrestling with the fact that she feels her parents abandoned her in favour of more pressing concerns and both Saeko and Hirano seem to be missing the thrill of previous days. This leaves the group needing to decide whether to stay where they are or go on the move once again, a question perhaps made all the more tricky by the appearance of Takagi's no-nonsense father.


Much like Saeko, settling for an episode almost entirely devoid of action is rather tough to do in a series which has set itself up to offer such vacuous delights throughout, but on the other hand I appreciate the need for some further development in the main characters and their motivations so I can't be too harsh on this instalment for delivering that. If nothing else, it was interesting to see seeds of dissent sown within our high school "team", only for any such rifts to be healed as soon as a threat of any kind appears and the need to stick together is required. It looks as though we'll be on the move again next week though, hopefully leading us into a more action-filled final few episodes through to whatever ending the series has in store.