Tokyo Zombie

MOVIE #1,060 • 🍿🍿🍿🍿 • 07.12.23 Every Wednesday, I mine my more than 3K deep Letterboxd watchlist via the shuffle function to find two movies for a rando double feature. I almost always have no recollection as to when, why or how I’ve added films to this unwieldy mishmosh of a list. So, naturally, results vary. Case in point: the English-dubbed version of this zombie comedy from mid 2000s Japan. This flick, based on a manga, is as relentlessly pointless as it is unnecessarily creepy and unfortunately homophobic. And it’s a real shame about the latter because this would have been a much more fun experience without it. I was reminded somewhat of the TRUE RANDOM selection G.O.R.A. I watched a few years back, although not nearly as egregious, re the homophobia.

Here, being gay (and being molested, ugh) are played for laughs, but without the accompanying vitriol of that pitiful piece of shit. Needless to say, it’s still impossible to separate those moments when crafting any critique. It sucks ass! And it is a damn shame because there's some fun stuff happening visually...



When they’re not busy doing weird/horrible sex jokes, the physical goofs — a mix of practical and shitty 00s CGI — are great and almost border on anti-comedy. Take this weird ventriloquist character who ends up becoming a prince in the post-apocalyptic zombie world…


What is that guy’s deal?? I have no idea! The aesthetic is off-the-wall and while it’s certainly ‘not good’ in any conventional way, it works for the zany low-budget tone. I mean, this looks like a lovably bad Wes Anderson rip-off and, honestly, the film needed more of it…


If the whole movie had been stuff like that and scenes like this…


…man, it would have been such a better movie. (Also: What is that fucking music?? lol.) Oh well. I spent way too much time on this review.

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A horror-comedy about two blue-collar factory workers (who happen to be jiu-jitsu experts) dealing with a ravenous, flesh-eating zombie uprising in Tokyo. It was released on December 10, 2005. tadanobu asano,shô aikawa,erika okuda