Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead ending explained | Movie Recap | Review
The movie opens with a running guy by the name of Akira Tendo who was chased by a bunch of zombies. While running like hell the only thing that passes through his mind is he getting late for the work. His mind was molded in such a way that he can't think for himself in danger. A year ago he was a cheerful young man who was excited to work in an amazing company. He was proud of getting this job and on day one he had a crush on his super senior boss Ohtori.
On his first day, he was made to work an all-nighter by his Kosugi. This guy was a no-nonsense hardcore exploitative boss in whose dictionary the word work harassment was nonexistent. For Tendo the office became home and home became a stopping point in between, he used to drag his legs to his apartment literally, that how frustrated and weak he became in a year. He discussed his issue with his friend Kencho who was no help. These two fight over an old issue of a football game like children. In one ad shoot, Tendo saw Ohtori rather in a cheerful way and wonder how could she be happy being in this company for so long. Ohtori cryptically answered this question by saying something like all that glitters is gold. It seemed she too was not happy from the inside. She gave an energy drink to cheer him up.
One late night Tendo was waiting for the train in a sad state with a desire of, never to return to his work. Just then we see a zombie walking behind him. The next morning it was a zombie apocalypse with Tendo right in the middle. He quickly locks himself on the roof and when he looks around Tokyo it gives him a rather unaccepted relief. For the first time in a year, he won't have to go to work. He relishes this moment as for the first time he feels free and happy. As he drank the energy drink he remembered Ohtori, his crush. He called on her phone to check her out where she sent him her location. Tendo without thinking much decide to rescue her, while going down he asks his colleague and her pregnant wife whether they need anything from the convenience store. This guy was suddenly high on happiness. As Tendo cycled on the road with the zombies chasing him.
At Ohtori's apartment, she was with the company's director who had turned into a zombie. Apparently, she had an affair with him and that's how her career was smooth. Tendo helps her in decapitating the zombie but unfortunately, she gets bitten. Seeing this Tendo comes to his normal senses and expresses his love to her while watching her turn. When he returned to his flat, his colleague's family was gone. He decides to do his bucket list of 100 things before becoming a zombie. The first on this list was expressing love to someone which he did with Ohtoti San.
The next was cleaning his room, putting items on his cart without thinking about the prize, dyeing his hair, driving a bike, and setting large fireworks in the middle of the night. Tendo burst the biggest fire show to strike his bucket list. He even spray paints his self-portrait on a giant wall. For the first five days, he enjoys life like no tomorrow. He encounters a girl by the name of Shizuka who saves his life in a convenience store. She was really badass with mastery in martial arts. She refused to stay together with Tendo as she thought she was capable of surviving on her own.
After seeing an old photo of himself with Kencho, Tendo decides to patch things with him and writes saving him as the next item on his bucket list. Kencho was stuck in a love hotel with his lover being turned into a zombie. Tendo in his athlete attire drives to that place in a stolen bike by escaping jumping zombies. He makes his way in by throwing a portable speaker. As Zombies move towards the sound, which could be used to distract them. Here we see some of the finest action tricks on how to save amongst the zombie crowd. Tendo finally finds Kencho in that hotel and saves him. These two lock themselves in the hotel's restaurant and enjoy a hefty meal.
Kencho apologizes and thanks him for saving his life. On day six these two watch social media where the situation was still grim. Tendo had an idea of moving to the national aquarium center as there were suits that could withstand shark bites. If it could withstand shark bites then it certainly can withstand zombie bites. Also, it had plenty of food in the form of fish. These two agreed to go there with supplies.
Near a mega mart, Tendo saw a camping van. It was on his bucket list to go on a long drive in one of these. Just then a bus carrying people crashed in front of them and soon the zombies started chasing them. These two opened the door to get them in where Shizuka was also fighting and running from them. A couple of air attendants, a bus driver, and Shizuka got saved. Here Tendo's other item of getting drunk with an air attender got fulfilled. Unfortunately, the bus driver was slightly bitten before he entered the store and now he started chasing the remaining. Drunk air attendees became his victim whereas Tendo, Kencho, and Shizuka escaped in a camping wan. On day seven they left Toyko to the countryside crossing many items on the list like, SUP Yoga, paragliding, bursting crackers, camping, and eating a snake. They even enjoyed a hot water spa which made Shizuka happy. She too like Tendo was stuck in mundane affairs and was finally feeling good about doing things she never thought of doing. She thanked Tendo for saving her life. Tendo made another item to the list of saving everyone bu becoming a superhero.
After a week the van wheels were punctured by the spikes on the road. When Tendo opened his eyes his exploitative boss Kosugi was staring at him. Kosugi and his men were for a shoot when the apocalypse breakout. They quickly sealed off the area and took it under control. Once the news of shelter in the aquarium broke out, more and more people came and Kosugi exploited them. He made them work for food and safety. Kencho, Shizuka, and even Tendo's colleague with his pregnant wife were here. Kosugi showed his security system to Tendo where there was a fenced area full of zombies to keep intruders away as well as stopping those inside to get away.
They used loudspeakers to distract zombies while allowing supply trucks. The system was working for the last two weeks. Here Kosugi once again made Tendo work like a slave for his place here and Tendo was not complaining. His mindset drifted like earlier as he had accepted his fate. Kencho and Shizuka were helpless watching their friend become a corporate slave. After a few days, they decide no more. Tendo's colleague shows a way out which was risker. Kencho repairs the van and asks Tendo to move out. Tendo being sucked back into the old mindset of safety first risk later refuses to go with them.
On the other side, a zombie sneakily enters one of the supplies trucks which then escapes into the aquarium. As Choas starts to speed inside one zombie attacks people in the feeding zone. people and zombies fell into the water with a great white shark swallowed them. Shizuka read all of Tendo's bucket list and decides to remind him what it really meant to live a life. By showing the list she says there are eighty more items to be done and he can't simply let it go. There should be a balance between risk and safety, stress and relief, work, and life otherwise there will be no difference between humans and zombies.
Tendo understood her point. Kosugi snatched the diary from her hand and trampled it. As he started barking orders to go out for work Tendo, took his dairy back and very politely thanked him for the job. Finally, he quits the job. Just then the zombies who had breached the security started running towards these guys. Everyone runs for their life, Kosugi was the first to escape leaving his loyal men behind.
Kencho beats the hell out of him while hiding in the feeding room. Soon a giant white zombie shark emerges out of the water who had earlier eaten many zombies. Many human legs branch out from it implying, it's like a hybrid version of a zombie shark on top of a human zombie. Soon a cat-and-mouse situation ensues here with people hiding from it. Tendo finally gets his anti-shark suit and with he decides to save Kosugi's life. He fights with it with his bare hand and Kencho also helps. Finally, Shizuka came up with a plan of electrocuting the shark.
She joined a battery in series and asked Kencho to throw it to Tendo. The sharks have electroreception capacity. A sensitive part in their brain which when electrocuted they are done. since Tendo's suit can conduct electricity a tiny jolt will be deadly for them. As Tendo delivers the shock, the shark dies again. Here this is shown dramatically and I am not sure how this works for a zombie shark that is already dead. We must ignore logic in all zombie movies.
In the end, surviving people were ready to leave this place for good and we see Kosugi coming out. This time no one helps him. Tendo, Kencho, and Shizuka head to the next safe place where they write their item to the list. With this, the movie ends.
The Big picture of this movie is how toxic the work culture is in Japan and other Asian countries. We have seen it in many youtube videos, documentaries, and news which can be seen here with Tendo eating lunch at his desk, washing his hair in the office bathroom, and coming to his flat like a zombie. This is a very serious issue in today's Japan which is causing population erosion. Young couples don't want to have kids as they have no time to create them. The director Yûsuke Ishida shows this helplessness brilliantly here. This horror comedy movie is a bit lengthy but it delivers. If you liked this recap video then please give it a like and subscribe to my channel. Thanks for watching.
