See, I intended to write Zombie Loan for the past 4 weeks; but has never been able to get up either the enthusiasm or the time to do it. Why? Because Zombie Loan is a lot more complicated to summarize than Kaze no Stigma… and I like Kaze no Stigma better. Which is why there are KnS posts but no Zombie Loan.
But. Zombie Loan is getting so interesting, it’ll be a shame not to be able to discuss it with the commentors here, who so often have great thoughts to add. So here it is, a free and easy post on the most recent episode, which by the way is already out in English Subs, so I wouldn’t be wasting too much time on the summary.
Summary
So what has been happening so far? In a nutshell (or three):
1 ) Chika met his old childhood friend, Shiba. (end of episode 3)
2 ) Chika was extremely happy now that he had met his arguably best friend. (episode 4)
3 ) Shiba helped Chika and ZL people solve a case and destroy a rogue zombie, whom everyone suspected to be the serial killer the Butterfly. (episode 4 and 5)
4 ) Shiba betrayed Chika, and we found out that he is in fact the real Butterfly, as well as being yet another unauthorized zombie wrecking havoc. (end of episode 5)
5 ) Chika and Shito fought Shiba, and Shiba was defeated. (episode 6)
6 ) Chika is unable to save Shiba from either falling or being taken away by the Shinigami. As a result, he was very depressed. (episode 6)
7 ) Chika and Shito’s relationship seems to progress, as Chika leans on Shito for the first time (literally and figuratively) as a friend. (episode 6)
8 ) The Zombie Loan people made their way to the hot springs, where Kuse the CEO of the Black Feather Thingy Pte Ltd adopted a werewolf. (episode 7)
So. On to episode 8, whose title is “Solitude Even After Death”. What happened so far? (Again, in quantities of nutshells)
1 ) Shito arrives home to find his little odd and ends meddled with. He stamps off in a rage to find the culprit.
2 ) Chika sees Shito and tries to persuade him to play Uno (a card game) with him, saying that they are friends. Shito denies it and walks away.
3 ) This blond pretty boy suddenly appears to hug Chika. We realize along with Michiru that he is Chika’s father Yuu-kun. He has also bought along Chika’s sister Momoka.
4 ) In direct contrast to the cheerful disorganization of Chika’s family reunion, Shito meets with the defiler of his room, a Chinese guy with a permanent smile fixated on his face who calls him “Shito-shaoye”, meaning “Young Master Shito”. The meeting is fraught with sinister undercurrents, and some magical “punishment” is apparently doled out by the man onto Shito.
5 ) Momoka and Yuu-kun leave, and Chika finds Shito sitting in pain on a tombstone. He tries to talk to him, making what is for him friendly overtures, and Shito seems to go back to his usual self with the rather violent interaction with Chika.
6 ) Michiru carries towels and clothes back to Shito’s room, and sees a comb.
7 ) A doctor signs a contract with the rogue zombie makers, who are looking forward to his research.
8 ) In ZL office, Chika, Shito and Michiru talks about getting more zombies.
9 ) The doctor’s research includes dissecting a zombie and removing its body parts. He also seems to be making 2 golems, a la Frankenstein’s Monster.
10 ) Chika, Shito and Michiru hunt zombies on the street. Chika talks about being friends. Michiru asks him about the comb, and he immediately turns mad (mood swing!) and verbally flays Michiru, who cries. Chika defends Michiru, and after a fight, both of them stamp off in anger.
11 ) Shito is ambushed and disemboweled with a chain saw by one of the doctor’s Frankenstein’s monster.
Thoughts
The last couple episodes were all concentrated on Chika, who is betrayed by someone he possibly thought of as his best friend. In the end, he could neither stop his friend, nor save him, and it affected his feelings a lot. What put him out of that depression is his perceived relationship with Shito and Michiru and the ZL people, whom he finds comfort in. One scene in episode 6, where Chika fall asleep on Shito’s bed, was so completely sweet and well done, I almost stood up and cheered.
From this episode onwards, though, it seems as if the focus is on Shito. Unlike Chika, who has a loving family even though they aren’t together, Shito has a (probably filthy rich) father whom we have yet to see, and a perverted Chinese servant who acted more like a punisher, nursemaid, sadistic toturer, and sexual predator all rolled into one. It isn’t hard to draw a parallel between Shito and Chika. Shito has a much more complicated family, one that is as dysfunctional in a bad way as Chika’s family is dysfunctional in an amusing and fun way.
Now, Shito has issues. A lot of them. The biggest two are these:
1) He doesn’t know how to make friends, nor how to keep them, nor think that he need them.
2) He has mood swings that has an arc the diameter of the universe.
For the first time in the last couple episodes, we see Chika leaning on Shito, making their relationship something more than just arguing partners forced to be together. This week, though, Shito rebuffs Chika and Michiru; in fact, he rebuffs everyone. A lot of it seems to be because of that Chinese servant he has there. The way that servant goes so completely touchy-feely with Shito, not to mention the whole “get to your knees, Shito-shaoye” is soooo completely creepy. It makes me wonder if Shito was abused by that guy when he was a kid, which resulted in the rather weird personality he has now.
I wonder too at the significance of the comb. Did the Chinese servant put it there? What is its meaning? And why is that comb such a giant touchy button for Shito?
Incidentally, I feel so sorry for Michiru when she burst into tears. It’s not like it’s her fault. On the other hand, she went through the exact same thing in episode 1, and did not cry. Maybe because this time, she has gotten to know Shito better, and is too completely surprised at getting so abruptly insulted that she couldn’t control herself? Or perhaps she feels something more for Shito than in episode 1?
Is Shito actually Chinese? Of course, he doesn’t have to have a Chinese family to have a Chinese servant. All the same… on the other hand, I truly cannot imagine any parent calling their child “Shito” in Chinese. -_-;; Or maybe I’m too influenced by the English spelling of that name.
How is it that Chika has a blonde foreigner father and a completely Japanese (and kawaii) looking sister? More than meets the eye, IMO, with regards to that family.
I highly doubt that Shito will die. Still, he’ll probably get harvested for organs if Chika and the ZL people doesn’t do something fast to save him. We can’t really leave him to be solitary even after death, right? Come on, ZL people, go rescue your buddy! You aren’t going to leave him like this, would you?
10 Comments
I have not seen the episode yet, but safe to say, Zombie Loan continuously builds up really well, story-wise. With the exception of the vacation episode last week, but it still rocked. Lol.
Compared to Kaze no Stigma, and don’t get me wrong here, Zombie Loan doesn’t feel as “cheap.” Like the spirit-of-the-earth-magic inhabiting Mt. Fuji was a giant turtle?? WTF is that all about? Total let down; it was instant phail.
In spite of all that, I love Kaze no Stigma. It’s highly entertaining and I love it. Ayano is teh win and Kazuma is the man. Enough of Kaze no Stigma though. I’m not supposed to be reviewing it. =p
Anyway, the Chinese servant in ZL annoys me. I wonder if Shito is Chinese? Or just Japanese adopted by Chinese? Or like you said, he just has a Chinese servant?
As for Shito getting owned this episode…
Shito doesn’t die. I inferred this from the covers of the more recent mangas and he’s on the covers.
Keep blogging Zombie Loan, Briar. O Haruhi-sama mandates you to do so!
O_O it seems like he is remarked in the chinese way, according to what I have watched. I did a total catch up from episode 2 all the way until episode 8 (which is an incredible task since it’s been a while since I marathoned anything).
To add, I do not think that Shito will die, because that will be rather disturbing if one of the critical main characters suddenly die just like this. It’s rather amazing. This episode also surprises me when Shito is somewhat “abused” by his servant, and I wonder what he means by remembering “the pain and reining in the beast”.
It’s now apparent that Shito is not the cold blooded creature that he portrays himself. He is just suffering from complexity of his heart, and I cannot wait when he finally realizes how important and caring his “friends” are. Blast that servant, rot in hell! ^+^
I just watched episode 8 last night after I got home from work.
I found this episode very enjoyable. While there’s no single character I absolutely like, I find the various interactions between each of them to be entertaining. It seems like Shito, Chika, and Michiru are becoming closer, despite that huge fight they had over the comb that Shito uses for his antenna hair. =p Shito is nuts, he went ape over the comb and made Michiru cry. =/
I’m starting to like Chika more and more. At first I thought he was an ass who just worried money, but he’s actually quite a good guy. I like how he stands up for Michiru over the comb incident… Shito’s got like some obsessive-compulsive disorder. I dunno though… I wouldn’t expect less from someone who’s told to “get on his knees” by a servant-dude. Who wouldn’t go nuts? I found that part very disturbing by the way. Very.
Did I mention that Chika’s sister is the win?
Well, I do wonder what is it with the comb though. I mean, it seems that he is trying to hide his things (and emotions of course) from everyone, as though he has trust issues. Yes, he is definitely disturbing when the servant is technically controlling him, and that I wonder about the “grandfather”. Who in the world is that grandfather?
Chika is clearly a very well natured guy, and his worry for money is simply to become human. The last two episodes clearly showed of him as a man who wants to regain his ability to be human, and die as a normal human. Only by earning tons of money can he return back, which is why he is so greedy over hunts and cash.
Chika’s sister…hahaha, the mobile crazy girl. I really thought that she will be some major moe girl who is ditzy and all, but she turns out to be a rather hikki character. Chika’s father is more win for me though, he’s totally hilarious with his really funny words.
The traditional “being tough to in-law” rule? Genius.
Yea. Chika’s dad is awesome. When he was first introduced, I was like “Oh no, another bishounen character who’s gonna backstab him” (Not that there’s something wrong with bishounen characters).
He was smooching all over Chika and I was like “Wth is wrong with him.” Then it was said that he was Chika’s dad and it suddenly became funny. lol. Chika’s dad looks very young, like they’re the same age. Now I wonder… Chika’s of foreign descent?
About Chika’s sister. She is so hikkikomori, which is still awesome. Judging from that one screenshot above, I thought she was going to be one of those cute-cute girl type characters.
Also, I wonder if Chika’s dad and sister knows he’s dead. As for Shito, it seems his family and acquaintances know more than they portray this episode. Not sure though…
Thanks Briar for opening this discussion board. Zombie Loan is becoming more and more interesting. I think in the next episode/s Shito is going to realize that he has friends who worry and care about him, since they are going to save him. I also like the contrast of families: creepy and crazy/lovable families. As for Michiru and Koyomi only the people of ZL are their real family. Which in a sense is also crazy with the variety of characters.
Again thanks for this discussion!
@ Kyokii: Hey, I like that turtle!
It was so completely corny, I couldn’t help but love it. 
That Chinese servant is so creepy; next week we get to see more about him. I hope Shito gets to beat him up. -_-;;
Chika’s sister is really, really cute. Even though I don’t like kids as a rule, this one talks and acts so naturally (urusai, nii-chan, tou-san.) like a sister that I totally heart her.
I don’t think Chika’s family knows that he’s dead. I seem to remember Chika talking some episodes earlier about how he is not seeing his family now because he is dead and that he will see them again when he repays his loan. It gives me the feeling that he doesn’t want his family to know about his death.
Shito’s family (at least that servant) knows about it because the servant himself is a magic user. At least that’s my take on it.
I have the suspicion that Chika was adopted; he looks Japanese (insofar as someone with white hair looks Japanese), and his sister is completely Japanese IMO. Maybe this blonde father is only their father by emotional connection and/or legal means, not by blood. Just a speculation.
@ Impz: Considering that most of the main characters are already dead….
I agree that he’s going to finally realize the importance of his friends. Maybe he can be like Michiru and Koyomi, in that their family is the ZL people, instead of their real biological family.
Chika’s father is hilarious, although I still like the sister more. And Chika’s reaction to all that smooching is so cute as well.
Regarding the comb, I do believe it has more significant than just tweaking Shito’s antenna hair (after all, it’s Chika and Michiru who said that, not Shito). Maybe it was something left by that Chinese servant? Perhaps it is a keepsake from Shito’s mother, whom is nowhere in existence in the anime yet? Or maybe it has something to do with his oji-san?
@ Hola: You’re welcome!
I enjoy reading the discussion here. A lot of things were raised that I didn’t think about.
Poor MIchiru and Koyomi, looking at Chika and his family from the window. Still, they still have the ZL people, and once Shito puts himself together, I think they will resemble a family even more.
I wonder who is the Mastermind contracting these people (i.e. crazy doctor kid and Chika’s best friend) to kill citizens to generate more zombies. I found the organ harvesting scene disturbing (and ethically wrong). =O He turns people into zombies to collect their livers, kidneys, guts, spinal cord, etc. and then kills them. Crazy. I guess he’s running an organ harvesting operation for extra cash.
Big Bubba and especially the Frankenstein girl-thing with the patched face were creepy, too.
…Really makes me wonder how Peach Pit came up with these ideas…
DearS –> Rozen Maiden –> Zombie Loan
@Briar: Yes, poor Michiru and Koyomi, looking through the window. That part was touching.
Episode 8 was all over the board emotionally. What a gamut they put us through. Chika’s family was so warm and amusing. Shito’s “family” — or person from his previous life, let’s say — was so creepy and goose-bump inducing. And that insane doctor doing autopsies on living zombies. … Creeps! I’m sure Shito will survive his encounter with the doctor. What I’m not so sure of is how long he will suffer before he’s liberated. I hope he doesn’t have to go through too much. I’m a coward when it comes to watching torture.
Incidentally, I feel so sorry for Michiru when she burst into tears. It’s not like it’s her fault. On the other hand, she went through the exact same thing in episode 1, and did not cry. Maybe because this time, she has gotten to know Shito better, and is too completely surprised at getting so abruptly insulted that she couldn’t control herself? Or perhaps she feels something more for Shito than in episode 1?
I think Michiru’s reaction was a combination of (1) surprise at how strongly Shito reacted and (2) the fact that she knows him better now than in episode 1 and considers him a friend of sorts. I don’t know if I’d burst into tears if I was in her place, but I would sure want to. We know what Shito had just been through earlier, so we can understand his reaction to a degree. But for Michiru, that scathing response was truly out of the blue. I felt so bad for her. And for him too.
I have yet to see this episode…but i will soon (downloading now). So far Zombie Loan has kept me very much interested in it, and that’s kinda rare for me because i tend to get bored with something fast. But when i watch this anime, i just can’t stop watching it and i just need to watch more. *_* Im a huge fan of supernatural stuff like ghost, zombies, vampires. So ZL is perfect for me. _>
Anyway, about the Shito and Michiru thing, well i think they do sort of like each other. I mean from the previous episode, the scene where Shito smiled at Michiru in the hotspring was kinda like a hint. Besides, i don’t think Michiru would cry just because she was yelled at by Shito..she’s been yelled at before, but i think it’s sort of different now because maybe, yes maybe she likes Shito, and that’s why she felt hurt and cried.
It would be nice if you could continue blogging zombie loan, because it is definitely worth blogging. ^__^