Summary The dirty dirty truth:

Knowing that he doesn’t stand a chance with Saya, Kohta decides to take out his pent-up frustrations by nailing some zombies behind the wood shop. Things are going well until Saya decides she wants to drill other people too, but the resulting bodily fluids get under her contacts and she’s forced to call a time out. At the same time, Rei and Takashi decide that it’s no fun beating a dead friend horse, and open themselves up to the world of water sports. Though Takashi initially has trouble handling his hose, he soon gets his spray under control and knocks the zombies down the stairs with the force of his blast. Rei tries to call her father to share her exploits, but is disappointed because Takashi’s 2G phone can’t handle talk and sexts at the same time.

Meanwhile, Saeko rescues Shizuka from the boring guy she was with (who was such a bad lay that she can’t remember his name) and takes her somewhere a little less clinical for a bit of rough undressing. As they’re trying to get into the mood, however, their activities are interrupted by the sound of Kohta’s mechanical nailing and Saya’s frustrated screams, and go to tell the two that they’re doing it wrong. All three groups meet in the hall and though they’re a little nervous at first, they have so much fun engaging multiple partners that they decide to take their show on the road.

Clean version: Saya and Kohta head to the wood shop for some improvised weapons, while Rei and Takashi use a fire hose to clear the zombies off the stairway to the observatory. At the same time Saeko rescues Shizuka, and the three groups converge at the trophy case before they head to the faculty room for Shizuka’s car keys. Realizing that they all won’t fit in her compact car, the gang opts to commandeer the school bus for a trip to go check on their families as a news broadcast has confirmed that the zombie outbreak is not confined to the area around the school.

Reaction:

I thought the last episode laid it on pretty thick with all the fanservice and sexual innuendo, but this episode definitely upped the ante with all the nailing, drilling, and spraying (the scene with Takashi and the hose reminded me of the gas station scene from Zoolander for some reason…), not to mention Shizuka using her breasts as a wrecking ball and Saeko’s obviously brilliant eye for fashion. While some may be put off by all this, I find the show terribly amusing, and hope it continues to provide a good fanservice/action mix. My favorite parts this time around were the hurt look that Ishii threw Shizuka when she couldn’t remember the name of her human shield, and the look Kohta had on his face when he realized that Saya is a meganekko: I can’t wait till he tries to put the moves on her.

Taking the show seriously for two seconds, it was interesting to see Saya’s superior front crack so soon under the pressure of dealing with the zombies on a physical level. As long as she can keep her distance and catalogue their characteristics she’s fine, but when it comes to shoving a drill (or a jackhammer, as the Foley crew would have you believe) into a zombie’s brainpan, she’s just not on the same level as the others. While it was obvious that Saya was interested in Takashi in the first episode, this episode makes her interest that much clearer, from her wishing that Takashi was there instead of Kohta, to her extremely pointed (jealous) remarks toward Rei. I’m sure this is just the edge of her insecurity and jealousy, and though she wasn’t comfortable killing the zombie, she still defended herself when backed against the wall (or, the trophy case). I’m expecting her to make a play for Takashi soon, weapon in hand (even if I don’t think much of her long-term chances).

As for the others, Takashi and Rei seem to have fallen into a decent rhythm while zombie smashing, though they still get a bit mopey every time the sound of crushing bone reminds then of Hisashi; and Kohta totally manned up once he got his hands on some power tools. Saeko’s willingness to step up and deliver a coup de grace was a nice contrast to Takashi’s failure in the last episode, though her slight smile at the destruction of the zombies looks like a hint of something darker within her. And though Shizuka is quickly becoming the fanservice focus (panty shots were down nearly 60% this episode, though boob jiggle was up 45%), she is at the very least good zombie bait, as she’s too ditzy to panic in the face of overwhelming zombie odds.

And I wouldn’t be much of a fanboy if I didn’t say that I’m enjoying Miyuki Sawashiro as Saeko, but all of the voice acting seems pretty solid (unless you count that mis-cast power tool) and Yukari Fukui’s exasperated tones over the destruction of Shizuka’s brand name dress were particularly fun this time around, as was Eri Kitamura’s voicework during Saya’s breakdown. Though we’re only two episodes in (and though there’s still several minutes of show after the credits), I’m still disappointed when the credit sequence starts. I’m looking forward to more inane fun next week, and I’m hoping that Shizuka drives better than she walks… or their bus ride is going to be a short one indeed.

Related posts:

1. Highschool of the Dead 09
2. Highschool of the Dead 04
3. Highschool of the Dead 11