Zombie Land Saga - Nendoroid
Although most popular anime series like One Piece, the Gundam franchise, and Demon Slayer are all more focused on combat and action, one of the more unique series to make a name for itself in recent years would be Zombie Land Saga. This series first aired in 2018 and quickly became a common topic of discussion for its strange concept: revitalizing Saga Prefecture with an idol group made up of members that are zombies. Shortly after the first few episodes aired, the series quickly garnered the attention of many viewers, eventually resulting in a variety of merchandise based on the series' characters being created. Some notable examples of this merchandise come from Good Smile Company's Nendoroid series and include the "Nendoroid Zombie Land Saga Sakura Minamoto" and the "Nendoroid Zombie Land Saga Junko Konno".
Nendoroid Zombie Land Saga Sakura Minamoto
This Nendoroid takes the protagonist of Zombie Land Saga, Sakura Minamoto, and turns her into a small, yet detailed chibi-style figure. It also has Sakura wearing the school outfit she wore before she was turned into a zombie. This outfit consists of a blue and white pleated dress, a matching blazer, a blue ribbon tied around her collar, and a pink and blue ribbon in her hair. While the default appearance of this figure recreates her human form, additional pieces allow the owner to swap out her face and limbs and turn her into a zombie as well. In addition, this set also includes accessories like the idol application she was set to turn in, as well as a papercraft version of the truck that cut her life short.
Manufacturer: Good Smile Company
Sculptor: Udono Kazuyoshi
Specifications: Painted, articulated, non-scale ABS & PVC figure with optional parts and stand
Height (Approx.): 100mm | 3.9"
Nendoroid Zombie Land Saga Junko Konno
This figure recreates the fourth member of Franchouchou, Junko Konno. Although it shares some similarities to Sakura's outfit in terms of color, the school uniform that Junko wears is much more similar to a pleated sailor dress. Like the Nendoroid figure of Sakura, this Nendoroid of Junko also allows its owner to switch between her human and zombie appearances. In addition, this figure also comes with a cluster of mushrooms that can be attached to her head.
Manufacturer: Good Smile Company
Sculptor: Design COCO
Specifications: Painted, articulated, non-scale ABS & PVC figure with optional parts and stand
Height (Approx.): 100mm | 3.9"
About Zombie Land Saga
Zombie Land Saga is an original anime series that was produced as a collaborative effort between anime studio MAPPA, Avex Pictures, and Cygames. The story of the series follows the zombie idol group, Franchouchou, and their attempts to revitalize Saga Prefecture by raising awareness.
About Zombie Land Saga: Story
The story of Zombie Land Saga begins with Sakura Minamoto, a young girl who aspires to become an idol. On her way to her audition, however, she is struck and killed by a vehicle. After coming to, she quickly finds that she is now a zombie. However, she is not alone and is joined by several other zombie girls as well. The man who brought them back to life is Kotaro Tatsumi, a boisterous and bombastic individual who strives to save Saga by resurrecting idol superstars from the past to create a superstar zombie idol group that is later named Franchouchou.
About Zombie Land Saga: Characters
Aside from the cheerful and hard-working protagonist, Sakura, Franchouchou consists of several other members. Characters from more recent years include the crude and rebellious former biker gang girl, Saki Nikaido, and the former lead singer of Iron Frill, Ai Mizuno. In addition, others like Junko Kanno and Yugiri both come from the Showa and Meiji periods respectively. Finally, the last two main members of Franchouchou are the performing child prodigy, Lily Hoshikawa, and the only zombie who has yet to fully regain consciousness, Tae Yamada. Each member is also managed by Kotaro Tatsumi, a mysterious, yet incredibly confident man who hand-selected each member of Franchouchou and managed to bring them back to life.
Zombie Land Saga Development
As an original anime production, the first season of Zombie Land Saga was the first instance of the series ever released and first aired in 2018. After the airing of the first season, the second season of the anime was later produced and aired in 2021. Since then, the series spread into other media like manga as well.
Zombie Land Saga Development: Production
Although the animation side of the production was largely handled by anime studio MAPPA, other companies like Avex Pictures helped with other aspects of production like music and audio. Both seasons of Zombie Land Saga were directed by Munehisa Sakai and composed by Yasuharu Takanashi. Aside from the main anime series, an official manga series based on the anime was illustrated by Megumu Soramichi and had a four-volume run that lasted from October 2018 to May 2021.
Zombie Land Saga Development: Reception
When the first episode of Zombie Land Saga first aired, many viewers discussed the series because of its rather unusual concept. Others also note the voice actor for Kotaro, Mamoru Miyano, as another particular highlight of the series, as Miyano is well known for playing eccentric and outspoken characters. Aside from the series itself, Zombie Land Saga is also credited with improving tourism and awareness of Saga Prefecture in real life as well, as attractions like the Abandoned Mansion featured in the anime had over triple the number of average visitors during the anime's original runtime. Eventually, other companies based in Saga would collaborate with Zombie Land Saga as well.
Links
Nendoroid Zombie Land Saga Sakura Minamoto
Nendoroid Zombie Land Saga Junko Konno
Sakura Minamoto Zombie Land Saga - Figures
Nendoroid Label
Zombie Land Saga Label
Good Smile Company Label