High School of the Dead - Blu-Ray & DVD

On an ordinary morning at Fujimi High School, a man appears at the school gate — staggering, clearly wrong in some fundamental way — and attacks a teacher who goes out to meet him. Within hours, the school is overrun. Takashi Komuro and his childhood friend Rei Miyamoto fight their way out alongside a small group of survivors: the kendo prodigy Saeko Busujima, whose calm in combat masks something more complicated; Saya Takagi, whose genius is matched only by her personality; Hirano Kohta, an otaku with an encyclopedic knowledge of firearms that becomes immediately relevant; and the school nurse Shizuka Marikawa, who is not particularly useful in a fight but drives well enough. Together they push through the city trying to find their families and some explanation for what is happening — a search that produces answers nobody is prepared for.

High School of the Dead is a 12-episode zombie survival series produced by Madhouse — the studio behind Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, Claymore, Paprika, and Texhnolyze — directed by Tetsuro Araki — who also directed Death Note and Attack on Titan — and based on Daisuke Sato's manga illustrated by Shouji Sato, serialized in Monthly Dragon Age under Fujimi Shobo.

The Drifters of the Dead OVA — a 25-minute beach episode also directed by Araki — was released in Japan in January 2011 and is included in this set. The manga was left unfinished following Daisuke Sato's death in March 2017.

Sentai Filmworks released the Collector's Edition on November 4, 2014 — a heavy chipboard box housing a digipak with 3 DVD + 2 Blu-ray discs, plus a special illustration/short novel book, bandana, parking sticker, and 4 postcards. The series is presented uncensored. 

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Tetsuro Araki (Death Note, Attack on Titan)
Original Manga: Daisuke Sato (story) & Shouji Sato (art) — serialized in Monthly Dragon Age, Fujimi Shobo; English license: Yen Press
Studio: Madhouse
Music: Tasuku Ishida
Opening Theme: "highschool of the dead" by Kishida Kyodan & The Akeboshi Rockets
Ending Theme: "Don't Look at Me with Those Eyes" by Maon Kurosaki

Japanese Cast:
• Junichi Suwabe as Takashi Komuro
• Marina Inoue as Rei Miyamoto
• Eri Kitamura as Saya Takagi
• Miyuki Sawashiro as Saeko Busujima
• Nobuyuki Hiyama as Kohta Hirano
• Yukari Fukui as Shizuka Marikawa
• Ayana Taketatsu as Alice Maresato

English Dub Cast (Sentai Filmworks — ADR Director: Steven Foster):
• Leraldo Anzaldua as Takashi Komuro
• Jessica Boone as Rei Miyamoto
• Maggie Flecknoe as Saya Takagi
• Allison Sumrall as Saeko Busujima
• Mark X. Laskowski as Kohta Hirano
• Shelley Calene-Black as Shizuka Marikawa

Blu-ray / DVD Features (Sentai Filmworks Collector's Edition, November 4, 2014)

• All 12 Episodes + Drifters of the Dead OVA — 315 Minutes
• 3 DVD Discs + 2 Blu-ray Discs in digipak — uncensored
• Heavy Chipboard Box packaging
• Special Illustration & Short Novel Book
• Bandana
• Parking Sticker
• 4 Postcards
• Clean Opening & Closing Animations
• DTS-HD MA: English 5.1 / Japanese 2.0

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: 学園黙示録 HIGHSCHOOL OF THE DEAD (Gakuen Mokushiroku / Apocalyptic Academy: Highschool of the Dead)
Original Japanese Broadcast: 2010 (July 5 - September 20, Chiba TV / Tokyo MX)
Runtime: 315 Minutes (12 Episodes + Drifters of the Dead OVA, 5 Discs)
Director: Tetsuro Araki
Blu-ray + DVD Release Year: 2014 (U.S. Collector's Edition, November 4 — Sentai Filmworks); standard complete collection also available
Publisher: Sentai Filmworks
Rating: 17+
Region: Region A / Region 1 (North America)
Note: Manga left unfinished following author Daisuke Sato's death in March 2017. Presented uncensored. Collector's Edition includes special book, bandana, parking sticker, and 4 postcards not included in standard release.
Genre: Action, Horror
Themes: Zombies, Apocalypse, High School, Fanservice, Tetsuro Araki Direction

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.

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