English Dub Review: Zombie Land Saga Revenge “The SAGA of How These Zombies Will Get Their Revenge”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Their last major performance in March 2019 almost spelled the end of Franchouchou. They failed to sell out the venue, indeed it was pitifully unattended. It ended their hot streak and almost broke them apart, but the girls recovered and decided to take things into their own hands and get jobs to pay off the debt.

Now a year later, Koutarou has booked another giant venue. The members are nervous about pulling it off—especially Ai, since it was where she first died 10 years ago. But Koutarou vows that things will be different this time and Franchouchou will work hard to make it happen… as long as power gets restored.

Our Take:

The SAGA of How These Zombies Will Get Their Revenge is focused on the girls overcoming the shadow of disaster and retake their momentum in order to become the idols they know they can be as they restore Saga and fulfill Koutarou’s grand schemes. The last two episodes of Zombie Land Saga Revenge have been some of my least favorite outings the show has done, but this week we finally put that era behind us and move on to the present again. (Or, at least for some of the episode.)

The SAGA of How These Zombies Will Get Their Revenge almost feels like it was meant to be the season premiere, as it flashes back in time to show how Franchouchou recovered in the immediate aftermath of their epic concert failure. The first half of it definitely feels like it would’ve made for a good season two opener, as it shows the members of Franchouchou turning a corner and deciding to rely less on their manager and more on their own skillsets. It’s strange to address these things now, since we already got a bit of this background in the actual S2 premiere. I think a bit of retooling would’ve made for a much tighter overarching theme for the season.

In the latter parts of the episode, things get a little crazier as we follow Koutarou on his exploits, including the drunken binges he’s so well known for at this point. It’s rare for the rabble-rousing manager to show much of his own true feelings, but he does get to clear the air a bit, addressing the members of Franchouchou from his heart and telling them that he knows he messed up last year, but that this time around things will be different. It’s true the girls have learned a lot since then, and are stronger for it, but I’m still thinking it’s going to be a tough race to the finish line — especially where Ai is concerned. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a mid-concert breakdown, but hopefully the weather that night doesn’t call for thunder.

Speaking of weather, it turns out that not all is smooth sailing in Saga. The episode casually drops the knowledge that the girls were perhaps revived by an immortal old bartender who was alive in Yugiri’s time — as well as the fact that there’s some sort of terrible curse that they’re supposed to somehow stop from coming to pass. I think I like the show better when it’s more fun and doesn’t feel the need to explain where these zombies came from, but we’ll see how well this plot point gets executed in the next few episodes.

There’s also the continued threats of that nosy reporter hanging around. He and Koutarou have a confrontation that doesn’t really end well for either of them. There’s been plenty of trials and tribulations for Franchouchou this season, but it definitely feels like that was just the tip of the iceberg and the real test is just beginning. With only a handful of episodes left before this season comes to a close, Zombie Land Saga Revenge is upping the ante, and I’m a little afraid of what’s going to happen.