(THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Zombie Land Saga has yet again proven to us that an idol anime can be more than just the music and the dancing. It entails a perfect combination of an enjoyable story and an excellent ensemble of characters. This anime easily creates a compelling narrative that can get anyone hooked on it instantly. And the lovable characters always comfortably put a smile on my face, there's no doubt about that. Every episode contains a plethora of comedic moments, with something new and creative added in each time. This season has decided to take more of a serious edge on things in the story. And that is where Franchouchou's revenge comes into play.

STORY

Let's start from the beginning. Franchouchou's original mission was to save the Saga Prefecture as these zombie idols. After overcoming the difficulties generated by being from different eras in history, their undead zombie bodies allowed them to challenge all the limits of what a typical idol can achieve. But some things are inevitable and cannot be stopped. Everything seemed to be going fine and dandy for these seven idols until a devastating defeat led the girls scrambling for cash to pay off a crucial debt from the disastrous EFS concert.

Franchouchou was at the height of its glory, yet this one fatal mistake made by Kotaro turned everything upside down. Due to this concert being a failure, the group went into debt, and each member of Franchouchou (including Tae) had to get jobs to provide for themselves. Kotaro would sink into a deep depression because he couldn't stand the failure of the performance. Franchouchou would, later on, make a comeback after performing at a small event. After gaining some confidence, this is where these idols would start making their moves. But once Franchouchou's secret was unconcealed to one person, their plan for revenge wasn't going to go as smoothly as planned. With Saga on the verge of danger, Franchouchou would need to overcome any obstacles that stand in their way. Saga's curse will do everything in its power to stop Franchouchou.

The revenge element plays a huge role in this second season. I mean, it's literally in the title. In the first season, it was all about establishing the characters and getting introduced to each individual. But this season provided us more background information on what this whole project is and the mystery surrounding the plot. Witnessing Franchouchou exact their revenge for Saga is what we needed this season. We also get more character-driven stories throughout the show, all of them being impactful and remarkable in every way. These multiple elements made me want to see what was in store for this show. It's just that great of a season.

CHARACTERS

Since we already know who these characters are, I'll briefly summarize the essential episodes dedicated to them and give my thoughts. (Bolded if you don’t want summaries)

Kotaro Tatsumi - In this season, Kotaro plays a crucial role in the story. His decision to have Franchouchou perform at the EFS concert led to his depressed state, as he would frequently get drunk because of his careless mistake. He would consistently ignore Sakura whenever she would try to convince him to stop drinking. After his talk with Xu-Fu concerning the girls, he still did not want to give up on them. Time was running out as he needed to do something to save Saga itself. His passionate feelings towards the group gave Franchouchou a second chance. Kotaro properly apologized to the group after what had happened at the EFS concert that year. He was determined to get their revenge at the same concert by advertising campaigns to make sure it would succeed this time. To me, Kotaro completes Franchouchou. Without him, these girls would be distressed if he was not around. Doing their makeup, planning their performances, and giving them advice makes him a perfect manager for this idol group. No one could do an even better job than him.

Lily Hoshikawa - Her plan to accrue even more fame for the group would involve a national TV talent show. She would be competing against her main competitor, Light Oozara, who is also a child actor. Sakura finds out that Light has a plan to win over the audience. Lily is unaffected by this since she is an experienced actor with immense courage. As Light declares that he would not lose his fame when his youth fades, he also intends to have Lily out of the picture as part of the process. When it is his turn to perform in the finals, Lily is surprised to find out that he was singing the same song she was planning to execute. She would then quickly change up her costume and both the lyrics and the music on the fly. Although her efforts were efficient, Lily was still unable to defeat Light. She shows good sportsmanship by congratulating him, but Light feels like he was the one to be defeated. He thinks his skills are not on par with Lily, but she reassures him that he is a successful performer that should chase after his dreams. Lily has been a great addition to Franchouchou. Despite being so young, she acts like an adult with her professional aspects. Her mature nature demonstrates her ability to fit in with the group. ~~Lily's~~ Shrimpy’s iconic personality makes her a very memorable character throughout the series.

Yuugiri - The show saved her story for the second season, and they did not disappoint with this one. Her backstory goes way back to the year 1881, where she was a legendary courtesan. She meets a clumsy yet courageous person named Kiichi Momozaki. He talks about his vision for a free Saga, a Saga independent of Nagasaki, as he pursues this goal because of his grandfather. Yuugiri admires his dream, but Kiichi's friend, Shojiro Ito, utters that times have changed and that everyone should accept that Saga is gone permanently. Kiichi's grandfather is not doing well, but their plan to petition for the return to Saga moves apace. Kiichi manages to find some new comrades who are also willing to revive Saga, but this raises Yuugiri's suspicions. She later overhears the distrustful comrades discussing a more violent means of retaking Saga and would discuss this with Xu-Fu, the grandfather who isn't healthy. Xu-Fu makes a claim saying he is Saga itself and refused the medicine given by Yuugiri since it won't help. She forces him to take it as it presages Yuugiri's involvement in freeing the prefecture. Shojiro warns her about this revolution that Kiichi unwittingly stirred up, but Yuugiri trusts Kiichi's actions and is willing to assist him. She writes three letters, one to her allies in Nagasaki that will help Kiichi later on, another one to Kiichi himself on instructions to free Saga, and the last one to Xu-Fu to inform him about her actions. Shojiro would massacre the revolutionists, almost killing Kiichi in the process, but Yuugiri would eventually stop him. She would guide Kiichi away to Nagasaki with the letter, telling him to read it when he arrives. Yuugiri's and Shojiro's battle begins, with Shojiro collapsing in the end after being struck by her sword. As he lies dying, he admits that he wanted to see the Saga that Kiichi would save. After his death, Yuugiri takes all the blame for the failed revolution. It resulted in her execution by the military. Kiichi restores Saga, and Xu-Fu is healthy again. Now back to the present, she performs her song with Franchouchou and retires to a private bar. Xu-Fu runs this bar as they discuss the modern era. Yuugiri mentions that she intends to walk her path in Kiichi's new Saga. These episodes were just god-tier. What looked like an uninteresting character in season one became one of the most legendary characters in season two. I'm glad that she's a part of Franchouchou. Her motherly nature towards the girls and her ability to learn very quickly in the group makes her one of the best members. I love how she is particularly collaborative with the group. She doesn't ask any questions and complies with any instructions. She shows concern and acts maturely, as she is intelligent in analyzing every situation.

Junko Konno - After Ai lets Junko take over as a leader, she becomes worried that they weren't making any progress at all because of her. Junko feels useless belittling herself for not knowing how to guide the girls. She questions if Franchouchou would be able to leave a powerful impact on their performance. Sakura reassures her that everything would be fine and that blaming herself wasn't the right thing to do. After Ai and Sakura overheard the conversation between Ai and Shiori, she gets into an argument with Ai asking her if she prefers being in Iron Frill over Franchouchou. She then consults Kotaro about this dilemma but would then be told that she's admitting her worthlessness to the group. Kotaro encourages her to win Ai back by breaking everything in her path and would eventually do so. Junko's calm and collected traits assist Franchouchou, even though she tends to get shy sometimes. Throughout the series, she manages to feel more secure and lends her idol experience to the group. Her determination to get what she wants gives Franchouchou a path to success, and without her, Ai wouldn't be able to handle the group herself.

Ai Mizuno - In her episode, she warns Franchouchou not to become too confident in their abilities just because they were finding success in the radio show and the performances that they were consistently having. The other members would soon rely on Ai a lot more, as later on, Kotaro would realize that they were dependent on her way too much. He would then sign Ai up for multiple solo gigs as she would then task Junko with leading in her stead. Ai wouldn't be able to perform against Iron Frill because of this. The leader of Iron Frill, Shiori, approaches Ai and asks her to enlist into her group since she thinks Franchouchou isn't well suited for her. Ai and Junko would later get into an argument because of this matter. After Junko regains her confidence in herself, Franchouchou finally performs their show without Ai. After a successful first song, they would, later on, invite Ai to the stage where they would sing as a group this time. Both Ai and Junko would reject Shiori's offer afterward. Ai's determined personality as a former idol constantly grants Franchouchou the experience that they require. Her guidance and the skillset she possesses aid the group in becoming thriving idols. She is the most responsible member in Franchouchou, as she always plans out their training, teaches the basics of the idol business, and speaks the most on how they should approach their shared goal. Ai strives to be constructive but is very kind and supportive of each member.

Saki Nikaidou - She gets an episode that focuses on her connection with White Ryu and how he was her childhood idol back in the day. Kotaro announced that Franchouchou would be participating in a television program to reach a larger audience. They would be collaborating with White Ryu, as Saki is delighted to spend the whole day with her longtime idol. The day ends with White Ryu announcing that he would be discontinuing his radio show. He wanted to hand it over to Franchouchou instead of putting an end to it. Saki was deeply affected by this, as it was thanks to him that she didn't feel alone and lost in Saga. After saying their goodbyes, Saki confesses her feelings for him, but White Ryu reminds her to direct her passion towards those who are lost in Saga, not to him. After he tells her that they'll meet again once she becomes a fully grown woman, Saki realizes that she'll never be able to experience life as an adult since they're zombies that cannot age. Saki would break down into tears, as Sakura would try to comfort her, but would, later on, start crying with her too. Saki has been my favorite character since day one. Her transition from being a badass leader of a biker gang to becoming the leader of an idol group is astonishing. It was emotional to see this courageous and rebellious character crying. This scene undeniably broke my heart. Without Saki, Franchouchou wouldn't be the same. Her great appreciation towards the group is what makes her an outstanding leader.

Sakura Minamoto - She didn't have an episode dedicated to her, but Sakura was still an important character nonetheless. Sakura did her best to convince Kotaro to attend their concert while trying to make their comeback, but this would result in a minor argument. She has always looked up to him as Sakura wanted the old Kotaro back, the one that comforted her and the one that had promised her that he would never leave her. Kotaro would eventually show up and encourage the girls to keep singing for the displeased audience. Sakura was moved by his words, as the new song performed by Franchouchou would finally satisfy the audience. She thanks Kotaro for everything that he has done and for not giving up on Franchouchou. Sakura is a character that has been very unlucky from the beginning. From the constant struggles she faced, she finally managed to find her place within Franchouchou. Sakura is a resilient character that never gives up on her dreams. Even though she has a sweet personality, Sakura, in my opinion, is the strongest out of all of them.

Tae Yamada - If she's legendary, then her episode also deserves to be legendary. It starts with Yuugiri giving Tae the task to buy groceries. She would soon become followed by the investigative journalist Shinta Okoba. After stalking her for quite a while, we see at the grocery store Maria Amabuki, who fills Tae's order for her. She starts talking about her group dance performances and their intentions to become famous. After inviting Tae to a dance event Maria and her group were competing in, we see the chicken mascot Cocco-kun also participate in the event. Tae gets on stage last-minute to challenge the mascot and would become victorious. Tae earns the prize money and offers it to Maria, but she attempts to refuse it. We can see Officer Suenaga intervene as he takes everyone to a jet ski race so that they can spend the prize money on making bets. Tae bets on Maria Higashitsuru and wins tens of millions in yen, just enough to absolve them of their steep debts. Tae is just way too legendary. I honestly don't have anything else to say. (cough cough read Gaiden if you're interested in Tae's backstory)

Other characters like Maimai were also great. I was a little disappointed that she wasn't able to join the group. Being voiced by Kana Hanazawa just made me feel worse. It was nice seeing a potential Franchouchou member participate in one episode, though. I'm glad there's one person outside of Franchouchou that the girls can trust.

ART / MUSIC

There isn't much to say about the art. It's similar to the first season's art style, so it hasn't changed much. But of course, there are a few touches here and there that make it more visually appealing. I don't know how to explain it, but I found the colors/lighting to be more eye-catching here in comparison to the first season. The beautifully made art for the OP and ED was also welcoming. Everything looked great, but the CG animations for their performances were still okay. It generally doesn't affect the anime itself so no worries on that end. Some performances were better than I expected, so I'll give them props.

Now for the music. The anime does a fantastic job with the background music and the actual songs from Franchouchou. The sound design was great, and not to mention the character-dedicated music perfectly fits in with each member's personality, as this element also resonates deeply within the plot. Zombie Land Saga has never failed to provide us with the best music. I always find myself listening to the official soundtrack. Everything was flawless in this category, and that's what you would expect from an idol anime. Franchouchou has the ideal voices that a musical group would want. It's all thanks to these extraordinary seiyuus who put in all of their love for these characters.

CONCLUSION

I can't express how much I adore this series. From the well-established characters and story to the wonderfully produced music and art, it provides you with everything a fan of this series could ever want. We're already three years into Zombie Land Saga. Now that season two has ended, I find myself questioning what I should do with my life. If you're looking for answers just like me, I recommend checking out Zombie Land Saga Gaiden if you want more content, as previously mentioned.

Zombie Land Saga is a must-watch anime for non-idol fans, and I can't stress this enough. If you liked season one, then season two is something that you should consider watching. You won't regret it. Wouldn't you like to witness some zombie idols become legends?

Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide

I realized this was more of a summary, not a review. Oh well, here's Saki to make up for it.