Kara Dennison
October 18, 2021 
ZOMBIE LAND SAGA is at it again, kids. When the adorable MAPPA/CyGames/Avex series isn’t bringing those tourism yen to Saga Prefecture, it’s confusing the heck out of us. And we don’t mean story-wise. (Well, yes, the story gets absolutely buckwild. But that’s not what we’re talking about today.)
Like a truck running into a hopeful idol, the show has a tradition of smacking into us from left field and throwing us for a loop. Case in point, these three times when we had (or have) no idea what the heck is going on. If you’re not caught up to season 2, by the way, you’ll want to be before you read on.
Pre-Premiere: What It Even Was
ZOMBIE LAND SAGA got the full Cloverfield treatment before it premiered. We had a few words, a few pictures, and the names of collaborating studios. Oh, and videos of Mamoru Miyano as his character from the series, Kotaro Tatsumi. Which made things even more confusing. Had he gone full method, or was he finally fully becoming an anime character? (Two seasons in, we’re still not entirely sure.)
The secrecy paid off, though. We had a few clues to go on eventually. But “a media mix project about zombie girls rejuvenating Saga Prefecture, while also bringing tourism to Saga Prefecture for real” was probably not on anyone’s betting card. And that first episode hit us like a… shoot, we already used up that metaphor. You understand.
The End of Season 2: Aliens?
ZOMBIE LAND SAGA REVENGE answered a lot of questions, and raised even more. We learned a weirdly legit reason for forming a zombie idol group. We found out about the curse plaguing Saga. We’re even starting to find out a little more about Kotaro. And then, boom. Aliens blow everything up. Or do they?
This could be the beginning of a battle against otherworldly enemies. Maybe we’ll even see that kaiju battle from the season 1 opening. Or (another popular theory) it could be a bait and switch, and it’s just the girls watching a movie. Either way, it’s left us in the dark (and a little freaked out) until the next installment.
A Live-Action Movie Trailer
Okay.
So we know there’s going to be a ZOMBIE LAND SAGA film. And the first trailer for it is — this. This live-action short film starting Saga-based talent Hakuryuu and Kunio Murai mentions “revenge” quite a lot. And shows Murai’s character getting zombified. And, we couldn’t help but notice, Hakuryuu showed up in season 2 as White Ryu, a character based on himself. Though that may just be because he’s a notable figure in Saga’s entertainment scene.
So what is this all about? Is it connected to the film at all? Is MAPPA just having a bit of fun again? At this point we’re just hanging on and waiting to see what comes next.
Keep your eyes peeled for more ZOMBIE LAND SAGA movie news!
