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High School of the Dead Episode 10 Review – Quick Summary
In High School of the Dead Episode 10, “The Dead’s House rules,” Saeko Busujima, Takashi Komuro, Saya Takagi, and their friends are finally safe in Saya’s palatial home. At least, they’re safe from the zombies. There’s general agreement among the staff that Takashi and friends are “kids.” Saeko suggested they not take offense, which was sound advice. That is, until several of the staff cornered Kouta Hirano and tried to take away his weapons, saying such rifles weren’t for kids. How will Takashi and Saya react? And what will Souichiro Takagi, Saya’s father and lord of the manor, do when he discovers the conflict?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from High School of the Dead Episode 10
I have a lot of respect for people who see things clearly, then act on that vision. Capture from the HIDIVE stream.
Did Souichiro Takagi have a powerful presence or what? When he and his crew returned from a rescue mission, he didn’t so much step out of the vehicle. He landed and surveyed his domain. All of his staff and retainers bowed to him. Only his wife remained upright.
And I’m so bummed with the dub at this point — it omitted Saya’s running commentary, which included her dad’s titles! Well, it’s still a good dub, but come on! Titles are part of the mystique!
Anyway. They had brought back Tetsutarou Doi, Souichiro Takagi’s best friend. A zombie had bitten him, so he had turned. Souichiro had not brought him back to make a show. No, he brought him back for two important reasons, one stated, one implied. The stated reason was my favorite quote.
“As a man of the Takagi family, I shall fulfill our obligation to our retainer!” Souichiro said (12:35). In this regard, the dub matched the sub. Souichiro would not allow his friend to “live” as a zombie. To pay respect to their friendship, Souichiro himself, with his own sword, put the zombie down.
The implied reason? To show everyone in the compound that zombies were real. The danger was real.
It’s no wonder those around him respect him.
Best in Show Moment for High School of the Dead Episode 10
Saya declared her independence because she had earned it. Capture from the HIDIVE stream.
Setup: Kouta’s Growing Angst Sets Up the Confrontation
For an ecchi zombie series, I’m finding a lot to like about his High School of the Dead portrays its characters. In this episode for example, we got a hint early on that all was not well in the Takagi household. Saya had a fight with her mother, Yuriko Takagi. Saya stormed off and didn’t even want to talk to Takashi. But Yuriko asked Takashi if he would help her talk to her daughter. On one hand, that was a huge statement of trust in Takashi. On the other hand, it did Takashi no favors by putting him in a terribly awkward position.
When Takashi walked down the stairs and tried to help two men carry a heavy box, he discovered another problem. Despite everything they’d been through, which included orchestrating a complex and dangerous rescue operation, the two adults struggling with the box told Takashi they were doing adult’s work. He should just relax.
After all he had been through, Takashi seemed more surprised than angry that the adults considered him a child. Capture from the HIDIVE stream.
Saeko laughed it off because their condescending attitude meant nothing to her. But Takashi felt worried. He was right to. All of them were trying to come to terms with what they’d just been through, but that effort seemed hardest on Kouta. Saeko had always been a badass. Takashi had always been able to take care of himself, and Saya had always been a genius. But Kouta had only become powerful enough to protect others after the zombie outbreak. He had protected Saya in the school. He protected Takashi during Alice’s rescue operation. The very normalcy they all enjoyed as a respite was for Kouta a potential return to his weaker self.
It didn’t help that the Takagi household’s mechanic, Matsudo, told Kouta he shouldn’t play with guns. Kouta wasn’t playing. The shotgun had seen a lot of use, and Kouta had torn it down to clean it.
But then things got worse.
Delivery: Saya’s Declaration
Kouta Refined the Context
To put this moment in perspective, we also need to understand that Saya had also struggled to process what she’d been through. I think her intelligence worked against her, because she could see too many possibilities and couldn’t choose between them. She thought her parents were overprotective, and she thought they’d left her to die during the zombie outbreak. She argued ceaselessly with her mother and she adored her mother.
During the zombie outbreak, she’d also come into her own. She wasn’t just some brainy student. Her intellect and courage helped all of them survive. And now, here she was, back in her home, with her mother treating her as if she’d come home late from school. That’s overly simplifying it, but it should give you an idea.
Saya struggled to put everything into perspective. Capture from the HIDIVE stream.
Kouta had watched as Takashi used his particular brand of “grab the woman in a hash fashion” to help Saya calm down from her hysterics (seriously, the dude needs to learn some respect!). Kouta did not like what he saw. He didn’t like it when Souichiro Takagi killed his retainer who had become a zombie. Though he phrased it as if he didn’t respect swords, his outburst that led to him running away from his friends was all about feeling powerless. He had never wanted to feel that way again. Yet, here it was.
Saya Declares Her Allegiance
That setup the scene where several of the household staff surrounded Kouta and demanded he give up his guns. He refused, and things were about to get violent when Takashi showed up. Within moments, Saeko, Rei, Saya, and the rest had joined them. So had Souichiro. In his powerful voice, he basically demanded to know why Kouta protected those weapons.
In a way, Saya followed in her father’s footsteps. She had his courage, and she had surrounded herself with capable people she trusted. Capture from the HIDIVE stream.
Saya stood up for her friend. No doubt remembering situations like Kouta protecting her with an air-powered nail gun back in episode 2, in a single statement, she defended her friend and declared her own independence.
“He’s been the one protecting me!” she said to her father (20:49). “Not you!”
Standing up to a man as powerful as her father took guts. But maybe driving a drill into a zombie’s face had helped her realize her father was quite a bit less frightening than she had thought!
What did you think of our heroes realizing they were at a crossroads? What were your favorite parts of the episode? Let me know in the comments!
High School of the Dead Episode 10: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- My Anime List: Highschool of the Dead Episode 10 Discussion (Login Required)
- Random Curiosity: HIGHSCHOOL OF THE DEAD – 10
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- High School of the Dead Episode 1: Spring of the Dead
- High School of the Dead Episode 2: Escape from the Dead
- High School of the Dead Episode 3: Democracy under the Dead
- High School of the Dead Episode 4: Running in the Dead
- High School of the Dead Episode 5: Streets of the Dead
- High School of the Dead Episode 6: In the DEAD of the Night
- High School of the Dead Episode 7: Dead Night and the Dead Ruck
- High School of the Dead Episode 8: The Dead Way Home
- High School of the Dead Episode 9: The Sword and the Dead
- High School of the Dead Episode 10: The Dead’s House Rules
- High School of the Dead Episode 11: Dead Storm Rising
- High School of the Dead Episode 12: All Dead’s Attack
