Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 12: Eternal and Unstoppable

Quick Summary of Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 12

In Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 12, “The Greatest SAGA in History,” Franchouchou faces the reality of trying to put on a show in a disaster-stricken Saga. First, Koutarou has to convince the Governor to prioritize infrastructure in the area around the arena. Second, Franchouchou has to practice so they have a show to put on. Third, they have to get from the shelter to the arena! And those are only the start of their problems. Do they have any hope at all of pulling this off? And what happens to Saga if they can’t?

Welcome to Our Review of Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 12

Welcome to our collaboration review of Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 12! Irina from I Drink and Watch Anime and I have teamed up to give you our reactions to the series whose dancing zombie count is only surpassed by Thriller — and that video had to use fake zombies!

We’re riding a rather unusual temperature roller coaster, even for Ohio. Got so chilly last night I almost had to close the windows. But today, I had to air the car out to keep from spontaneously combusting when I drove to the gas station! Irina, how’s the weather in your part of Canada?

It’s decent. We’ve been sticking to temps between 15 and 18C or for you that would be 59 to 65. So it’s hot but completely bearable. Even pleasant.

I think I should warn your readers right now, Crow was all excited to hear my thoughts on Twitter and I told him I have very few. I liked the episode a lot but a substantial part of the air time was a performance and I just don’t have anything to say about it, and I’m still confused about the two most interesting scenes in the episode.

Opening Thoughts on Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 12

Speaking of the Ohio temperature roller coaster, did this episode put us through an emotional roller coaster, or what? I’m still trying to process that last scene… Before we get started, do you have any opening thoughts, Irina?

I immediately tried to Google it but I got nothing substantial. I’M going to go back to my search after though. Cause I need to figure out what happened.

Review of Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 12

Koutarou Earned His Keep!

There are four aspects of this episode that I’d like to talk about. Irina, if I miss something that you’d like to bring up, please jump in whenever! The first part of the episode drove home how important this concert would be, both for Saga and for Franchoucou. Not only that, but this section showed us what Franchouchou needed to overcome to achieve their revenge. Talk about a steep hill! Second, the episode dramatized the results of their efforts. Third, Koutarou gave us a Screaming Manager Moment, until he didn’t — and he gave us something to think about. Finally, in the episode’s closing moments, the show posed a question. Trying to decipher that question might take a little effort!

The show started out with Koutarou doing his part. With two police officers trying to restrain him, he burst into the Governor’s meeting to coordinate Saga’s disaster response. Koutarou effectively begged him to prioritize repairing the infrastructure around the stadium. It surprised me that the man responded positively after he heard “Franchouchou.” Maybe he was a fan, or maybe he saw Koutarou’s sincerity when he said “I swear, this concert will help Saga!”

You can’t say Koutarou didn’t put in an effort this season! The guy’s dragging two police officers with him! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Franchouchou, too, did their part. First, remember: they’re staying in a shelter. They had to take a bath in a drum, and I’m not sure it was even heated! Despite the hardship, though, they remained upbeat. They drew energy from the mini-concerts they gave the others in the shelter, especially from the kids’ smiles. 

Zombies on the Air in Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 12

There was also a quick scene where they walked to the radio station where they’d inherited the show from White Ryu back in episode 2. Saki basically poured her heart out about why they wanted to perform for everyone. Whenever she talks about deep stuff, she gets all halting and hesitant. We got quick shots of Maimai and her friends, our death metal fans (still in their usual outfits!), and others. Their reactions showed Saki’s words hit home — in spite of sitting in the dark without electricity, they smiled at her sincerity.

Irina, wasn’t that a nice moment?

Saki spoke from her heart. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Yes it was. I always like seeing Koutarou act as a real manager and he’s been on his game lately. I’m not sure how long he waited to get rescued, it seemed like he was hanging on to that bar for dear life for quite a while. Days even. And then he immediately started literally running all around town and he’s been hard at work since then. Poor guy could probably use a weekend. Might explain the first what the heck is that scenes. 

And you know how expert speech writers will put in pauses and misspell words so that politicians and celebrities can sound more relatable and endearing because it seems like they are looking for their words. Well, Saki has that type of naive charm all natural. It was really cute to hear her speak and see everyone react.

Franchouchou on the Road

Then it came time for Franchouchou to travel to the stadium. I’m not sure how far away they were, but they had one heck of a long trek on foot. They walked through streets partially clogged with debris. They had to make detours. All of the street lights were dark; fallen trees blocked rail lines. Have you ever used Google Street View to walk through a Fukishimi city like Namie? It had the same vibe. 

Zombie Land Saga can go really bleak when it wants to. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

But even though it started raining, they soldiered on. When they arrived at the stadium, it looked like it was intact. However, downed trees and crumbled asphalt littered the parking lot. They made their way to the stage and looked out over the audience. Though it was the day of the concert, they did not see a single person. 

That moment had to be heart-breaking. After all of their efforts, it looked like people just couldn’t make it to the stadium. No one in Franchouchou could blame them. Despite that, they looked crushed. Sakura tried to cheer them up, but she sounded more defiant than hopeful when she said they would succeed “Even if god tries to stop us! Or the devil!” 

What’d you think of the situation at this point, Irina?

OK, I’m going to cheat. At that point while I was watching it, I thought, it’s gonna be fine, the place is going to be packed, and then I teared up when people started showing up because I’m a simple soul.

But what I thought when I was looking through my screencaps all the way to this point of the episode is: boy there sure are a lot of shots of the girls looking up. For instance at the clock in the stadium, At the sky while travelling, sometimes I wasn’t even quite sure at what. But there were repeated and consistent shots of all the girls standing and looking up with the camera fairly high overhead. Too many for it to be a coincidence.

I wonder what that foreshadows? 

If You Build It…

I don’t like deus ex machina events. I don’t like unearned miracles. That’s why I loved what happened next. People who had formed bonds with Franchouchou started to trickle in. The first two to show up were our old heavy metal friends, who were among their first fans from all the way back to season 1 episode 1. Others literally marched in, like Maimai who led an army of fans. Wow, she really looked motivated! Lily’s dad showed up to help clear debris away from the doors — barehanded! Dude didn’t need any heavy equipment — he was heavy equipment!

Maimai was serious about making it to the concert! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Over the next few minutes, the episode treated us to scenes of the television crew covering the event. They’d been impressed with the impact Franchouchou had on their shelter, and they’d helped promote the event. Others outside of Saga pushed the event on social media. The bottom line? By show time, the stadium wasn’t just full. It was packed. As in, standing room only.

I have only been to a handful of concerts, but when Franchouchou began their opening piece, the excitement felt real. Maybe it’s because I feel so invested in these characters. Maybe it was how energetically the camera shows us their act and the crowd’s reaction. Or maybe it was the sounds from the crowd, because that transported me into the scene. Most likely, it was all of the above. 

They wore simple white dresses that reminded me of wedding gowns. They wore elegant, off-center hair brooches. I wish I knew more about choreography, because that would have given me the vocabulary to describe what I saw. It felt like the animators became more and more confident as the seasons wore on, because from just a perspective of shot choice and dance movements, this felt like a real concert.

The Audience Responded to Franchouchou’s Passion

Their second number, Kagayaite, was the perfect follow up. That song showcases each member’s vocal range, and their performance was just lovely.

I would be completely remiss (and Irina would likely take me to task) if I didn’t mention Tae’s excellent — dare I say LEGENDARY? — vocal solo. She even got the audience to sing back to her! I felt the psychological damage of two decades melt away when I saw the enormous smile on her face.

Tae certainly enjoyed herself! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Irina, what’d you think of the concert?

Like I mentioned, I don’t have much to say about the concert itself. It was lovely enough. Personally, it wasn’t my favourite performance of the season, not sure if it’s in the top 5 to be honest. I found it kind of forgettable. These weren’t my favourite songs, CG choreography remains uncanny and I wasn’t a big fan of those costumes. The silhouette was off and I hate the purity trope in idol culture. It has done so much damage. And I think the Tae bit went on just a bit too long. Sorry Crow. All in all, the performance was fine. If I had been there I probably would have been psyched. 

It’s sort of how you have to end the show, and how you have to end most idol shows I guess. At least most of the ones I have seen. Zombie Land paid tribute to its genre. I like that. Had it been any other show, I probably would have skipped the performance to be honest but it felt wrong after all the effort the girls put in.

Koutarou’s Unexpected Show of Emotion

As the audience chanted requests for an encore, Koutarou barged into the green room. I could see he felt emotional, but he started the same tirade he had back in season 1, episode 12. Except this time, Saki, Sakura, and the rest told him what he had told them — they had only just started to save Saga, and they had a lot more work to do.

Koutarou didn’t just tear up. The dude collapsed on the floor and balled his eyes out, he was so overcome. I’m not talking manly tears here — I’m talking ugly crying. Everything he’d been trying to hold back, all of the fear and frustration and despair, just flooded out. And you know what? I think they got it. They didn’t tease him about it. 

Franchouchou obviously didn’t expect Koutarou’s reaction! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

I’m feeling pretty good about the scene at this point. They ran out to perform their encore, and Koutarou finally hauled himself up off the floor. But there were spots of blood there. Like, from him. 

What do you think’s up with that, Irina?

I don’t know. That’s my first “what the” moment. I’m pretty sure it’s from him, he would have freaked out otherwise. And I’m not sure the girls can bleed anyways. He might have been more seriously injured in the flood. It’s not unreasonable. He’s been acting a bit off for a few episodes. 

I’m worried about Koutarou, and I noticed that only 20 seconds remained in the episode. I wondered what could possibly happen next. The show had delivered on everything it had promised, while also dropping a few hints about what was to come. We see the sun rising — a new day is a hopeful sign, right?

What Just Happened?

Until a shadow hits the ground. I’ve seen a shadow like that before. It was circular, or would be if the camera would pull back farther. Even as I realized what it reminded me of, we see the circular edge of a mammoth starship, just a few hundred meters above the ground. Think Independence Day. 

So this happened… Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

It fired its main weapon, and what looked like hundreds of kilometers of Saga vanished in white light.

Irina, what the hell do you think that was?

Well that. That’s all I can really think of. I don’t see what else it could be. And I’m sort of still baffled. If that’s just the end of the series, I don’t hate it. It takes guts. But if there’s another season to come, then I have no clue what to make of it.

Closing Thoughts on Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 12

Any closing thoughts (now that aliens are apparently invading)?

It was a great season. I had a lot of fun reviewing it as usual. Thanks for the hospitality. I hope you enjoyed yourself as well. I guess I’ll sleep on it for a bit and see if I can get my thoughts into enough shape to write a theory about everything. 

Until this week, My Anime List showed this season as 13 episodes. Now, it shows 12. I checked it just last night! Unless I’m getting it confused with Fruits Basket… So I’m even more “what the what-ed” about this!

Thanks for reviewing this season with me! I’m glad you were able to make time in your schedule. It would not have been the same without your input!

Other Posts about Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 12

Other Anime Sites

• Zombieland Saga Revenge – Episode 12 discussion
• RABUJOI: Zombieland Saga: Revenge – 12 (Fin) – Not Leaving It Up to God
• Random Curiosity: Zombie Land Saga Revenge – 12 (END)

This Collaboration (I Drink and Watch Anime and Crow’s World of Anime!)

• Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 1: Good Morning Returns SAGA
• Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 2: The SAGA of an Almost-Broken Radio
• Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 3: The Acoustic SAGA of Love and Youth
• Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 4: Pure-Hearted Electric SAGA
• Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 5: Little Bodda Bope SAGA
• Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 6: Walking Bet SAGA
• Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 7: Maimai Revolution SAGA
• Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 8: The Saga Incident, Part I
• Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 9: The Saga Incident, Part II
• Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 10: The SAGA of How These Zombies Will Get Their Revenge
• Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 11: All It Takes Is For You To Be There SAGA
• Zombie Land Saga Revenge Episode 12: The Greatest SAGA in History