Last January 28, 2022, Netflix released its much-awaited school-zombie themed series, All of Us Are Dead. The hype for zombie-themed series is still high especially when Happiness just ended a month ago. Since I have been looking for dramas that are thrilling and exciting, I am excited to see this series.
About All Of Us Are Dead
All of Us Are Dead Netflix series is actually based on the famous webtoon created by Joo Dong Geun. It is a story about students trying to fight their way out of their school who rapidly got into a zombie virus outbreak.
Episodes: 12 episodes (around 1 hour each)
Casts:
Yoon Chanyoung as Lee Cheongsan
Cho Yihyun as Choi Namra
Park Solomon as Lee Suhyeok
Lee Yumi as Lee Nayeon
Lim Jaehyuk as Yang Daesu
Son Sangyeon as Jang Woojin
Yoo In Soo as Yoon Gwi Nam
Thoughts on All of Us are Dead
A lot of nerve-racking scenes
Of course, with a zombie-themed drama, it really should contain such scenes or else, what's the purpose of it, right? But what I like with these scenes is that the main casts don't just simply run or attack. They think of a plan before making a move. The scenes make me think that if I was in that same situation, what will I do? It's really fun that this series makes us viewers think also.
Casts
Although the casts in this series have less resemblance (visually) with the webtoon, I still find them effective. In terms of acting, I like Park Solomon's (Suhyeok), Lim Jaehyuk's (Daesu), and Yoo In Soo's (Gwi Nam) acting the most effective. They played their roles really well which makes me think that they are not acting.
Regarding the two female leads, Park Jihu (Onjo) and Cho Yihyun (Namra), they also did well but I was expecting for more. I don't know what's lacking but in some scenes I don't feel a connection with them.
Among all the female casts, she caught my attention the most. Aside from her bangs, I really love the way she played her role. After watching the series, I realized that she is one of Deok Im's friend in The Red Sleeve. From a sageuk role and to a badass character, she really nailed it.
Plot
Plot-wise, I don't think it's not that deep. The story just started with a father who has a son that was bullied and decided to create something that will make him fight the bullies. But it ended up turning his son, and eventually the whole place, into zombies. And it's just a story on how the students fight for their lives.
I was actually expecting more and I could say that I'm a bit disappointed with how it ended. I'm not sure if there'll be a season 2. Although honestly speaking, I don't think there's a need for it.
The series started with the bullies and it really showed how bullying impacts one life. While the breakout is happening, bullying still continue to exist especially during Nayeon's and Gyeongsu's quarrel scene.
The plot also showed the failure of the system. When the Science teacher, Lee Byeongchan, was being questioned the police/detective, we can see that these people first failed Lee Byeongchan which eventually led to him doing such virus. There are actually a lot of good lessons that you can get in this series. It's just that, it was squeezed or maybe they gave more focus on the chasing parts rather than the story itself.
Another thing that I somehow didn't like is, there are too many sacrifices. And because it's too many, I just don't get emotional with those sacrifices anymore. I don't know if it's just me but that's my thought.
Graphics
For a Netflix series, I'm a bit disappointed with the graphics. I don't know why but unlike other KDramas that I have watched, the computer graphics in this series is a bit off (well in some part). I wish they could have improved how the graphics look like. But I appreciate their effort.
Final Thoughts
Even though I have a lot of negative comments, I still enjoyed the series because of the thrill that it gave me. Also, one of the reasons why I continue to watch it is because of Park Solomon and Yoon Chanyoung bromance. lol. During the first parts, I really love their connection.
Will I recommend this series? If you're into thrilling series without paying too much attention on the story, well yes. This drama is really exciting. But if you're into the story, I think you should watch Happiness or Kingdom instead.
All of Us are Dead is now out on Netflix!