The first of my 2012 Spring anime season reviews is the second season of 2011's Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? (Is this a Zombie?), now with an added "Of the Dead" tagline. The series ran for a total of ten episodes (two less than the previous season) between April and June, with an one prequel OVA and another due in the near future. Ayumu Aikawa has settled into his turned-upside-down life as a zombie, sharing a home with genius magiclad girl Haruna, necromancer Eucliwood and vampire ninja Seraphim. However his life still has its stresses, and Ayumu takes solace one day in confiding in a drunken girl he finds snooping through his school's nurse office one day. When a Megalo attacks the school, Ayumu is forced to reprise his role as a cross-dressing magiclad girl, but when his magical chainsaw weapon (and source of his power) Mystelltain breaks in the fight, Ayumu's identity is revealed to his horrified and disgusted classmates - and with Mystelltain broken, Ayumu i...

Released in 2011, Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? is a 12 episode (plus one OVA) television series based on a series of light novels of the same name. Ayumu Aikawa is a zombie brought back to life by a necromancer named Eucliwood Hellscythe after he is brutally murdered by a serial killer. As he continues his day to day life as zombie he meets a magical girl named Haruna, who battles against surreal animal creatures called Megalos. Unfortunately, Ayumu inadvertently steals Haruna's powers, meaning that he has to become a magical girl in her place to fight the Megalos. Not much later he also crosses pathes with a vampire-ninja named Seraphim. With Eucliwood (Eu), Haruna and Seraphim all now living under his roof, Ayumu battles monsters while trying to solve the mystery behind his death. As far as surreal anime comedies go, Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? couldn't have a better opening. Zombies, chainsaw-wielding magical girls and a giant talking lobster - need I say more? But once the hil...