Volume 4 of Zom 100 feels like it’s the beginning of a really big story arc in the series. It’s the first volume so far to end on a proper cliff-hanger and we also finally get to see Akira’s parents. That’s been an aim of the story for a while now, Akira leaving Tokyo and going back to his hometown to find his parents.

Unlike the third volume, this isn’t one continuous story. The first 3 chapters are all self-contained stories that are essentially Akira finding ways to avoid going to see his parents, out of nervousness. He hasn’t seen them in three years and feels that he lost his way in life with his dead-end job. If you take out the zombie apocalypse this manga is incredibly relatable. I think everyone’s been nervous about seeing family at some point or another due to how long it’s been.

There is a new character introduced this time around, Beatrix Amerhauser, a tourist from Germany who arrived in Tokyo the moment the pandemic (which is what they call the apocalypse throughout this volume) started. So far she’s a good addition to the crew, and I’m sure she will be more fleshed out in the next few volumes. Beatrix is obsessed with Japan and its culture, knowing more about its history than the other characters.

Zom 100 has been consistently funny since the first chapter. and has somehow been able to keep that up while also sticking to the zombie theme. It gets very dark in places, but always brings it back around. Volume 4 isn’t as strong as the third one, but it’s clearly leading to something very big in volume 5, which I can’t wait to find out.

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