Summary
- Zom 100 challenges capitalism and its negative effects on workers' psychological well-being, highlighting how patriarchal leadership exacerbates these issues.
- The series explores the intersection of capitalism and patriarchy, showing how patriarchal values like domination and objectification are upheld by both men and women in power.
- The show demonstrates the consequences of patriarchal systems through the character of Akira's boss, who exploits and belittles his subordinates, ultimately losing their trust and loyalty.
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead has proved itself to be a series with revolutionary themes. After the zombie apocalypse takes hold of the world, Akira Tendo's life is turned around in the best ways possible. It comes off as a blatant attack on unfettered capitalism and the consequences that it has on the psychological state of its workers.
However, the problems of Tendo's society pre-collapse were not solely economic: there were several other social issues at play which led to the average person living like a zombie. The patriarchy is one example and those that suffer thes for living under it. Zom 100 uses its narrative and characters to demonstrate how undeserved and unchecked patriarchal leadership roles can lead to toxic environments that are not supportive of anyone's well-being in a society.
What Are Patriarchies, And How Do They Apply to Zom 100?
Patriarchy is a loaded term, especially in today's political environment. It can have multiple uses and meanings, and they can all be true. In general though, the word's etymological roots comes from "patri," derived from the word paternal as in fatherly, and "archy", a term meaning rule or government. In that sense, patriarchies refer to any form of government ruled solely by male leaders, especially those put into place by means of descent through a bloodline. In general, most monarchies in the past were also patriarchies, though there were some exceptions in the case that a male wasn't born for a generation.
However, patriarchy as it is viewed today isn't always just about men or male leaders, but rather the values associated with pure male leadership and privilege. Values like domination over one's subjects, the objectification of the weak, and other such methods can all be considered patriarchal. In this way, patriarchy can be maintained and uplifted by women as well, as it is not as much about a specific individual as it is the value system and structures that are maintained to let certain individuals rule over others.
This is how patriarchy applies to capitalism, which is how it is showcased in Zom 100. Capitalist businesses give power to the owners and bosses, which they can then use to subjugate and even exploit workers – this was the case with Akira Tendo's old job. This relationship with his boss turned Tendo into a zombie who was not able to think or act for himself, and who could not pursue his own goals. Instead he was subjected to pursuing the goals of his employer. While working toward a higher goal can be valuable and important, when it comes at the expense of happiness or mental stability, the value in the system is broken. Not only does Tendo live out this problem himself, but multiple characters express a belief in the patriarchal ideal throughout Zom 100, and every time they are brought down and humbled by the zombie apocalypse to show how the masses have more power than individuals.
Akira Tendo's Boss Represents Everything Toxic About Patriarchies
Just when Akira Tendo finally seemed to psychologically break free from his old life thanks to the zombie apocalypse, he runs into his old boss Gonzou Kosugi on the road. Free Kencho is hurt in a motorcycle accident, Gonzou offers to care for his injuries in exchange for Akira working for him for a while. Importantly, the injuries that Kencho sustained were actually Akira's boss' fault to begin with because his people placed the spikes on the ground that caused the accident. This is a perfect example of how a toxic system can cause the problems, and then offer a solution to fix the problems it created.
Despite the injustice their agreement is built upon, Akira has no choice but to accept his boss' offer in order to help his friend, and thus Akira joins Gonzou's camp as a laborer. This worker-employer relationship sucks Akira right back into the hierarchical social structure that proved so harmful for him in the pre-apocalypse. As the archetypal patriarchic figure, Genzou exploits Akira even more than he did before.
Eventually, Shizuku is able to bring Akira back to his senses through a motivational speech, but not before she gets berated and ridiculed by Tendo's boss herself. In fact, Gonzou expresses his chauvinistic mentality by stating "honestly, this is why women are such trouble. They immediately go into hysterics and there's no use talking to them." Gonzou's treatment of Shizuku in general is a perfect example of the toxicity that absolute power can bring. He often makes lecherous remarks at Shizuku, even going so far as to express that he believes women are nothing more than tools for male pleasure. Notably, Gonzou's group is even dressed as a sports team – the ultimate symbol of competition.
The reason Tendo falls back into the pattern of listening to his boss to begin with is because of the illusion of safety and security that he claims to provide. This quickly gets called into question though when a mistake causes a zombie to find its way into Gonzou's camp. Gonzou would have died if it weren't for Akira, as the two get surrounding by a group of zombies with seemingly no escape other than to jump across a considerable distance. In true Zom 100 fashion, Tendo forces his boss to take the leap along with him, as it's a matter of life or death. This moment is so important because it shows Akira forcing his boss to do something for once, and his boss submitting to Akira's will as he has no other choice. It perfectly expresses how everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and thus authority shouldn't consistently go to one person because one individual can't be the most qualified at everything. In the end, it's shown that totalitarian leaders need the people more than the people need them, as his boss begs for everyone to come back and not to leave him, to which no one responds.
Shizuku's Father Is A Literal Patriarch
Modern patriarchies are not necessarily about male-led bloodlines as they were in the days of monarchies and kings. However, as Zom 100 points out, sometimes the more modernized form of capitalist patriarchies can combine with the older form, and this is the case with Shizuku's family life. The entire situation between Tendo and his boss in Episode 7 reminds Shizuku of her relationship with her father: a super rich capitalist that ruled his daughter's life with an iron fist. Shizuku remembers how her father wouldn’t allow her to be her true self, and that carried into her adult life up until Akira turned things all around for her.
Shizuku's father inadvertently made her into an overly serious shut-in who felt that she was better than everyone due to his personal philosophy of selfishness that rubbed off on his daughter over time. It's why she always felt that people did everything for their own benefit before, because that's how her father taught her as a child. This demonstrates how the ultimate source of patriarchal ideology is rooted in a belief that human beings are animalistic in nature and can't be trusted. This requires someone of supreme power to hold everyone accountable, and Shizuku inherited that perspective from her earliest days of youth.
Zom 100 Shows How Hardship Tests A Person's Ideals
In accepting his old boss' position of authority over him, Akira got dragged right back into the zombie-like state he was in before the apocalypse. This mirrors how people in the real world get dragged into terrible workplace situations due to the security and safety that it provides them. It's only Shizuku's willingness to stand up for herself that causes Akira to come to his senses. At that moment, just as his boss is about to physically stomp on his dreams via his bucket list, Akira protects it with his whole body – defending his dream with everything he has. In doing this, Akira achieves freedom while still practicing a level of self-restraint and non-violence that is antithetical to the Leviathan-like ruler his boss represents.
Through all this, Shizuku's monologue serves as an expression of the feminist perspective in both the literal and figurative senses. Obviously, she is woman sharing her point of view on the situation at hand. However, she also acts as a way of reminding Akira of why he felt so relieved after the zombie apocalypse upended the old, exploitative social order. In this way, it's not just the idea of being a male that is the issue with patriarchy in Zom 100, but rather the idea that one singular individual can rule any functional social construct with an iron fist. The feminist view here then is one of true freedom, where the patriarchal stance of a rigid singular leader is shown to be antithetical to free choice and expression. Patriarchal societies expect the individual to trade in their freedom under the guise of safety and security, working off the assumption that a person can't trust their fellow human being. However, as Akira tells Beatrix in Episode 8, "Fear is just an excuse not to act."
Zom 100 fully shows how the patriarchal power structure can get turned on it's head when Akira compels his boss to trust him after the zombies attack his boss' camp – teaching Gonzou the same lesson that Akira taught Shizuku in the aquarium two episodes prior: that there are good people out there who can be trusted to do what's right purely because they want to, and not for selfish reasons. Patriarchal societies presume human beings are beasts that need to be tamed through fear and force, but the feminist perspective that Akira introduced, and that Shizuku reminds him of, is one of true freedom rooted in trust and mutual respect, and devoid of fear.