'Zom 100' Should Be a Bigger Anime Hit, but Why Does It Keep Getting Delayed?

Amidst some hotly-anticipated returning shows like Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War and Jujutsu Kaisen, Zom 100 has been making a name for itself as an understated new hit for the Summer 2023 season. Adapted from the ongoing manga series by Haro Aso, the series follows Akira Tendo, a corporate office worker who falls into a deep depression from slaving away in a toxic work environment for three years. But after a zombie virus outbreak ravages Japan, he finds a new lease on life.

Upon realizing he no longer has to go to work amidst the zombie apocalypse and the downfall of human society, Akira begins to live life to the fullest with a newly discovered boundless optimism. He subsequently tries to rediscover his passions and cross things off of his bucket list while dodging hordes of the undead.

With stellar animation and a thoughtful and relatable narrative, Zom 100 should have become the next big thing. But why has this promising new series been plagued with so many delays?

The Zom 100 anime premiered on July 9, 2023 in Japan and was accompanied by a simulcast on Crunchyroll. While the series enjoyed a month of weekly releases with the first four episodes, delays sprang up almost immediately. On Aug. 6, a "special episode" of Zom 100 aired in place of Episode 5, which would come out a week afterward on Aug. 13. The special episode in question was not made available on Crunchyroll, which usually only happens for clip shows or specials that do not advance the plot.

The production team at Bug Films cited "production circumstances" as the cause for the delays, but the postponements wouldn't stop there.

Immediately after Episode 5 premiered, the series was hit with another delay for Episode 6, this time with no special to take its place. Initially, it was announced that the delay was caused by the broadcast of the 2023 World Athletics Championship in Japan, which took up the timeslot for Zom 100 at the time.

Unfortunately, delays are still to come. In an official statement, it was revealed that after Episode 7 airs on Sept. 3, a clip show will air the following week to recap the events of the first seven episodes. Episode 8 and 9 will come out on regular weekly airings on Sept. 17 and Sept. 24 respectively, but as of this writing, the air dates for episodes 10-12 are still TBD.

While reasons for the delays may differ between different episodes, they've raised concerns for fans over the state of Zom 100, which otherwise should have been a sleeper cell hit for the Summer 2023 anime season. Some folks on Twitter are optimistic, positing that the delays might be a sign of the studio allowing their animators to take breaks between episodes. On the other hand, some fans blame these constant delays for prospective fans losing interest in the series due to its inconsistent release schedule.

In a season conquered by the return of existing shows, Zom 100 could have really made a name for itself as a new and ambitious series. But with a wildly erratic release schedule, it's difficult to gauge how the series will fare going into the future.

Zom 100 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix. A live-action film adaptation is also available exclusively on Netflix.