'Love You As The World Ends' review: A zombie serial best consumed in small bites

'Right, I think I'd rather have the kid on my back now.' Photos: Handout

So there's this occasionally thrilling, frequently infuriating series streaming right now about young(ish) people caught in a zombie apocalypse.

It has gore, a mad scientist, archery students, peril at every turn, heartwarming moments of undying and unrequited love, incredible coincidences, untrustworthy authority figures, and a primary character who tries to see the good in everyone.

But no, it's not All Of Us Are Dead.

Instead, we offer for your consideration Love You As The World Ends (is it just me or does that sound like a Nick Cave song?), a Japanese TV series containing all of the above and which actually came out about a year before Netflix's other Asian zombie sensation.

This 16-episode serial – apparently the 10-episode first season and six-part second season packaged together – centres on a simple premise: car mechanic Hibiki (Ryoma Takeuchi) wants to get home to his girlfriend Kurumi (Ayami Nakajo) so he can propose.

'Some advice, kid... don't get too attached to any person on a zombie show. What I really mean is, get someone else to give you piggyback rides.'

Not so fast there, Romeo. On the big day, Hibiki gets trapped in a tunnel on the way to work. With no help forthcoming, he digs his way free on his own and emerges several days later in a vastly different world from the one he left.

Hooking up with other survivors, including old frenemy policeman Todoroki (Show Kasamatsu) and Korean youth Min-jun (Kim Jae-hyun of rap rock group N.Flying, who should become an immediate fan favourite), Hibiki sets out to look for Kurumi.

And wouldn't you know it, she just happens to be with another group which, scripted circumstances dictate, must eventually be at odds with Hibiki's people.

Like its K-drama companion, Love You As... is not just about some spontaneous outbreak of the flesh-craving undead.

It should dawn on the alert viewer soon enough that something sinister is afoot, yet the incredible coincidences that flit about this background mystery are pretty hard to swallow sometimes.

Likewise, the contrivances that keep Hibiki and Kurumi from meeting in the initial episodes can get quite maddening, and so can the unblinking stupidity of the Self-Defense Forces – all so that the central baddie can keep his plan in motion.

Tsuboi and the rest of his katana-wielding crew really wished their idol Michonne could see them now.

So where does the appeal lie, then, if any? Believe it or not, a big part of it is in the flashback scenes that usually serve as an epilogue to each episode – they give us a glimpse of life before the apocalypse for the main characters, and add a kind of heartwarming completeness to the proceedings (even if suffering and tragedy are still the main course).

The human drama, too, is as engaging here as in All Of Us... or from the better days of The Walking Dead.

Although there's nothing as deep-down disturbing as that handkerchief soaked in zombie blood from All Of Us..., this series does not hesitate to cast a judgmental gaze on humanity too.

Selfishness, greed, manipulation, shocking solutions to bad situations – expect all this to flow freely, tempered with Hibiki's unwavering sincerity and faith in humanity as well as bursts of selflessness from Min-jun and others.

All things considered, the central story and various character arcs in Love You As... make it interesting enough to follow just to see how things turn out for the lovebirds.

But the facepalming and tear-out-your-hair moments keep it from being bingeable. Plodding steps will suffice here, like the old school undead.

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All 16 episodes of Love You As The World Ends are available on Netflix.