Akira Tendo can very much be considered someone who makes the best of a bad situation.

His mundane, miserable life of mediocrity is shaken up the day humankind falls to a zombie apocalypse. Most would be distressed by this turn of events, or at the very least, show even a modicum of concern. But not our boy Akira.

The onset of impending death was ironically the trigger he needed to make his life begin, freed from the shackles of societal conventions and an oppressive workplace. He gleefully sets about making his bucket list of 100 things he wants to accomplish before he bites the dust.

It’s one of the things that makes Zom 100: Bucket of the List so much fun. It shakes up the formula of horrifying zombies by viewing the circumstance with positivity. Sometimes, we’d all love to throw it all aside and take a shot at our deepest desires, wouldn’t we?

At some point as I watched Akira and his colleagues chase their dreams — in between getting chased themselves by the undead — a realisation came into my mind. Perhaps I didn’t need something quite as drastic as doomsday to view the world through a more optimistic lens.

Bucket lists have been around as long as lists (and possibly even buckets), but there was something about this anime’s mirthful spirit that motivated me to begin jotting one of my own.

I will confess, I am known to have a particularly suggestible personality. Earlier this year, I made an impulse purchase of a bass guitar thanks to the immaculate vibes of Ryo Yamada from BOCCHI THE ROCK! This was only a few weeks removed from commencing Saitama’s workout routine from One-Punch Man.

Fast forward to today, and I still have no idea how to play the bass, nor have I exploded a monster’s face with a single punch.

In my defence, these starry-eyed dreams are long term goals with a discernible checkpoint from ‘incapable’ to ‘capable’. A bucket list, and especially one with 100 opportunities for success, somehow feels more in reach.

I started small, but as the list grew bigger, so too did my ambition. The individual items range from improbable — have a one-off vocal cameo in an anime — to likely impossible — dunking on a regulation basketball hoop. Considering my age and robust frame, the latter is a tall order in both the literal and metaphorical sense.

All because I probably can’t do it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t at least try, right? Gretzky once said, “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Beckett once said, “try again. Fail again. Fail better.” Yoshimoto-san once said, “as I myself am but reinforcement, I have no grounds to object.”

That last one is perhaps not quite as relevant, but considering the source material is The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You, I’d argue that it’s no less compelling.

I’m still in the process of penning the 100 bucket list items, and my progress has slowed once I felt this curious urge to one-up my own hubris. And yet, it feels rewarding to even allow myself the opportunity to believe that I can do it.

Again, I really have Akira to thank for this. His earnest whimsy takes a task that is normally steeped in solemn determination, and presents it with the youthful enthusiasm of a child on Christmas morning.

He’s driven by this list, yet not consumed by it. He works it into his routine, finesses his situations in such a way that he mutually accomplishes these personal triumphs while also succeeding at the overarching and rather important duty of surviving.

And hey, it’s something you can actually take away in your own life. It’s okay to have goals, even those that may be deemed as impractical or immature. And yes, it’s okay to doggedly chase these goals with a narrow focus from time to time.

But it’s just as much about the journey, and the experiences you form en route to your ultimate destination. If Akira can find a way to integrate his bucket list into a roadtrip across a zombie-infested Japan, then we too can view our own zeal for life with appreciation.

For the final episodes of Zom 100’s first season to be aired in the holiday period feels right, somehow. It’s practically a gift to close out the glorious starting chapter of Akira, Shizuka, Beatrix and Kencho (who probably would have gotten naked around halfway through this article).

Little do they know, they already gave me a gift long before that. The gift of initiative, and the pure, unbridled joy that ought to come with it.

Plus, now I have the perfect reason to get back at that bass guitar, right? On a related note, I’m long overdue for today’s 100 pushups. …Ten months overdue, to be perfectly honest with you.