Critical response
The character has been received positively by critics. The sensitivity of Lily's portrayal as a transgender character was highlighted as remarkable, particularly as many other comedy anime had been seen as handling similar characters poorly; anime that were seen to be featuring transgender characters less sensitively, such as Asobi Asobase and You're Under Arrest!, were cited as comparative examples.[5][3]
In reviewing the eighth episode of the series for Anime News Network, Steve Jones praised Lily's character arc, particularly her relationship with her father, as emotionally moving. However, Jones commented that the comical presentation of Lily's death could come off as trivializing the matter of gender dysphoria, but also acknowledged that it would potentially work for some viewers as a relatable, though absurd, depiction of these experiences. While Jones said that Zombie Land Saga was not a "gold standard" for transgender representation, he nonetheless commended it for its sensitivity.[5] In Anime Feminist (a website focused on reviewing anime from a feminist perspective), Vrai Kaiser similarly praised Lily's inclusion as being a sensitive depiction of a transgender character, but considered her death within the story to be unintentionally callous.[16]
Writing for Crunchyroll, Cayla Coats deemed Lily the "Best Girl" (female character in anime) of 2018, saying she related to the character as a trans woman.[17] In a feature for Crunchyroll, Carlos Cadorniga also wrote that they empathized with Lily's experience of gender dysphoria, and considered it a positive example for future anime featuring trans characters to follow.[14] Lily was nominated for "Best Girl" at the 3rd Crunchyroll Anime Awards in 2019.[18] In Anime Herald, Samantha Ferreira opined that Lily's death was an emotionally resonant depiction of gender dysphoria, and said that she was an example of "desperately needed" transgender representation within anime.[3] In a feature for Otaku USA, Michael Goldstein stated he did not feel qualified to comment on the sensitivity of Lily's death, but generally offered similar praises of her story and character, saying "Who would've thought a zombie show would take deadnaming seriously?"[13] Writing in Neo, Andrew Osmond praised Lily's storyline for avoiding making Lily's trans identity the focal point of her character.
Lily's role in episode 5 of Revenge (the series' second season) was also praised.[6][7] In his review, Jones complimented the decision to instead focus on guest character Light, as he felt Lily's arc was already generally complete, and also praised her dance number. While Jones felt the episode was not as interesting as the episode that focused on Lily's backstory in the series' first season, he nonetheless praised the continued appeal of Lily's character.[6] Reuben Baron of CBR felt similarly, saying it was enjoyable in spite of not being as memorable as the series' previous Lily-focused episode.[7]
In her book Distancing Representations in Transgender Film, researcher Lucy J. Miller commented positively on Lily. Miller said that Lily differed from other examples of gender-nonconforming characters in anime, typically limited to characters cross-dressing for reasons often unrelated to their gender identity. Additionally, Miller praised how her backstory addressed the "trauma of puberty" common to transgender experiences.[20]
Promotional material in magazines such as Animage has described Lily as "a boy" and touted her deadname Masao as her "real name".[22] This was criticized by Otaquest writer Alicia Haddick, who highlighted the perceived dissonance between the messaging of the anime which affirmed Lily's identity, and the use of her previous name as a "selling point reliant on shock factor".[22] Haddick thus expressed the opinion that despite Lily's positive reception from transgender viewers, her presentation in the series' marketing indicated that there was still progress yet to be made.[22]
Use in internet memes
Lily's image has been adopted into internet memes. The most notable such meme was a photoshopped image which crudely depicts her holding a gun, with a caption spelt in stylized lettering that reads, "Shut the fuck up TERF", generally used by social media users voicing their support of the transgender rights movement.[27] In April 2019, a Twitter user sent the image as a reply to British journalist Helen Lewis in relation to a dispute that she had been engaging in with professional esports player Dominique 'SonicFox' McLean, after McLean referred to Lewis as a TERF. Lewis responded by tweeting a screenshot of the reply, which she criticized as a perceived death threat and suggested it was in violation of Twitter's terms of service.[28][29] On May 1, 2019, Scottish MP Joanna Cherry referenced the reply to Lewis while questioning a Twitter employee on how the platform handled cases of online abuse during a Parliamentary convening of the Human Rights Committee. During this meeting, she physically presented a printed out copy of the meme, featuring Lily.[27]
