School Days

This anime starts off like a normal high school romance anime, but if that's the only thing your looking for I would stay away. The show itself is very well written, and has very good characters and development. I will try and give no hint at spoilers here, but that's rather difficult. The show involves a love triangle where a high school boy seems to have to make a choose between a new-found friend, or his new girlfriend. The difference between this show, and other high school romance anime is a serious tone. Most bad reviews written about this show are from people who were expecting a different genre. If you are open minded I don't see any reason why you wouldn't enjoy this show.

All I have to say is that karma went full throttle in this series.

It has already been said, but it's true so I'll say it again. It starts off light like a normal romance anime, nothing special, but at the 4th episode it starts to get darker, and darker, and heavier, then suddenly the final episode arrives and hits you in the stomach with a baseball bat. I watched the entire series in 1 day because I couldn't wait to find out what happens next, so it was around 1:00 AM when I saw the last episode. I couldn't sleep too well, I was emotionally disturbed for about a week but afterwards I just relaxed and started laughing.

I re-watched many of the episodes (including the ending) and still love them. The characters are likable, (everyone may hate Makoto, but they aren't reading in between the lines) the story is moving, and I can't remember anything else to say. I recommend this for people who either have a strong stomach, or a barf bag.

It may be a bit unrealistic, but then again, when the hell are animes ever realistic?

School Days is a sadistic perversion of the High School Romance genre - out is the usual staple of charming characters, sensitive moments and budding romance replaced by lust, cheating and vengeance. To this end the show has to be given credit for it's new take on a well worn story dynamic - taking people in with it's cutesy exterior and presumed love triangle set-up before shattering their expectations with a slow but carefully executed increase in both drama and cruelty.

It's also unparalleled in it's ability to make you despise it's characters; chief among them is the main male protagonist Itou who shows such selfishness and inability to emphasize throughout you wonder if he has genuine mental impairment! Other characters are more multi-layered, showing good aspects (at least at first) but they too also succumb to the general depravity as the show meanders on from one deranged low to another. Towards the end, things start getting a bit too depraved - which almost takes you out of the narrative entirely but then the brutal conclusion rears it's ugly head with all the force of a steam train and you realise now why the depravity was necessary - it had all led us to this one point. The cathartic moment where the people in question get what they deserve.

School Days is a short, sharp jolt out of the nice cutesy preconceptions we have about High School Romance stories. It's unforgiving, sadistic and depraved - but all the while strangely compelling. It has to be applauded for its creativity and how it manages to conjure up strong feelings of hatred towards it's characters. While it couldn't be universally recommended, it's worth watching to those who can stomach it as something that's very unique and different.

Not for the faint of heart, this anime misleads you at first with vibrant backdrops, beautiful animation, and positive themes like friendship and love. However, Love very quickly loses it's hold on the story as more and more characters are introduced and the downward spiral begins.

If you're anything like me and get attached to characters instantly you'll find at least one character you're rooting for, but as you descend through the chaos and deepening darkness you should start to feel something for almost every single character.

The way School Days gradually and carefully shifts gears is incredible, as you realize all the dark themes were there since the start, subtly.

And the darker and darker it gets you are constantly reminded by the title name that even though the matters at hand are so small and trivial, in "School Days" love, or what you think is love, can be all that matters, and it make can or break your entire "world."