Review of School Days

For ages, I was debating whether I should watch this anime or not. Accidently coming across it through discussion online, it seemed to have a bad reputation, low ratings and labeled as the 'worst anime in history' amongst many. However, I decided to give into my curiousity and see what the controversy was about by giving myself a couple of hours to watch the full 12 epsiodes. I have to say, its bad, but not THAT bad, yanno? *SPOILERS MAY APPEAR* STORY (6/10): The story was so fustrating to watch. To what started out as Makoto (MC) pursuing a girl called Kotonoha and starting a relationship, set upby a supposed friend called Sekai, quickly turned into a love affair between Sekai and Makoto, whilst Makoto was still in a relationship with Kotonoha. Then things just went downhill when Makoto would bascially become intimate with any girl willing to open their legs to him, whilst he was 'dating' Sekai, and would feel no type of way about it. At the very last episode, Makoto eventually learns that actions have consequences, and why you shouldn't play with people's emotions with deciet and betrayal, as psychologically, people could snap. As ridiculous as people would think the story is, in a way, displays a kinda realistic theme that could be applied in real life relationships and mostly in school settings, for the most part. As messy as things unfolded, I don't think the story is THAT bad, unbearable at times, but it was hard to turn away at the same time.

ART/ANIMATION (4/10):
This show definitely had some of the worst animation and art i've seen, and unfortunately this was a pattern for every episode, except the last two. The angle shots at times were very irritating, but at the same time, its a harem anime so of course they're gonna get as many boob and panty shots as they can. I would say, though, its really the outdoor settings to where you'll see some decently drawn art. I'm just gonna assume that the budget was pretty much low for this show lmao.

SOUND (5/10):
The sounds used for this show are pretty much forgettable (for the most part). I'm personally not a fan of the song used for the opening. If anything its annoying and aged like milk, you can really tell that its a product of 2007 (in my opinion anyway). I watched the intro on the second episode (first viewing of it) as I wanted to see and hear what it was like, but after that, I found myself skipping it for every episode. The same thing for the outros and some songs playing during episodes. The only song that I liked out of the whole series was the song played towards the end of the last episode (when things turn left).

CHARACTERS (5/10):
It's safe to say, I absoultely hate every character in this show, except for Kotonoha, to whom I felt so sad for throughtout the series. Let me go through the most important characters one by one:

MAKATO - This dude is truly the worst MC I have come across in my history of anime shows ,and mainly the reason why a lot of people hate this show. At first, I thought he was decent guy in the beginning but his true nature unravelled pretty quickly as the show progressed and he became so unlikable, even to the point I wanted to reach to the screen and strangle him so bad, ugh! He's a selfish preverted MF who has no regards for others feelings, no patience and only cares about his own pleasure, and he will get it one way or another. Once he gets what he wants or becomes bored with the person he's with, he'll just throw them away like trash. Whilst towards the end he felt somewhat remorseful, it just wasn't enough to convince me he wasn't all a bad guy, as his actions after the fact were the worse, and karma eventually came at his doorstep. As harsh as his punishment was towards the end and I personally don't believe he deserved it, I can't say I didn't see it coming and it is what it is. Most would say that's what he truly gets.

SEKAI - This girl...like Makoto, she seemed somewhat decent at first, annoying but decent. Just a friend helping another friend become a couple with their crush. But with no time wasted to show, her intentions became very disingenuous . She would use 'special training' as a way to manipulate Makoto's feelings for her, as she had feelings for him, even though she knew it was wrong and he was still with Konotoha. This makes me question why she felt the need to help Makoto in the first place? I found it hard for her to believe she felt gulity about her affair because she was consistent until she finally lured Makoto away from Kotonoha, and eventually stopped caring about Konotoha's feelings. She comes off as very jealous and very manipulative. I didn't feel bad for Sekai when she got treated the same way Makoto treated Kotonoha. It's true that how you win them is how you lose them. It became clear eventually that Makoto never really cared for her the way she genuinely cared for him. Once he had other options and after Sekai's revalation, Sekai was no longer was a priority. Her karma in the end was definitely justified.

KOTONOHA - This poor girl was the only character that I felt so bad for, as mentined earlier. As shy and closed off she was at the beginning, I don't blame her. As time went on, she became more comfortable, but unforutnately Makoto began mistreating her. Seeing her being emotionally and mentally and physically abused by people she trusted, and others around her was hard to watch. Her kindness was taken for granted and she eventually became lifeless, on the outside and inside, its not wonder she became unstable in the end. It was a sad sight to see.

As for the rest of the characters, I could care less because they either add nothing to the story, annoying or they're just there for Makoto's pleasure.

ENJOYMENT (6/10):
As watching, I noticed myself getting very pissed off as each episode came because most of the characters were stupid and were making stupid decisions. I wondered how I managed to get through this series, but regardless of its major flaws, I somewhat found it interesting and somewhat entertatining. The conclusion was definitely something and the most barable to watch. It will definitely be on my mind for a long time, perhaps I won't forget lmao.

OVERALL (6/10):
To me, its not the best show out there, for obvious reasons and as you watch it, you'll understand why this show gets a lot of hate, but I don't believe its the worse, you know? To each its own though. I'm just glad I watched it to form my own opinion. If you're mentally and emotionally resiliant, then you may be able to bare with School Days. You will find it difficult to watch the beginning, but if you start, watch till the end because I promise the last few episode will be interesting.