Review of The Fruit of Grisaia

Knowing that Grisaia is sourced from a VN from Frontwing, which is well known in the H circles, I kind of had an idea of what to expect going in- a harem with girls drooling over the main protagonist with copious amounts of fan service. Fortunately, this fruit tastes quite different from its appearance (Grisaia is a modification of the French word "grisaille", which describes a means of painting in monochrome). Grisaia is about a group of five very special and privileged girls that attend a normal-sized school despite being the only students. This special status is granted to girls who have suffered immense traumain their lives, and the school is meant as a place of peace and recovery. In enters our protagonist, a calm, level-headed super-soldier like Sagara Sousuke but with common sense. Having decided that he wants to move on from his military-based past, he is sent to this special school to fulfill his wish of an ordinary school life. He is apparently greeted with anything but that- girls with multiple personalities, girls that randomly roll around on his bed and smell his bedding, and girls that attack him at every opportunity. Will Yuuji's prior training be enough to survive this new onslaught?

Grisaia is by no means a normal harem; in fact, the romance aspect is perhaps even questionable. The show combines a typical ecchi-based harem and some comedy with a much darker, thriller-based heroine storyline. This show is really more about Yuuji getting to know each of the girls and eventually helping them heal from their wounds, rather than the girls being all over him. The most memorable aspect of the show is how dark it is; there are copious amounts of gore and blood, in addition to brutal beatings and some hauntingly disturbing scenes. There is probably more censoring due to gore than ecchi in the TV version. Think you've got the guts to watch through it? Looking for something different to try? Well you've found it.

Animation:
The animation in Grisaia is solid. First off, the show is interestingly rendered in widescreen, as if a movie! The show is drawn with a moderately saturated palette, though occasionally you'll be treated to an eye candy of vivid ocean views complete with moving clouds and sunsets, though the studio apparently doesn't understand physics as clouds constantly swirl in opposite directions. The show has some pretty nice backgrounds and a large variety of scenery. The drawing is crisp in general though they occasionally purposely blur parts of the view, as if to imitate camera focus. There is occasional CGI usage for various things such as cars and waves but it isn't too distracting. The characters are also well drawn. All the girls are easily distinguishable and have notably diverse wardrobes. As a unique trait, all females all drawn with red-tinted eyelashes. Overall, emotions are well expressed and reactions are believable, the exception of course is our protagonist who shows very few emotions throughout the show.

There is an unexpected amount of action in this show. Let's just say Yuuji's skills from his prior occupation are frequently utilized. Expect aggressive driving, shootouts, and explosions. The battles aren't like the common minute long swordplay battles found in other action-based harems, it is rather like the battles involving Tatsuya from Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei; battles are often one-sided and end within a few seconds, granted they are very thrilling seconds. As mentioned before, there is substantial gore and blood in this show, so much so that censoring kicked in repeatedly. There is still plenty of fan service as well, so you will enjoy lots of censoring in general with this show. Expect endless panty shots and naughty winds. More unexpectedly, there are also mature oriented scenes including attempted rape and obvious girl masturbation scenes. In summary, the show is more intense than I originally expected in terms of both action and ecchi.

Sound:
The sound package was average overall. The OP is a light pop piece with a pretty weak melody but a fair stringed instrument accompaniment. The show has a multitude of EDs that for the most part follows the particular central heroine for the episode. The EDs range from melancholy to lighthearted playfulness but I didn't find any of them particularly good. The BGM is supportive when necessary but completely absent for a good portion of the show. Though not particularly memorable, the BGM was used to great effect when it mattered; insert songs are also utilized to highlight critical moments.

The VA cast is fairly interesting, composed mostly of seasoned supporting veterans. Kaori Mizuhashi, Hiroko Taguchi, and Akane Tomonaga all share credit for giving their respective characters a bit of flair. Maybe it's just me but I found Makina Irisu's voice to be a tad annoying. It is an overall good performance by the cast overall, especially in the last arc.

Story:
Surprisingly, this show rather reminds me of GTO, especially the aspect of an individual going way out of his way in order to help alleviate the root cause of someone else's hardship. The story highlights five girls, each of whom has extraordinary circumstances. Whether it is political intrigue or a random fascination with bombs, expect some curveballs and some dark material. While the show isn't depressing overall, do expect it to delve into rather forbidden territory, ethically.

The show starts with a few introductory episodes before then having the protagonist work his magic with each of the girls. The girls all have a crazy situation that ultimately requires Yuuji's unconditional military might (and his connections) to resolve, the plot progression is both interesting and engaging. Each arc is something of a self-contained thriller with its own rising action and climax that lasts between one and two episodes. The one exception is the last arc, which lasts a total of four episodes and represents perhaps the darkest, most chilling part of the show. The show ends with a teaser of things to come as a second season is already in the works as of this review. Furthermore, there is an OVA out that greatly explains Yuuji's past and why he goes to such lengths to help others.

Character:
You're not going to find any cookie-cutter heroines here. All of the girls are definitely a bit on the weird side, but given their past you can see why. Expect a good amount of character exposition as well as character development. The girls' attachment to Yuuji grows naturally and it's nice to see the effects linger after a heroine's arc is over, unlike Amagami SS and its clones. Though a tad unrealistic, the fact that the school has no other students (and apparently teachers other than the principal) conveniently eliminates a common source of unnecessary supporting characters. Indeed, the show is very focused on the heroines, and to good effect.

Yuuji on the other hand doesn't get much attention. How did he turn into a super spy/assassin/sniper in the first place? How is he already so "intimately" familiar with girls given his military past (unlike Sagara Sosuke)? As mentioned before, the OVA answers much of this.

Value:
This show was an unexpected surprise, in a good way. What starts as a seemingly ordinary harem, took a drastic turn and attempted something very different, perhaps a bit risqué but definitely memorable. Apparently, the original VN is quite popular too, and there's even a Kickstarter up to get it translated into English.

Looking for something fresh and new? Perhaps something with harem roots but goes somewhere new? I'd recommend giving this a shot, and make sure to taste at least the first heroine arc as the first few introductory episodes really don't give a good indication for the rest of the show.