High School! Kimengumi (2026) · review
Spoiler warning
This review may discuss plot details.
The remake of High School! Kimengumi is really only nice to watch if you haven't the original anime, or if you want to relive the experience of watching the original one. However, it remains pretty bland if you've seen the original work. Sure, the remake is nice, but a lot of it is over the place. The original, despite having a lot of nonsensical moments, had a flow that made it seem like the story was progressing and made it interesting and funny at the same time. As of the animation, it's not that great, really. Some of the shots / scenes are wonky and stiff,but it's a comedy anime, and the animation studio is pretty unknown, so i will let it slide. The original had flaws too, after all.
The characters remain pretty close to the original work when it comes to their personality. They're simple to grasp, but at least there's that. I enjoy the modern setting, as we're able to see what the characters would dress like in the Reiwa era.
This probably isn't a major issue, but it icked me that they decided to change some of the characters' features compared to the manga or original anime; some of the characters' eyes or hair colours are different. However, it's pleasing to see that they stuck with Don's original hair colour instead of green and orange.
As of the plot, it was... meh. I'm hoping to see more original episodes. I'm glad they included scenes from the manga that didn't appear in the anime, but I was hoping to see more original episodes than recreations of those from the 80s anime. The humor didn't really stick with me. It was too over the place and too many things happen at the same time, like they didn't know where they were going. This happens a lot in the original anime, but there are more puns and play of words, and it didn't feel so messy.
What bothered me the most was how they skipped the entire middle school arc. It's hard to make it fit in a 12 episodes anime, but if you haven't watched the original, it really is a loss. That's why I recommend either reading the manga or watching the 80s anime if you don't want to miss anything.
The anime wasn't a bad watch, but it wasn't really worth it when compared to the original works. If you want a complete experience, I suggest only watching the remake after the original.
This is my first review, of the remake of my favourite anime no less, so it may be messy or a little nonsensical. Hell, even too long. Bare with me.