Review of School Days

WARNING: Do not be mislead by the first few (1-2) episodes. At first this may seem like a typical happy school romance, but it's nothing like that. There is a reason there is a 17+ rating. It's really an adult anime. Story: School days is a heavy psychological anime. I didn't have any expectations for this anime. If anything, I expected it to be a romance. The story is much more than that. The story is about a guy who falls in love with a girl who he also rides the train with. Another girl he has been friends with for ages introduces him to her. However,this girl is also in love with the guy. The story plays with your feelings. I don't think I've ever had an anime I felt so awkward watching. It may just be my lack of experience - I haven't seen that many psychological anime - but I am sure you will not feel happy watching this anime. This is also a reason why people rate it low, and I can't blame them. I hate this anime. But the reason I hate it, is exactly why this anime is a masterpiece. No story has ever touched me like this, and no story has ever wanted me to quit following it just because it was to heavy for me. You know what's going to happen, it's not like things are unexpected except a few things. But because of the pace the story has, and the few plot twists, the story is very hard to watch. Not because it is not interesting, it's because you know what's going to happen but you also know you won't like it when it happens. You just don't want to see it happen.

Another reason the story is so touching, I think, is because you can really relate to it at some points.

I recommend to, if you decide to watch it, watch in in one go. It takes a few hours, but it's worth it if you really want to watch it. If you watch it in parts, I think the anime will lose some of it's impact. And the only reason the anime is so good is because of the impact.

Art:

The art is comparable to other modern anime. It's modern and looks good. The only thing that irritated me for the first two episodes, was the fact that the eyes looked a bit odd. It's not new to have eyebrows, but in this anime characters also have a black line under their eyes that look just like their eyebrows. But again, this only irritating the first two episodes. After that you get used to it because the story is so intriguing. It's nothing to punish the anime for, because anything else regarding art and animation is good enough.

Sound:

The sound really adds to the story. Some scenes probably wouldn't have been as good as they are without the background music. The voices for the characters fit well aswell and the intro and outra change depending on the feeling that covers an episode. I must admit I skip the outra and intro most times, but from what I heard they were good. Just like the story, they are depressing.

Characters:

Now this is what makes the story so good but they are also quite misleading. Upon watching the first two episodes, you wouldn't expect what will be going on later. Although the characters are in high school, they act like adults. There's lots of fanservice (nothing new here), however the fanservice is not just to please the watchers. It also adds to the story because sex is an important thing in this show. Especially for the main character.

Now for the main characters. He is your typical perverted boy who grows up but doesn't become less perverted. Although I'm not sure the "grow up" part covers the development in his personality. He does develop, but some may question if that is a good thing. I don't think the main character is the one who steals the show in this anime. Personally I think the side characters (who can also be considered main characters) are the ones who make this anime so interesting. Betrayal, love, broken hearts, violence, and many other things is what drives the characters to do things you'd rather not see.

At some (most?) times you hate the main character and want to beat the crap out of him, at other times you feel sorry for him. The same counts for the other characters. There is no character in this anime that has a clear personality. There are no characters that are perfect, no characters that are only friendly and no characters that are only the bad guys. Just in real life, every character has their own personalities which change over time aswell. Even the character who looks the most friendly reveals their true face over time. Just when you feel attached to a character, a situation comes up and you suddenly hate him or her.

I could talk for hours about them, but I think the best way to describe them is: human. They are human. Just like real life, nothing is what it seems.

Enjoyment:

I think this the key thing in this anime. I did not enjoy this anime. I did not want to continue watching. And hell, I didn't laugh even once. This anime made me depressed when watching it, and it made me awkward when awkward scenes were shown. But hell, that is exactly what the anime makes so good. The anime isn't trying to comfort you, nor is it trying to make you pleased. It's not trying to bring a smile on your face, not even when it shows fanservice. Do you see boobs? It's probably because someone is cheating on someone or because someone feels forced to. You won't feel happy seeing it.

Overall:

I think the only conclusion I can make is that it's really a masterpiece. You won't enjoy a single bit of the anime, but there is no way you can deny this show is a very good.