Review of School Days
It should be noted that this series is a tragedy, if you don't already know. If you're after a sweet romance, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a horror series with yanderes and blood galore, you should also look elsewhere. If youre looking for an ecchi harem, you might not be dissapointed at first...but you'll feel guilty by the end of the series. This really begs the question, who is this show for exactly? The only answer I can come up with is bitter lesbians. yes. By the end of this series you too will walk away with such a hatred men everywhere that witha pair of loose fitting jeans and a short haircut, you might just pass for a lesbian yourself. Even if you're a man.
Without giving away too many spoilers, the story begins like any ecchi harem would. Dimwitted guy has several girls falling for him, and darnit! He dosn't know what to do! But this is where we leave harem world and things get real. At this point the asshole protagonist decides to get with ALL the girls, which might work out well in To LOVE Ru, but in real life it makes you a two timing (or six timing) douchebag. Thats once thing the story does all too well. By the end of School Days the male lead Itou beat out Light Yagami the mass murderer for my #1 most hated protagonist. Easily. Apart from that however the story relies on cliche, coincidence, nonsensical events to tell an unrealistic tale of an idiot getting his just desserts. Story gets a 6/10 and thats being generous.
No complaints with art to speak of, decent enough throughout. Sound was decent, voice acting was par, but the happy-go-lucky opening theme got old in a hurry, and ruined the tragic depressing mood on more than one occasion. Art 8/10. Sound 7/10.
School Days deserves one honor. It has, hands down, the worst cast of characters I've ever seen. I hated literally every character that appeared on screen. I'm having trouble coming up with adjectives, because idiot, asshole, and pervert don't do the main character justice. He isn't a lovable idiot, he's not a wisecracking asshole, and hes not a lovable pervert. He is just...terrible. The supporting cast is equally abysmal, from nearly every girl who inexplicable falls for, and clings to this asshole protagonist, to the protagonist's equally annoying male friend, to the manipulative skank female lead, I. Hated. Everyone. And you will too. Characters 3/10, and again, I'm being generous.
This show is not enjoyable. Every episode is specifically designed to make you hate the protagonist more and more untill the inevitable, blissful end. And what an ending it was. People joke that for a tragedy, School Days has one of the happiest endings of all time, and I must agree. School Days was literally 6 hours of head pounding, forehead slapping, swearing, and daydreaming of creative ways the protagonist might die. School Days was not, however, enjoyable. Only because of the ending does this series get a 4/10 for enjoyment, instead of a 0
Overall School Days earns a 5/10, I'm sure far worse shows have been, and will be made, and ultimately, I DO reccomend the show for those 16 and up. If for no other reason than because it is 'unique' and because its a legend in the anime community. Albeit a horrible legend that we all want to forget.