School Days: Anime

How does School Days: Anime hold up. Is it a infamous dud, or a tender work of romance gone wrong?




You can also take this as my review of the School Days [Visual Novel] bad ending, because TNK decided to use the more infamous endings of School Days.
With my previous re-review of Schools Day on the PC, I decided to turn my attention to the anime, that I've heard negative things about since I first reviewed School Days on the PC. However, it seems to me that I had to disagree with these extremely negative reviews, since I actually, kinda liked this anime.
 I'm of-course not going to say that this is "The romantic anime to change all animes," however, it does an interesting prospective on the romantic harem genre much similar to how the visual novel did for the H-game genre.
 However, this seems more reinforced due to the contrasting atmosphere provided by the comedic moments turning into severe tragedy, almost to the extend that no jokes, nothing that is happy, or sunny was in existence. This effects you, this severe spiral into the darkness of reality becomes apparent by the end of the anime with little music appearing in the last episode except for last five minutes. This leaves an impact on you, that doesn't really shake off for quite a-bit of time.
 Were there silly moments in the later?
    Of-course, in episode 8 it just gets un-real, and that rather distracting, to an extent. However, I dare say that we probably needed that, because by the end of it all, I was feeling really depressed.
 But, that was what they were going for, and I applaud that they went into the deep dark recesses of human desire, lust, rejection instead of going a route that shows loyalty, love, and happiness; because School Days does have these, however, it isn't the most known, because this ending is just so out of the norm, so strange in a "Simple" romance between two people, that is side-tracked because a boy thinks lustfully and ignores the true qualities that really create a person. Thus, they become shallow, and dependent upon false love, and tragedy ensues. By the end, like said, it becomes almost Shakespearean in the handling of deaths; with no-one making it out unharmed in one way or another.
 
To get further, and take a side-step corridor job down the lane of characters; I would like to once again look at Ito, however, I would also like to look at Sekai and Katsura, and of the side-character improvement that was done through this anime adaption.

  I now truly the hatred people have of Ito. It is a monster in the truest of fashion. It is despicable being; lustful in intent, a liar, a manipulator, and fiend. He deserved everything that occurred to him, ten fold. He is an INGENIOUS character for a romantic anime. He completely derails the norm, but in doing so makes such an interesting situation for characters to be in and interact with. He is a character that doesn't define, he creates, and as much as I hate him, as much as I despise him... He is a perfect representation of the School Days [Bad ending] Ito, and a representation of what happens when society is what defines an anime of romantic intent. I don't like him, but I love how they utilized him.

 Sekai is roughly the same in this situation, except to some extent you can feel sorry for her. Her actions dictate the emotions of many of the characters, and she's the final span that destroys Ito's life (and her own). Over-all, I feel roughly the same of her as I do Ito; she is interesting, she is a nasty creature, but she is tricked, and she fooled by Ito.

Katsura on the other hand is another story. She got all my sympathy; her life getting utterly fractured due to the manipulation of Ito, the manipulation Sekai. She is morphed by these two characters, being what I can argue as the only true victim of School-Days. Sure Sekai is lied to much the same, how Sekai is a liar, Sekai is a manipulator, much the same of Ito. Katsura is put into this situation and does of that, and thus she becomes mentally destroyed, coming to the extend of murder and schizophrenia. You can feel the strain, and the destruction, and in the end, you just feel sorry for her.
 But, my only big problem is that they WAY to mean spirited to her, it made me sick.

As for the other characters, compared to the Visual Novel, I'm glad you got to know more about them, and see there interactions between the major characters. Working those characters in was a huge boost, because School Days has a colorful cast, and seeing them all in this 12 episode visual novel is good work.

Other then that, it was funny when it needed to me, tragic when it needed to be. The animation, though not the best, certainly is an improvement over its visual novel counterpart; as with the music. Though comedy some-times felt unneeded, it felt it hit all the right tones at the right times.

Over-all, I "enjoyed" it. It was an experience that really pushed at me, and to some extent I'm glad I view the School Days anime. It have a-few bumps, and certainly isn't a master-piece. However, I recommend, I highly recommend it if you are wanting to look into School Days, much so over the visual novel! It hit the right notes, and I'll be sure to remember it in the future.

7.5/10