School Days [Revisited]

We take a look at School Days [VN] Once again, and ask ourselves, "Why did it get a 6/10?"




Hello once again, I am Hwen, this is a review, and I'm glad to be back from my short break to re-view School Days and clarify my position upon this Visual Novel.
  Now, to not seem redundant (Or at least less so) here is a link to the review of School Days: http://hwenreviews.blogspot.com/2014/08/school-days.html#more
 Some of that stuff will be changed, some won't, so use both of these reviews as a clearer picture of my opinion of School Days.
 With that said, onward to the review!

I will begin by correcting, this is a minor slice of life romantic romp about the ales of sexual desire and "True love," and boy it ain't pretty. It isn't pretty for two reason; first being that it isn't an attractive looking visual novel, the colors seem pale upon a second go around, and it is cheap in the animation department, with repetition of  "shots" becoming a real distraction throughout.
 Second, this game is a rather surreal visual novel, as it deals with gaining the relationship, then maintaining it, with Itou serving almost as a model for the character, entering into this perverse world and demanding that the desire of lust get quenched. This, however, is off-set by the innocence provided by Kotonoha, and later the realization that this won't end with the "Get laid and done," option. School Days takes you through the good, the bad, the heart-breaking, the disturbing, and by that it takes a rather threatening approach towards the true love arc. 
 I'm not suggesting that School Days enters into the world of  "Realism" as it (As I am aware) is grossly cliched with the tropes of H-games, such as the "EVERYONE LOVES ME," routine that you can see from (the majority) of my previous reviews.  And so to some extent this both benefits and hinders School Days.
 It benefits, because they are using the cliches to paint this picture, only that this picture is false, revealing the fabrics within it to show how messed up the society within the realm of visual novels CAN get after the romance is found: there may be cheating, there may be breaks ups, there may be deaths or suicides; regrets or misfortune. The world isn't black and white, love and non-love. There isn't the "Bad" ending as suggested by previous visual novels, ones where you die or the character just gives up, rather, to some extent, further along the road there may be various amounts of hells that the character (I.E Itou) will fall into, if that be a simple death, a suicide of a loved one, a finger-waving girlfriend, or even a pregnancy.
   This isn't a simple H-game, with sexual desire being its primary goal (Well, to some extent, yes); it is a game that tells you "Yes, there is lust in a relationship, but there is also this, and sometimes if it gets to far, or you are stupid: this happens."
    This brings about the negatives however, specifically Itou. The mind of a high-schooler is complex, however, when it comes to Itou he seems to be disjointed between two personalities. I could infer that it COULD be due to the environments he's pressured into (Peer pressure,) or an environment that glorifies sex, thus leading to the desire of sex - however, when leading to such  a character, one who is both nervous and bold. One that is clean cut and lustful. One who is both a quoted "Hell raiser" and "Kind-heart" is a wild array of character traits that honestly don't mesh together, making a murky character who goes even further to be kind of unlikable at the hands of a player.

 Despite that, I must admit that I am surprised that I found School Days an interesting game looking back at it a second time. Is it a poor game? Sorta, but what it tries to do, and some-what succeeded in gives it noticeable recognition, and thoughts that follow me after I set down my head-set, and put away my keyboard.

 That is why School Days receives a... 6/10
Yes, I consider my previous review rating a fair rating for School Days THE VISUAL NOVEL.

Yeah, we're going to gear eleven, and going "Days," on December. This is School Days December, and deck the holly's and stay tune to Hwen Reviews: School Days [Anime] next week!