School Days

School Days is a sadistic perversion of the High School Romance genre - out is the usual staple of charming characters, sensitive moments and budding romance replaced by lust, cheating and vengeance. To this end the show has to be given credit for it's new take on a well worn story dynamic - taking people in with it's cutesy exterior and presumed love triangle set-up before shattering their expectations with a slow but carefully executed increase in both drama and cruelty.

It's also unparalleled in it's ability to make you despise it's characters; chief among them is the main male protagonist Itou who shows such selfishness and inability to emphasize throughout you wonder if he has genuine mental impairment! Other characters are more multi-layered, showing good aspects (at least at first) but they too also succumb to the general depravity as the show meanders on from one deranged low to another. Towards the end, things start getting a bit too depraved - which almost takes you out of the narrative entirely but then the brutal conclusion rears it's ugly head with all the force of a steam train and you realise now why the depravity was necessary - it had all led us to this one point. The cathartic moment where the people in question get what they deserve.

School Days is a short, sharp jolt out of the nice cutesy preconceptions we have about High School Romance stories. It's unforgiving, sadistic and depraved - but all the while strangely compelling. It has to be applauded for its creativity and how it manages to conjure up strong feelings of hatred towards it's characters. While it couldn't be universally recommended, it's worth watching to those who can stomach it as something that's very unique and different.

Not for the faint of heart, this anime misleads you at first with vibrant backdrops, beautiful animation, and positive themes like friendship and love. However, Love very quickly loses it's hold on the story as more and more characters are introduced and the downward spiral begins.

If you're anything like me and get attached to characters instantly you'll find at least one character you're rooting for, but as you descend through the chaos and deepening darkness you should start to feel something for almost every single character.

The way School Days gradually and carefully shifts gears is incredible, as you realize all the dark themes were there since the start, subtly.

And the darker and darker it gets you are constantly reminded by the title name that even though the matters at hand are so small and trivial, in "School Days" love, or what you think is love, can be all that matters, and it make can or break your entire "world."

After reading the only other comment posted here, I felt compelled to add my two cents.

First of all, MOST men do not, in fact, date tons of women without caring about any of their feelings. Men like that exist, but they are a special class of jerk.

That aside, this is an amazing series, but I do agree that it is not for the faint of heart. It starts off light and funny and progressively grows darker and darker towards an amazing ending that finally brings the downward spiral of intensifying emotions to a crashing halt.

The animation is quite beautiful and the characters and their actions are as flawed and complex as you could hope for in a romantic series. I found myself loving and hating them at different times and that, in my mind, is the mark of good writing. If you have some solid emotional resolve, I think you will enjoy this series from beginning to end. Do heed the warning, however, as this is a ride you honestly may be changed by, if you take it to its conclusion.

This anime is adult anime but I think in today's time this must be compulsory to teens to watch the consequences of less education and Lust. So that they can understand that making physical relationship at less age is not good, they must focus on they life goals by doing hard work and earn and then make a Happy life. The consequence of less s*x education is properly shown in this anime.

Wow ok, so I watched this anime a long time ago and completely forgot about everything that happened in it except for the ending and I randomly decided I wanted to rewatch it, and now I wonder why/how I liked it so much back then.

I now get why love triangles are so hated, cuz this is the worst and most frustrating love triangle I've ever watched in anything ever, seriously, I hated seeing Kotonoha not only getting bullied by almost everyone on the show for no reason but also going back to the worst guy.

Really, I hated Makoto and Sekai back then and I still do now, although I don't really get why I liked Setsuna so much when she too was extremely mean to Kotonoha, I know she at least had a reason but it was still frustrating.

The show was at least a 2 out of 10 but a 4 out of 10 with the ending, it's honestly amazing that they went for one of the worst ending in the School Days game and I just have to respect it.

Anyway, Screw Makoto, Screw Sekai and honestly screw everybody else except best girl Kotonoha, I'm so glad she got her revenge at the end, not saying how exactly even if I feel like everyone knows it by now.