School Days (TV)

School Days. Fucking School Days.

Honestly, I’m at a loss for words with this show. I have so many thoughts, and yet feel unable to express them in a somewhat coherent manner. By the end of this anime, I had my head firmly planted on the bosom shaped by my hands, wallowing in despair.

In many ways, this show is a phenomenon. It feels like an anomaly, and yet its existence is so predictable - as well as justified. It serves as a deconstruction of the Harem genre, vigorously smashing it against the wall, gathering its mortal remains, and displaying them in the rawest way possible. Thus, the anime has an overall uncanny and off-putting atmosphere, as it presents these usual tropes in a deadpan fashion, with no embellishments whatsoever.

In School Days, we follow Makoto Itou, the show’s main character. He, as well as the other characters present in the series, is introduced as a normal high school student, with nothing particularly unique about him, and it’s this initial introduction that, when compared to the ending these characters have, makes everything much more harrowing. There is a change in personality that is so genuinely terrifying, it’s enough to depress the viewer - well, if he chooses to take the show seriously, and accept its message, which is something most are, comprehensibly, not willing to do.

As we get to know Itou more, we see that, from the start, he is utterly reprehensible, with no semblance of morality. And throughout the show, we grasp his change in personality, as he solely follows his sexual desires despite the effect they may have on the others around him, turning his behaviour into a pendulum that oscillates between ogling and full blown sexual harassment. Additionally, his cowardice, and unwillingness to fully commit to something, as well as to take responsibility for his actions, end up damaging not only him, but also (and, arguably, more so) the others around him - and that’s what pained me even more while watching the show.

Herein lies the distinctive characteristic of School Days when compared to other animes in the Harem genre, as in this show, we are able to grasp the consequences that the protagonist’s actions have on others. This adds a huge amount of depth and emotional baggage to the anime, making it absolutely crushing. It also evidences the low self worth these characters have, as they never place the blame on Itou and his reprehensible behaviour, but rather shift the blame towards themselves, culminating in feelings of despair and actions of isolation.

With the progression of the show, the emotional intensity grows and grows, like a tidal wave, eager to crash on the shore with as much brute force as it can. The feelings of dread and isolation become palpable, and it becomes an even more agonizing watch. To see these characters, who were, just some episodes ago, normal teenagers, become completely detached from the world, either through their self-absorption, or through their descent into pure delusion, is genuinely harrowing, and that’s what makes School Days brilliant - it’s that it is able to do so, and so well.

There are also strong issues of codependency in the characters, which are added into the dangerous cocktail of issues they have, that end up damaging them beyond repair, and this characteristic becomes more prominent as the show progresses, and as the weaknesses of the characters are revealed.

The act of Itou “having to choose” between his options is presented as it really is - not “choosing”, but rather cheating, hurting the ones that cling to him thinking, through the signs he gives off and the words he utters, that they can do so, not knowing (or rather attempting to ignore, no matter how hard it may be) the fact that he follows his sexual urges and nothing else.

I find that it is no coincidence that the opening for School Days ends with a glass shattering effect, because it is exactly (or, well, metaphorically) what happens as we get closer to the end of the show. Everything that was built up was bound to shatter - in fact, such characteristic was easy to see from the beginning - and so it does, in the ugliest, most cruel way possible. Itou is drowned completely by his desires, becoming overcome with arrogance and selfishness, that serve as a layer to hide his true cowardice. This serves as a catalyst to what is the climax of the show, its ending.

Regarding the ending, it might seem very hyperbolic. However, when you take into consideration everything that has happened, and what the current state of the characters is, it adds up, and it makes sense. To the characters, their relationships are the biggest issue of their lives. It’s something that’s natural to their age, as they have not yet faced the problems of adulthood - and even some problems inherent to their age. As such, this issues feel decisive to the whole future that lies ahead in their lives, and with that in mind, the ending makes sense, because to them, it feels like the natural course of action for people who are trying to govern themselves through problems they have never faced, never seeking help or guidance from someone with more experience in the trials an tribulations of life than them. This, however, does not detract from the fact that the ending is disturbing, completely messed up, and even traumatizing. The event itself is disturbing, and when you take into consideration what happened throughout the narrative, that dreadful feeling becomes even more amplified, like the screeching feedback of a mangled microphone, clashing into the walls that surround you and assaulting your senses, rendering you unable to process what you are feeling, forcing you to face said feelings with no escape nor a way to mitigate your agony.

School Days is masterfully directed, although it might not seem like it in the beginning. On the first episodes, there is this uncanny feeling, and everything feels artificial. The comedic bits are dry, the soundtrack is generic, the voice acting is generic, there is simply nothing to it. However, when it comes to the end, everything that has past seems intentional. It genuinely feels like everything was masterfully orchestrated, turning the show itself into a character, initially maintaining a facade, and then breaking it, slowly but surely. There are specific occasions early on (before shit hits the fan, for a lack of a better expression) when it feels like the show itself is breaking character, resulting in moments of incredible soundtrack, oppressive atmosphere, and gigantic emotional weight.

It is an agonising, dreadful watch. Such a fact is inescapable when discussing this show. And yet, I admire it for that. The way it was able, in just twelve episodes, to portray the real effects that a person’s actions have on others with full, unadulterated force, is incredible and awe-inspiring.

I apologise if this review seems like a stretched out incoherent rambling. It’s just very, very hard trying to summarise why I feel the way I feel about this show. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it, as it was agonising from start to finish, but I can tell you this with absolute confidence and certainty: it’s a brilliant anime, one that transmits a message that, to many, will hit close to home and stimulate enormous feelings of discomfort, and I love it for that.