School Days (TV)

School Days is not a good anime. At least, not in the classical sense. School Days does not have well-developed characters, an intricate plot, witty dialogue, or even pleasing sounds and visuals. The characters and plot are all very straight forward. Makoto’s rudder is completely controlled by his sex drive, and all the girls in his school want to rock his boat. That’s pretty much it.

So why waste my time defending such a frank depiction of untethered male libido? Where is the quality here? Where is the deeper meaning?

Stop looking for it. It’s very simple - School Days masterfully manipulates the emotions of the viewer. Many people who watch School Days are so filled with contempt and vitriol that they express feeling overwhelming nausea or anger. The anime has such a powerful effect on its viewers that many consider watching it to be a sort of milestone as an anime fan - a must-watch experience. Others say that the anime is so disgusting that no one should view it. The one thing everyone seems to agree on is that School Days is complete, worthless trash. School Days is one of the lowest rated full length anime of all time.

I posit that these low ratings are a reflection of viewers’ emotional experiences. Watching School Days takes the viewer on an emotional journey; it’s just not the journey of fear, sadness, and joy viewers are accustomed to experiencing with other anime. Another issue is the lack of reprieve. In other anime, viewers can relate to the protagonist or supporting cast and comfort in knowing they’re going through this journey together. Instead, we are forced to see everything through the perspective of our contemptuous protagonist. He shows no remorse or hesitation for his actions. He bares his true nature to us, and it is difficult to watch.

Why is it so difficult? The reality is that ecchi-harem protagonists have been mistreating their suitors since the days of Tenchi Muyo and Love Hina. They’re presented with good intentions. They never cheat on anyone, but only because they spend the entire series “choosing” from their options. What about all the women who have been led on by those protagonists for the entire series? Is that really acceptable behavior? Then when they get cast aside, they still remain friends. Is the protagonist really doing right by his chosen woman by keeping all these other women around?

School Days is a much more realistic take on this dynamic. School Days knows exactly what it is doing. School Days takes the ecchi-harem genre, smashes it upon the ground, and gobbles up the pieces like juicy watermelon. Forget trying to keep its chin clean, School Days covers itself in that red, sticky liquid then wipes it on your white shirt. “Sorry, I’m not sorry.” You feel uncomfortable watching School Days because the anime exposes the harem genre for what it really is - a misogynistic fantasy world.

If you don’t like School Days, that’s perfectly fine. You’re not supposed to like it. It’s designed to upset you. Makoto should make you angry. I seriously question your morals if he doesn’t. But School Days is not worthless trash. School Days serves an important role in exploring the ugly act of infidelity and the psychological trauma it inflicts on everyone involved. It just happens to explore it by attempting to inflict that trauma on its viewers.