SCHOOL-LIVE!

Remember Puella Magi Madoka Magica, which looked cute on the outside but had a dark twist on the inside? Well, Gakkou Gurashi is like that. One character completely denies that the dark twist is even happening, though, making this series even more of a mix of moe and horror. I first heard of Gakkou Gurashi from a fellow MAL user whose review of the manga I have read, and when I found out there was an upcoming anime adaptation, I was pretty excited. Needless to say, this anime has not let me down.

Let's talk about what Gakkou Gurashi is about; Yuki Takeya is a 3rd-year high school student who really loves her school. She hates studying, but she still has fun at school, with her friends and teachers. The best part, for her, is her club, the School Living Club, where the club literally lives at school. The other members are Kurumi Ebisuzawa, Yuuri Wakasa (a.k.a. Rii-san), Miki Naoki (a.k.a. Mii-kun), and Megumi Sakura (a.k.a., Megu-nee, she's the club's adviser). Oh, and don't forget the dog, Taroumaru. Okay, here comes the dark twist; truth is, the entire School Living Club are survivors of the zombie apocalypse. Yuki is completely oblivious to this fact, though, and she continues to live her school life as if there's nothing wrong in the world.

Yeah, I warned you. Let me ask you this, though; how the heck am I supposed to explain what this anime is about without spoiling it?!

Anyway, let's admit it, people. The zombie apocalypse theme has been used over and over again in many different formats, and with this anime and High School of the Dead, anime is no exception. Of course, there are plenty of moe anime, too. Combine those two, and it's actually a better mix than you may expect. There are plenty of horrific moments, but the moe elements that this anime has give us a bit of a break from those horrific moments. The characters are very fun to follow, too, and they gain a decent amount of development.

The animation is very good. It's not the best animation, but it definitely knows when to use bright colors and dark colors; it really sets the tone of the anime. The music is also good. The OP, "Friend Shitai", remains the same throughout the entire anime, but what we see as it plays gradually changes as the series goes on. While this is good, whenever the opening plays, I just can't help but think, "Okay, we know that this is not just some moe anime, so KILL THE HAPPY MUSIC ALREADY." Both of the EDs are quite nice, too, especially "Afterglow" by Maon Kurosaki. I just loved that song!

Overall, Gakkou Gurashi was an enjoyable anime. If you like both moe and zombies, watching this will give you a satisfaction to see both at once. Just don't think it's just one of them, though, because it's actually a mix of each other.