Afterthoughts on "School Days"

Since it’s winter break, why the heck not watch a ton of anime, right? I completed a few series and one that I have been putting off for a while but wanted to watch: School Days. The delay was due mixed reviews, which contained extreme hate and love, and this intrigued me. Here are my afterthoughts on it with minor spoilers. If you're reading this (lol? people actually read my blogs), exit this page and go check it out now! I highly recommend it.

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To sum it up in one word, I would say BRILLIANT. Completely unlike any other anime I have watched. The closest comparison that I can draw to this is Clannad. While the storylines differed dramatically, the climax build-up and reference points to real-life were similar. It was the first one where I clutched my fist and started pounding the desk because a character pissed me off so much. I couldn’t put it into words as to why but someone nailed it “he doesn’t feel the least bit of guilt or emotion for his actions where as those around him were suffering.” He pretty much dragged an innocent, gentle girl and literally drove her insane.

Aside from that, the anime was rather psychological, funny(?), tragic, teeth-grinding, and heart-aching; all of which are pros and why I love it so much. As for the ending, well it’s one of the most satisfying endings ever. Satisfaction not in terms of what I wanted/expected, but rather

• not left open-ended
• left a really deep impression
• perfectly expressed how the characters changed from episode 1
• was simply beautiful with the song

All I can say is that the ending was executed perfectly (no pun intended), especially the moment the song began and the past flashed by his eyes. I re-watched the last part about 10 times. I'll have to give the song a lot of credit, it fits so well.

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As I said, people have been giving reviews on this anime rather extremely on both ends of the spectrum. I’m really glad I watched it and am interested in what others think - maybe this reveals a lot about individuals. I recommend it to everyone!