You can’t talk about School Days without talking about the ending, and TNK studio knew it from the start. While the exploits of Makoto and the spectacle of an ending may try your suspension of disbelief, the wounded emotions and the helpless anger felt real. I mentioned before that I felt School Days is a modern day pseudo-tragedy, and I still stand by that description.
When we first meet Makoto, he’s beloved by everyone and he’s kind and patient; in short, he’s the stereotypical wimpy harem male. However, Makoto doesn’t just look and angst. Instead, he does what you would expect every harem male to do in a silly harem situation: he gets with every single girl at the school (except for Kotonoha, ironically, and Nanami). Not only that, but instead of pondering who to choose, Makoto feels absolutely no sympathy for the girls, and finds their emo to be annoying baggage. He even states outright to the girls that he’s just here to bone. Naturally, it’s this uncaring hubris that takes him to glory, but also sets up his downfall.
More than anything, I found School Days to be a trashy but engaging representation of human emotions. It was the sort of thing that made me hop onto other blogs to comment, “OMG I can’t believe what Makoto just did,” like I was gossiping about someone real (*cough* not that I ever do that). Also, it wasn’t a cut and dry case of who Makoto should pick. Poor Kotonoha should have been a perfect girlfriend, but there was no real chemistry; Sekai had a connection with Makoto but she turned out to be a backstabbing front-stabber. I love drama and I ate the story up the way Makoto should have eaten Sekai’s cooking.
All this made me love School Days even before the epic ending or the incredibly apt controversy over the final episode. The “Nice Boat” incident where an ax-murder in Japan caused the final episode to be pre-empted for a serene video of mountains and a ferry spawned an amusing meme that actually tied into the end. Moreover, TNK one-upped the fans who were calling for a bad ending by actually weaving two bad endings together and leaving a crazed Kotonoha on a nice boat. Let this be an example to all those studios who can’t construct a proper ending to a game-based anime series.
With such an engaging story, the production values and music do just enough to enhance the story without getting in the way. I thought all the voice actors did a great job, and the directing was fantastic. The dramatic finish was perfect, and School Days absolutely made the most of its meager source material to become a great dramatic series. Even when I was so sure there would be a silly happy harem ending, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from what was unfolding in front of me. I was always entertained throughout the whole short season, and the ending ensured that I will always remember the series.
Kabitzin’s Rating: 5/5
One Comment
I loved that ending! Such a ‘WTF!’ moment. Ask otou-san. We were chatting on YIM while I watched the final episode. I wonder if anyone has the balls to license this for R1 release. Geneon might… if they’re going to be doing any new licensing.