If you have no idea what this show is about, you’re one of the lucky few that can still dive into this quirky ‘slice of life at school’ show blind. It’s mostly centred on antics and club events thought up by Yuki, guided by the athletic Kurumi and motherly Yuuri. You’ll either love Yuki, (she’s so crazy~) or empathise with Miki’s level-headed reactions to her; Miki acts as a foil to Yuki, providing some gravitas to the show. After one episode you will likely either want to drop it or watch the rest. If you don’t know anything about it, watch an episode before you
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read the rest of the review.
If you’re reading on past this paragraph I’m assuming that you’ve either finished the first episode or at least know what happens in it. It’s pretty much impossible to describe the show without giving away things that happen in the first episode, but I’ll avoid spoiling anything beyond that.
If someone had come up with the idea of ‘moe horror’ I would have regarded it with the same suspicion that I would regard a ‘death-game harem’, or a ‘mecha romance’. It’s all well and good in theory, but if you try to keep a consistent tone while staying true to the concept you’re inevitably going to wind up with too much ‘harem’ and not enough ‘death-game’, or too much ‘moe’ and not enough ‘horror’ (or, to continue with the analogy, some really inorganic character development). To balance out the conflicting themes in this instance you really need some sort of excuse to violently flip between a light-hearted slice of life show and a dark post-apocalyptic horror without breaking the audience’s immersion. Fortunately, one method to making this strange transition between completely different tones work resides under Yuki’s cat-ear beanie. With what comes across as either complete insanity or a pathological determination to keep things happy and light-hearted, Yuki manages to get the other characters to forget about their situation, which in turn lulls the audience into that same sense of security. With such a setup, flipping the show back into a horror is as simple as cutting away from the mood Yuki has created.
We soon discover that the show’s title is a clever pun in more ways than one. ‘Gakkougurashi’ follows the daily lives of a cast of mostly schoolgirls that are quite literally living at a school, flipping between their attempts to have fun and enjoy their lives on a day-to-day basis, on the one hand, and showing how each of them found themselves in such a situation, on the other.
A significant portion of ‘School-Live!’ is spent on flashbacks, showing events that led up to their current situation. This approach takes away from the tangible sense of threat, but has the advantage of bringing the oh-so-rational Miki into the first episode (which is an amazing thing for people that aren’t a huge fan of Yuki). It’s a trade-off and a departure from the source material, which unfortunately leads to a few minor plot holes being ripped open from the fabric of the narrative. Given the context of the narrative presented, I was happy for them to spend plenty of time showing how the situation had come to be the way it was. That’s where most of the excitement of this setting should reasonably come from given the nature of the show. Once our protagonists have managed to find safety, the plot as it is generally needs to rely on their desperation or stupidity to inject any new threat into the narrative without the audience losing immersion, so focusing on the lead-up to their situation was a good idea overall.
The characters vary widely in personality traits and outlook, and you’ll likely find that at least one of them has a mentality you can gel with. The power dynamic and relationships between the girls are multifaceted and interesting mainly because of what they represent. Yuuri holds an unspoken and uncontested authority over the group as a pre-designated maternal leader, Kurumi is a hot-headed badass that quickly resorts to violence, Yuki is a psychotic and emotionally manipulative idealist, Miki is a stoic and cold-shouldered pessimist, and Megu-nee is very similar to that clumsy yet lovable substitute teacher you likely once had: she panics, falls over, and drops things, and is ignored far too often by her students when they don’t need her help. From that melting pot of conflicting ideals and character archetypes comes a series of friendships built from necessity; built upon the cornerstone that is the hardship of their desperate situation.
There’s a sense of self-awareness maintained in the writing throughout, whether it’s (quite literally) pointing to other works that it has drawn inspiration from (such as the movie ‘I am Legend’ and the novels of Stephen King), or lampshading apparent plot contrivances by having the characters ask questions the audience were themselves wondering about (viz. why is this school so oddly well prepared for what happened?). This is one of the biggest strengths of the show and a huge part of why I’m comfortable giving it a high score. The writers clearly knew the artistic context of what they were doing and had a reasonable sense of how the audience would react to what they were seeing.
The art of ‘28 Moes Later’, however, was an unfortunate stumbling block that marred the show in some respects. I’m not against the ‘moe’ art design and see nothing intrinsically wrong with it (except that it’s being used so often in modern anime that any departure from it feels like a breath of fresh air). The problem is moments of laziness and inconsistency that were obvious enough to be distracting: the characters are occasionally drawn out of proportion or with slightly misplaced features. It’s not something I would normally bring up, but it’s an obvious bad sign when such mistakes are even apparent to people that aren’t looking for them.
I briefly mentioned before that this show had departed from the source material in several respects. Some of these changes were worse than others. The inclusion of Miki in the first episode was a reasonably appropriate change from the manga; however, cutting out most of Miki’s character development by simplifying her backstory was a strange decision. If only they hadn’t included multiple episodes worth of drawn out sequences of events that did nothing to further the plot (viz. filler), we could have at the very least blamed the restrictions in episode length and number for biting the source material in the backstory! Speaking of backsides, that’s about how abruptly (and awkwardly) this show segues into fanservice. The artistic direction panders to its audience in this regard to the point where it gets in the way of the plot; the writers of the show seemed to hold contempt for the idea that there are only so many appropriate times and places for panty shots or getting changed into bikinis. Fortunately these moments don’t tend to occur in conjunction with the more ‘dark’ scenes, a plot contrivance that I’m more than happy to forgive when faced with the alternative (a brutal deconstruction in more ways than one). Suffice to say, if you’re put off by unnecessary fanservice you may find a few scenes cringeworthy. Most of it is well within the bounds of plausible deniability though, so it’s fair to bet that you won’t find it worth dropping the show over.
Back to the positives, the OP of this series is a blast! Each episode the opening video is slightly (or dramatically) altered so that it’s full of Easter eggs and little pieces of foreshadowing. One of the fun things about following along with the show week by week as it aired was seeing the community pore over all the minor details and changes, most of which I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise! The ending songs ranged from ‘boring enough to skip’ to ‘delivering emotional crits’, depending on how well you’ve connected with the characters.
‘Night of the Living Lolis’ is in some respects what you make of it, which is fitting given that one deeper theme brought up in the show is about the extent to which one can construct their own reality, and to what extent this functions as a tool for overcoming adversity. It’s a theme that’s there, but the onus is on the viewer to engage with that theme if they want to. No direct questions and answers about these things are thrust in the audience’s face, but how you engage with the aforementioned ideas will be made clear from what you think of the characters that espouse respective opinions on those same ideas through their conduct.
After a middle arc easily described as wading through treacle, the final arc of ‘GG’ regains focus and the plot starts to lunge forward to an exciting conclusion, quelling any fears that the setting had been forgotten about. How much of an impact this show will have on you will come down in part to how willing you are to forgive plot contrivances due to being invested in the characters, although in your judgement of such things you’ll often be less disappointed if you give the writers the benefit of the doubt. For what it’s worth, rape alarms are that loud, rusty metal is that weak, generators do make noise, and shovels are heavy.
If ‘not judging a book by its cover’ has equivalents in anime, one could be ‘not judging a show by its genre’. And while it certainly wasn’t many of the animators, at least someone from Lerche genuinely tried to make this work. At a first glance, Gakkougurashi! looks like the result of moe creeping into ever more unfitting genres and settings, but thanks to the great writing it truly showed signs of life even when it should have by all rights been dead on its feet.
Alternative Titles
Synonyms: Gakkou Gurashi!
Japanese: がっこうぐらし!
More titlesInformation
Type:
TV
Episodes:
12
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Jul 9, 2015 to Sep 24, 2015
Premiered:
Summer 2015
Broadcast:
Thursdays at 21:30 (JST)
Licensors:
Sentai Filmworks
Studios:
Lerche
Source:
Manga
Duration:
24 min. per ep.
Rating:
R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
Statistics
Ranked:
#13992
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#498
Members:
450,641
Favorites:
5,471
Available AtResourcesStreaming Platforms | Reviews
Filtered Results: 145 / 166
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Your Feelings Categories Sep 24, 2015
If you have no idea what this show is about, you’re one of the lucky few that can still dive into this quirky ‘slice of life at school’ show blind. It’s mostly centred on antics and club events thought up by Yuki, guided by the athletic Kurumi and motherly Yuuri. You’ll either love Yuki, (she’s so crazy~) or empathise with Miki’s level-headed reactions to her; Miki acts as a foil to Yuki, providing some gravitas to the show. After one episode you will likely either want to drop it or watch the rest. If you don’t know anything about it, watch an episode before you
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Sep 24, 2015
Some people like school. Some people dreads it. Then, there are some others that just goes there to get an education and nothing more. What about Takeya Yuki, a petite girl who just happens to be in love with school? If you think about it, there’s nothing really wrong with liking school. What’s wrong about this show is that the school Yuki is attending isn’t exactly what it seems. Welcome to Gakkou Gurashi (School-Live!), a show that comes with a bizarre twist. And by all means, it’s not exactly what it looks like…
Or maybe it does at first. The animated series adapted by Lerche comes ... Nov 22, 2015
(FIRST REVIEW)
(ALSO SPOILERS) Gakkou Gurashi (School-Live!) is an interesting anime that blew up in the Summer 2015 season. Many people praised it for being unique, dark, and a fresh new take on the zombie genre. It has moe girls and zombies. 2 things to bait the anime community in. So how does this "masterpiece" hold up? Story: 4/10 The story in this is so average. The story changes in tone shift from being a cute, moeshit, slice of life show from a dark and depressing Madoka Magica take. However, it does it horribly. There's no weight to either of these sides to the anime and it just ... Nov 29, 2015
First things first. If you haven't watched this, Don't read any reviews, don't read the synopsis, don't read the genre tags. Don't read any more of this review. Just watch it! At least the first episode. Twice. Now! BEGONE! No questions, go just watch it!
OK! ...Are they gone? Ok. Story: I was hooked after episode one. Weren't we all? It's not my typical anime, at. all! But I couldn't not watch it. Even when I got a bit freaked out by the library scene in episode 2. Usually I can guess the twists and turns but maybe since I was so scared out of my wits, I ... Sep 24, 2015
I am not english, so i apologize if i make mistakes.
Gakkou Gurashi is surely not your typical Slice of Life anime. The first thing that you can think after seeing its genres will be: "Slice of Life + Horror? What's that troll?", and it's here that you are wrong, my friend; Gurashi Gakkou is probably the second anime (Puella Magi Madoka Magica the first one) that manages to use 2 genres completely different so well. It could be called Slice of Horror. The new generation of anime has begun! ╰༼=ಠਊಠ=༽╯ That is why i like this anime so much, unique genres and characters. Don't get fooled ... Sep 25, 2015
The idea of having cute girls in dark settings is nothing new to the world of anime, but especially after the record-breaking commercial success of Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica way back in 2011, there has been a particularly big outbreak of new anime trying to ride the same wave and get a good bang for their buck. But the problem with that is that it generally only results in the final product feeling similar yet inferior in comparison to earlier works following the same idea, as was made evident in shows like Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru and Genei wo Kakeru Taiyou for example.
Gakkou Gurashi ... Oct 28, 2015
After Watching School Live, I noticed that in terms of story and characters, it's just like watching a cute, less violent & graphic, less erotic, but most importantly, more annoying version of High school of the dead. In addition to that with the story, it's sort of like School Live borrowed lots of the shock and suspense elements from High School of the Dead and dulled it down a few levels to make it easier to watch. I think it was done that way so everything is not all in your face at once. School live takes things one step at a time and that's
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Aug 5, 2019
WHYYYYYY? why did you recommand this awful anime to me? i asked for an anime similar to madoka magica but i also wanted it to be good!
this anime is an insult, there are zombies outside of the school and our "heros" are playing in a pool on the roof of the school for 12 episode!!!!! WHAT? anime like this are the reason people hate anime, this is everything wrong with anime type of an anime!! no character is develop or is interesting, 12 episodes of fan service isn't called plot! full of flashbacks of their teachers that now are dead. characters hugging each other every time they meet ... Sep 25, 2015
I am extremely disappointed with the way this show ended. Seeing as that is the case, this review will basically be all spoilers, so read at your own risk.
I'm gonna admit, this was one of the more enjoyable shows for me this season. I rate heavily on personal enjoyment, so for the most part, this series was high up on my seasonal watch queue. No, I did not like the characters although I do understand that they were meant as a contrast of the world they were living in. No, I didn't like the sudden, out of the blue tone shifts that the show presented. ... Oct 13, 2015
Everyone has different coping mechanisms.
At the same time, putting others at risk for your selfishness is beyond me. It's stupid. You're hurting them. I understand what the story is trying to do. I know the point they're trying to make but I can't agree with what this is trying to force. It's cliche but bad. Yes the animation and songs are catchy but to me, no. It's not a "definite" watch of this season. It's overhyped only because of the moe characters. Found myself just skipping through parts (Yuki's annoyingness) and yup, sure enough, it just became ok. And for everyone else saying this is a ... Sep 28, 2015
To the reader:
-~- I feel it's absolutely best to go into this show with no prior knowledge. The synopsis here is vague for a reason. Go in with an open mind and no expectations, and I think the viewer will have a much better experience. -~- I first encountered Gakkou Gurashi about 6 months ago- when it was announced as a Summer series anime. Reading the description, I got absolutely nothing from it- but a little more digging led to the discovery that it was a cross between moe and post apocalytpic with some emphasis on psychological narrative. I was immediately interested- as I'd never ... Feb 8, 2016
Gakkougurashi! (School-Live!) is not your average Slice of Life style anime. Following the life of Yuki Takeya, it seems that this would appear to be your average anime of a cheerful girl who enjoys school. However, this is but an illusion. In reality, society and humanity has fallen due to a zombie apocalypse. Four girls have banded together in their school to survive this ongoing nightmare, while trying to maintain their daily lives of being students. As the story progresses, each episode will mess with your thoughts and emotions gradually until the very end where it destroys you. The art is graphic in some scenes,
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Sep 25, 2015
i stumble upon this anime because of the hype. i must say this type anime is not what i usually watch, and i cringe for 90% of the first episode, until BAM it hits me in the end.. such plot twist, much wow.. and the curiosity just wont stop.. it's like watching the kawaii version of the walking dead to be simplified.. i havent read the manga but from the 12 eps, the story can be finished like this and i can be satisfied enough.
some eps can stir up your emotions; it has many moments of thrill, sad, funny, and relieve.. the opening and ending ... Dec 20, 2015
*THIS REVIEW DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS!*
Video Review Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBsGvIUuBW8 Quick Synopsis: To give you a brief overview of this Anime’s dimension, the story starts off with a calm, and peaceful setting, as most programs do. The main characters given to us are as flat as Paper Mario, and show no sign of difference to them, while being compared to the MOE narrative form of “cute girls, doing cute things” for some explicit reason. These characters are also a part of School Club called “the School Living Club.” (Let that sink in for a minute or so.) However, ... Nov 21, 2015
Gakkougurashi is an anime that takes two aspects from opposite spectra and juxtaposes them side-by-side, hoping to blend them together well. The two aspects being zombies and moe.
However, in just the first episode, it shows how hard it is to coalesce moe and zombies together. Heavy symbolism and foreshadowing come into play to show just that. The star character, Takeya Yuki, cracks jokes and makes a fool. The other characters laugh at her as if they aren't in their current condition. In fact, the entirety of the cast doesn't show realistic reactions to their situations until late ... Oct 9, 2015
Hope, a bright warm light shinning across a dark room where freezing water is flowing. Sometimes the light grows weaker or stronger. What makes it change is the will of mankind, the will to believe that it is not over or that are things in this world worth struggling for everyday.
If i were to compare our tale to a scenery I would say, an ocean of tears moved by a gust of happiness and laughter and lighted by the rays of hope that come and go as the day-night cycle goes on. Our protagonists are trying to resume their normal lives which they had ... Sep 26, 2015
Note: Light spoilers but spoilers are written vaguely as to not fully spoil the reader.
Gakkou Gurashi started out with potential. The manga it was adapted from juggled harrowing tension along with moe slice of life moments pretty well and the anime started out quite strongly. However, as the series dragged on it also began to fall apart, both as an adaptation of the manga and in terms of plot structure. I will first highlight how the anime compares with the manga as an adaptation before moving onto reviewing it as its own entity. The series had a very strong bait-and-switch episode 1, it lures you into ... Apr 27, 2023
If no one has spoiled you yet, PLEASE go into this anime BLIND! Just finish EP1 and you'll be completely surprised. It's just not what it seems to be.
The character development and plotline are pretty interesting, especially towards the end. The way the anime handles the perspectives of the different characters is very well done and makes it clear what they experience compared to the others. It's really hard to properly reccommend this without spoiling it.. The only way to know if you like it is just to try EP1 and go from there. This anime is SO worth the watch, especially going in blind! Just go ... Dec 7, 2015
*THIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE FIRST EPISODE*. So watch it if you haven't. It might seem boring and stupid at the start, but trust me, it's worth.
Gakkougurashi was an anime that I had to finish. It was underlyingly twisted, which made this anime quite enjoyable, for the most part. Story: 7.5-ish Well the concept of the anime was pretty basic, however, it sure as hell did not start off that way. I was trolled really bad. But breaking it down, when you do get past episode 1, it's pretty much a zombie apocalypse and a bunch of girls trying to survive. What ... Oct 19, 2015
Summer was certainly a busy season for Lerche, seeing as this is just one of their three shows to air during it's course (The other two being Monster Musume and Ranpo Kitan: Game Of Laplace which I also reviewed right here). Out of them all though, School-Live! quickly became the most critically acclaimed, boosting sales of the manga by a massive 1000% following its animated premiere. This becomes even more impressive when you consider that director, Masaomi Ando, only has a couple other directorial credits to his name (Muv Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse/White Album 2). But does School-Live! live up to the hype? (No pun
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