Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou

Pros:

— Hilarious jokes and situations, in both setup and execution
— Insightful and outrageous satire of common anime tropes
— Stellar voicing and relatable, varied cast of characters
— Segment-based structure keeps things moving before jokes grow old

Cons:

— A few jokes you can see coming, a rarer few that miss the mark


Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou (from here on DKN) went far above and beyond my expectations. Playing off the all-too-common “schoolgirls and everyday life” genre, DKN is far more than the mere gender reversal it may first appear to be.

Having an all-male cast, ignoring the “moe” factor really works in the show's favor. There is likewise no unnecessary fan service—the show places jokes first and foremost, and that lends itself well to the short skit-like structure of the various comedy bits. Alternately dry and outrageous, DKN's jokes never fail to solicit a laugh. They are helped along commendably by the flamboyant facial expressions and varying vocal tones for which anime is so well-loved.

It's hard to universally recommend a comedy show as the genre draws on what is often rather personal taste. The best parallel I can make to its off-the-wall humor is the type found in many 4-koma and parody manga strips. If you enjoy the aforementioned, you will find yourself at home with DKN.

Of note is the parodic vein of common anime situations, characters, feelings, and stereotypes DKN contains. I don't want to give too much away, but the “meta” humor it features is a real high point.

Even with its nearly pure comedy focus, DKN manages to achieve the “refreshing” vibe that so many slice-of-life works go for. The author's keen understanding of high school boys' mentality—their zeitgeist, if you'll humor my ten-dollar vocabulary—really shines through in the show's less zany moments, and those of gut-busting hilarity alike. As a male viewer, abundantly flowing were my (figurative) single-cheek tears of laughter and nostalgia at the familiar antics and feeling of young friendship illustrated in this masterwork.

Special mention must be made of the insanely clever Literature Girl segments, easily the show's standout and my favorite comedy bits of any show in recent memory. Also to Sugita Tomokazu, the well-loved Kyon, for his excellent portrayal of Hidenori in said skit and across the show at large.

Through and through, an outstanding show. If you can connect with its brand of comedy, the humor and heart within will stick with you for some time to come. read more

"Everybody's youth is a dream, a form of chemical madness." F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Oh youth and the epic journey called growing up. Most people tend to, in a way or another, be deeply defined by their teenage years. High school is a fond memory to some and a painful one to others, but I think everyone can agree that it is a unique and special period of our lives, one that has no equal. Most people quickly relate the words High School with friendship, as the friends you make in that period of time seem to leave a permanent mark in your memories and so does the time you spend with them, most of which is filled talking about something random or even stupid, laughing at simple and normal things, sharing mutual interests and hobbies, talking about the opposite gender in a playful or perverted way and worrying about the weirdest things. Yes, those years you spend in High School are special in a simple and silly way and it is that way that Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou (DKN) tries and successfully manages to recreate in a hilarious manner.

[Story] - 8 - Daily Lives of High School Boys. That's basically it. It is a standard slice of life type of story, but one that works amazingly well. The episodes are divided into segments and focus on a big number of characters, each of them with his own peculiarities, as he endures daily tasks. To portray something so simple in an amusing way is not easy at all and I think most animes that actually try this end up filled up with dull boring moments that just kill the mood. DKN avoids that in almost every single scene which is quite amazing and even in its worse episode you'll still laugh out loud quite some times. Most segments are short which gives the comedic tone light, random and fast paced giving it a tremendous enjoyability. To sum things up, it isn't an amazing and complex storyline since it is a slice of life, but the setting and the execution of the comedy match and fit each other so well that you just can't care about how simple the story is.

[Art] - 8 - Not much to point out here. The art was acceptably good. It didn't need to be better anyway. The character design was adequate with a pretty good worn on some characters' expressions.
The animation was good enough for it. It didn't particularly shine, but I never felt like it needed to be better, so I guess they did a good job with it.

[Sound] - 9 - Alright, so I had to give the 9 here for two specific reasons. First of all the soundtrack was very fitting and comedic. The Literature Girl Song cracked me up every single time, it was absolutely perfect for those moments and just hearing the song alone will make you laugh so that's a great job there. Then the second reason lies in the voice actors. Since I'm not an experiences anime reviewer I wasn't sure about where I should talk about this, so I'm just including it within the sound for obvious reasons. Yeah I have to admit I'm a Gintama Fan, so having Sugita (probably my favorite voice actor) and Suzumura playing two of the main characters made the anime that much better. Sugita's voice fit Hidenori too well and his natural ability of making everything he says funny was perfect here. Other than them I also have to positively mention other very fitting voices like Motoharu's (Daisuke Namikawa), Ringo's (Aoi Yuuki) and Yanagi's (Yuu Kobayashi). Indeed a great selection of voice actors.

[Characters] - 9 - Probably one of its strongest points, since most times the punchlines rely completely on the characters as the humor is very character-driven on most scenes. Something very good about this series is the fact that the main character doesn't monopolize every scene, in fact it's just the opposite - he doesn't even show up in two or three episodes at all. The secondary characters are hilarious, each of them playing right into a character stereotype but adding a sort of twist to it. Motoharu, the delinquent who's supposedly badass and mature, but still get's manipulated by older girls and is strangely deep and introspective, also having an above the average sensitivity and fragile spirit. Literature Girl, the mysterious silent girl who stands by the riverside staring into the horizon lost in thought, but she's actually just a naive wannabe novel author looking for an ideal encounter with a guy by the riverside. Among many others.

[Enjoyment] - 9.5 - Maybe I'm exaggerating here but I feel that the 10 is appropriate. Most episodes went by extremely fast and I laughed like a mad man at most scenes from beginning to end. If a comedy that achieves that doesn't deserve the 10 in enjoyment then few animes do. I really enjoyed this very much and agree with people that relate its sense of humor to Gintama and Nichijou - which I also liked quite a lot. It really surprised me, since I didn't watch any trailers. I just saw a new anime called Daily Lives of High School Boys and thought "well I have 20 minutes free so why not? It'll probably be filled with female-targetted fanservice though...". Then the first episode blew me away. It's actually very easy to tell if you'll like this series or not - just watch the first episode. If you dislike the first episode you don't need to see more as you most likely won't like it at all.

[Overall] - 9 - Overall a solid comedy anime that any comedy fan should check out. Get some friends together one afternoon and watch a couple of episodes, it'll probably feel even better!

I hope you decide to give it a shot and thank you for reading! read more

“I suppose if we couldn't laugh at the things that don't make sense, we couldn't react to a lot of life.” – Hobbes, from Calvin and Hobbes.

As a stressed out college student, I constantly find myself looking back at my high school years and remembering the fun old times. My all boys school meant that we could rein in free chaos without the worry of having to act proper around girls, so my class and I did all sorts of pranks and whatnot. From playing football in the hallway, to accidentally taking down a security camera, to taking down the school flag and wearing it as a cape, lighting up fireworks in class, all those things. Truth be told, high school was boring, but my classmates made it so much fun during our free time. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou is about.

A comedy anime like no other, Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou (or Daily Life of High School Boys if you prefer) had me laughing just as much (and probably more) as any comedic work out there. I found myself wiping tears from my eyes constantly and enjoying every single second of it. At twelve episodes in length, Danshi Koukousei promises that you will enjoy every single moment.

First off, Danshi Koukousei has no overarching story. There is no typical high school plot in here as you would imagine from most generic slice of life animes. In fact, the show is presented in what most people would refer to as a ‘skit’ format. An episode of the anime will generally contain in average eight skits, each of them representing wildly different aspects of the free time that high school boys face on a day to day basis and what they do to liven up their boring lives.

Of course, most of these are exaggerated at some points, but there isn’t anything wrong with that. In fact, it adds more to the realism of the show and how high school boys tend to exaggerate normal situations in their mind. Add that to the fact this anime is a HUGE parody of anime as a whole, taking in various anime tropes and destroying them before your very eyes. Oh you were expecting this to happen? Well haha, FUCK YOU PREDICTABILITY!

On the subject of characters, there is no better way to describe the main cast as extremely human. Each character has his own little quirk that makes him instantly relatable to someone. I found myself constantly laughing and thinking along the lines of: “Oh my God that is so my friend from senior year!”

The main cast is comprised of the trio of destiny: Tadakuni (whose last name is never revealed and in fact parodied by the show itself), Hidenori, and Yoshitake. Tadakuni is your straight man, the guy who is dragged into the crazy and manic antics that his two best friends get themselves in to. Hidenori is the bespectacled one, the playboy of the group and generally the inner monologue heavy guy who analyzes situations over and over again in a very comedic fashion. And finally, we have Yoshitake, the blonde dyed member of the group who is usually the idiot and goes along with whatever the situation around him dictates.

Aside from those three, the anime introduces many many characters throughout the course of its run, giving us a well varied and excellently written cast. However, due to the sheer amount of characters, it’s kind of hard to remember the names of all of them. But, this is beautifully averted when the anime itself tells you that, while it knows its introducing many characters late into the show, it’s not important to remember all their names.

It is also important to acknowledge the main female characters from this extensive male cast. At the end of every episode, there is an extra skit titled “High School Girls Are Funky!” which features three girls (Yanagi, Habara and Ikushima) who are basically the female counterparts of the main trio. While their skits are not as funny as the male ones, they are still the parts of the series where backstory is heavy handed and offers some insight into the past of some of the characters which, at least in my book, is a step in the right direction.

On the topic of animation, the studio responsible for animating this is Sunrise Inc., famous for shows such as The Visions of Escaflowne, Cowboy Bebop, Code Geass, Tiger and Bunny, among others. In itself, the animation is very simplistic and it actually works in favor of the show’s theme. Add that to the fact that most of the characters sport some weirdly exaggerated faces to go along with some of the jokes makes said jokes all the better. A curious thing to note about the animation is the decision to shadow the eyes of the majority of the small female cast. This, I found out much later, was surprisingly parodied by the show as well in one of the later skits.

The voice cast does a beautiful job with the characters as well. Most of the voices are blown out of proportion for some of the jokes, which makes the delivery of them all the better. You might find some of the voices rather familiar, particularly with Hidenori’s seiyuu Tomokazu Sugita, famous for lending his voice to Gintama, another comedy anime. Miyu Irino is present here as the voice of Tadakuni, showcasing his amazing talent, and Kenichi Suzumaru is here as well, giving his voice to the bumbling idiot that is Yoshitake. Add to those three Daisuke Namikawa as the voice of everyone’s favorite delinquent Motoharu, and you have one of the best voiced casts in recent anime history (at least that’s how I see it).

Aside from that, the music is also very well executed. Audio Highs, known for their previous work in Bakuman and Gintama, are responsible for the masterfully well-crafted music that is present in this show. The anime sports one opening and one ending, with the opening being “Shiny tale” by Mix Speakers, Inc. while the ending theme is “O-hi-sama” by Amesaki Annainin. Both are very good, with the first one really pumping you up for a high school anime while the ending is… well, stupid. It simply fits with the whole theme of the show in its own, unique, way.

Now that I’ve covered everything there is, it’s time to go down to the final verdict.

This show means a lot to me. Not just because it made me laugh, but because some of the skits that the show has are actually situations that occurred to me during my daily life while in high school. The days I spent laughing with my friends, worrying about a friend’s little sister (well, actually it was his cousin) and whatnot really brought me memories that had long passed. It made me look back in life and smile at how beautiful everything was with my old friends and how much I miss them. It’s an anime I hold very near and dear to my heart simply because of the feelings it evoked in me while watching it and, truth be told, for being the funniest anime I have seen in my entire life.

Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou gets a very well deserved 9/10. It would be a 10, but the short length left me wanting for more. But, just like everything else, even the short length is parodied by the show. Aside from that, a couple of jokes fell flat on their faces, but this didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the show.

Much thanks to Mel, for proofreading this (I love you my little internet daughter), Erika, for providing her helpful insight, and my good friend Wendy, who should write some reviews of her own because she is a FREAKING GENIUS.

There will be more to come, so expect more from me in the following months. AND AS ALWAYS, ANY FEEDBACK WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED.

This is Team Dai-Squirtle, to the stars and back!
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What is the first thing pop up in your head when you hear a high-school-slice-of life-comedy anime? Boring, if you ask me. I used to think that a pure comedy show revolving around high school students life is so common and dull, my perception changed after I watched Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou or Daily Lives of High School Boys in English. The title may give you a doubt, I wouldn't be surprised if you're skeptical, what's so great about watching a normal everyday life anime? This series stands out because it succeed in delivering what it offers, that is comedy.

Let's move on to the story. This show is quite literally what the title says; it's about the daily lives of irrational high school boys from Sanada North to be precise. No it's not about cute boys do cute things, it's about a group of school boys do what they do best, such as slacking off in a friend's house, pranking on people, talking about girls, telling random stories and any other things in exaggeration manners that will crack you up. You won't find a twisted plot, complicated story or a bunch of giant robots destroying the city, the latter is exceptional thou. Well, it's Sunrise to begin with. Every episode of this series is composed of several short skits/sketches which usually are not connected to the other. For me, the punchlines most of them hit the mark while other are predictable. Each episode, each sketch is like riding a roller coaster, but it has more ups than downs. I had fun and good laughs. Some people may find one or two sketches boring and unfunny. But again, I believe comedy is subjective -- what's funny to one person will not always to another.

As for the art, it's quite decent but it's not amazing either. Although the background is simple but it's pretty detailed especially the buildings which is fine for this kind of show. The characters are well drawn and they look natural, like how the male characters aren't wearing their uniform properly. That's how the high school boys dressed. They leave their ties undone, some characters even don't bother to wear ties at all, their shirt are un-tucked, even Karasawa is wearing a hat all the time. The funny expressions or the faces they make is enough to make me burst out in laughter. The characters are also well animated, I notice some characters look alive and vibrant. There is one thing I'm complaining about its design, they (the studio) probably decided to cut corners by drawing some characters with no eyes or it was simply lazy, I have no idea. Still, one can say it's on purpose to show which ones are the main characters. Overall it doesn't ruin the show thou.

Another strong point of this show is the characters. First of all, the series doesn't have much character development. I believe character development isn't always necessary especially in a pure comedy show like this one, as long as they are there to make you laugh, that will do. Now let's check out our main characters, the first is Tadakuni, he is the straight man in the group and probably the most ordinary among the trio, but surprisingly, he's someone you can easy relate to. He's usually needed to pull off the jokes. Hidenori, he's the one who usually comes up with crazy schemes. The last is my favourite, Yoshitake, the blond guy. He usually plays along when Hidenori comes up with anything stupid. Their exaggerated attitudes, expressions and randomness are really amusing to watch. In the midst of the series, in fact, they don't "eat" all the screen time. In other words, if one is too "normal" being a student, he won't have much screen time. This when the supporting characters rise. I find the supporting roles are very interesting as well, complete with their own unique personalities. One thing I mind is how violence the girls are to the boys. In my opinion, it's a bit overusing for a slapstick joke anime like this.

I can't say much about the sound. The opening song is rather typical but I find the ending sequence is really something. They put a skit on the ending which is very interesting. The upbeat and catchy music while the casts are performing a play in cultural festival is hilarious. The randomness on it is epic. I have no complaints for the voice acting. The voice actors fits the characters, especially Hidenori who's voiced by Sugita (he also has done voice for Gintoki). The way when he talks to himself or when he's overthinking something really makes me laugh.

My personal note; Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou is a solid comedy show. If you're looking for good laughs, I'd like to suggest you to give it a shot. In my experience, in every episode I've watched I always find at least one or two skits that are funny and memorable. Moreover, I'm sure you can somehow relate them to your highschool life, although it won't be as extreme and funny as in this series. This is the first time I've watched an anime that is divided into several skits each episode and I like it. I would gladly recommend this to everyone. Overall, This show is thoroughly entertaining and worthy my time. read more