Gakkougurashi!

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 ... seen such a combination before, and it sounded like it might be cool.

Cue the first episode- They say you can't have plot twists in the first episode... they were wrong.

The setup and lead on with how we were seeing things versus in actuality were very surprising- shocking even. It had some of the most amazing framing and dissonance between the mental state of Yuki and her projection of reality I'd seen- and I was hooked. The subtle imagery as Yuki and Miki ran through the school, culminating with that classroom shot was incredible. I don't want to say too much here, because it's best to not know anything, but I really thought I finally had a worthy successor to the moe-horror that Higurashi had established itself queen of... but all was not well.

By the 4th or 5th episode, it was plain that Yuki's mental state and her way of dealing with (or not dealing with) the newly ruined world was not the focus of the show, but instead turned into this wishy washy dark and suspenseful tale one moment and slice of life cute-girls-doing-cute-things the next. While this type of flip flopping set up a really good vehicle for really hitting the viewer with the hard moments due to how light and fluffy it had been, Gakkou Gurashi still wasn't above typical moe/school show pitfalls. I mean, I get that school is in the name- School Live! being the closest English translation, but the inclusion of a pure fanservice episode at a KEY moment in the show, at the absolute climax was a horrible decision.

When everything is on the line, and major decisions and changes are about to happen- why not just throw in a swimsuit episode? Because what we needed in a unique show was SOMETHING ELSE to make it just like every other anime involving schoolgirls- some good ol T&A.
I can't stress enough how badly this wrecked the very tense and suspenseful atmosphere they had painstakingly built up - a real tragedy in an anime that could have been something better.

-----

In a lesser show, there would have been a lot of pointless side characters introduced- but Gakkou Gurashi stays strong with an unchanging cast of four. With the focus on their interactions, we really get a feel for how these characters are as people, and actually care for them- something not many anime manage to achieve. While Yuki's incessant naiveté is grating at times, at the point when I got sickest of it- the mood changes, and her illusionary existence comes crashing down, prompting a great shift in the show.

In the apocalypse, I think few people realize how important your health is. Often in such shows, the main characters are taken to heroic feats and ridiculous Deus Ex Machina moments because, well... they're the main characters and "they can't die, hah!" In this however, the sense of vulnerability is always looming. The characters remark over the course of the show how they realize that they can't stay at their school forever, and that there seems to be an ever increasing threat outside their tiny haven, and this gently increasing tension comes to a head at about the same time the sickening moe garbage was making my head hurt. The sense that the characters were in real danger and may die was there- and I genuinely expected deaths, I just had no idea whom. It was a really rewarding watch in that aspect, because the characters didn't just pull magic out of the hat, or develop supernatural powers. Gakkou Gurashi definitely stays very grounded, and I appreciated that very much.

The ending left a bit to be desired though. It was the kind of feel good ending that probably everyone saw coming, and with the buildup to it, I was expecting a bit more given the dark conclusion it was foreshadowing.


Side Note:
One thing I've discussed about zombie media is the portrayal of how the apocalypse came to be, and whether it takes one of three routes that form the basis for the conflict:

1. That Science did this! Biological weapon/genetic mutation experiments, who cares? It’s all vaguely scientific and intellectual sounding, so that’ll fool the teen demographic.
2. A Wild Virus Appeared! Some mutated microbe that’s unaffected by any drug affects all but some small number of populace who, by plot convenience, don’t contract the illness.
3. Who cares! Zombies are here and we have to destroy/evade/hide from them to survive!

Thankfully, Gakkou Gurashi took route 3, but definitely with some shades of route 2. The subject of a virus and a planned response by the government was touched on, but it was never the forefront issue brought up as to why. Again, it doesn't really matter why the zombies are there- and it didn't need a pseudo scientific explanation to prove to me, the watcher, that it was that thought out. That part of the setting doesn't matter- it's how the characters DEAL with it that does. For the most part- they dealt with it. But then again, that's the conflict, isn't it? How does one deal with it?


Scoring:

Artwork and Animation: 6
Consistently good, but not anything special- definitely some excellent single frame shots with great small details and framing

Sound and Voice Acting: 7
Cutesy intro, cutesy outro, cutesy insert music, and cutesy VA. What else is there to say?

Characters: 7
Since we had a full season to get to know and examine the characters, they feel genuine and the audience is actually given enough fodder to decide whether they care about/like the characters.

Story: 6
Post Apocalyptia X moe, little bit of drama, some suspense, and enough Slice of Life to fill everyone's need for the mundane.

Enjoyment: 6
With the inclusion of a completely wasted fanservice episode and a few "you idiot" moments, that knocked it down a point. Strong beginning and a decent made up for it though.


Overall: 6


Recommend?

If a departure from the typical moe blob show into a bit darker territory is something you might be interested in, why not?

In almost any form of art, the use of contrast can be a very powerful tool to enhance the appeal of your work. By taking two different items and setting them against each other, it can multiply the overall value and effect of the product versus those two items being standalone. It can make paintings have a captivating appearance, give food a memorable flavor, and, in the case of movies and television, give a unique experience that makes it stick to the minds of the audiences watching. There is, however, a catch to this: the right amount of each item must be balanced against each ... other lest one overpower the other or it turn away potential customers/viewers/etc. So how does the use of contrast affect the anime School-Live? The answer is important - after all, it's what the entire show hinges on.

School-Live is an anime that wishes to contrast two different atmospheres, cute and creepy, in its 12 episode runtime. It combines a cute high-school slice of life show with that of a zombie apocalypse. The reveal that there's horror in something charming is sometimes hidden from the viewer to make the turn of events more shocking, but in the case of School-Live, it's its worst kept secret. The show's synopsis, poster, and tags all give away what's happening. Even before the big reveal, it's pretty clear that something's wrong inside the show's world. That said, the show's use of zombies isn't really where the main focus lies. Instead, it uses this as a tool to test the survival, and psychological skills, of our main protagonists.

Each character is given a slight role to the group. Kurumi is the twin-tailed fighter of the group and uses her trusty shovel to fight off the occasional zombie rush. Yuuri serves as an organization leader of the group and is shown keeping down a list of supplies as well as "approve" of certain events. Miki is the newcomer and though she is the youngest of the group of girls, she is the smartest and most practical of the group. Finally, there's Yuki, the chipper voice of morale and mascot of the show. A black hat with cat ears is worn over her head filled with ideas of what to do during the group's downtime. Together they make the "School-Life" club, a club dedicated to doing what they can to "help" other groups and make school the best place to be. The price for this dedication is to stay on school grounds at all times, but considering what's going on outside, it can hardly be considered a downside.

Of course, the club the 4 girls form isn't really an official club - rather, it's the way that they help keep their sanity in check. The supernatural fear outside combined with the claustrophobic environment inside can get to a person, so pretending to have ever-popular school events such as a sports day and field trips can break the monotony of survival. This is where the show wishes to use its contrast. It shows a typical school life setting against the fear of a horrific death. Every event is limited not by a school budget or time, but rather what the girls have on hand. Throw in the chance of something horrific happening during each day in their fortress and you've got a show that certainly finds a place for itself.

Those looking for a chance to see some intense girl-on-zombie fighting will be sorely disappointed. Sure, Kurumi swings a shovel a few times but it never focuses on the action. Instead, it offers two alternatives: goofing off and twisted tales. The former is to deliver the "cute" half of the show's contrast (as well as attract the audience who enjoy idle, silly fun). The latter is the core strength of the show, as we get to see how these girls truly feel about the events that have occurred and the fears of what the future may bring. Yuki is the obvious choice for this category, as she simply pretends nothing went wrong and thinks every day is another fun and fantastic day at school. I do find her to be a bit immature, though. She's a senior in high school, and yet I feel like I'm watching a kids show when she performs her antics. Miki is for my money the best of the cast. Her story is a personal one, much like the others, but the emotions feel amplified as a result of the lack of interactions she gets as well as the isolation she has from the rest of the world. The main cast get a school and make up fun activities - during Miki's origins, we get none of that and instead get a greater fear of the unknown. It's arguably the greatest moment of the show.

With these details in mind, does School-Live find a balance between its two genres? For some viewers it does, but I can't say it did for me. The show has a habit of pointing out a few flaws in their own show but ultimately struggle to answer them. The biggest example of this include part of the field trip episode. There's danger looming all around and, especially later in the show, a fear of supply management as resources start to dwindle down. Yet there's enough time for swimsuits to be tried on. The excuse "We are girls, after all" doesn't really work here and suggests that the show is also trying to attract an audience via alternative means. A better strategy would be to stock up on more of the zombie's weaknesses (sound and light based items, such as glowsticks and child alarms). Another example stems from how coincidental everything is. With the school's vast amount of natural resources, it definitely feels apt for survival. This seems to be hinted at something greater, but not enough detail is given. A good question to answer would be how long do the zombies live for? Right now, I am to believe they are immortal unless they are explicitly killed. In the end, it's a supernatural story so anything the author wants can be put into place. This latter point is only minor, since this is the first part of the story. However, a little enticement for the future can go a long way with keeping people interested - it comes off as more credible than trying on swimsuits.

The ultimate issue will lie with the audience. I enjoy some slice-of-life but it's not a genre I can say is my favorite. Sure, it's cute watching the girls run around and make stupid jokes, but I really don't gain too much from it. I'd much rather see a form of progress across the city or more of what's happened with the world rather than be confined in the halls of the school. Considering that's half of the show's appeal, it's quite clear that I'm not meant for the show's audience. That said, it'd be foolish for me not to admit it's a necessary evil. Had the show entirely be focused on the mystery and horror, it probably would've received more criticisms of shock value and wouldn't have found as large a fanbase. That's really the takeaway of using the contrast strategy - the balance in the creator's eye may be imbalanced in the eye's of the viewer. That's why we all have different likes and dislikes, after all.

The animation studio behind School-Live is Lerche. There are a few shortcuts here and there (the CG zombies in one scene being the #1 shortcut) but they do a fairly good job. Bright, cutesy colors for when everything's fine and shades of purple, black and dull gray for when zombies are involved. Arguably the scariest thing about this show may be the character's eyes - their irises are a bright ring that contains a dark colored pupil. They're sort of unsettling to look at. The music for the show consists of goofy, lighthearted pieces and some dramatic tones - mood music, mainly. It sports a catchy OP "Friend Shitai" and a relaxed ED "Harmonize Clover" to end episodes on a lighter note (with the tongue-in-cheek "Good Night" displayed after the end of early episodes). The real grab would be the moody piano piece "We took each other's hand", used perfectly for Miki's scenes and again amplifying her backstory. The voice acting is also good. The seiyuus know how to deliver a dramatic scene or a scream when needed. Yuki's is a bit too "bubbly" for me, but it's appropriate for her character.

Overall, I give School-Live a 6/10. It's a show that's not for everyone - again, this is a show for people who want a slice-of-life AND a bit of psychological horror. If you're more in the former camp and don't mind a darker show, this will probably be the anime for you. If you're more in the latter camp, I'd advise to pass on this one unless you need something a bit lighter, as strange as that sounds. School-Live is a short and interesting watch that shows that even a strange contrast can give a show staying power.

Do you like or dislike this anime? If you haven't watched it, are you encouraged to watch it or not? Leave a comment on my profile telling me what you think of the anime and/or my review.

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day!

Story & Writing:

The author of Gakkou Gurashi probably hit upon one extremely interesting idea and decided to write an entire series based on that one brainwave. However, he probably didn't realize that an interesting idea ain't worth jack shit if you don't develop and expand upon it. As a result, we get Gakkou Gurashi.

While interesting at first, this show ended up feeling half-assed and lazy. Its more unique aspects are introduced solely as a gimmicky selling point and was never capitalized on as the show waddles awkwardly between cutesy moe and edgy horror. I don't think the show itself even knows what it wants to ... be. It's neither dark, gritty nor realistic enough to be a compelling horror, but neither is it fun and lighthearted enough to be a slice-of-life either. By the end, this entire show feels like one big sloppy mess of somewhat interesting ideas loosely strung together with blood, spit and moe. Absolutely no cohesion nor depth - just novelty and shock factor.

But the depth and development - or lack thereof - is not the only subpar thing about this show. It genuinely could have thrived off of its barebones premise alone if only the characters weren't so goddamn boring and generic.
Even if a show's writing fails to develop on its own premise, it can still be decent provided that its characters are decently interesting and entertaining to watch.

But in Gakkou Gurashi, I do not give a single fuck about any one of the characters.

Not Yuki. Not Yuuri. Not Miki. Not Kurumi. Not even the fucking dog.

They can all go die for all I care because they do not have a single shred of individuality nor charisma about them. I really think that these characters are the ultimate symbol of Gakkou Gurashi's identity crisis, of its internal conflict and indecisiveness towards whether it wants to be a moe slice of life or a post-apocalyptic horror. Even Yuki, the most promising character, was never really properly explored nor developed. Her unique "trait" ends up being just another one-hit-wonder gimmick swept along in the sea of gimmicks that makes up this show. When you boil these characters down, they're all just generic moe tropes who got shoehorned into an oh-so-dark-and-tragic setting. That's it. They don't really do anything. They don't abandon their humanity to butcher zombies nor develop baser human desires for sex nor do they betray one another nor sacrifice themselves or any of that juicy stuff. Not in Gakkou Gurashi. These boring-ass characters are only there just to bitch, cry and whine. It never feels like they're making any kind of radical or substantial decisions, nor are they plunged into any extreme scenarios that would force them to step outside their comfort zones and make decisions they would usually not make. Instead, they just act really laid-back, fucking around on top of the school rooftop like nothing's happening. At the end of the day, no matter how this show tries to fucking hide it, these characters are ultimately just cute girls doing cute things, with maybe a bit of edginess, angst, and melodrama sprinkled on top. This is not really innovative or anything. Angst and melodrama are already ubiquitous enough among slice-of-life shows. What's your excuse, Gakkou Gurashi?

Oh and btw, a certain character acted like a complete retard towards the end, causing contrived angst and melodrama to ensue.
What's worse is that all of this tension and conflict are resolved in one fell swoop through one convenient plot device. This solution wasn't really mind-blowing or anything, and the show could have done it way earlier and save the audience the anguish of sitting through 12 episodes of trashy moe and pseudo-horror clusterfuck. Up to that point, the show has been barely passable with its writing - neither too dumb nor too smart. I was willing to give the show a 6 but because of this dipshit plot development, down to a 5 you go you piece of shit.

TLDR: This show's lazy writing plays it too safe and never wants to push anything, to make anything extreme or interesting. The characters and their emotions; the plot developments; the setting - all of them are ultimately bland and pointless, not worth giving a damn about.

Art:

The art design is slightly above average, boasting a vibrant color palette but bland character design and visual style. Also, it really toned down the more gory aspects of its story, soft-censoring or completely omitting scenes showing blood and violence. In other words, the artstyle is an awkward cross between visceral and cute, neither fully embracing one nor the other. Once again, this just goes to show how half-assed Gakkou Gurashi is, with no real identity or substance to add flavor to its premise.

Sound:

The sound design is surprisingly good. Many of the background tracks are extremely creepy and manages to perfectly set the tone every time. It's a shame, though, that it's wasted on the mediocre writing.

Enjoyment:

5/10

You know what? I just had more fun typing up this review than I ever had in my 4 hours of watching this anime.

Overall:

5/10

PREMISE
Putting horror into anime has always proven itself to be a difficult task. Many studios have tried, often to little avail. Instead of moments that instill dread into our hearts, we’re left with predictable setups, uninspired monsters, or an over-dependence on gore. It appears that anime is just not a good medium to really freak people out.

As such, Gakkou Gurashi is trying a different angle. Reminiscent of Madoka Magika, it isn’t trying to unsettle viewers by being incredibly scary. Instead, it tries to be only somewhat scary, but within an otherwise completely unscary setting. And so we have one of the more unusual matchups in ... recent years: typical moe schoolgirl fluff... and zombies.

EXECUTION
Gakkou Gurashi has been an incredibly polarizing show. I feel that the crux of the controversy is due to the fact that, despite its twist, Gakkou Gurashi is still a show where “cute girls do cute things” at heart.

To understand why some people really like Gakkou-- and why others really dislike it-- we need to look at the show’s main theme: denial of reality. While it is shown early on that Yuki takes the theme to an extreme extent, all of the other main characters are guilty of it as well. For instance, the girls could break Yuki away from her fantasies-- they even admit that they would be able to. But they don’t. Why? Because Yuki’s cheery demeanor would vanish. So let’s make sure Yuki stays happy instead, because if she’s so happy, then things can’t possible be that bad, right?

To further this delusion, the girls try to live life as usual. They’re not sleeping at school because it’s a safe haven, but because they’re part of a School-Life Club. They’re not foraging for supplies, they’re going on a field trip. Hey, I have an idea! Let’s write messages and tie them to balloons! Let’s have a fight with water guns! Let’s have races in the hallway! If anything, they’re acting even more upbeat and bubbly than usual, because that’s all that’s keeping away reality.

And this is where, for many, the show falters. There is a large chunk of screentime given to these schoolgirls acting like, well, schoolgirls. This leads to a whole lot of moe fluff that, while it advances the setting, does absolutely nothing to advance the plot. And for those who cannot stand the genre, or the show’s stagnant story, there are many valid complaints to be had against Gakkou Gurashi.

But for those who don’t mind the set-up as much, it definitely does a lot to make the horror hit harder. I don’t want to delve into spoilers, but I will say this: Gakkou Gurashi is really, really dire. With every episode, things are looking more and more helpless. And no matter how much you may want to go along with the cast’s beliefs that everything is going to turn out alright, you won’t be able to get away from the feeling that every bit of happiness is just another sign that things are going to go horribly wrong. And that’s not something you come across in an anime very often.

The mixing of genres is a very common thing in works of fiction, but it goes without saying that they won’t always mix well. You could look at that peanut butter and chocolate, and say that it’s a great idea, but the peanut butter coated chocolate probably won’t be as big a success as the chocolate-coated peanut butter. What I’m saying with this delicious analogy, is that a bit of consideration needs to go into what you’re crafting, and if you put too much of one thing where you should have put another, then the end product isn’t going to be very good. In the ... case of Gakkou Gurashi, the same thing can be said, and the question that shall be answered here, is whether we have a new merger on our hand.

The story begins in Japan, because why wouldn’t it? A group of girls is a part of The School Live club, and lives in the school, as the name may suggest. Already this premise is strange, and it’s hard to imagine what sort of intentions will be behind it, until we get to the end of the first episode and see why living in the school is so crucial. It turns out that a zombie apocalypse has occurred, and these four girls and living in a well-equipped school, because they have little other choice. At this point this are more or less a mix of two much-overused things, moe and zombies, but what really hooks you with the show is the psyche of one of the characters.

Enter Takeda Yuki, our main character, and the typically bubbly girl you expect from this type of show. Through the first episode, we are literally led on a chase as we follow Yuki through the building (chasing a dog) and her behavior is markedly different from that of her lower classmate. It turns out that the zombie apocalypse has broken the poor girl, and in the relative safety of the school, she has forged a bubble around herself, living in an illusion where everything is all right, and anyone who might be dead, is actually alive. This premise is what roped me into the show, as I pondered when this girl broke and whether or not she’d remain that way and it gets increasingly interesting as we see how the other club members react. For once, the zombie apocalypse is taking a different approach, and it offers something that’s worth the time, unfortunately, the moe doesn’t really blend with that well, and so it feels like a lot our time is wasted.

Where we should arguably have focused on navigating the deadly lifestyle, with a girl who doesn’t see the death, we are instead wrapped in her illusion with her, and can only glimpses the hostile world through breaks in her psyche. This is imaginative in a sense. It arguably places us in Yuki’s feet, and that would theoretically increase our immersion, but instead it feels like a waste of time, and too much of that time is paid to her delusion than to the world. Ultimately, the genres aren’t mixed. They’re kept in the same room as one another, but they occupy different sides, and when the do decide to talk; one is noticeably louder than the other is. It is interesting to see how the delusions manifest, but because they can manifest in a safe area (or in a place where we already know nothing is at stake), the anime is allowed to deliver its moe ham-fistedly with very rare moments where the natures join hand.

Ultimately, Gakkou Gurashi had the potential to be something great, but preoccupations with other things present an unavoidable roadblock. It’s worth the watch to see how two entirely different things can come together, and as a cautionary display of how they come together poorly. It does have some interesting elements, but they seem worthless in the greater scheme of the project. Ultimately, I give it a 6/10

I daren't write too much as the bottom line is this is a fairly gimmicky and unremarkable slice-of-life show. It's certainly not the first anime to try and contrast cute girls and horror. It might be the first zombie apocalypse slice-of-life show, though I wouldn't quote me on that. The first episode has a predictable bait-and-switch setup. It initially seems like a cutesy slice-of-life comedy where four young girls do fun things as part of the school life club, but it's revealed that the fun atmosphere is all part of the main character, Takeya Yuki's, delusion, and most of the club's activities are for survival ... or distraction in the midst of a zombie apocalypse which has left them stranded in a school swarmed by the walking dead. There are a few other twists thrown into the story, which you don't need precognition to anticipate, but ultimately this is simply your typical cute girls doing cute things show, where in this case not everything that happens to the girls in question is good.

So why dare I give this a 5, and not a 4 or a 3? That's because of the presentation. I wasn't joking in my Ranpo Kitan review that Lerche seemed to put more effort into the production of this anime than the mystery author tribute. They seemed to put some thought into how they could visually represent the differences between 'reality' and Yuki's deluded version of it, and that extends to changes in the OP and ED animations as the series goes on. Also, while the setup is gimmicky and honestly stupid, it does result in some more in-depth development of the girls' personalities that makes it more engaging to watch than it would otherwise be.

Interesting premise but the execution was meh. Slice of life aspects felt too dominating. The psychological horror aspects felt too weak. There was very little tension or stress in the majority of the episodes. Little exploration of how the characters respond to their predicament besides on a shallow level. They had a cool thing going on with one of the girls. I would've liked to seen how the other girls cope with maintaining a facade of normality around her while dealing with survival related stress and hormones. There was really no character development for half of the major characters despite a majority of the episodes ... dedicated to telling their backstories.

Felt like a moe blob slice of life with some zombies. This took me off guard a bit because I came into watching this expecting a lot of psychological horror. Still mildly enjoyable but it could've been more.

Like most anime, I try to go in without knowing the genre or plot thus allowing for the most original and fresh experience as possible.
On the whole, I felt this anime was okay, and didn't have as many annoyingly fan service moe moments as I expected, but could have ended a lot stronger. I don't know anything about the manga, other then it differs slightly, but I wished the anime hadn't been as vanilla on the whole as it was. Compare this to similar shows like Higurashi and Yuki Yuna, I felt that this anime got the moe girls combined with ... the 'wtf' moments down, but failed to maintain it's strength over the entire show. It kept swapping between very mundane slice of life moments, to small glimpses of the psychological horror genre.
I really enjoyed watching the story evolve, from the changes from the first episode opening to the seconds, and the tiny details you notice (like the roof in episode one) when you re-watch it.
On the whole, it was okay but there was a sense of a slight letdown that it wasn't as crazy as it could have been. I wish that the following scenario had happened, but it might have been in the manga and could be included in a season 2?
-----SPOILERS------
I really wanted the big reveal to be that the main character killed all her zombie classmates and that's what caused her to withdraw and hallucinate because she didn't want to remember. I think it would have made the show much more intense, and I felt them leaving was a cop-out ending because it didn't actually resolve anything in the overall plot.

I'm going to say it now, Gakkougurashi has only been popular because it's not something that you would expect from a moe looking show. The strong contrast between the character design and the world building is what helped gain its popularity.

In terms of story and it's development, there isn't much to go along. It is very restricted to a "slice of life" theme. Although I am going to admit that I was surprised by a few plot twists/ revelations. I am hoping that there will be a second season because like most 12-episode long anime, this one is open-ended.

Now, onto the characters. I ... found myself not liking the main protagonist, Yuki. I get it, she has a psychological condition and she's the sunshine amidst their storm but she is the most unreliable idiot ever. I know! She's written like that. It's supposed to be cute and endearing. Well it's not. I feel sorry for Kurumi, Rii and Miki for always ALWAYS keeping her ass out of danger. I don't really mind the other characters but for some reason they remind me of K-On! Yuki is the more annoying version of Yui; Rii for Mugi; Kurumi for Ritsu and Miki is a mix of Azusa and Mio. I don't know.

Next let's talk about the animation and art style. Scratching the rage inducing Yuki, I think the art is garbage on this one. I just don't know if I got the censored version but would it kill the creators to do a proper zombie instead of just animating a dark aura around them? Too me it's a little (LOT) lazy. Most of the scene where there are a lot of zombies are also blurry/ out of focus. Come on! I think I can handle a little gore.

Lastly, is the anime good? The answer is both yes and no. Yes, because I admit that some of the scenes are very heartbreaking to watch. I didn't expect to bawl my eyes out in the last two episodes but I did. No, because of the lazy animation, lack of character and story development.

If you watch Gakkougurashi without knowing that it is a deconstructed slice of life then the anime might blow you away. But since I knew from the start that it is not what it seems I kind of raised my expectations a little higher and got disappointed. (So yeah, I might have spoiled myself the enjoyment of this anime)

Definite spoilers as I will be pointing out some flaws with the story.





Story: 4
This is what happens when you try to blend moeh and horror, you end up with something that's really neither with too many plot devices.

So we're presented with the concept of 'living' vs 'survival'. When all is hopeless, is it more important to survival as long as you can, or to try to live out the remaining time you have? Thrown into an apocalyptic situation, the girls have chosen to try to 'live' by pretending as often as they can that they're just living at school. However, this premise only works because ... of all the plot convenience thrust onto them in that the school has all these facilities which allows them such a lifestyle as well as their few numbers which allows them to 'live' for a good amount of time.

The zombies are atrociously slow and are pretty weak as well, as a high school girl can quite easily dispatch them, which brings the question why are there no other survivors. Secondly, it seems that the zombie apocalypse was something that was expected, or at the very least, prepared for, which begs the other question of why no other teachers survived.

When the girls do wander outside their safe zone, for some reason, they think it's a smart idea to bring Yuki along, who has become disillusioned with reality due to trauma. And somehow, despite being an immense liability where Yuki basically has to be counselled during and after any encounter, they make it out every time.

Overall, a suspension of disbelief cannot be held for long due to convenient plot devices.



Art: 7
I would have rated this higher if it were not for the poor implemented CGI. CGI is used sparsely, but when it's used, it's so obvious that it breaks the tension. An example of good CGI is in Kantai Collection. I found the lighter, happier backgrounds to be quite average compared to the darker and bloodied backgrounds. The characters themselves are more of the typical moeh designs in that they're brightly lit but their overall texture feels a bit flat.



Sound: 7
Didn't really like the OP nor ED, voice acting was pretty standard so not impressed or disappointed there.



Character: 6
Basically everyone has trauma... which is fine. Except when both Kurumi and Yuuri seems to encourage Yuki's state of mind it's a real wonder how they manage to live for so long. The only real person of interest is Miki as she recognises both the importance of maintaining an optimistic attitude but also a realistic attitude at the same time.



Enjoyment: 7
The moeh/cutesy parts of the story weren't really that cute and actually made me lose interest at times. The darker parts were definitely more interesting, especially when Yuki was absent and the sane members of the group had to discuss their survival and resource woes.



Overall: 6
By combing both cute parts and horror parts, I felt like it ended up diluting both. Too much of the story seems to rely on plot conveniences (such as in ep 11 when lightning strikes and wipes out the roof which signifies that they will have to move on afterwards) and just doesn't have the power to maintain a suspension of disbelief.

School-Live! is a series that has much more under the hood than one would expect. I want to preface this review by saying that the impact of what this series has to offer is better realized if the viewer goes in blind. With that said, concept only takes a series so far, and while this one has quite the interesting concept, it doesn't nearly reach its full potential.

IF YOU'VE READ THE SYNOPSIS YOU ALREADY KNOW, BUT JUST IN CASE, FROM HERE ON OUT THERE MAY BE MINOR SPOILERS

School-Live! follows the lives of the School Living Club, a club consisting of four students and one teacher ... (as well as a dog), as they go about various club activities. This club isn't like any other club however. It's the only club, and its members are seemingly the only survivors of a zombie outbreak. Our main character, Yuki, doesn't seem to realize what kind of situation they are in, as she attends classes in empty, beaten down classrooms. She plans School Living Club events, all the while, the other survivors, Kurumi, Miki, Yuuri, and Megu-nee try to come to grips with their situation and how to potentially survive.


The best way to describe this series would be "Psychological-infused Moe". The main focus is split between the girls being concerned about Yuki and her current state, and the zombies and how they plan to survive. The problem is that these two tones don't mesh very well together. Had this series focused on one or the other it could have excelled. Unfortunately, splitting its time between both causes both aspects, and ultimately the plot as a whole, to suffer. The zombies never feel like a legitimate threat, and a plot device used later on in the series feels all but shoehorned in in an effort to give the plot more depth. Meanwhile, the moe aspect of the series lacks as well, as characters come off more as annoying than cute.


Aside from Miki, the viewers learn next to nothing about any of the characters, making it very hard to emotionally invest in any of them. Their reliance on one another becoming the driving force behind what makes them want to make it out alive. The girls actively try to keep Yuki from losing it, and she returns the favor, although she doesn't realize it. This is about as far as the characters come. They just aren't interesting enough to the viewer to care about them.


The last few episodes of this series are very good, and show what this series could have been had it focused on just the Psychological side of things. Instead it ends up being a series that had potential and a good concept, but is relatively forgettable.

Gakkougurashi!
School-Live!


For the love of God, I misjudged this anime. I thought this was just a slice-of-life title at first since I didn't watch the genre and it completely surprised me. Even if I had known what to expect, the surprise probably would have been just as great.

Whereas the premise deliberately wants to give you the wrong idea at first, the story quickly takes off and you are confronted with the truth of what happened. Due to the changes from the manga, the anime adaptation has a much slower pacing, more moe but also a more mysterious atmosphere, especially because of the protagonist. And this ... is exactly the strength of this work. The illustration of various traumatic events and how this can burden people. I think in its genre area, he has been able to convince me very much and I have finished watching it in just 2 days.

However, it has of course been a very obvious problem that very little has happened in the anime. It was a combination of events and various everyday experiences that have been relatively boring and have harmed the atmosphere very much. By this spontaneous change between gloomy and colorful.


After I finished watching the anime and had a somewhat positive impression, I likewise read the manga from start to finish.

[For those who want to start the manga and know the difference]
- The manga is much darker than the anime but has less of a mysterious atmosphere.
- The flow is different (Miki's presence in the anime was switched and her background was shown later, in the manga it had normal flow).
- The story of the dog was only a short background that didn't even take up half a chapter.
- Everything after the episode with Kurumi's expedition to the basement (and the consequences) has a different flow in the manga.
- The anime ended around chapter 20, as that's where the storyline diverges from the anime.


[Story 4]

The story presents a usual apocalyptic setting of a zombie invasion as you know it. This time only from the perspective of some "moe schoolgirls" who are trapped and now have to settle for their current lives.

The focus is both on the atmosphere of their interaction with the "undead" and also how they overcome their fears and problems.

Unfortunately, it crossed too much with the colorful look in the anime, so the contrast became too obvious.

The ending on the other hand was mostly disappointing, the result of how the school was cleared and lives was saved in the end was trite. The explanation in the manga was much better. Though of course, both have been chock full of plot armor.

[Characters 5]

I like what the author tried to do here, especially later in the manga. Unfortunately, too many points were deleted in the anime and new ones were added to create more drama. This resulted in questionable plots (like the dog arc) and weak overdramatization. I liked Yuki's personality and how she tried to confront reality, even if the realization of it didn't reach the quality I would have liked.

Kurumi was the usual strong character of the group, armed with the best weapon in the multiverse "The Shovel", she showed no mercy with the undead. She was my favorite character, but only because she convinced me well as a mascot.

Yurii, on the other hand, could hardly shine in the anime, since her whole character arc started later. Other than that, she was almost just your typical "ara" girl.

Miki was the second serious character of the group and possessed only adult traits to contrast with Yuki.

Megu was a plain nice teacher, though she was given a much more interesting character arc in the anime than in the manga. This is the only positive change.

I would have deleted all those "moe elements", they were just distracting. However, the characters nonetheless worked well and added a certain charm to the plot.

[Music 5]

The osts are average. Only the gloomy atmosphere of some scenes was discreetly underscored.

The intro is musically very bizarre, but at the same time well chosen. It conveys an interesting change and has a relaxing effect on the viewers, while the episode conveys the exact opposite. At least as long as it doesn't become an everyday episode.


[Animation 5]

Apart from the unnecessary censorship, the animations are average. The biggest positive praise goes to the often mentioned "atmosphere" created here thanks to the setting, music, and animation. It is undoubtedly one of the most depressing I've ever seen, although the anime doesn't seem that way at all.


[Conclusion]

It has been a very interesting experience and I will personally remember the anime very positively. Even if it has not been too convincing in terms of quality.

Every fan of the anime. however, I recommend it to read the manga.

[Enjoyment 7]

"Gakkougurashi!" is a weird anime. Weird is not automatically bad and I love a lot of weird things, but "Gakkougurashi!" is weird for wrong reasons. It has an amazing premise which is butchered for the first half of the season and you constantly find yourself shaking your head in disbelief that somebody could ruin such a good idea with so many irritating characters and cringe moments. Fan service also feels very awkward and forced. It's like they couldn't decide should they make something ultra serious or make something lighthearted, so they made something which has both elements. And for the first half (and even a ... little bit later, if you manage to last till then) you will keep asking yourself what went wrong. Last few episodes, particularly the last two really redeem the whole series with some moments which will make you teary eyed a little. I think those last two episodes sum the whole premise of the series really nicely. There are some great and positive messages hidden in this mess, but the problems with pacing, cringe inducing characters and moments ruins the fun and relaxation this series could have given to the viewers. Therefore, I can't, in my right mind recommend this anime to anyone but to the fans of the genre (don't know what would the genre even be). 6/10! Avoid it if you can.

This anime was much better then I expected, The art is very good and the atmosphere is superb. Each of the characters were alright in their aspect but they tend to be lackluster. The idea of this anime is perhaps the greatest twist I have seen so far of 2017 hands down.

My issues were I did not 100% connect with everybody leaving me be with no emotions in areas I believe I needed to be triggered emotional. This anime has a mix of slice of life with survival all at once. This anime was misleading for me, the majority of the times it was ... slice of life rather then being much more realistic of the current situation which I did not enjoy. I was frustrated, hoping they were much more active in their current situation but this statement alone should not discourage you from watching. Worth giving a chance but, if you feel your wasting your time stop immediately.

As someone who had been reading the manga before the anime came out I was enjoying the series a lot as it gives a unique perspective on how teenagers would survive by basically being in denial. Then when the anime came out I was excited too see it translated onto screen but then as it started getting later into the episodes I gradually go more disappointed as it changed the story from how it originally was (there was already changes but i let them slide), then I found myself enjoying it less and less.

This is by far a series which would be better enjoyed without ... reading the source material and then reading it after if you want a continuation, it somehow in its animated version made some of the characters unbearable and changed its own characterisations, but on a plus side it had decent animation/art with a nice soundtrack and an upbeat and enjoyable opening song, it even managed too portray some scenes in an excellent way which made me want too rate it a 6, but it had too much moe, yes i know its moe girls with zombies the series but they were supposed too be in their late teens but just how it was portrayed and the odd fanservice just made the viewing slower when I wanted more explanation on the world they were in.

So overall I believe it had a lot of potential too live up too its original but poor filler and writing left it feeling lackluster and like there should have been more. But if you love moe filler with a dash of disturbing scenes with zombies I'd suggest you watch this.

This Anime just isn't for me.

Without saying too much, I feel like this anime could have been greater than what we ended up with. Not to say the anime is bad overall, but it left me more dissatisfied than anything else.

I will say that I can easily see why people would enjoy this. There are just aspect of it that I didn't enjoy. Which is a shame because I really wanted to enjoy this anime just based off the beginning.
I'd say give it a try. A lot of people obviously enjoy this one and hopefully you do too.

Below is me bitchin' about some ... of the show.


*SPOILERS AHEAD*





The first episode is a bit of a banger. Especially when you realize that there are little hints littered around that things just aren't as they seem. That one detail of trying to find little clues to find out what might just be in Yuki's head and what might be real is really what kept me watching. It was that mystery of what we are being shown and what is really happening.
Unfortunately that doesn't last long at all.

What we end up with is this sort of "flip flop" kind of experience with everyone trying to protect Yuki from reality and that said dark reality. But I found myself just bored with the moe side of this show. To the point that I actually started to skip some of these parts.

I also found myself just annoyed with their choices. Whether it be prioritizing fun things for Yuki over survival or going after a dog despite the danger that is literally in your face at the time. The characters feel like they have no sense for their own wellbeing based off of their actions on a rather regular basis.
For example. The zombies are shown to respond heavily to lights and sounds. Like they will completely follow the sound of a pingpong ball despite that they are chasing someone. The characters choose to make as much noise as they can. Also, in an early episode they make a point to say it was okay to turn on a light since you wouldn't be able to see it outside the building, but they proceed to have the lights on every single night after that episode.

I honestly feel like I could keep nitpicking aspect of this anime, but I don't feel it's necessary for a show that came out in 2015.

I do want to say that my favorite part of this anime was how the OP changed as time went on. That was a delight.

The art style is recognizable enough, but it doesn't particularly stand out. I happened to read the manga before watching this, and honestly I don't think they did the story justice. While not many things were changed, quite a lot was left out and the order of events was completely thrown out the window. I can understand why they changed it, as they were trying to fit 5 volumes into 12 episodes, but the main issue I have is the amount of time it takes for the characters to actually do something significant. I don't want to give any spoilers, but it makes it seems ... more like a slice of life than the actual apocalypse scenario it's supposed to take place in.

What the dog doin, oh...

I wished the show focused more on the world building rather than then main cast in one environment. The anime wastes time on generic interacts rather than developing deeper relationships and harder hitting consequences. They also some fit a FUCKInG "beach" episode IN A SHOW LIKE THIS??? And how the fuck do seniors look like that? They look like middle schoolers except for the green eyed girl. The music's alright, interesting choices but I personally felt like it didn't fit sometimes. Art was consistently good but never dared to try different styles to convey moments better or to make the show ... more interesting to look at. If they were to change the story focus and change the character interactions this show would be an easy 8/10.

Class is in session, and this week it's a lesson in escapism.
That's your only hint.
Go into this series blind.

Gakkougurashi! is fun. That's it. If you don't want to be spoiled any further I would suggest not to read anything else about this series. Don't look at the synopsis, ignore the rest of this review, and ignore everyone else's reviews. You can't get into Gakkougurashi! and talk about it without ruining the aspect that makes it fun to watch without any idea of what you're getting yourself into.

The story is serviceable for what it is, and while it's not mindblowing, I found it entertaining and things ... I had questioned and found too convenient were at the very least touched on and given a reason for existing. Enough for me to suspend my disbelief. The story isn't exactly chronologically told, but you're kept thoroughly grounded with a sense of time as the series goes on.

The art is very moe coming from Lerche, enough so that you'd be forgiven for thinking at first this could have been the work of Doga Kobo, if not for the choice of colors and backgrounds. The OP gradually changes throughout the series and it's fun to see the visual aspect slowly develop with the story. There's a contrast of art styles that was interesting to look at. I don't particularly remember the animation impressing me at any point, but it does it's job and it's never bad enough to take you out of the show.

I really liked the VAs for Gakkougurashi! This is the first time I had actually thought I should start following a seiyū for their work. As someone that has previously only paid attention to studios that I enjoyed, this may help me decide if something is worth watching in the future. The music range is quite broad and each song suits the emotion the series is trying to capture at the time.

The characters are the weakest part of the series, and it rides too heavily on the protagonist for the other characters' developments, backstories, and personalities to be interesting. Their developments almost serve as filler in between the main protagonists developments.

I enjoyed Gakkougurashi!, but felt it lacked something or perhaps was a little too idyllic at points or felt the plot rushed a lot. While the idea is interesting and it would be fun to dive another level deeper into the plot, I don't think it would be able to hold my attention for another cour.

THE BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF MY ANIME EXPERIENCES

i was going to rate this a 10/10, but I ended up with a 6/10 .....What went wrong?

the show is Excellent:
• it has Zero Mistakes (few scenes could be more convincing)
• it manages to be Tense and Adult, captivating and funny
• the Quality is pretty high
• Good characters development and story telling
• probably the Best plot twist I've ever seen
... • there are Easter eggs
------------------------------------------------------- (Spoiler Allert) --------
here are the Show Killers:

• how in the hell Yuki managed to save everyone by talking to Zombies, this is garbage.
the show did its best to make everyone die, everyone was alone and in a desperate situations, but it seems that directors decided to force an happy ending.
I think they had to die, it would have been Very hard to digest but also a memorable, different and a well executed ending.

• the Dog is a complete Mess, he is the responsible for the School Break-in, ALSO he eventually became a Tiny Hero Zombie Dog that saved Yuki from Certain Death by pushing away the Horde that was surrounding her.

• experimental vaccine is OP and basically can transform a zombie into human?! (also a zombie dog into a dog that will die few minutes later because yeah the drama...)
+ there is a big inconsistency about the time of infection.

• the Anime isn't as conclusive (and not as good) as the manga, but I have to evaluate what I got to see:
we don't get to know why Megumi never spoke about Vaccines and Shelters.
unfortunately we also don't get to see what happens after the end
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I ended this Anime in 24h which is something that I Never do, i thought that it could be my Very Favorite, and I'm speechless about the last part of the show.

there are no justifications