Saint Luminous Jogakuin

“Saint Luminous Mission High School” is an original TV anime from 1998 that was produced by Genco/AIC/Triangle Staff and was originally broadcast in a last night TV Tokyo time slot. High school student Kaihei Kijimi is surprised when he finds out that he has inherited his grandfather’s prestigious private all-girls international high school, and he is even more surprised when he finds out that he must accept the role of school chairman or else the school will close.

Against the objections of some of the teaching staff and of many of the students Kaihei enrols himself in the school so that he can continue his education ... while he tries to decide what to do with his new responsibility. But things only turn to the worse as some of the girls start to disappear in mysterious ways while outside forces attempt to discredit the school and take it over. Kaihei finds himself embroiled in an ever deepening mystery while he attempts to establish his credibility with the students, staff and parents.

Just what is going on at the non-standard school where students have an unusual amount of freedom in their studies? Are there evil spirits or aliens involved in the disappearances, as some students claim? Are Kaihei’s actions helping the situation or making things worse? Kaihei will eventually have to make a decision about a commitment that will affect everyone and everything at Saint Luminous Mission High School.

This short and enigmatic series is first and foremost a very good mystery story. Although the setting and situation appear to be tailor-made for a harem comedy, comedy is very secondary to the mystery in this series, and Kaihei is not a harem anime lead character, nor are the girls harem anime heroines. The animation is quite good for the time, with character designs reminiscent of many of the classic AIC anime of the 90s. As well, the voice acting cast are for the most part seasoned pros from many of those same AIC classics. In addition, the ending theme song is a very early and quite memorable piece from Ali Project.

Saint Luminous Mission High School remains a unique and intriguing example of late 1990’s anime series that were based upon original stories. It was originally released on Japanese Laser Disc, and then on R2 DVD, but has never been licensed in North America. The official web sites are now rather sparse and contain little of the original information.

It's been over a year since I watched Saint Luminous Jogakuin and while I thought it was fine the first time around, I still can't stop thinking about it for some absurd reason. Saint Luminous Jogakuin sits in a strange place for me. On the one hand, the show contains an utterly weak and forgettable mystery that barely get resolved in the last episode. The story is mediocre at best, and the art isn't pleasant to look at from time to time. Yet, even with its numerous flaws, I find it difficult to dismiss this as a bad show.

Saint Luminous Jogakuin revolves around the disappearance ... of a student attending an all-girl high school, Saint Luminous. Our main character, Kaihei Kajimi gets the news that he is going to inherit the school from his late grandfather. As a result of this inheritance, Kajimi has to act as the school chairman unless he wants the school to shut down. He accepts the role and thus begins the fun harem/slice of life anime that this show was destined to be.

It's not that fun, actually.

Soon after, Kajimi finds himself playing detective, attempting to find the missing student only to discover that more girls are disappearing by the minute. Along the way, he meets with the girls that reside in the school, whether that be an artist or a radio jockey, he makes sure that they find comfort in these dire times. What makes Saint Luminous Jogakuin so special to me is that, while the show's premise is set up to be some kind of harem anime, it manages to be mature in its tone and atmosphere. There's a hidden sadness that lies within this show. The fact that Kajimi continually fails to find answers to the mystery is frustrating to watch, but maybe that's the point. The lack of progression that lies in the mystery adds to the burden of the main character. As the show progresses and the school's morale starts to diminish, I feel more sympathetic to Kajimi as he is unable to resolve the case. Watching his relationships with the students becomes more and more distant as weeks go by is unbearable, and the mind-boggling mystery that barely moves isn't much help.

The plot moves at a standstill, yet the situation worsens each passing week. Kajimi is completely incapable of solving this mystery. Not because he's an inept detective, but because the disappearances are caused by an unexplained force that he doesn't have the power to comprehend. This leads me to believe that the mystery isn't the main focal point of the anime. It plays a considerable role, don't get me wrong, but I think the strongest parts of the anime lies in the interactions between Kajimi and the girls that he interacts with. As the show progresses, we are introduced to a motley crew of schoolgirls. Each of the girls tend to have a distinct personality and some with a personal arc that gets resolved thanks to Kajimi's help. The girls don't act like characters from a haram, but they act more realistically and have their desires separate from the male lead.

With all of that said, is Saint Luminous Jogakuin a good show? Maybe. If you're looking for a good mystery, stay away from this show. If you want a "character study" (which is a term I use very loosely) then perhaps give this show a shot. Just don't expect the resolution to be more satisfying than the buildup.