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Gakkougurashi! is an anime that deceives first impressions. It presents itself in the first episode as a generic moeblob SoL. However, by the second episode we realize that the show is in fact zombie/horror. The interplay of the two genres is the most unique aspect yet the biggest downfall of Gakkougurashi.
From the beginning of the second episode, it is evident that the contrast of moe-horror is put there to shock us, and it is is in fact quite disturbing to see the delusions of the main character, Yuki, as she attends empty, blood-smeared classrooms and talks to characters who aren't there. Her energetic
...
and cheerful attitudes to the zombie apocalypse that she is unaware of are sometimes chilling, but most of the time they're simply annoying, as if the creators are trying to say "this is a placeholder for a generic moe thing to say/do".
The biggest shortcoming of Gakkougurashi! is below the level of story/art/sound/character... It has proven that MoeSoL does not mix with zombie horror without a little direction. Take this keeping in mind that "mix" =/= "transition". While Madoka is an anime that transitions from innocent to dark, Gakkougurashi! continues to alternate genres throughout the show. This creates a surprisingly jarring experience and causes mental exclamations such as, "Why are you cleaning the Effing water tank and treating it like a pool/bath/beach episode? There's survival shist to do!" I think that he MoeSoL parts would have been a lot more interesting if they were designed to be "creepy" and "fake" (what I mean by "direction"), but they are actually very generic and some are hopelessly sentimental such as the graduation scene. I understand what was trying to be achieved, but the execution falls into the (unfortunately) deep chasm before its goal.
STORY:
Gakkougurashi is a character-driven anime and doesn't really have a story except for the characters holding out against zombies and using their school as a shelter. Instead we'll focus on the storytelling style itself, which is generally done well. The handling of the timeline is done in a way that allows the teacher, Megu-nee, to be both in the story and absent from it at once; the structure of "middle-beginning-end" suits the show well and the Megu-nee plot twist is done well enough to become one of the two high points of the show (the other being episode 11). I don't mind flashbacks, and there are a lot in this show. However, they simply didn't fill in enough of the backstory to be worthwhile. STORY: 7/10
ART:
The animation didn't stick out as either good or bad. As long as it isn't noticeably bad, I never have a problem with animation. The art style is fine as well, and suits the cutesy setting. The thing that makes the art distinct is the color palette during flashbacks and during the higher-risk parts of the show. The washed-out color never really gets old for me, and the backdrops have a lot of detail which really contribute to the general mood. ART: 8/10
SOUND:
Sound is similar to art as in there's generally no problem if it works. There was nothing that stuck out in neither a good sense nor a bad sense. The OP is kind of meh, but I reckon they're taking the piss out of upbeat SoL openings. Music matters a lot more to me than art (my two favorite shows Kill La Kill and Cowboy Bebop have great soundtracks) and more time into sound would have probably resulted in a stronger show. SOUND: 7/10
CHARACTER:
The characters are generally not done well and all of them lack depth. However, my biggest problem is with Yuki herself, who is obviously mentally broken. The show wants us to take for granted that the only symptom of this is that she hallucinates people to life. Not only does the show not realistically explain how or when this happened (Because PTSD? Just after Megu-nee died?), it also assumes that she is perfectly normal otherwise. Anybody can tell that this is just odd, and the show could have had a lot of fun with creepy scenes(say, of Yuki alone in a classroom muttering to herself and covered in blood tearing the limbs off a teddy bear or whatever.) There are also times when it looks like Yuki finally sees a hole in her delusion and will begin to see the world for what it really is. This never happens and she comes in the next scene perfectly well and her delusion still as intact as ever. Mii-kun, in my opinion, is a great character who's complexity could have been explored a lot more. We are simply served up a semi-yuri relationship with another girl, Kei, who is soon killed and that is the basis for our character. The whole concept of "beyond just living" could have been a more prominent theme of Mii-kun's character and the show. The other two characters, Yuuri and Kurumi, had minimal backstory and were generally boring. Megu-nee is probably an interesting character but her role is kind of implied to be outside the setting of the show. CHARACTER: 5/10
CONCLUSION:
Gakkougurashi! is a show that is greater than the sum of its parts. What we're given is a unique idea and good concept that is executed generally okay. The show, while it has its flaws, managed to keep me engaged through its moments of twistedness and suspense, and kept me guessing what would happen next and who the characters were (I'm still guessing). I'm not going to lie. I did shed a tear at various parts of the show as some parts were truly sad, and I did feel a connection to the characters. Gakkougurashi! is an anime which has done an admirable job attempting to explore unique concepts. I hope shows in the future will build upon this concept.
GAKKOUGURASHI!: 7/10
Oct 5, 2015
Gakkougurashi!
(Anime)
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|||SOME SPOILERS|||
Gakkougurashi! is an anime that deceives first impressions. It presents itself in the first episode as a generic moeblob SoL. However, by the second episode we realize that the show is in fact zombie/horror. The interplay of the two genres is the most unique aspect yet the biggest downfall of Gakkougurashi. From the beginning of the second episode, it is evident that the contrast of moe-horror is put there to shock us, and it is is in fact quite disturbing to see the delusions of the main character, Yuki, as she attends empty, blood-smeared classrooms and talks to characters who aren't there. Her energetic ... |
