STORY
7 / 10
For an anime so distinctly rooted in wrongness, I was surprised how subtle these attributes came across in Kyou no Go no Ni. Indeed, much of the humor carries many sexual undertones, but none of it came across in an offensive or intrusive manner; it was all played on the innocence and naïveté of the characters. Thus, when deciding whether or not to watch Kyou no Go no Ni, it's important to note that it's not really ecchi or overly perverted - it merely plays on embarrassing childhood situations and runs with the gags for a bit.
For an OVA involving exclusively children, these are some of the most unrealistic fifth graders I've come across; while they have childlike reactions to most events, their personalities tend to be much more mature than their age would suggest. Hell, back when I was that age boys and girls were just starting to mingle with one another and get beyond the "cootie" phase. Still, regardless of this, it's entertaining just to watch all eight kids interact with one another. Like Azumanga Daioh, the OVA is chopped up into twenty-four five minute clips and manages to pass surprisingly quick because of this - by the time I got through an hour I had thought fifteen minutes or so had passed. Every single clip has an astoundingly simple premise - such as the boys fighting over whose bouncy ball will fly higher - and there's really no drag whatsoever.
Ultimately, though, I think the overall innocent and harmless atmosphere of the story is what makes it so endearing. While, as an adult, I found many of scenes disturbingly hilarious, the characters themselves never act out in such a fashion to make any of the situations (such as the sexual ones) seem either awkward or uncomfortable; were the case I don't think I could have stomached it. While it might seem like I'm overkilling this point, prior to watching it myself I was under the impression its content was raunchy and likely offensive; for me, at least, this turned out to not be the case.
ANIMATION
7 / 10
For those familiar with the more well known Minami-ke, Kyou no Go no Ni is easily recognizable as its predecessor if for nothing more than the similarities in animation. Though neither particularly flashy or detailed, the simplicity works positively, as it provides for a nice backdrop for the slice-of-life comedy. Though there are occasional ecchi shots (much moreso in the first two episodes) I found myself putting a hand on my forehead, shaking my head, and laughing instead of being put off by them. Keep in mind that in general I make a point never to touch any fanservice oriented shows (and especially OVAs since that's all they tend to have period), so when I downplay the panty shots as being vastly abundant or even important to the OVA on any serious level, take it to heart.
SOUND
7 / 10
Now, given my vast experience with the audible murder most children voice actors flaunt, let me say up front that every single kid in Kyou no Go no Ni is voiced splendidly; there's no whining, grating, or anything else that reminisces the grinding of nails on a chalkboard. The music also fits the OVA nicely, as the tracks were constantly being mixed up shifted due to the non-stop change of story content. As with just about every slice-of-life comedy, there's really nothing else remarkable to say - the musical score is effective at what it does and nothing more.
CHARACTERS
8 / 10
First and foremost, I hate kids. Period. Absolutamente. No questions asked.
Thus, when I say I liked Kyou no Go no Ni's characters it should not be taken lightly. Though I can't quite put my finger on what exactly charmed me so much about them, come the end of the fourth episode I was a little disappointed to see them go. Perhaps it was the fact that the OVA merely snapshots brief scenes that take place throughout their everyday lives, but all of the children are instantly likeable. As with real life, each of the kids has his or her own little quirks that define the classroom, and this prevents the need for the characters to be stereotypical and bland; from a girl hitting puberty before the others to the boys competing in a three-legged race to prove their masculinity, their antics are all surprisingly nostalgic.
Again, too, despite there being a fair amount of sexual humor the kids all happen to be completely oblivious even to the prospect of sex. They're all almost uncannily innocent in their approach to the world; perhaps that's what ultimately made them so appealing.
OVERALL
8 / 10
For fans of random, simple humor or slice-of-life series, Kyou no Go no Ni is worth consideration. Though not for everyone, I think its "questionable" subject material can be easily overlooked if approached in the proper context. Overall it actually exceeded my expectations; I think all the negative feedback I acquainted myself with prior to watching had lowered my quality bar substantially. In fact, had I not got so annoyed by this title somehow popping up every time I tried to use the AniRec, I likely never would have given it a chance.
