The entire series is done in a very playful manner, and as such is a complete joy to watch. It is consistently funny while maintaining a disarmingly human element. When the series ended, to my surprise, I found myself actually very attached to the characters, something that isn't usual for comedic shows such as this where character development takes a backseat to developing caricatures that are easily re-arranged for comedic potential. It's definitely a series worth the small time investment it will take and serves as a wonderful palette cleanser that will weasel its way into your heart and mind if you give it just one shot.
[Story] - 7
The story of the series is pretty much what you would expect from the title: what a bunch of high school boys do. Topics range from girls to schoolwork to mysteries to social interactions to conflicts with peers to pranks and more. What is simultaneously great and not-so-great about the series is its willingness to eschew narrative for fun. I say this is great because it adds a lot of variety and allows the characters to interact very organically when the macrocosm of a lengthy plot isn't factored in. Unfortunately, it also makes some connections lack substance, and this is made even more acute by how great some connections are. In short, I'm conflicted, because a story-heavy series just wouldn't suit the tone that's being gone for here, but the two or three very touching long-term developments are good enough to leave me wanting more.
[Art] - 8
There isn't much for me to say about the art. It is well-done, characters are easily distinguished and all have very good design. The tropes brought in from other anime are always showcased beautifully and in ways that are very faithful to the original incarnations.
[Sound] - 8
The sound here is great. I'm not too partial to the opening or closing credits, but the sound really reverberates in the world and meshes with themes well. In more slowed-down segments, the music complements, instead of overshadowing or cheapening, moments of emotional vulnerability. In the much more prevalent humorous portions, the quirkiness of the music gets along fine.
[Character] - 8
This goes along with story for me and is very important in my analysis of any major piece of narrative art. All the characters are given very specific personalities (save a few student council members who seem to languish in victimhood to the inability of a twelve episode sketch show to really flesh them out in meaningful ways) that carry through and inform a lot of choices of which sketches to place them in. There are frequent interludes in otherwise laugh-a-minute episodes that really show off some unique features and reflections from most of the major characters. Overall, even though I don't think I know any of the characters exceptionally well, I connect to them as I watch them in action.
[Enjoyment] - 9
The series is extremely easy to pick up, has a fantastic pace to it at almost all times, and is always sure to leave one teaser for later expansion on a topic per episode to reward those who continue immediately. The combination of other factors along with its genuine hilarity and likable characters make it an obvious pick for one of the most enjoyable TV series I've ever watched.
And there you have it. If you're looking for a short series to cleanse from a longer, more intricate anime or something you can pop in and rewatch a couple times for laughs, or if you're looking for an amazing pastiche of anime tropes and reversals, this is your series.
