"A line drawn in blood, separating reality from fantasy."
Here are the show's genre tags: horror, mystery, psychological, school, and slice of life. This is easily one of the most contradictory, creative anime I've watched in a while, but it blends all these genres together into a shocking combination. Many people, myself included, have seen better fight scenes, better jokes, better story lines. To say that Gakkougurashi does any of these with an expert's precision would be false, but I found none of the story elements to be unbearable or cringeworthy. While some of the action or chase scenes seemed to be plot convenient or unrealistic, nothing seemed out of place. The story seems solid, and it definitely foreshadows future events well and forces the watcher to make connections.
"Two palettes—light in one hand, and dark in the other."
After a while, it becomes easy to discern between "Yuki vision" and normal vision. I found myself unsure of which version of the world I was seeing: something imagined, or something real. Bright colors and cute characters are in stark contrast with the shadows, gore, and quote-unquote citizens lurking around every corner. Character designs are pleasant and memorable (Kurumi is my personal favorite), and fine details hint at plot elements and whatnot. One thing to watch out for is the opening and ending sequences. As the story progresses, so do they.
"From cheerful to grim, and some dark foreshadowing."
Music and sound effects are a vital part of any film. Even the absence of sound can be meaningful, and it's typically very difficult to mess up the sound aspect of an anime. However, Gakkougurashi has the same problem as another very popular title: "Clannad: Afterstory". If you've seen it, think back to that episode, where they insensitively played the cheerful ending song right after a major turning point in the story? If you don't know what I'm thinking about, imagine someone cracking jokes and singing happily during a funeral progression where everyone else is mourning. If that metaphor doesn't do it, then I'll say it bluntly; it's normally a good idea to change the music to fit the current point in the story. The cheerfulness of the ending and next-episode preview break tension in the story, but bring the show full circle from slice of life to slice of life. Make it what you would, but be ready for drama and trauma. Don't be mad if the show adds insult to injury through song.
"Yuki, Kurumi, Yuuri, Miki, Megumi, and Taroumaru."
The characters are what I consider the most important part of this anime, much like all others. It's not unusual to have a cast of four girls, usually filling out the main categories. Fortunately, none of the characters overdo clichéd stereotypes or archetypes. Four high-school girls, a teacher, and a dog are stuck in a post-apocalyptic world. None have any particular survival skills: Yuki is eternally cheerful and Kurumi can swing a shovel, but they're all "mostly average". What I find interesting, and the most rewarding aspect of the show, is the psychological interaction that goes on between the characters, their environment, and themselves. Escaping a harsh reality, making difficult decisions, being forced to make and break bonds... They're all common themes of a post-apocalyptic horror show. While the characters' personalities aren't explored in depth, what redeems them is their relationships and emotions with the others. You can see the reasons behind their behavior, the things that are holding them back. An individual's logic and common sense say one thing, but their experiences and feelings may say another.
"To enjoy, even while knowing the truth."
Whether or not this show is enjoyable is a moot point. Sure, it's a slice of life about school and cute girls and fun. It's also a horrifying story with extremely dark events. I found it hard to enjoy the casual and relaxed parts of the episode because of the previous' events being on my mind. It definitely isn't a bad show, or one that isn't entertaining or gripping, because trust me—I found Gakkougurashi very, very interesting. The only thing is, all the slice of life starts to feel like a falsehood in comparison to the psychological horror.
"My recommendation."
I had no idea what to expect of this show before I watched it, and it was still completely unexpected. Gakkougurashi was definitely not a disappointment, and while it isn't a drop-dead masterpiece, I would say it was a good usage of my time.
General things? Opening and ending are very nice, they change with the show. Pay attention during them, I do suggest that you watch them, at least every couple of episodes. Be prepared for plot twists and "oh sh*t" moments. Some of the foreshadowing and such was very well done, particularly a scene in the last three episodes.
"A TL;DR summary."
Story: 8. Room for improvement, but is not lacking. Feels a bit disjointed or illogical at times, but it's not incomprehensible or nonsensical.
Art: 8. Constantly switches between happy time and not-happy time. Depicts world in different ways, rather intriguing and works well with the theme.
Sound: 7. Does its job, but breaks the tension after climactic episodes. Sort of annoying.
Character: 9. Some characters lack personality or background, but all interact very well together and the psychological part makes them a whole lot more interesting.
Enjoyment: 6. Slice-of-life elements feel like filler because of the other aspects of the show.
Overall: 8. Recommended for fans of psychological fiction, but not very much for fans of slice of life.
... I'm sort of annoyed with how this review turned out, but it's something. Watch this show, it's always better to see for yourself than to hear it from another.
