I'll get this right out there, this is without a doubt my most disliked show of the season and I believe it to be an objectively bad show. Here's why.
Before I start ragging on it, I'll say I don't mind either of the main characters too much (that said, I'll still tear them apart). Main characters referring to Ayanokouji, and Horikita. My problem lies with the pretentious attitude of the show, the frankly laughable story, and the down right cringy characters and character interactions. Due to the main characters being a carbon copy of the more famous Hachiman / Yukinoshita (which certainly were not the first couple of characters like themselves) and the awkward introductions with famous quotes, I get the feeling the show is trying do a few things. Be relatable to students, to be profound enough to spark critical thinking, and then the actual story itself is trying to be grandiose and dramatic to force a sense of excitement.
School settings are popular because everyone has been, or is a student. Everyone can relate to being in school. This anime has done nothing wrong with trying to use a school setting to be relatable. The problem is the pathetic drama, and the narcissistic attempt at philosophy. This show is far too melodramatic. It's trying to cram too many settings into one anime. I can't take anything the characters do or say seriously. The school setting itself isn't an issue. Nor are the unoriginal, less interesting (than others of their kind) main characters. The issue is the drama. It's trying to hard to force drama and some great big power struggle, which would never, ever happen in any kind of high school. It's that kid in the 8th grade trying to act like an adult. It's pretending to be serious, mature and edgy. The only settings you MIGHT seeing something even remotely close to this is in some American Ivy League college. Not in some Japanese private school. Sure you might get some pretty hard core bullying or rich kids throwing money around, but you'll never see some billion dollar completely self sustainable campus. That is because there is no return. If you're going to try and force this kinda conflict down our throats, at least have it be a college / university. This kinda thing doesn't fly in a modern day setting. No way in hell is any country, or business entity going to blow literal billions of american dollars on HIGH SCHOOL. Not to mention a high school with a bunch of luxuries for pretentious teenagers. Things like malls, pools, luxury cruise ships, fucking islands. If you're going to try and be relatable through something like a school, keep the setting realistic. Otherwise you get that contrast of putting a Picasso next to fucking Jimmy who's failed to get a engineering degree and is now trying for an Art degree in modern painting. It's laughable, and completely incompatible //Excuse the rhyme.
The next problem is the point system. There is literally zero risk involved in having zero points. The school gives out everything you need to survive for free at a no cost. Obviously it's not as nice as the higher priced things, but it's by no means inhumane or even of "bad" quality. The threats and repercussions of having zero points, and going against school rules seem to be non-existant. Everything that is a hard no in the school's rulebook get's brushed off by some bullshit teen logic or some all power Student Council. The only incentive to have higher points is for vanity and to ascend to 'A' class, which itself seems to have little incentive other than bragging rights and the aforementioned vanity.
As I said, the philosophy is down right pathetic and narcissistic. The first episodes opens up with the everlasting "Are humans truly equal" and then breaks into a poorly thought out monologue that the 14 year old high school kid posted on r/im14andthisisdeep. Each episode opens with some profound quote and then proceeds to have an episode completely unrelated to that quote. Every attempt this show makes at being profound, philosophical and mature breaks down to some poorly though out drama between 'D' class and their oppressors which has practically no relation to the quote at the beginning of the episode.
The characters are a travesty. And while I don't dislike them, this complaint encompasses each and every character in the show, including the main characters. All these characters, from class 'A' to class 'D' all fit some boring archetype or stereotypical image. They are completely flat in both dimension and character. They're boring to say the least. From having 6'10 pure muscle bald monks who act like Yakuza, to 5'3 big boobed redheaded airheads that are secretly evil back to 6'10 black men who only speak broken english. The characters are laughable. Everyone praising Ayanokouji as the second coming of Hachiman is wrong. The only relation they have is their intelligence. Ayanokouji is nothing more than your average self insert protagonist. Sure he's more enjoyable than your average lucky pervert harem protag, but he isn't any more complex or better written. Horikita on the otherhand is just a poor attempt at Yukinoshita. Her 'cold attitude' is actually a facade to cover up her incompetence regarding human relations, and her own emotions. Comparing Yukinoshita and 8man is like comparing a Porsche to a beetle. Yea they're both cars, but the difference is jaw dropping.
This story's pathetic attempt at stimulating intellect, refined philosophy, and exciting drama is down right insulting. This show started bad, got worse and ended horribly. It's a failure through and through.