So that is what I am going to attempt to do with this short and sweet review.
Let's talk story first. The story was interesting to say the least. While at times I felt uncomfortable or anger at the things I was viewing, the story kept me interested. Kept me focus. Wanting to know how things would unfold. It kept me on edge. Here and there, there are dark bits of humor but the overall story is balances. We see the life of our main character unfold and we watch her day to day interactions and we see how she deals. This gives us a glimpse into who this person is. And for that reason we are drawn to her. Because we feel for her. Many who watch anime have been victim of bullying themselves and can relate to the feeling of being bullied. So there's always that to connect with. I personally was bullied at a younger age so I can relate.
Watching these girls lives and learning how they got there kept me interested in this story. I wanted to see if they could pull it off. I suggest if you watch this anime to focus on the interactions that happen between characters and look beyond what is shown at face value
The art style was wonderful and pleasing to the eye. Simplistic emotions and even complex ones were portrayed very well. The puffiness on a characters eyes who had been crying and the detail to show anguish and suffering or happiness and laughter were stylized well. It was pleasing to watch over all.
The music was not something I focused on a lot. I'm one of those guys who skips intros and outros once in a while, but I caught myself watching them here. Plus there is a good score within the anime during scenes as well. I'm trying in the voice acting here as well. I watched subbed anime and the range of emotion delivered did not disappoint. I give high praise to the staff that worked on this anime with their voice acting. I'm sure they worked very hard to produce the results they did. Overall sound was of a very good standard. It's not the best but it's not the worst either.
The characters. Now we get to a crucial point. Story is one thing but it's another if you fail to have characters that cannot bring your story to life. And this one did. I pray that the things that happen here in this anime aren't too common because there were a good list of characters who, in more than one instance, I rooted for their death and suffering. There were characters I felt for that when they died their disappearance was felt. Characters who matured in ways I didn't see coming. I will say one thing though. Each and every teacher in this anime should be fired.
I highly enjoyed this anime. I recommend this anime to anyone who is looking for a dark yet enjoyable anime. It has dark times and light times. It isn't a total gore feast. It's psychological at best, I wouldn't even call it horror. Not one time was i scared or completely unsettled to the point of tears or rage. It was an anime with a story I wished to see progress. And in all honesty I wouldn't mind a season 2. Or picking up the manga.
Overall, I give this anime an 8. It's a very good anime. Worth watching and enjoying. Pace yourself while you watch it, take time to understand characters and try to look at the anime with an open mind and I'm sure you can enjoy it as well.
