Basically, Seitokai Yakuindomo is about a teenager named Tsuda Takatoshi who decides to attend Ousai Academy due to the fact that it’s close to his home, even though this particular high school used to be a former all-girls’ academy up until recently. During his very first day at school, Tsuda meets a couple of girls who turn out to be members of the student council. Some of them are actually quite perverted and often spurt out the dirtiest jokes, but what’s worse is that they recruit Tsuda into the student council and even go as far as to make him vice-president. This all happens in a matter of minutes and our unfortunate hero has little say in any of it.
During the thirteen episodes of Seitokai Yakuindomo you’ll be constantly bombarded with dirty sex jokes, perverted talk and unwanted information about the female body and their period cycle. There are little to no serious scenes in the entire anime and most of it comprises of convenient situations to score another sex joke or a dirty conversation, with Tsuda often used as a serious retort or an enraged response.
There aren’t too many characters in the anime, though most of them are put to good use and no of them feel forced or useless. You’ve got the protagonist, Tsuda Takatoshi who just wants to lead a normal life and high school but is constantly attacked by his fellow female students with dirty jokes and unwarranted accusations. Then there are the three other members of the student council, all female, obviously. Shino Amakusa is the president of the council and maybe the most perverted of all characters, always available when you need a quick dirty joke. Aria Shichijou is the mature rich girl, though her mind is just about as perverted as that of Shino’s. Last but not least, yet definitely the shortest, is Suzu Hagimura, the intelligent and silent girl. She is about the same age as Tsuda, but has the body of an elementary school student. You won’t get any dirty comments from her, but her short height will often be used as comic relief and target of several jokes.
Seitokai certainly works well as a comedy and its non-stop approach at humour and constant verbal gags keeps every episode fun and entertaining. What the anime lacks in proficiency it makes up for with its engaging plot and easy-going nature. It’s definitely not a great series and apart from an episode that takes place on the beach or another one where our heroes celebrate Christmas, Seitokai Yakuindomo lacks diversity. Most of the anime takes place at the academy, namely inside a couple of rooms and on a corridor. Whenever our characters are taken in a different location, it’s often only so as to set up a joke or make a funny remark at something in that particular environment. Another weak point is that every episode seems to be cut down in short scenes, each about one minute, that feature some random dialogue between a couple of our characters followed by one or two dirty jokes. Every scene starts with a build-up to the future joke or gag and usually ends directly after its purpose has been complete and the laughs and giggles have taken place.
It’s rather hard to predict if you’ll like Seitokai Yakuindomo or not. Some will be drawn to it by its simple premise and fast pacing while others are going to be turned off by the overwhelming amount of sex jokes and weird character interactions. I really didn’t know what to make this series during the first few episodes and I simply couldn’t connect with certain scenes, which in the ended left an awkward impression on me. I got used to it eventually and after a while each episode turned out to be even funnier than the last one. It’s not an anime that I’ll remember for too long, though. It all comes down to what you’re looking for: there are enough laughs to be had in Seitokai Yakuindomo and it’s rarely boring or changing pace, so you can hardly go wrong with it. If you’re looking for a little more substance, on the other hand, then I advise you to keep on searching.
