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Gakkougurashi tells the story of a group of high schoolers who are members of a self-titled "School Life Club." They do all of their daily events inside the school itself, from making meals, studying, even sleeping in the club room.
We have four main protagonists.
Takeya Yuki is a bubbly girl who's almost always smiling. No matter what situation she's in, she always manages to be able to find a positive side to it. She's normally responsible for coming up with creative things for the club to do.
Wakasa Yuuri (most usually called Rii-san/chan), is the most responsible of the group, acting as a big sister to the other members, but most especially to Yuki, who would otherwise get herself in trouble if not occasionally scolded. She's kindhearted and gentle, though she's not afraid to be firm if the situation calls for it.
Ebisuzawa Kurumi is an athletic tomboy who is rarely seen without her trusty shovel. Once a member of the track club, she is very fast and agile, leading to her normally taking the lead in club activities outside of the school. Like Yuuri, Kurumi always keeps a watchful eye on Yuki.
Naoki Miki is the newest (and originally unwilling) member of the School Life Club, recruited after a trip to the local mall. At first, she doesn't like the others, and frequently snaps at them, especially regarding Yuki. Finally, though, she warms up to everyone, and comes to love them as much as they love each other.
Sakura Megumi is the oldest of the group; a teacher at the school and the advisor of the School Life Club, she is usually called Megu-nee by Yuki, much to her exasperation. She loves the girls fiercely, though she mostly interacts with Yuki.
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Almost immediately, we learn that things aren't always as they seem. The cheerful life that Yuki leads with her friends doesn't quite add up to what's happening around her.
The world that Yuki sees is a delusion brought about as a coping mechanism after most of the city they live in have become wandering undead. In the midst of this zombie apocalypse, the girls try to survive.
On occasion, the juxtaposition of the world Yuki lives in and the real world around her is very interesting. Because her mental state is so fragile, the other girls make no attempt to force her to see things as they really are.
And that's where this manga starts to get infuriating.
It's one thing to want to keep your classmate and friend sane during the apocalypse, but it's another thing entirely to humor her delusions to the point of endangering everyone. More than once, they get into trouble because Yuki doesn't realize that she's putting them in danger. Thankfully, this starts to taper off as the series progresses, but in the beginning, it makes you want to rip your hair out and scream at them.
Another thing I found frustrating was that characters keep secrets from each other simply because the creator doesn't want to reveal a particular plot twist until later on. There's absolutely no reason why some things wouldn't be addressed if it wasn't supposed to be a plot twist.
The art itself is fine, save for one small thing. Sometimes the back teeth of the characters doesn't align properly with their lower jaw, so the curve of their teeth seems to be in the middle of their mouth.
(Then there are the incredibly stupid zombies that inexplicably chase after a glowstick in the middle of the day rather than the living meal right in front of them... I know zombies are supposed to be mindless, but COME ON.)
One thing I can say about this manga is that the story doesn't drag overlong. There are a few places where it slows down, but there aren't an abundance of chapters like this.
As to be expected in an apocalypse scenario, there isn't a large cast of characters, so you're not stuck trying to remember hundreds of faces and names. That being said, there are some supporting characters who show up in the latter half of the manga that serve a relatively small purpose, and they're not exactly memorable.
All in all, it's a decent representation of an apocalyptic scenario, with a few unique ideas thrown in so the story doesn't get stale. If you can overlook some of the more frustrating scenes, it's worth a read.
