Honestly, sometimes ignorance is bliss.
If you, like me, came to see Alice in deadly school without any context, then you'll likely come out of the whole experience intrigued, amused, and pleasantly surprised. These two episodes felt like a proof of concept for a studio putting their craziest ideas out there, like "what if we took the core components of zombieland saga, emotional idols and horrific undead, and split them into two distinct, yet entwined plots?"
And you know what? It kinda works. The direction was solid, the shots were interesting, the dialogue was clever, and the designs were cute. Both sides ended up being great on their own merit, and left me wanting to see more.
It just so happens that there's a lot more to be seen.
As I found out while trying to figure out why other users scored this show so low, it turns out these two episodes were not standalone, but merely a part of the 12 that compose Gekidol. Hindsight is 20/20, it seems.
I may yet find out, like everyone else seemingly did, that the entire run does butch the attempt, but if I am being honest, that's not enough for me to regret watching these 40+ minutes. I had a blast, and if I can count on this experience as a primer for the other 10 parts, then maybe the twists and turns to come wont bother me as much.
With that in mind, and strictly as a stand-alone experience, I've gotta give Alice in deadly school an overall 8/10. Even if the story threw me for a loop, the sheer charm of its cast and novelty of its execution really got to me, and on a technical side, this is nothing to scuff at.
I'll be seeing you again after watching whatever awaits in Gekidol!