I do not watch romantically themed anime series' very often, so when I actually look for one to watch I spend a fair bit of time browsing reviews online to determine whether or not I will enjoy the series in question. Ultimately, the reason why I decided to watch "School Days" was due to the allegedly controversial and shocking ending of the series that many sites and forums were referring to. Aside from it being only 12 episodes long, the ending was the bait that drew me in.
Story
The plot of "School Days" can be described as overused at best. If you have watched a romantically themed anime series that involves a love triangle, you will easily be able to predict what happens next in. However, I did enjoy being able to tell what was going to happen next. Face it, production companies have to gamble when it comes to making shows like this. Basically the audience is divided into those who enjoy predicting the plot of the series versus those who think that it is a waste of time. I enjoy predicting what happens in a story from time to time, and this time "School Days" was lucky to get my attention. Keep in mind that it can be slow at moments (that can be a major turn-off for viewers), but it does clip along at a fair pace. Remember, the big hook is the ending. In my opinion, the ending was worth the four to five hours that I spent watching the series. It is not mind blowing, but it is memorable.
Art
The art style and animation of "School Days" is very crisp and clean, which allows many people to watch it all in one sitting - it is very easy on the eyes. However, It is more like "looking" at art rather than "watching" animation. The characters and settings are great (i.e. pleasing colors) to look at and when things "move" they move fluidly, but it was as if there was very little to animate. So if you are looking for action, please look elsewhere otherwise you might get bored ok?
Sound
I do not have much to comment about "School Days" in the sound department. The voice acting was good in the sense that you may get irritated by the voices of only two characters in the series - I will let you guess which two. The music, however, is very good. It is not masterpiece quality music, but it is the kind that you would like to listen to on a lazy day.
Character
You will like or hate the characters in this series. It is as simple as that. Depending on who you are, you may find yourself throwing your head in disgust, rolling your eyes, and commenting on what various characters should have done among other things; I know I did. If you are into romantically themed series then you will get emotionally invested into each character. You will pity them, sympathize with them, and hate some of them. Within the span of twelve episodes, it is easy to tell how much work the production team put into each of these characters. They do feel like real people and it makes it that much easier to get into the show even if it is normally not your type of show. Aside from the ending, what merits this show a good review are the characters themselves. The plot may be overused, but at least the characters and their overall development make up for that.
Conclusion
I will not lie to you - had this series had a different ending, I would have scored it lower (at least a six). The series wraps up in a way that most others do not and in that respect, it makes it worth watching (even if you are normally not the type to watch romantic stuff). As I mentioned earlier, "School Days" is far from being the best series, but when you finish watching it you will agree that it is a very memorable one. For what it has done in a near stagnant genre, "School Days" gets an eight out of ten (8 out of 10). Watch it for the hook! =P
