The author of Gakkou Gurashi probably hit upon one extremely interesting idea and decided to write an entire series based on that one brainwave. However, he probably didn't realize that an interesting idea ain't worth jack shit if you don't develop and expand upon it. As a result, we get Gakkou Gurashi.
While interesting at first, this show ended up feeling half-assed and lazy. Its more unique aspects are introduced solely as a gimmicky selling point and was never capitalized on as the show waddles awkwardly between cutesy moe and edgy horror. I don't think the show itself even knows what it wants to be. It's neither dark, gritty nor realistic enough to be a compelling horror, but neither is it fun and lighthearted enough to be a slice-of-life either. By the end, this entire show feels like one big sloppy mess of somewhat interesting ideas loosely strung together by blood, spit and moe. Absolutely no cohesion nor depth - just novelty and shock factor.
But the depth and development - or lack thereof - is not the only subpar thing about this show. It genuinely could have thrived off of its barebones premise alone if only the characters weren't so goddamn boring and generic. Even if a show's writing fails to develop on its own premise, it can still be decent provided that its characters are decently interesting and entertaining to watch.
But in Gakkou Gurashi, I do not give a single fuck for any one of the characters.
Not Yuki. Not Yuuri. Not Miki. Not Kurumi. Not even the fucking dog.
They can all go die for all I care because they do not have a single shred of individuality nor charisma about them. I really think that these characters are the ultimate symbol of Gakkou Gurashi's identity crisis, of its internal conflict and indecisiveness towards whether it wants to be a moe slice of life or a post-apocalyptic horror. Even Yuki, the most promising character, was never really properly explored nor developed. Her unique "trait" ends up being just another one-hit-wonder gimmick swept along in the sea of gimmicks that makes up this show. When you boil these characters down, they're all just generic moe tropes who got shoehorned into an oh-so-dark-and-tragic setting. That's it. They don't really do anything. They don't abandon their humanity to butcher zombies nor develop baser human desires for sex nor do they betray one another nor sacrifice themselves or any of that juicy stuff. Not in Gakkou Gurashi. These boring-ass characters are only there just to bitch, cry and whine. It never feels like they're making any kind of radical or substantial decisions, nor are they plunged into any extreme scenarios that would force them to step outside their comfort zones and make decisions they would usually not make. Instead, they just act really laid-back, fucking around on top of the school rooftop like nothing's happening. At the end of the day, no matter how this show tries to fucking hide it, these characters are ultimately just cute girls doing cute things, with maybe a bit of edginess, angst, and melodrama sprinkled on top. This is not really innovative or anything. Angst and melodrama are already ubiquitous enough among slice-of-life shows. What's your excuse, Gakkou Gurashi?
Oh and btw, a certain character acted like a complete retard towards the end, causing contrived angst and melodrama to ensue. What's worse is that all of this tension and conflict are resolved in one fell swoop through one convenient plot device. This solution wasn't really mind-blowing or anything, and the show could have done it way earlier and save the audience the anguish of sitting through 12 episodes of trashy moe and pseudo-horror clusterfuck. Up to that point, the show has been barely passable with its writing - neither too dumb nor too smart. I was willing to give the show a 6 but because of this dipshit plot development, down to a 5 you go you piece of shit.
TLDR: This show's lazy writing plays it too safe and never wants to push anything, to make anything extreme or interesting. The characters and their emotions; the plot developments; the setting - all of them are ultimately bland and pointless, not worth giving a damn about.
Art:
The art design is slightly above average, boasting a vibrant color palette but bland character design and visual style. Also, it really toned down the more gory aspects of its story, soft-censoring or completely omitting scenes showing blood and violence. In other words, the artstyle is an awkward cross between visceral and cute, neither fully embracing one nor the other. Once again, this just goes to show how half-assed Gakkou Gurashi is, with no real identity or substance to add flavor to its premise.
Sound:
The sound design is surprisingly good. Many of the background tracks are extremely creepy and manages to perfectly set the tone every time. It's a shame, though, that it's wasted on the mediocre writing.
Enjoyment:
5/10
You know what? I just had more fun typing up this review than I ever had in my 4 hours of watching this anime.
Nearly non-existent; standard moe slice-of-life show fare, which I don't mind. What I do mind though, is the characters. Characters: 3/10
Cocoa and her friends bored me out of my mind. I could tolerate season 1 but somehow season 2 lost me. I know having deep and developed characters is not the point of this type of show. But for me, I want to be somewhat engaged even when I'm watching a relaxing slice-of-life show, and Gochiusa severely falls short in this respect. Here's why:
Comparing this show to Blend S would make for an interesting case study on what makes a slice-of-life / comedy great. In Blend S, the characters are unique, distinct, and above all else, interesting. In addition, Blend S also exhibits a certain degree of wit in its writing. As a result, it's an absolute blast to watch how Blend S' characters react to each other's antics. On the other hand, Gochiusa's characters are bland and generically moe. This makes them very boring to watch. After a few episodes, you've seen them all - Cocoa and Chiya's "airheaded" antics, Rize and Chino's retort, and Sharo's occasional "yuri" outbursts, etc etc etc. On top of that, these characters' reactions are so underwhelming that punchlines usually fall flat on their faces. They don't really react in any interesting way or expand on the joke - they just simply "react" very predictably and then move on to the next joke. I became sick of what this show calls "comedy" halfway into the show.
And so naturally, when the jokes and the character's don't work, what's left to carry the show? The moe. But for me, even the moe is extremely boring. It's nothing I haven't seen before - sickly cute and that's it. Everything feels so incredibly uninspired. For reference, I think the absolute epitome of a good moe slice-of-life show is Himouto, Umaru-chan! I think it's fun, witty, dynamic, and utterly unique.
And so in the end, nothing works for me in this show, which is quite unfortunate, considering how I found season 1 to not be this bad. But that might be because back when I watched it (3 or 4 years ago) my tastes weren't as jaded as they are now.
Art: 7/10
The idyllic setting brings with it some gorgeous scenery and architecture. It's the same old artstyle that season 1 introduced us to. However, I think this style could use some more flexibility and personality. Maybe more interesting facial expressions and more chibi/deformed moments?
Sound: 6/10
Underwhelming. I loved both the OP and ED of season 1, but not this time around. The background music tracks are nice though.
"Remember what you said earlier in the dark, Yu? That the afterlife is dark just like that. Maybe these people didn't want to think that, so they made all those statues and bright lights to put themselves at ease."
"At ease, huh... If anything. I felt way more at ease when I found you in the dark, Chii-chan."
Story, Writing & Character: 10/10
Picture a snow-laden wasteland, stretching as far as the eyes can see. Rain falls. The revving of engine stops. Two girls park their Kettenkrad motorcycle outside and take shelter under a pile of rubble. One reads. One collects a bunch of tin cans and puts them under where the raindrops drip. The sound of rain is accompanied by a cacophony of metallic noises.
"Maybe this is what they call 'music'."
A beat and rhythm starts to form. They hum and sing a tune to this beat.
They don't even know what music is.
As you can tell, 70% of this show's story is told through its unbelievably thick atmosphere. Every time I sat down to watch an episode, I would enter into a trance-like state, where a flood of emotions would well up from within, submerging my higher brain functions like noodles in broth. These emotions are not intense, but mellow and tame. Shoujo Shuumatsu is in equal parts surreal as it is funny and cathartic. Chito and Yuuri just don't give a fuck. With childlike wonder and vigor they ride their motorbike across what remains of civilization, looking for their next meal and climbing to the top of the futuristic multi-layered city.
But.
As soon as you've settled into the show's mellow atmosphere, it nonchalantly slaps you across the face with some grade-A existential commentary on life, death, and how people can keep on living through the worst of times in the most destitute of places. The shadow of the Old World follows Chito and Yuuri everywhere they go in this post-apocalyptic world, and as the show goes on, they will discover that many things about the meaning of life, the human experience, and the bond they have with one another. Never do they wallow in melodrama or angst; they confront these dark themes in a very carefree way, only to then continue on their journey. After all, as Yuuri puts it:
"You can't live if you're afraid of death, Chii-chan."
The sound of rain, a fish, an old camera, and each other's company are a few among the many things that makes life in a cold and dead wasteland not so bad after all.
Art: 10/10
Minimalist, and equal parts cute and lighthearted as it is haunting and beautiful; needless to say, the artstyle of Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryouko is extremely unique. The cute and cartoony design of the two girls starkly contrasts with the bleakness of the post-apocalyptic urban landscape around them, which ranges from derelict buildings to metal tunnels to crashed planes to former warzones littered with weapons and vehicles. The show's color palette also reflects this bleakness by having mostly very dull and dark colors for the backgrounds and buildings, while giving the girls a slightly brighter (but not by much) palette compared to their surroundings. All-in-all, interesting and ingenious art design.
Sound: 10/10
The soundtrack is amazing. First off, both the OPs and the EDs are extremely unique and catchy. They capture the show's innocent and whimsical tone so well that it's baffling. The background music in the individual episodes is nothing to scoff at either - from calming piano and harp instrumentals to angelic vocal tracks. The entire show is jam packed with music from start to finish, making the entire show feel lively and energetic so as to mirror Chito and Yuuri's journey itself.
All-in-all, the soundtrack is amazing: sometimes melancholic; sometimes cathartic; but always maximally atmospheric and fitting.
Enjoyment: 10/10
Every single thing this show does hits all the right notes for me. I don't remember liking a show this much since I watched Re:Zero and Baccano a year or two ago.
Overall: 10/10
The sheer amount of text that I have written about Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryoukou in this review should tell you to how much I liked it. Beautiful, minimalistic, surreal, haunting and all-around sublime; Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryouko stimulates the senses in all the right ways, while still managing to be an unbelievably relaxing show.
Btoom's writing is nothing short of an offensive joke. It's so shallow, pretentious, and utterly devoid of personality that I do not hesitate to compare it to Sword Art Online , if that gives you an idea.
First off, the characters are extremely one-dimensional and horribly developed. Most of them are hackneyed "villains" who embody what this show would like to unironically call "human nature," betraying everyone they meet and thinking only about themselves. What's worse is that Btooms takes itself seriously and seems to expect the audience to agree with its laughable message, one akin to what a 12 year old would come up with after listening to one too many Linkin Park songs.
Every single character who is not the protagonist will always be reduced to either a Saturday cartoon villain or a sex object. This would be somewhat tolerable if only protagonist wasn't such a braindead cookie-cutter self-insert jackass who, due to his "game experience," is the smartest and most formidable player on the island. He never loses a duel and can never die. He is protected by so many layers of plot armor that no conflict that involves him ever feels substantial or interesting, because nothing is ever at stake. Did this extensive description remind you a certain other overpowered protagonist from another anime? Well, that's exactly my point.
But it does not end there.
The plot started as a somewhat interesting action thriller but slowly devolved into a parody of itself. First of all, the "battle of wits" are made to look very dramatic and intense but in the end they all boil down to wacky deus ex machinas and very basic strategies that are not as clever as Btooom thinks. Secondly, the bare-bones romance subplot between the protagonist and the heroine is purely unneeded and nothing short of cringy. This is when the self-insert undertones really creep to the surface, reducing Btooom's writing to nothing but masturbation fodder for male audiences.
And worst of all, Btoom has a very uninformed and oftentimes sleazy obsession with misogyny and rape culture. It's like the writer learned everything he knew about misandry, androphobia, and rape culture from the first two paragraphs of a fucking wikipedia page. Btoom treats rape as if it's just a fact of life, as if it just happens and victims of rape should just move on, should just forget about any physical, mental, or emotional trauma inflicted on them in the process. Btoom's message is neither sympathetic nor complex. It just uses rape as an easy cop-out plot device to pull edgy backstories out of its own asshole. But then again, I would at least tolerate this offense if Btooom didn't approach the issue so shadily and lecherously.
To give you an example, a character was nearly raped twice. You'd think the show would exhibit some degree of sympathy towards her, right? Show her compassion and maybe put her in more comfortable situations? Nope. Btoom proceeds to sexualize the fuck out of her, frequently showing shots of her in her underwear and actively puts her in very sexually provocative poses. It also does this very scummy thing where it treats her like she's stupid and crazy for being distrustful of men after her traumatic experience. By the end of the show, she is reduced to just a powerless sex object whose only purpose is to get into trouble and be rescued by the oh-so-heroic protagonist. Once again, deja vu? Shit Fart Online vibes? I don't believe in coincidences.
tldr: Basically, what I've described is the scope of what this dogshit show can do with its writing. Truly a travesty. A completely predictable, shallow, edgy tryhard story with piss poor execution and obscene character writing.
Art: Madhouse does good work, but sadly that effort is wasted on this pile of dung disguised as a "story"
Sound: Mediocre. Nothing memorable.
Enjoyment: 3/10
Overall: 3/10 Fuck you Btooom. You're neither deep, thrilling, nor clever. You're just glorified self-insert wank bank material.
Vampires in anime are, surprisingly for me, few and far between, with the biggest standout being Hellsing. So when I discovered Legend of Duo had vampires, I figured I could at least give it a try. After all, what's the worst that could happen? I found out how bad it could truly get in just one hour.
Where do I begin? For starters, the animation is pretty pathetic. Every single trick in the book is used, and none of them prove to be useful. Still shots and long sweeping pans? Check. Camera shaking? Check. Large supplies of reused stock character images with only the mouths moving? Check yet again. Every visual cue screams low budget. I will, however, give this anime one thing. The static art, which is frequently seen throughout the series, is rather nice and detailed. It's a shame that it has to be paired with such attrocious animation.
Other low budget anime, such as Violinist of Hamlin, are at least able to make up for the lack of animation with a moving and engaging storyline. LoD, however, cannot accomplish the same, though one can say that this is because each episode is only five minutes long. Too much story is crammed into too little time, making the series feel downright rushed and sloppy in execution. I found myself struggling to care about what was happening to the characters on the screen, not to mention their names afterwords. The music used in LoD did nothing to help, with what seemed like only two tracks being played in each episode: one for intensity and one for drama.
To put it simply, Legend of Duo is nothing short of awful. Never before in an anime did five minutes seem like an eternity. Perhaps this is the reason why vampires don't make more appearances in anime.
Psychic Academy was one of the first anime to take the step towards the internet. Being a pioneer in internet-only broadcasting, it made me wonder why it decided to take such a route. Curse you, curiosity, for getting the best of me yet again.
Though there are 24 episodes in the series, each episode is about eleven minutes long, and two of those minutes are used for the opening theme. With the remaining nine minutes, a story is hastily attempted to be woven. Unfortunately, focus on the plot is lost, and the show quickly falls to the lowest common denominator: shameless fan service. I lost count at the number of panty shots and "accidental" groping situations. It's a shame, really. If more time were spent on the whole "Aura" concept, then Psychic Academy could have become a decent series.
At the same time, not everything was horrible. There were a few decent moments of comedy sprinkled here and there, and some moments between Orina and Ai were genuinely nice. Beyond that, much of what went on between the characters was rather forgettable. Being aired solely on the internet, the budget constraints were obvious. The animation was poor at best throughout the series' run. Going along with that was the horribly out of place CGI effects. I use CGI lightly; the special effects looked more like something out of a Flash program.
While there are certainly worse anime out there with a short run time *cough*Legend of Duo*cough*, Psychic Academy is not much better. Though you won't waste too much time if you do decide to watch anyway, it is still time better spent on better anime.
Once upon a time, there was a kids anime called VS Knight Lamune & 40. It was a simple and fun adventure series from 1991 that eventually spawned three OVA sequels and another TV series in 1996. This third OVA, the final chapter in the franchise, takes a hard left turn away from what this franchise was and decided to go down its own path.
There's a reason why people say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
The problems began no more than five minutes into episode 1, when I was introduced to the apparent main focus of this OVA: Ecchi. Now ecchi, in moderation, isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the T&A in Knights of Ramune makes its presence known about as subtly as an air horn in a library. Not even the opening and first ending sequences are safe, with both featuring numerous pans of Cacao's and Parfait's assets. No amount of fan service was able to cover for the actual plot, which is your typical 'Save the world from impending doom' fare with more questions than answers. Why was Ramunes chosen as the Giga Genos leader? Why is he so adamant in taking over the galaxy? Why do Parfait and virtually every other woman have to be naked to pilot the mobile suits? Couple that with a plot twist that could be seen a mile away, and you have the makings of your textbook shoddy plot.
It's not easy to watch an anime when you can't sympathize for any of the characters, and Knights of Ramune is a prime example of this. We're given a slew of one dimensional characters, including our very own heroines, who are about as forgettable as they come. Attempts are made later to give some background to Ramunes and his lover Electone, but it's far too shallow and far too late to be able to save face. The seiyuu cast is no better, with Yuko Miyamura (Evangelion's Asuka) and Takeshi Kusao (Lodoss' Parn) among the bigger names who displayed flat performances.
There were, however, a few glimmers of goodness in this sea of mediocrity. The art and animation, in general, were decent. Though it was far from groundbreaking, it wasn't entirely atrocious either. Even though the first ending was a poor excuse to show more T&A, the second ending theme, "Hoshi Furuyoi no Monologue", was an enjoyable piece of vocal music, and I actually looked forward to hearing it as the second batch of episodes would end. After episode 4, the rampant ecchi is also taken back a bit, though it's far from enough to get this series out of the hole it dug itself.
Hardcore ecchi fans will get the most enjoyment from this series, but everyone else should stay far away. Make no mistake, Knights of Ramune is still a very poor OVA series and an even poorer representation of the Ramune franchise.
