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REVIEW: School Days Sub.DVD


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consignia



Joined: 06 Jul 2011
Posts: 391
PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 12:23 pm Reply with quote
I loved School Days. It was executed with such contempt for the genre, it's really something to behold.

Whilst it's a shame it's not included, I don't think missing the Valentine Days OVA is much of a loss. The magical girl OVA is the one to keep.
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Mr. sickVisionz



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 2171
PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 12:36 pm Reply with quote
Holy smokes, the rare positive review of School Days. I agree with most of the points made. A well done series that gets an absurdly bad wrap.
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KH91



Joined: 17 May 2013
Posts: 6176
PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 12:41 pm Reply with quote
lol I just finished watching SD on thursday.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18135
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 1:02 pm Reply with quote
Mr. sickVisionz wrote:
Holy smokes, the rare positive review of School Days. I agree with most of the points made. A well done series that gets an absurdly bad wrap.

If I had reviewed this series when I first watched it in fansubs a couple of years ago, it probably wouldn't have gotten as high a grades. This time, though, since I knew what to expect, I approached it more analytically and picked up better on how carefully it's put together. That actually made it more interesting on the second view.

But I can easily see how this has gotten a lot of negative reviews. It has to be looked at from the get-go as a slam against harem series or it just doesn't work.
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mic911911



Joined: 28 Jun 2011
Posts: 14
PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 1:03 pm Reply with quote
If a deconstruction is not an enjoyable experience then should it still be rated positively?

In my opinion, this is where the division exists. I most definitely fall on the negative side.
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Chrno2



Joined: 28 May 2004
Posts: 6171
Location: USA
PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 1:23 pm Reply with quote
I got my copy. Now I can relive the anger all over again. And that damn song that plays over and over again. It's so gawddamn depressing. It gave us the meme, "Nice Boat".
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meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3442
PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 2:02 pm Reply with quote
I really liked school day, it was like Madoka before it's time (yes I'm aware that deconstruction existed before Madoka, but it's the best example). We really need more anime like SD that look at typical anime situation and cast them in a different light, especially all the different power fantasy.

None of the character are likable, but I wouldn't say I hated them, most of them just do what most anime character are told "follow your heart", just so happen that for most people there heart isn't telling them to selflessly disregard there own happiness for the sake of others. Motoko was just someone who knew what he wanted, actually realized the opportunity he had and took them, it would all have gone well if it wasn't for that meddling biology (and the fact that he's a gutless jerk), hehe if anything SD is the best sex PSA ever.

Now it does have it's problem, as much as it brought some realism into the harem genre, it also had it's own ridiculous situation,spoiler[ like the girls that just ask Motoko to have a foursome or something like that]. Rolling Eyes


Last edited by meiam on Sun Jul 13, 2014 2:04 pm; edited 2 times in total
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 2:02 pm Reply with quote
Theron wrote:
...hardly anyone in the cast is ultimately likable...


Just playing Devil's Advocate here, but isn't that kind of the point? Are we even supposed to like them? Because I don't think we are. The story is about what a romcom with selfish (to put it mildly) characters would look like, and in that respect it succeeds admirably.
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Shay Guy



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 2091
PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 2:26 pm Reply with quote
Anime-Planet lists Makoto Itou as the 13th-most-hated anime character, with 3,455 "hate" votes and 412 "love" votes. Many hated characters still have strong followings, though, so Makoto ranks fifth in "net hates" -- "hate" votes minus "love" votes -- after Shou Tucker, Nina Einstein, Koichi Shido, and Danzou Shimura.
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Angel'sArcanum



Joined: 02 Sep 2010
Posts: 303
Location: Toronto, Ontario
PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 2:58 pm Reply with quote
I must say I'm intrigued by this review, a few people I know really enjoy the series but it seems quite notorious. Theron's positive reviews tend to be hit and miss with me (ended up hating Dusk Maiden and Heaven's Memo Pad, but loved Kure-nai) but it is still rather iconic and controversial, so maybe this might be another black sheep or hidden gem I'll like seeing how I have more unorthodox tastes.
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meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3442
PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 3:01 pm Reply with quote
Shay Guy wrote:
Anime-Planet lists Makoto Itou as the 13th-most-hated anime character, with 3,455 "hate" votes and 412 "love" votes. Many hated characters still have strong followings, though, so Makoto ranks fifth in "net hates" -- "hate" votes minus "love" votes -- after Shou Tucker, Nina Einstein, Koichi Shido, and Danzou Shimura.


Off topic, but I really didn't like that they named Nina "Einstein" and then had her make the super bomb, it just perpetrate a completely false myth, especially by having her being a deranged sociopath.

I do hate her, but not in the good sense, you can hate a character because there really good at playing there role in a series (ie Shou Tucker, great character, awful person) and you can hate them because the show would be better without them. More on topic, I think Makoto play his role exceedingly well.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18135
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 3:10 pm Reply with quote
Shay Guy wrote:
Anime-Planet lists Makoto Itou as the 13th-most-hated anime character, with 3,455 "hate" votes and 412 "love" votes. Many hated characters still have strong followings, though, so Makoto ranks fifth in "net hates" -- "hate" votes minus "love" votes -- after Shou Tucker, Nina Einstein, Koichi Shido, and Danzou Shimura.

Given that 3/4 characters ahead of Makoto on the "net hates" list are from massively more popular franchises, that ranking is quite an accomplishment.
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Angel'sArcanum



Joined: 02 Sep 2010
Posts: 303
Location: Toronto, Ontario
PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 3:10 pm Reply with quote
meiam wrote:
Shay Guy wrote:
Anime-Planet lists Makoto Itou as the 13th-most-hated anime character, with 3,455 "hate" votes and 412 "love" votes. Many hated characters still have strong followings, though, so Makoto ranks fifth in "net hates" -- "hate" votes minus "love" votes -- after Shou Tucker, Nina Einstein, Koichi Shido, and Danzou Shimura.


Off topic, but I really didn't like that they named Nina "Einstein" and then had her make the super bomb, it just perpetrate a completely false myth, especially by having her being a deranged sociopath.

I do hate her, but not in the good sense, you can hate a character because there really good at playing there role in a series (ie Shou Tucker, great character, awful person) and you can hate them because the show would be better without them. More on topic, I think Makoto play his role exceedingly well.


Indeed, there are characters that are genuinely crafted into being "love-to-hate" characters (Dio Brando, Griffith?, etc) and then there's just really irritating characters who are detestable, but ultimately just flat out bad (Nui Harime, Dilandau, etc).
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diadumenian



Joined: 01 Nov 2007
Posts: 26
PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 3:29 pm Reply with quote
Absolutely hated it. Makoto is a complete jerk and has no appeal whatsoever (and he's the harem's target of affection?). Because the female characters are treated so poorly, you would expect them to elicit some sympathy, but they engage is such self-destructive behavior, or treat others so badly, you end up rooting for no one. And yes, the ending is one of the absolute worst.

If the series was supposed to be some sort of "deconstruction" exercise, it still fails because it's pretty much unwatchable.
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unitmikey



Joined: 15 Feb 2013
Posts: 286
PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 3:34 pm Reply with quote
Well, after reading this review and the comments so far, I might just watch this again.

It's just a little hard for me to say that this is really a deconstruction based on my first viewing, as it didn't feel like it made enough of an effort to engage the viewer until the very end (which in a lot of ways I feel was leaning too far into being just a gimmick).

The characters were purposefully terrible, but I still don't think they were that interesting to analyze individually.
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