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School Days is a bold anime with a nasty reputation, yet there are those who praise it as a masterpiece. While it is by no means a beautiful work of art by my standards, I believe it deserves more respect for its morbid themes and the delivery of said themes.

Story: 7/10
For the most part, the story is a sadly realistic portrayal of certain relationships and their complications. Although it starts off bland, it soon picks up speed and becomes increasingly more disturbing with each episode. The situation continually worsens for the characters, providing enough conflict for an interesting story, despite some of this conflict being ... unnecessary. At times, the harem aspect can feel overly exaggerated, and perhaps it is, but for what it is, the story is pretty decent. What really matters, though, is the delivery of the story, which is incredible. By using cinematic techniques that have been practiced by master filmmakers, certain scenes can leave you feeling breathless. I remember episodes 6 and 12 leaving me wide-eyed, because the buildup of tension was so well-done. Admittedly, though, I was a bit underwhelmed by the ending, since I was expecting it to be much more violent from the anime's reputation, but the existing ending is just as momentous as the MAL synopsis claims it to be.

Characters: 6/10
The characters aren't particularly likable. In fact, the protagonist is probably the most detestable main character I've ever seen in an anime so far. More importantly, the characters aren't masterfully written. There is a decent amount of development, but it's a bit rocky. However, the characters are pretty realistic for a good portion of the show. Unfortunately, there are real people who are very similar to Makoto. A few of the harem girls can also feel unnecessary, but they are fairly important to showing Makoto's personality. One of my favorite aspects of the anime is that the flaws of the main characters are their downfall, which is an effective form of storytelling originating from Ancient Greece.

Art: 5/10
The animation style is dated. What else could you expect from an anime made in 2007? Regardless of this, it's still easy on the eyes. There's not much else to say here.

Sound: 7/10
The soundtrack is good, but what makes it even better is how the music melds with the scenes to create an appropriate mood. The experience is definitely heightened because of some of the songs, especially Kioku no Umi and Aoi Kajitsu, both of which fit the story perfectly, but in different ways. Additionally, the sound effects are decent and don't seem out of place.

Enjoyment: 8/10
Despite being an older anime without a dub, I enjoyed School Days much more than I initially expected to. I almost always enjoy a story that makes my heart pound and eyes water. After finishing an episode, I actually wanted to continue to the next one right after, instead of putting it off until tomorrow. Of course, I enjoyed certain episodes far more than others due to spots of fanservice and misplaced comic relief, but it was an overall entertaining experience.

School Days can serve as a cautionary tale, or as dark entertainment for fans of twisted stories. Whichever you prefer, I think it's definitely worth giving a chance, and deserves a higher rating by at least 1.

"Even if you hear that, even if you try to deal with it, sometimes things happen one after another, and you can't just deal with it. So you handle them the only way you know how."

When I first started Chuunibyou, I expected a lighthearted comedic slice of life, and that's what I got. But the story delved much deeper than I thought it would, making bold statements about youth, coping, and individuality.

Story: 9/10
The anime starts out simply enough and sets low expectations, but the plot certainly escalates. The premise itself is one of the most original anime stories I've heard of: a slice of life ... that mixes reality with fantasy in a whole new way. The execution of the premise is extremely well done. The pace is relaxed, but not too slow, and the story develops at a reasonable level. The first quarter does make it out to be a bit of mindless entertainment, but that's fixed by the halfway point. The romance is also natural instead of forced. What I find most important, though, is the fact that they took a premise with such great potential and made something equally as great from it. The story has a deeper meaning to it. Granted this meaning can feel jumbled and unclear sometimes, and you might feel like the message changes, but it's there, and that alone raised my overall rating.

Characters: 8/10
Most of the characters don't have an incredible amount of depth, but that's to be expected from this genre, and in this anime, they don't need it. The story revolves around the two protagonists with the other characters supporting them, so what matters is that Yuuta and Rikka develop throughout the show, which they do. They have reasons for being the way they are, which makes them more believable, and they change in realistic ways that many people can relate to. They face problems that the viewers can relate to, like coping with loss, wanting to feel special, wanting to avoid embarrassment, accepting reality, and being what makes them happy. The characters are also very likable most of the time.

Art: 10/10
The animation is stunning. Whether it's a character's eyes, a sunset, or an epic battle, the show never fails to be pleasing to look at. The appearances of the characters are cute but not unbearably moe, the scenery is stunning, and the movements are always smooth.

Sound: 9/10
The soundtrack molds to the story perfectly, enhancing all the emotional moments, but it's not too over-the-top for a slice of life anime. Still, the addition of certain songs to certain scenes definitely improved the emotional experience. The sound itself is also fitted to the animation and no obvious errors are present.

Enjoyment: 9/10
Admittedly, I did pass through the first few episodes without thinking too far into the story, because I didn't think it would be necessary. I definitely enjoyed watching the anime, though, and the only reason my enjoyment is a 9/10 instead of a 10/10 is because of one episode that I thought to be more of a filler and enjoyed a bit less. Once I realized that the show was trying to communicate a deeper message to me, however, I started enjoying it even more, especially the last three episodes. I never expected something like this to make such bold statements about being human, and it increased my appreciation for Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! tenfold.

Whether you're looking for a short slice of life to keep you entertained or something to teach you about accepting reality, this anime will likely suit your needs, and it definitely deserves to be recommended more often.