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Oh no. I actually enjoyed School Days.

Dear Lord what has my taste in anime come to.

Let me preface this by saying that I knew what I was getting into. Much like Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, I had a good idea of how the series was going to end, so I primed my expectations based on that ending.

And by goodness, what a perfect ending that was.

First and foremost, I'd like to stress that I view School Days as a tragedy, from beginning to end. The very first episode concludes with the main protagonist receiving romantic connections with two girls, and from then he never explicitly cuts ties ... with either. In fact, he does his best to try and prolong both of these relationships. If you know anything about trying to attempt this in real life, well, let's just say the results aren't pretty. Of course, School Days isn't the model of realism, either, but this situation should at least clue the viewer into the fact that something is very, very wrong from square one.

Additionally, all of our characters are deeply, deeply flawed, to the point where a bad ending for them is all but natural.
Let's start with our two female leads.

Sekai is probably the most put-together of our love triangle, yet her better judgement is shrouded by her blind love for the main protagonist. She serves as an advice-giver to our main protagonist, initially trying to hook him up with Katsura out of the goodness of her heart. This quickly goes very wrong when said protagonist decides to hook up with her as well, suppressing any attempts she makes to cut off his previous relationship with romantic gestures. Obviously, this is really, really toxic behavior, but is it really out of line to believe that Sekai would go along with these lies coming from the person she's in love with? Especially when he makes empty promises to eventually cut it off, appealing to her own sense of guilt by insisting that cutting it off with Katsura now would hurt her feelings. Sekai has always been established as the janitor cleaning up after the problems of our protagonist (and knowingly so, I might add), so this is just another problem she has to put up with, right? I'd call this kind of problematic stalling to cut off disastrous relationships the "Rent-a-Girlfriend" syndrome, except this series differentiates itself by actually making the characters get a taste of their own medicine. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Katsura's problems stem from the fact that she's too shy for her own good, and not only does she possess an inferiority complex about herself, she's completely oblivious to what a real, healthy relationship should look like. As such, she tends to go with the flow without really standing up for herself. Because of that, as soon as Sekai stops being her supporter, but rather her competition, she becomes susceptible to scathing rumours following her relationship with the main protagonist, with no one else there to support her. Like, literally no one else. Not her family. Her younger sister idolizes the main protagonist, and believes the now lie that he and Katsura are hooked up. Her parents just straight up don't exist. Her girl friends continue to bludgeon her with the truth that she's pursuing a long-dead relationship, without so much as a word of solace or attempt to understand her torment. It's been scientifically proven that humans will die from loneliness, and to an extent that happens to Katsura as well. At some point she snaps, completely divorcing her fantasy with the truth she has to live with. It's only for a moment near the end that she regains the spark in her eyes, and even by then it's too late. Out of everyone in the main cast, it can be argued that she needed therapy the most, although all three of our central characters would surely benefit from treatment.

Last, and certainly the least of our main cast, is Makoto, the main protagonist in question. He is a ball of teenage hormones, wanting to do it with everything in sight, and oh boy does he get a taste of that. Ultimately, however, his inexperience with healthy romantic relationships that turns out to be his, and many others', undoing. No one is there to rein back his bad decisions except Sekai, and well, when Sekai buys into his lies and eventually becomes powerless to stop his destructive impulses, disaster ensues. As a result, he does things like prematurely try to grope his love interests, kiss them in attempts to make them shut up, and a whole other host of red flag behaviors. "Scumbag" doesn't do justice to how terrible of a person Makoto becomes as he not only lets his lust consume him, but receives plenty of opportunities for his lust to run rampant. This guy fools around so much that he freaking gains a reputation in his school for being good in bed, resulting in three other girls having a foursome with him. This is not behavior a sane, normal person should be doing, doubly so as a high school student, and all of these actions make him, rightfully, the most hated character in the series.

What's notable about this setup is that these characters actually follow the mold of popular visual novel/harem tropes: the inexplicably popular main character who has sex with seemingly every girl he meets, the reclusive, shy girl who finds her sense of purpose in and/or during her relationship with the protagonist, and the girl who guides the main protagonist for his troubles (and totally doesn't have a crush on him). However, unlike most visual novel adaptations, School Days doesn't choose to cover the happy endings where these characters end up together, ignoring several implications and repercussions to rush to a euphoric conclusion. No. This anime doesn't choose to ignore the fact that our characters, left to their own devices, would likely end up in a terrible disaster of their own volition. In fact, it goes so far down the bad ending train that the way this series ends is not only completely anime original, but also hits a bit too close to several real life horror stories. When's the last time you've heard of an anime couple who had to struggle with high school pregnancy, with the dad going as far as to suggest an abortion? Or a secret area where adolescent couples go with the deliberate purpose of performing dirty deeds, only to have those sex tapes exposed on camera for the whole classroom to see? If nothing else, I have to give School Days props for being the only visual novel adaptation in memory to adapt a bad ending rather than the true good one.

Of course, this is where my praises merely begin. The problem with most visual novel adaptations is that in their (often reasonable) choice to only adapt the true ending of their source material, they have to neglect the failures that reveal a much more nuanced view of our protagonist. Of course, too much of the opposite can also be a problem, too, where in a bad ending the characters can be so mired in tragedy that they seem lifeless and totally removed from any human motivation in their march towards death. Much to my initial surprise, though, School Days avoids doing either of these things. Even Makoto, undeniably the biggest asshole, problem, impulsive womanizing piece of dirt, and whatever other expletives you'd like to use, has moments of self-awareness where he realizes he's doing something horribly wrong. Does this conscience absolve him of his sins? Absolutely not! But it does make him a more realistic, three-dimensional person, as terrible as that might be. To do bad things, even with the knowledge that you're doing something bad, is much closer to human nature than it honestly should be. Often times, we know we're making mistakes, and nevertheless we continue to make them. Especially because, again, no one is there to stop Makoto or really keep him in check, he continues making those mistakes. I wouldn't dare go as far as to say this allows us to sympathize him, but it does allow us to understand why this amalgamation of horniness acts the way it does.

The same goes for Sekai and Katsura. At the end of the day, they're just as much teenagers as our main protagonist, so it makes sense that they wouldn't get everything right either. I cannot stress enough how blind love can make someone. To believe that love doesn't override our ability to think and/or act logically, or to even believe that there has to be a reason for love beyond proximity, timing, and teenage hormones is beyond ignorant. Granted, to what extent love makes idiots of us all is a case-by-case basis, but no one is completely immune once they've caught the love bug. The mistakes Sekai and Katsura make are very much in character, and it's only natural that they'd snap at the end the way they did.

Now, I've heard of School Days' plot being compared to the likes of Shakespeare and Dostoevsky, and that's about where I'd draw the line. School Days bears some similarities in also being a tragic, character-focused story, but the fact that it is based on a visual novel cannot be ignored. Makoto is no Raskolnikov; he is no Macbeth. He is a high school student with way too much power in his hands, and the story treats him as such. Additionally, due to the fact that this anime only has 12 episodes, it cannot afford to be as thematically complex as the likes of Crime and Punishment. It is bound to a very different time period than that of our ever-famous playwright, so the rules for Shakespearean and visual novel tragedies play completely different, the only prominent link being the flaws intrinsic to humanity.

Nevertheless, I will maintain that if you can stomach a deceptively sickening and depressing story, and are willing to bear past the mid-2000s animation of this revolutionary piece in anime history, School Days is a tragedy worth watching.

Story: 9/10 | Characters: 7/10 | Art: 5/10 | Sound: 7/10 | Enjoyment: 10/10 | Overall: 8/10

I mean, it's pretty good, right? Have I fallen too far?

Stop me if you've heard this one before. Die-hard school idol fan goes around trying to recruit other girls for her school idol group. Over time, thanks to the help of those around her, she grows that group and in doing so, saves her school from being shut down. There are dramatic tensions between members along the way, but by the end the whole group is closer together than ever.

Yeah, Love Live! Sunshine is really about as direct as a Love Live! reboot can get.

Okay, it's not a direct copy-and-paste. By the end of the ... season, we're not sure if they've saved their school or not. I'm guessing we'll get an answer in S2, but it's interesting that they left things ambiguous.

Also, rather than chasing after an image of faraway school idols, the girls of Uranohoshi are chasing after the image of Muse. Oh wait, we only got teasers for Muse members this season. So I guess that point's pretty similar too.

Alright, for as much as I'd like to harp on how similar the structure of this story is to the OG, there's a lot of things within said story that are done quite differently. Firstly:

The characters. Overall, they feel a bit more intentionally gimmicky.
You have Chika, the can-do naive but passionate lead who's a huge fan of school idols, and the ringleader of the group. You have Riko, who plays piano and has a bit of a softer heart.
There's You, who speaks a lot in ship terms and is constantly there as Chika's third wheel- uh, I mean, second mate. There's Hanamaru, who ends all her sentences with "zura" because she's a ditsy, out-of-touch country girl.
Mari, a regular Engrish speaker, opportunistic pervert, and general go-getter. Ruby, the adorably shy imouto whose sole job is to up the moe value of this series by a solid 11, with catchphrases like "Ganbaruby!". Dia, who I guess acts as this season's idol tsundere, but instead of shyness or embarrassment the reason for her non-transparency is watching her school idol friend group falling into shambles. Kanan, who lives and dies for Mari but is otherwise a bit reserved.
And then, of course, there's Yohane, the chunibyo who just can't control her inner teen edgelord sometimes. Her drawing satanic circles, followed by calling everyone her "little demons" and then promptly cringing inside is probably my favorite gag from this season.

Beyond these initial premises, though, we don't get too much substantial on the development side this season. Sure, everyone gets their chance to shine, but part of me is left wishing we had a bit more time. Nine characters in thirteen episodes is a tall order, to be sure, but it doesn't change the fact that a lot of changes feel kind of abrupt. First of all, when exactly in the process did Chika become such a dependable leader? Like, what exactly changed after her big cry in front of the rest of the girls? I guess it's after showing off her vulnerable side and throwing away her facade that she's able to operate full force. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love this change in character, and it led to one particular shining moment where she lets Riko perform her heart out in Tokyo, but there's just such a clear line before and after she becomes competent. (Side note: Rip You. You should know by now that childhood friends with shorter hair never win. At least she had her moment, then gracefully bowed out of the love triangle. I respect that shiz.)

Also, Mari and Kanan's fallout then mending back together felt a bit too fast. If it took two episodes to resolve a conflict that was lingering over two years, then what was the point of the conflict hanging for so long? Again, the story beats were great, but there was barely any time allotted to let the emotional impact sink in. Like, right after the emotional climax they just immediately cut to song. Come on man, let these two almost-lovebirds bask in the feels for just a few more minutes.
Actually, now that I think about it, why didn't Dia say anything about the whole situation? Like, girl got her dreams crushed from end of freshman to senior year because of a silent misunderstanding between her two friends. Not too much of a criticism against the series, per se, since well, high schoolers aren't exactly the best at talking things through, but I do feel kinda bad for her. At least these three seniors love each other too much for there to be any lasting conflict from here on out.
While we're on the topic of these six, though, I will say that the parallels that connected Riko and Chika to Mari and Kanan were nicely done. Seeing Chika be the bigger person, learning from the mistakes of her senpais and immediately having a heart-to-heart with Riko was such a huge sigh of relief from yours truly. Even if it did cost Riko her chance to sing with the others onstage during the final episode (wait, wait huh? She did sing onstage with the others despite the rules saying that she clearly couldn't? ...Oh. Okay, I guess.), it was a heartwarming moment regardless. Having her sent away to Tokyo only to come back stronger than ever really demonstrated the resiliency and acceptance of the new Aquors.

Acceptance seems to be the central message of this season. The girls learn to accept each other for who they are, quirks and flaws. Every other girl's main arc and introduction to the team deals with this lesson, and while it's nothing groundbreaking, it's definitely satisfying to watch the team slowly assemble again for the second time. When the girls get their first burst of momentum with a viral PV, they have to accept that quick views aren't a ticket to victory insomuch as developing their skills are, and continue training on their song and dance over polishing their looks and personas. Even in the idol world, being flashy is still second to building a firm foundation in terms of how to achieve lasting success.

One of my favorite moments in this season is right after Aquors gets a lucky break when everyone from Chika's older sister's workplace shows up to support her. It seems almost too good to be true, and Dia makes it very clear that in a way, it is. It's only by the good will of the townspeople that Chika was able to fill up the gym. No matter how brightly they may shine, they're still big fish in a small pond at the end of the day, and that realization really hammers home after Aquors receives a clean zero votes at the Tokyo competition. Good stuff.

And finally, Aquors accepting that they shouldn't try to be Muse, even as much as they idolize them, was a nice conclusion to wrap up the season on. Really, though, this season could have used a lot less comparisons to Muse. It was nice seeing the poster of them in Chika's room the first couple of times, but after quite a few teasers where we didn't even get to see our main cast interact with the current Muse, it was kind of unfortunate to see nothing really come out of it. Where's my Nico man?

Animation-wise, this series was an ever-so-slight improvement over the first two seasons. I love seeing the quality of this show slowly rise up in real time, even if the CG is still clearly noticeable when it does appear. At least it's well-integrated.

Music-wise as well, it's pretty solid. While this season didn't quite have any standouts, all of the songs were consistently good. I didn't have an issue with any of them, really. That being said, the OP is probably the only thing that's gonna make it on my playlist. Maybe this'll change with time, but that's how it is right now. As for the background music, it did tend to get a bit too dramatic at times, but it's good old orchestral backing. How can I complain? It just makes the show that much more fun.

Overall, this show was definitely an echo of its predecessor, but one that rang clear and is on the verge of carving its own direction. Here's to hoping S2 really shines its own light!

Story: 6/10 | Characters: 7/10 | Art: 8/10 | Sound: 8.5/10 | Enjoyment: 8/10 | Overall: 7.3/10

P.S. Oh, I forgot to mention that they really turned up the yuri pairings this season. Forget just being good matches for each other, at least half of if not the whole cast is in love with someone else here.

P.P.S. Some of the subtitled lines in this season truly went hard. Makes me want to watch the dub for this season. My favorite line by far being "I did my rubest!" I want to see how many Love Live fans I can make cringe with this iconic catchphrase.

I find my opinions of this show to be uncannily similar to its concepts: A fake, to be sure, that has enough gall and the right amount of pizzazz to pass off as the real thing.

In fact, I find it pretty hard to think of this as "anime". Great Pretender fits the mold of anime about as well as Cowboy Bebop does, which is to say the two really don't. That isn't a criticism on either show, by any means- but it does benefit when trying to recommend an anime to someone fed up with its all-too common trashy tropes. Would I recommend Great Pretender ... purely on this novelty, though? Of course not. If you're looking for pure entertainment value, it has a lot of other things going for it, too.

Beyond being a show that takes more of an influence from Netflix than its Japanese production studio, it excels at being fake in many other ways. The characters are predictable and clear-cut, yet no less fun to follow. Even if it's been done a million times, who doesn't like a soft-spoken, charismatic con man who gets the job done in style, or the main character with a heart of justice that gets dragged into countless shenanigans against his will (but gradually gets used to it), a woman who can put the moves on any man yet has a soft interior beneath her femme fatale exterior, and seeing cartoonishly evil villains who get their cathartic comeuppance? You've seen one spy or crime or secret agent film, you've seen it all, and story-wise, Great Pretender does nothing to separate itself from its decent-at-best story. It even has its share of blatant flaws, the most notable of which I've seen are sudden plot-convenient changes to characters with the right emotional push, as well as a lack of importance regarding the passage of time in the story. Sure, it also lacks realism when it comes to how much money they throw around, but asking this show to be more realistic about funds than the pseudo-babble it already gives would just take the fun out of it.

If that was where my review of this show stopped, my current rating would be a whole lot lower. However, what Great Pretender unquestionably does right in terms of entertainment is great production value. The OP and ED are nothing short of spectacular (though using Freddie Mercury, as many have claimed, should be tantamount to cheating), and the soundtrack throughout only gets better through time- sticking to some key songs and motifs at first, but gradually adding more diverse and interesting OST selections. As for art- well, it's handled by Wit Studio. The visuals are colorful, dynamic, and a treat for the eyes- certainly leagues in budget beyond Netflix's last seasonal, BNA. Not only that, but these audiovisuals help make the plentiful Los Japangeles references concentrated throughout the show that much more fun. In my opinion, making references like those are no fun unless you fully commit to the part- and that Great Pretender certainly does through its Mocy's, its In-Z-Outs, and its numerous references(and fake exhibitions) to popular american movies like Die Hot. In fact, it goes to such lengths to sell the authenticity of its fake world that the language follows suit: The first few minutes of this show, placed in LA, are all in somewhat broken Engrish (thankfully reverted to Japanese after the studio got its point across) and when the gang goes to France, the actors do a wonderful job of speaking enough French to put Kaguya-sama S1 to shame.

There are certainly legitimate and serious criticisms to be made about Great Pretender- it's certainly not the real deal, and far from an authentic masterpiece. But what Great Pretender is, is masterfully fake- masterfully fake entertainment. For a show about conning its targets, it's brilliant seeing just how much pseudo-realism goes into making this anime seem like a genuinely good anime. And who knows? Sometimes people are willing to accept an elaborate fake over the real article, especially when it comes to entertainment- and if Great Pretender is any evidence to that, sometimes that's not such a bad thing.

I'll leave things off with a misguided yet no less appropriate quote from the show:
"Popular opinion is that they're B-tier trash."
"Then popular opinion can suck it!"

Story: 6/10 (Average)| Characters: 7/10 (Clichéd, yet no less fun to follow)| Art: 10/10 (Delightful)| Sound: 9/10 (Misused at times, but criminally good)| Enjoyment: 9/10 (Great)| Overall: 8.2/10 (Fun)

This is not your typical isekai.
When people think of the term "isekai" as it relates to anime- a fantasy where the main character is transported to another world, the first thing that comes to mind is a magic-based power fantasy with an inexplicably overpowered protagonist. The protagonist's main goal in that world is usually to defeat a boss of some sort, like say, the Demon King, and being accompanied by a harem is not uncommon. As such, the isekai genre as a whole is typically criticized for being trashy and largely overdone.
Ascendance of a Bookworm is the very antithesis of that. In fact, it's the ... most family-friendly anime I've seen in a long, long while. If I had to liken it to something, it's as if the step-by-step creation processes behind Dr. Stone crossed over with the wholesomeness and world-building dynamics of Somali and the Forest Spirit (and if you enjoyed this show, I would highly recommend watching either of the two).
The main character, Myne, is a book-loving wallflower(her words, not mine) trapped inside the body of a weak five-year old girl from a poor family. The fact that from the get-go, nothing is handed to her, already sets this story apart from your cookie-cutter isekai. But what really makes this show stand out is how they go from there. For instance, the medieval setting doesn't just serve as a backdrop for the story- it becomes an active part of Myne's day-to-day life, and even dictates a lot of the class interaction and resource gathering that takes place in this show. And while magic appears in the show, it isn't waved around freely like some deus ex machina. In fact, it mostly takes a backseat during this show, which I think actually improves the plot by allowing for more of a focus on building our cast's human aspects. The characters are all so charming, from family to friends, and the way they act and interact with each other is refreshingly human. From our merchant friend Benno, who adequately prepares our protagonist for the business world with surprisingly sound advice (and is voiced by the legend himself, Takehito Koyasu), to the lovably compassionate Lutz, who grows and develops along with Myne and never really follows her blindly, to Myne's clingy yet truly loving dad Gunther, to the surprisingly business-savvy but not high-strung Frida, everyone just feels so genuine, and it's interesting to see how they react every time Myne is up to her usual shenanigans. The art is pretty nice all around, and the chibi-style cutaways between episodes or to explain things are an excellent touch! The OP and ED are wonderfully soothing, too, and fit this show's laid-back yet compelling and imaginative tone to a T. I'm a sucker for the heavy use of harpsichord in this show's OST to give it that extra fairytale vibe, as well.
Whether you're looking for a show that's a refreshing take on a much overdone genre, develops a captivating story with nice pacing that can stand on its own(and will likely only continue the trend with Season 2 this April), or you're just seeking out something new to watch, Ascendance of a Bookworm will likely have you covered. Sure, it's much tamer than most of the other fantasies out there, but besides that, it's solid in pretty much every other aspect of enjoyment. Plus, the only vulgarities in this show are "hell" (spoken twice) and "crap"(used once, and very appropriately), and blood and violence is limited to the slaughter of two animals for food and a single scene in the last episode. Watch it with your family if you want.

Disclaimer: I would recommend reading through this review after watching this show, lest I accidentally end up overhyping this series to you.


Kaguya-sama: Love is War. Although I haven't watched enough rom-com shows to have a discerning eye for every single bit of minutia, what I feel like this show nails the most is balance.
The great thing about Kaguya-sama is that it is both a well-structured romance as well as a comedy. While one on its own would probably cause the show to suffer: too much romantic moments, and the story gets too sappy, but too much comedy, and the story could lose a connection ... of the audience to its chatacters- Kaguya-sama manages to really balance the two excellently. (Obligatory "And the manga does this even better".) (No seriously, if you liked this show, I highly recommend you read the manga as well.)
In a similar fashion, the character interactions are like salted caramel. Mix the finely developed salt from the mishaps that ensue between the main two characters (and sometimes four) with the sugary moments between those same characters, and you get something truly heart-warming that's easily worth enjoying. That isn't to say that this show is perfect. As a standalone case, in fact, this show would really suck if it ended where it did, and if a second season wasn't just around the corner this April. Besides Chika, who is simply an agent of chaos and doesn't need to grow in the slightest, characters besides Kaguya and Shirogane haven't had too much time to mature (at least, compared to what Akasaka shows us in the future). But given the story we have in 170+ manga chapters, that really isn't a glaring problem so much as a cliffhanger that leaves you wanting more- and more importantly, delivers on those desires, if you've managed to go beyond the anime.
As for the show itself, the situations set up are great, and always seem to resolve themselves in either hilarious or heartwarming ways. From "Shirogane's and Chika's volleyball training" episode to the "Kaguya coaches Ishigami" episode, and the "Kaguya and Chika regress to 6th grade" episode and the fireworks 2-part, there's plenty to chuckle at, meme the ever-living daylights out of, and just smile to. Quality-wise, the voices are great, and heighten each character, setting, and joke. Oh, and having Koyasu, aka DIO's VA, as Shirogane's father, was amazing. I can't wait to see him shine again in the few upcoming episodes he does reappear for.
Both the OP ("Love Dramatic") and the ED("Sentimental Crisis") are solid as far as storytelling goes; the former sets up the comedy, while the latter foreshadows the developing romance. Both can seem a bit boring and/or confusing at first, especially when compared to the crazy Internet sensation that is ED 2 ("Chika tto Chika Chika"), but the songs really do grow on you, or at least it did for me. Character design was also nice, with everyone having key differences that are played out nicely in the show(Kaguya's prestigious status vs. Shirogane's poor, hard-worker ethic; Chika's ditsy and often clueless nature plus her tendency to interfere and pull off the unexpected vs. Ishigami's sardonic yet often too aware nature plus his non-interfering tendencies and being pretty straightforward as just your typical nerdy NEET character). The building of common ground between more than just these cast of 4 characters (everyone being in the student council, as well as individual actions like Kaguya trying out line) also does wonders to solidify the various relationships, romantic or otherwise, as the narrative progresses. The sound design does its job excellently, highlighting the elegeance of Shuchi'in at times and creating comedic and/or romantic tension during others. And the art is amazing- generally consistent throughout most of the show, and at is most comedic, pairs with the soundtrack and character dialogue to really drive a joke even further.
As someone who likes to try out the top ranked shows to see what they're worth, Kaguya-sama was one of those rare cases where I genuinely couldn't find any abhorrent flaws, or anything bigger than nitpicks that felt out of place to what this show was trying to convey. At least, that's how I feel.
If you're a fan of rom-com like I am, definitely consider coming back to this show. Maybe you don't have the same over-the-top reaction as I did, but unless you've had this show overhyped way beyond your expectations, or it's just simply not your cup of tea, you've probably found- or will eventually find- something to enjoy about it.