12.21
There are some pieces of media that are hard to recommend without revealing a twist that occurs within it, as said twist is often integral to the very identity that the show, film, or book has for its fanbase. It was difficult for my fellow Thaumatropists to get me to watch Puella Magi Madoka Magica without them constantly promising that “the twist is coming” or that “this episode will change everything.” They ultimately refused to tell me what made this magical girl series so damn special. Likewise, Steven Universe presents itself as a cute, magical slice-of-life comedy, but us fans will always urge you to watch until the episode 25/26 two-parter, screaming in your face that this is where the cartoon gets cool and all the events in previous episodes take on new meaning. Where I’m going with this is that Gakkou Gurashi! falls within the same boat; this isn’t your standard “cute schoolgirls doing cute things” anime despite the overly saccharine opening sequence and song. There is a twist come the end of episode one, and it is a twist that turns the show from a run-of-the-mill amusing diversion to something that, while not groundbreaking or thought-provoking, forces the viewer to reevaluate every single scene.
The main characters of the show differ from other characters in this adorable genre in that they spend pretty much all their time in school; they live on the school grounds, hence the English translation of the title being School-Live. How this came to be is once again a part of the eventual reveal, but the decision to do this on the part of the original mangaka leads to some interesting little stories that wouldn’t have worked remotely as well if our girls were constantly running around off of school grounds. Even so, you have probably seen these character types before: the happy-go-lucky protagonist, the tough-as-nails action girl, the motherly/big sister type, etc. Really, the thing that has quickly made this one of my favourite anime of the 2015 after only watching two episodes for this very review are the ways these characters play off each other and the school environment. Everyone has their own little secrets and quirks that only become truly apparent once you see the reactions that the characters surrounding them have. Abundant joy doesn’t feel especially weird until you realize the reserved looks other characters give the genki girl and the deliberate manner in which they word things when she is in the room. Reserved is probably the best way to describe the direction that the anime is going after watching these first two episodes. Even though the show revels in bombarding the viewer with chibis and cuteness from time-to-time, Gakkou Gurashi is also more than willing to step back and allow a simple gaze or a lack of speaking set the tone for a scene. Zig-zagging between different atmospheres is a prevalent thing in fact, with the tone of a given episode jumping back and forth between a happy playfulness and a more somber realism. Over the course of the second episode, for example, we jump between the happy Yuki trying her best in class and the shovel-bearing Kurumi coming to terms with an awful breakup…and it works. Maybe the mood whiplash trope isn’t a favourite of yours, which is fair. But I can’t help but feel that the juxtaposition of joy and sadness that forms the foundation of this work is executed very well, letting neither tense or funny moments to overstay their welcome. Inside this cute production is something that happily managed to subvert my expectations in the same as the shows previously mentioned in this article, which I suppose brings us back full circle. Explaining a show without giving away the big reveal can be a struggle, with one having to tip-toe around what is possibility the biggest draw. So I find myself having to close out with just this statement: check out Gakkou Gurashi, because if you are like me and have been struggling to really get into most of 2015’s offerings, you may find this to be a pleasant diamond in the rough.