In this book, we delve into the humongous universe of anime, manga and light novels to give you our two pennies' worth. You might find your next addiction in these pages.
That's pretty much all I can say after watching this show. There's a lot to unpack so I'm just going to jump right on in.
⭐ My rating: 10 out of 10. ⭐ Crunchyroll rating: 4.8 out of 5.
Rating breakdown: Overall: 10 out of 10 Plot Potential: 10 out of 10 Plot Development: 10 out of 10 Characters: 8 out of 10 Animation Quality: 9 out of 10
Please note:There will be spoilers and I will be discussing some theories I have about the show and story in general. I haven't read the light novels this is based on, so if I'm right or wrong, you can tell me if I am, but don't tell me about what or otherwise spoil the show for me, please. Also, I am only talking about season one here and will talk about season two when it's finished so that no one gets spoiled if they haven't watched it yet (though my DMs are always open for those discussions!).
This show is about a school that boasts a 100% graduation rate. It runs on a point system where one point = one yen called the S-system. (Let's face it, few if any of us actually remember the name of the school without looking it up several times.) The amount of points students get is based on their merit. The higher the merit, the more points students are awarded each month.
More specifically, this show focuses on the first-years in Class D. This class is full of kids that the school considers to be rejects for various reasons. The one that the teacher claims is the most defective, Ayanokoji, is the main focus.
I'm most excited to talk about him, but I want to talk a little about the other students before I get started on a rant.
First off, the other main player is Horikita. She's the girl that sits next to Ayanokoji and almost equal to him in smarts. She excels in every subject except PE, pretty much. Horikita can hold her own in many situations, but only if they don't involve her brother, who is the student council president of the school, or any physical strength. When one of those things are involved, she's not able to do much at all.
Secondly, the other characters in their class are mostly invisible with the exception of Kushida. Even the other popular kids are forgotten until they need something from Ayanokoji. Kushida is two-faced, and she threatened Ayanokoji when he found out. Even he's not sure what her true demeanor is like. She keeps the dark side so well hidden.
Third on my list are the other classes. There's something like the yakuza going on in Class C and then a higher class of yakuza happening in Class A, but they're friendly enemies, kind of. They don't approve of the way the other handles things, but there is a certain kind of cooperation going on with this delicate balance, kind of like the balance between the agency and the port mafia in Bungou Stray Dogs in seasons two and three. (Here, too, let's face it - most of us don't remember the names of anyone besides Ryuen because he's hot.)
Fourth is Class B. I'm counting them separate because they have this wholesome vibe that just doesn't fit in with the other classes and I'm here for it. They're in a league of their own and they're friends with Class D more or less. They're all on good terms, anyway. At the very least, Kushida, Horikita, and Ayanokoji are friends with Ichinose, the leader of the class. She has her own agenda going on, but she's not mean to any of the other students.
All of these students make up this... um... what was the name of this school again? Think the title has nurture in it, but all this place seems to nurture is future yakuza, mafia, and machines at this point, so that's basically a joke...
Anyway!
Honestly, I love this show and I do like (most of) the characters.
Finally it's time to talk about the big player on this stage: Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. This guy seems to be a walking contradiction at times. He claims to be bad at talking to others, yet his classmates come to him when they have problems. This isn't without merit, though. He seems to have it all figured out and even beats Horikita when it comes to brains. The student council president seems to realize there's more to him than meets the eye when he tries to punch him but Ayanokoji dodges easily. He has an athletic build, yet claims he's not.
There's more to him than meets the eye. Through various flashbacks, we can see his past. He was in some sort of facility as a child. Evidently his father was in charge of the kids there. What was going on? Dunno yet. I'm sure it'll be explained eventually. For now, we are left in the closing scene with the story of Icarus with his wings that melted when he flew too close to the sun. Cryptic, but I'll take what I can get.
All in all, the story of this anime is something I hold in high regard. I've been writing for years and I have been an avid reader my whole life. Whenever I comes across something that truly very well written, I have to give it props. One story is Haikyuu!! because of how the fans (like me) reacted. Another is My Hero Academia. If you've been reading the manga and keeping up with the story, then you know what I'm talking about with that. If you're only watching the anime, you're in for a treat this season coming. Trust me.
This story, though, takes a huge slice of that cake. I can't honestly compare it to either of those, though they are examples of good stories. This anime is in a league of its own. The writing is so thorough and I'm yet to find plot holes noticeable enough to point out. The anime, I'm sure, doesn't include everything that's in the light novels, but that's fine. I plan to read them and will review those as well.
That's all from me for now. I could keep gushing about the writing, but I'll save that for later. ;)
Up next: season 2! Arrigato for reading and hanging out. Mata ne!
