School-Live! made its anime debut back in 2015, and before you read another word, I have to preface this article with a note.
If for any reason you are intrigued to watch School-Live!, I cannot stress how you should go watch episode one right now before reading further. In my opinion, while School-Live! is a solid show as a whole, you really want to go into episode one blind. The fact that I’m talking about the show for Anime Horrors obviously gives away the fact that it’s part of the horror genre; that said, episode one does an awesome job catching the viewer off guard.
If you’re still here, then please be aware that I will be spoiling the initial major twist of the show.
To begin, I want to talk about how episode one starts and plays for most of its runtime. At first you are bombarded with a very typical cute anime introduction; lots of flashy colors, super upbeat music, and cute characters flood the screen. We are introduced to our cast of characters, all who are girls attending high school. Each is adorable in their own respect, bringing a great touch of humor and joy to the group. Among the girls is Yuki, Kurumi, Yūri, and Miki. The girls joke and run around the school for errands as they are all part of the “school living club.” As they chase down a dog, they continue to laugh and play; it’s really wholesome and fun.
I went into School-Live! with a heads up to not read anything about it first; so when I got to the end of the episode, it’s abrupt turn really caught me by surprise. For all this cuteness, all the adorable acts and joking, are nothing but deceptive. All the girls are playing along together for the sake of Yuki; for all the bright animation we take in is all from her perspective. The truth is that the school is actually boarded up, with many of the student horrifically killed off by zombies.
Once this revelation is shared with the viewer, the environment that makes up the show changes. All of a sudden, we see what is really there; broken windows, boarded up rooms, and bloodstains are found throughout the school hallways. We also get a brief glimpse of the zombie outbreak that surrounds the school. We are to understand at this point that Yuki has had a psychotic snap, hence inducing herself in a cutesy delusion of living at the school for a club.
From here, the show follows the girls’ survival, while also providing context in regards to events leading up to them together in the school. However, zombies aren’t the only horror element part of School-Live!, for the show displays an intriguing psychological component.
While the show has a lot of the typical survival elements you would come to expect from a zombie story, chunks of the narrative circle around Yuki’s delusions. At times Yuki will come up with an idea to do a school outing; the rest of the girls use this to their advantage, knowing that if they play along, they can use said “trip” to actually go out and search for supplies. Throughout the show, perspective shifts between Yuki’s and that of reality; for Yuki, everything remains pleasant and normal, whereas for the other girls, buildings are battered, the streets are devoid of life. What makes Yuki’s delusions even more intriguing, however, is how they impact the other girls.
Even though the girls are aware of what’s going on around them, the fact doesn’t change that they are just highschoolers. None of these girls have any sort of combat skills or any experience in survival situations; they are kids. As the anime progresses, we are given context as to what the characters were up to leading to the zombie outbreak. For example, we Miki’s time trapped in a mall with a friend; after spending so much time trapped, the friend decides to up and leave their safe haven. Not only does Miki have to find her own means of surviving, but she is now without closure as to her friend’s fate. Through these flashbacks and other horrors taking place in the present, School-Live! explores the mental anguish of each character.
However, in all their trauma, the girls are able to find some comfort. See, while the other girls may have to watch over Yuki and keep her safe, her delusions also provide, even if brief, an escape from reality. Playing along with her by joking around and talking about school allows them to distance themselves from the violence and horrors they live among. With this in mind, School-Live!’s zombie narrative becomes more of a story about the survival of the mind and banding together as friends.
If you’ve read this whole thing and you’re still interested in watching School-Live!, I absolutely recommend it. The blend of cuteness and horror end up making for a bizarre combination of melancholy. This anime isn’t full of intense action sequences, but instead, is more grounded in emotion. School-Live! may have captured my attention thanks to its intriguing twist, but it won me over thanks to its focus on trauma and survival.
