I'm going to take advantage of my running trend of posting catch-up entries on previous anime series that I never got to write about (also, I'm still in the midst of my catch-up marathon sessions of SKET Dance, Accel World and Kuroko no Basket). Much like Inu x Boku SS, this one is another winter title.
About a few months ago, I realized that I actually had a place in my heart (and my lineup) for gag anime titles. Depending on the material and amount of hilarity involved, some of these titles end up as part of my season favorites, which was the case for the misadventure-laden Recorder to Randoseru and the beyond adorable, squee-inducing Acchi Kocchi (which currently holds the title of most read anime post in this blog, yay!).
Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou or Daily Lives of High School Boys is pretty much self-explanatory. It's about the daily lives of high school boys. Period. That's it. And I'm not kidding.
This isn't a series that chronicles some great adventure. There's no rag tag school team striving to dominate some sport. Nor does it feature characters who meet and fall for the great high school love of their lives. Nope, none of that takes place. It really is just about the daily lives of high schoolers Tadakuni, Tabata Hidenori, Tanaka Yoshidaru and their classmates in the all boys Sanada North High School.
But the daily lives of these high school boys is by no means boring. In fact, it's downright hilarious.
The series kicks off by making fun of its premise, showcasing the three boys on their way to school (while eating unlikely breakfast menu options), when a giant alien robot attacks and the three boys turn into fantasy heroes, parodying the genres that the creators Sunrise and Square Enix are respectively known for. What follows is the actual lives of these high school boys, which is filled with lamenting about the lack of girls in their lives, getting into various socially awkward situations, enacting weird fantasy role playing scenarios, and landing themselves in trouble in the most ridiculous ways possible.
Every episode is made up of several short skits that feature one or more of the characters in their daily lives. These skits usually involve different scenarios, which can range from the characters participating in one type of activity to having conversations with one another. While the series does physical comedy very well, the episodes that feature the characters in conversations are the ones that I enjoy the most in the series. Their conversations revolve around a variety of topics and lead to sharing thoughts or offering suggestions, which are usually off the mark because of their limited experience or exaggerated imaginations. The fact that they hold these conversations in either a joking or earnest manner just adds to the hilarity, because there's bound to be one character believing in the most absurd ideas.
While the series utilizes puns and stereotypes that will be recognized by viewers who watch a lot of anime, Daily Lives of High School Boys defies the concept of having a lead character at the forefront of all their shenanigans. Despite being set up as a main character, Tadakuni gets less screen time than you would expect and even voices his concerns about being left out by Hidenori and Yoshidaru, with the former even getting his own storyline in an out of town setting during the summer vacation.
Despite the series's focus on the boys, there are actually female characters in the series. These girls are siblings, strange girls by riverbanks and childhood friends. For some reason, some of these girls never have their eyes shown or don't even have proper names to speak of. They are also prone to fits of overactive imaginations, limited understanding of social norms, or possess dubious pasts that would scare many of the characters of Daily Lives of High School Boys.
The Daily Lives of High School Boys features humor that doesn't require a lot of analyzing, is steeped in anime cliches and stereotypes (and defying many of them at times), and tells the stories of characters that will make you wonder how they'll do in real life. It's part satire, part physical comedy and part lessons about actions that you should avoid in society (or at least should be avoided in the presence of girls).
And it all makes sense somehow, despite the complete lack of narrative progression or overarching series storyline. In a way, the Daily Lives of High School Boys is weirdly refreshing, no matter how familiar you already are with the anime stereotypes that they feature in abundance in the series.
The Daily Lives of High School Boys can be addicting to those who would learn to appreciate its humor. And that addiction can extend to the series's theme song... which I would, unfortunately, randomly sing out loud. In public.
Happy viewing!! Labels: Adaptation, Anime, Comedy, Daily Lives of High School Boys, Must-Watch, Slice of Life, TV
