The God of High School has been receiving a lot of hate, and while I can see some of the points that have been made, I personally think it’s much better than people are giving it credit for. As to whether or not it’s worth watching, short answer is yes and there are many reasons as to why I think so.
If I had anything to say to those who are naysayers of this show, it’s that you need to stick with it. While it may come across as nothing other than a fighting tournament in the beginning, The God of High School starts picking up after episode 4. Not only do you get some back story on why these characters are fighting, but it also takes quite a turn as more is revealed.
I completely agree that The God of High School took some time to ramp up, but I think people are tapping out much too early on in the season. And I think that wedding episode with Mira has a lot to do with it…. Yes, that episode wasn’t all too great and seemed to come out of left-field, but the episodes that come after it are much better and pertain more to the main storyline.
The other issue people seem to have with The God of High School is its fast-pacing. It has a more realistic pacing when it comes to the fights, which can make it feel rushed at times. In the real world, fights can and do end quickly, so I personally don’t mind the pacing in these action-packed, fight scenes. Sometimes anime can draw out fights for what seems like forever, so I actually appreciate The God of High School for getting straight to the point. With that said, I do wish the story-telling in between the tournament rounds and episodes involving backstories of the characters would have a slower pace, but I still enjoy the series regardless thus far.
I will mention that I have yet to read the manhwa, so I may be blissfully ignorant to some of the pitfalls the series has. Most of the time the material, whether it be a manga, manhwa, etc., is better than the adaptation; However, you are experiencing it in a whole new format, and I’ve found that experiencing battle scenes, like those seen in The God of High School, are much easier, if not more enjoyable, to follow in the anime.
If I went back and read The God of High School, I might think differently about some of the things I mentioned in this post, much like I did with Crunchyroll’s adaptation of Tower of God. That being said, I feel that there’s a benefit to not reading the source material before watching an anime, because you can go in open-minded and without any bias. Much in the same, I feel there’s a benefit to reading the source material before watching its anime, because it brings the characters and story you’ve already grown attached to further to life. There’s no right way to approaching this, but in my experience, I’m glad I’m getting to enjoy everything the anime has to offer before I jump into reading it.
The biggest point I want to make in this post is that I can’t rave enough about the animation, which is done by MAPPA (Terror in Resonance, Dororo, Dorohedoro). With bold colors and a distinct style; In addition to having to animate a variety of unique fighting styles, MAPPA had their work cut out for them with The God of High School. But, they managed to pull it off with ease, creating an anime that is not just aesthetically pleasing, but thrilling to watch thanks to its dynamic scenes.
As for the characters, you grow more attached to them as you learn more about their motivations and their lives growing up. You learn a lot about Jin Mori, in particular, in the most recently released episodes. There’s a lot of heart to these characters, and you can tell each of them have something to prove, not just for themselves, but those they admire and love. While this is common in anime, they will only continue to grow as the series continues on. I feel like we are just scratching the surface with each of these characters, and if there are seasons to come, we will see their full potential.
There is also something to be said about not revealing too much too soon, and I feel that The God of High School has purposely left things vague. In the beginning, you are shown a piece of the larger picture to this story, but you aren’t given much. But, this allows for a change in tone over the course of the season since you know something is lurking in the shadows. From the beginning, you are given this happy-go-lucky fighting tournament where individuals fight to become the strongest high schooler of all, but there’s more to this anime than meets the eye. Things are just starting to get serious, and I can’t wait to see what is in store for us in the battles to come!
The God of High School has been hyped like crazy, but I personally believe it deserves all the hype it is receiving. Other people will tell you it doesn’t, but like everything, I think that’s something you need to decide for yourself. Mid-season everything starts coming together as more is revealed. The story of The God of High School is much larger than it lets on in the beginning, so you have a lot to look forward to in the episodes to come!
