The Japanese video game industry, particularly the eroge segment of it, has produced some odd storyline and characters over the years. Games of this sort, generally labeled as dating sims by unaware Western audiences, have a set of stock character archetypes that developers tend to inevitably draw upon. Games of this sort also tend to be set in idyllic, happy high school settings, far removed from the social anxiety and performance anxiety that Japanese youths feel during that age. Games that deviate from the formula do appear, but they hardly make a major impact. That was the case until 0verflow, a moderately known eroge developer, came out with School Days.
Eroge players from inside and outside Japan have praised School Days for two reasons. First, it took the risk of being the first fully-animated game of this sort. This move is sometimes seen as a result of the status anxiety that developers have felt since eroge games have started to be converted into animation by Japanese networks. However, it is the second reason for the praise that has people talking about the game a full year after the initial release.
That second reason is that, barring three of the 21...