The Fruit of Grisaia

School life is rife with drama and romance, among many other things. Such is the case for male harem protagonists in Anime more than others. While the situation may not be realistic, it is thrilling to watch. Little do we realize that we are all protagonists of our own stories, and whether or not it belongs to the Harem genre simply depends. Real-life is a mix of genres and themes; thus, there is something to learn from whatever show we watch.

“The Fruit of Grisaia,” also known as “Grisaia no Kajitsu” or “Le Fruit de la Grisaia,” is a 13 episode TV Anime series that aired from the 5th of October until the 28th of December, in Fall 2014. The first episode was previewed at a UDX Theater screening in Tokyo on the 28th of September 2014.

It was produced by Frontier Works, AT-X, Bushiroad, NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan, and Front Wing, licensed by Sentai Filmworks and brought to life by Studio 8bit. It features the genres of Drama and Romance and the themes of Harem, Psychological, and School.

The central staff behind it are Tanaka Motoki as Director, Aketagawa Jin as Sound Director, Eguchi Daisuke as Episode Director, Majima Takahiro also as Episode Director. It received a rating of R+ for its mild nudity is best suited for mature audiences.

The Fruit of Grisaia is based on the source Visual Novel titled “Grisaia no Kajitsu,” developed by Front Wing. It is special to note that some of the Visual Novel's voice actresses reprise their roles in the Anime. The Anime series is adapted from the “Grisaia no Kajitsu: Sanctuary Fellows” Manga, which spans four volumes.

It was published from the 5th of April 2013 until the 18th of November 2014, by Author Narumi Eiji and Artist Hirose Shuu, along the Front Wing storyline. Serialized in Champion RED Ichigo, it was targeted at the Seinen demographic.

A Sequel was released in the form of a single Special episode titled “The Labyrinth of Grisaia: The Cocoon of Caprice 0” (Grisaia no Meikyuu: Caprice no Mayu 0) on the 12th of April 2015. A Side Story series was also released in 6 Special episodes titled “Grisaia no Kajitsu Specials” from December 2014 until May 2015, which featured Short Specials from the Blu-ray/DVD volumes.

The story revolves around protagonist Yuuji Kazami, a mere transfer student who just got admitted into Mihama Academy. He wishes only to live out his days as an ordinary high schooler. Still, his dream may never really come true any time soon, as Mihama Academy is the absolute opposite of a regular school. It only consists of the Principal and five other students, all of which are young girls.

Progressively, Yuuji becomes acquainted with them, discovering much more about their personalities and lives due to inevitable socialization. Slowly yet surely, he starts to unravel the grim truth behind this small group of students occupying the entire academy; each possesses their own share of traumatic experiences that they keep tucked away and hidden from the world.

Thus Mihama Academy acts as their sole home, a place for girls who are "fruits" that have fallen from their trees and have even started to decay. It is now up to Yuuji to become the only catalyst that can save them from themselves…… but how can he possibly save others when he can barely save himself?

Due to the Visual Novel’s popularity, the decision was made to release this Anime adaptation of The Fruit of Grisaia. However, whenever this happens, it's always either a complete “hit” success or “miss” disaster. If it turns out to be the latter, the reputation of the source material may forever be tarnished.

The main reason for this is that they try to cram dozens of gameplay hours into one Anime season, which hardly ever gets a sequel. The job itself is complex, and Grisaia no Kajitsu falls short just like many other failed adaptations out there, no matter how incredible the Source Visual Novel was.

The main reason for the flop is the utter lack of a good and progressive story. Yuuji simply joins the private academy, meets the five female students, and gets to know each of them. The only story here on out is the girls’ backstories and how Yuji interacts with all of them. While the main focus of the series is the characters themselves, the bland, disconnected, and nonprogressive story is a turnoff for viewers.

If The Fruit of Grisaia is character-focused, the cast should be unique, relatable, likable, and engaging. But unfortunately, this isn't the case. All viewers get are stereotypical Anime characters that neatly fill out most of the popular tropes in an unoriginal way. There’s the typical mysterious transfer student, a maid, a tsundere, a loli, a kuudere, and a girl who desperately requires a boyfriend.

On the other hand, as generic as they may be, this cast actually becomes very memorable after their backstories are brought to light. The way viewers are shown that nothing “normal” about this school is indeed a treat. Each character is wearing a mask, putting up a desperate facade in an attempt to escape their pasts.

Each of their histories is messed up in unique ways, and this is a huge plus point that makes the entire show much more enjoyable. Each of the girls has their own arc to explore their character in depth. Certain viewers are likely to accept and care for them during these episodes, despite how unoriginal and uninteresting they initially felt.

The Art and Animation of The Fruit of Grisaia are superb. The Artwork is great, the dark color palette fits the series' themes well, and the character designs are pretty unique, pretty, and an excellent fit for each of their personalities. This aspect is consistent, too, despite being inferior to the Visual Novel.

The Settings are well highlighted, adorned with high society architecture, fancy interior rooms, and sharp structures. The action of the series rides solely on Yuuji and his kickass attitude, more apparent in certain routes than others. There is also no lack of brutality, fan service, and suggestive scenes. The Animation has a unique style, similar to a movie feature format, that makes it flow pretty well at high quality. Overall, this department is pretty well done.

The Sounds and Music of The Fruit of Grisaia are above average. The Opening theme is "Rakuen no Tsubasa" by Maon Kurosaki, which delivers some foreshadowing and even gives each character some time in the spotlight. The Ending themes are "Eden's Song" by Hana, "Anata no Aishita Sekai" by Yoshino Nanjo, "SKIP" by Chata, "Rainy veil" by Nagi Yanagi, and "Sousei no Thanatos" by Faylan.

Each of these centers around one arc and features the relevant girl from both their past and present. Thanks to the Visual Novel Voice Actresses reprising their roles, the Voice Acting is top-notch. Each of the girls’ tragic pasts is conveyed well to fit the Anime.

Regardless, there are occasional moments where the tone of voice is messed up, making them sound annoying or dull. The humor in the dialogues is done well alongside the emotions, creating an acceptable balance. The OSTs are not memorable but are decent, in addition to fitting each scene without disrupting the flow.

The Fruit of Grisaia is not for everyone. Whether you enjoy it or not will largely depend on your tastes and preferences. If you are a fan of the genres and themes while also not minding the absence of a solid story, this series is likely to keep you entertained.

There is no denying that the show is rushed, feels clamped, and uses too many scenes from the Visual Novel, but it isn’t necessarily bad (especially if you haven't played the game). The character arcs are well-paced and neatly done. Overall, it may be a lousy adaptation that is far too short; but it is okay as a standalone anime. If the show feels incomplete to you, just head onto the sequels and have your thirst quenched or give the largely successful Visual Novel a go!