The God of High School
“Story, Characters & Visuals”
Does your school, university, or institute have its own Sports Festival? A chance for everyone from different avenues of sports and activities to compete and showcase their skills? This event is usually held once a year and brings the whole institution together in unison to celebrate the spirit of competition and sportsmanship that culminates in some grand finales amidst cheers and shouts. So if you’re at the top of your game and ready to turn some heads with your mad skills, why wouldn’t you jump right in and give it your all?
“The God of High School,” also known as “Gat Obeu Hai Seukul” (GOHS), is a 13-episode TV anime series that aired from July 6 to September 28, 2020, during the summer season. It was produced by Crunchyroll, Sola Entertainment, and Naver Webtoon, licensed by VIZ Media, and animated by Studio MAPPA. The main production staff included Ootsuka Manabu, Jamie Simone, Song Sae-ho, and Kawagoe Wataru. Each episode runs for 23 minutes and falls under the Action and Fantasy genres, featuring themes of martial arts and urban fantasy. The series carries a PG-13 rating.
The anime is based on the web manga of the same title. The manhwa began publication on April 8, 2011, and concluded on October 13, 2022, with a total of 569 chapters. It adds the Adventure genre and is written and illustrated by Park Yong-Je. The series was serialized on Naver Webtoon and later published in paperback by ImageFrame/Root since January 31, 2017. It was also simul-published in English on LINE Webtoon starting July 1, 2014, and received a print edition via Wattpad Webtoon Studios under the Webtoon Unscrolled imprint on October 17, 2023. Additionally, an anime promotional video titled “The God of High School PV” aired on May 14, 2016, lasting one minute.
The series revolves around the tournament titled the "God of High School," which is an event that seeks the greatest fighter from among all the Korean high school students. It welcomes the use of all martial arts styles, weaponry, tactics, means, and methods of securing victory one way or another, and the grand prize for the winner is any one wish they desire. We are introduced to the protagonist, Jin Mo-Ri, who is a Taekwondo expert invited to take part in the competition. This is where he becomes friends with a karate specialist named Han Dae-Wi and a swordswoman called Yu Mi-Ra, both of whom had entered the competition for their own personal motivations. While being fully aware that none of the opponents he faces will be the same and that all the fights will be beyond ruthless, Mo-Ri excitedly prepares for the best battles he will ever fight in his life. Not even a shred of worry clouds his path, but a secret lies buried beneath the facade of this seemingly transparent test of combat prowess, which the tournament claims to be—something big enough for the Korean political candidate Park Mu-Jin to watch every fight with high expectations and ravenous eyes. Now, Mo-Ri, Dae-Wi, and Mi-Ra are soon to discover what it truly means to become the one and only God of High School!
When it comes to the story, The God of High School’s biggest flaw is that it fails to stand on its own. It relies heavily on a potential sequel to feel complete. While some elements work well, the rest suffer. A show cannot solely rely on dazzling production values; ultimately, the story and characters must contribute significantly. Many have drawn comparisons to Demon Slayer, asserting that visuals and audio carry the show, but I disagree. Demon Slayer succeeds because its characters and backstories provide emotional grounding. The God of High School lacks that anchor. Its premise—an all-out tournament with shadowy figures hinting at a greater conflict—had potential, but the execution falters.
However, execution is crucial in this context, and it is evident that the creators significantly failed; the pacing is poor, leading to a disorganized narrative. To be transparent, there was an unusual need to condense over 100 chapters into just 13 episodes, which cut out essential worldbuilding and explanations that the webtoon gradually provided. Everything starts nice and slow, taking time to establish the setting, main characters, and their relationships, but then it gets on a sonic jet to throw its audience into the "overarching tale."
While it's crucial to focus on the broader picture, neglecting the fundamental elements in front of you can significantly hinder the development of a story, given the significant absence of crucial context in this case. While there are a few moments where they attempt to explain things, those are so short-lived and easy to miss on the first watch. I couldn't help but ask myself, "What is going on?" repeatedly. This confusion arose because, at one moment, an antagonist group that believes in God appears (Nox shows up in episode 3 as hooded figures meeting in a dark church), while in another moment, the characters are using powers reminiscent of Personas or Stands; all of this occurs alongside a magical McGuffin that serves as the "Key" to everything. There is just no explanation or buildup for any of this, and it made it difficult for me to enjoy the battle spectacles on-screen, which are actually good stuff.
None of the characters are allowed to develop and become relatable, making them an okay cast with hints of character development, but not strong enough to stand alone. Dae-Wi and Mi-Ra get enough screentime to start making you care about them, but they get sidelined all too soon and become irrelevant by the finale. Mo-Ri naturally gets more attention, but he is as bland as they come when it comes to motivations and backstory. Dude likes fighting and getting stronger to fight even tougher opponents; that’s it. It’s sad because the supporting cast actually have better motivations, while this guy powers up just because he’s the MC. There is no natural growth for anyone; everyone just magically does stuff, and for once, I felt the lack of training arcs. A character I did like was Park Il-Pyo, who I found to be more compelling with more solid motivations, and this is probably because he got some backstory. Meanwhile, the main antagonists, Nox, are as boring as villainous groups come, complete with generic “destroy the world” goals.
When it comes to Art and Animation, this is truly a work of art. The animation is exceptional, featuring fluid movements and adrenaline-pumping fights, each offering a unique viewing experience brimming with aura and power. Even the camera work and frames are top-notch, showing the battle from dynamic angles and POVs each time. The animation even makes a guy running in a straight line look badass, and one of my favorite moments was when the camera zooms out from Dae-Wi as he rotates to blow foes away with his punches. The art style is also really solid and fits the setting perfectly, though I will point out how all the characters seemed to have extremely red noses for some reason. Outside of that, the character designs are very unique and give the perfect form for each character to display their battle styles, so kudos to Studio MAPPA for churning out another visual feast.
The Sound and Music department is also outstanding. I found all the OSTs to match the vibe perfectly, and they noticeably elevated the fights for me, even bringing along whatever emotional impact they had. If anything snapped me out of my confusion over the story to enjoy the battles, it was the music, as it enthralls you in and keeps you engrossed for the full length. The sound effects are also superb; I felt every punch and kick that was thrown, and it was like I felt the impact through the screen. The Opening theme is "Contradiction feat. Tyler Carter" by KSUKE, which is a great piece that slides you straight into the action with its techno music and neon filter style, and makes me feel like a spectator at the actual tournament. I will point out that the visuals are taken from the episodes themselves instead of being their own unique thing, which honestly felt so lazy. The Ending theme is "WIN" by CIX, which focuses on the slow-growing bond between the main trio and also serves as a refreshing winding down from all the adrenaline. Overall, the voice acting is good, but not particularly noteworthy.
Overall, “The God of High School” is a show I’d recommend to those looking for excellent anime fights and nothing much else. This series has a lot of potential if executed correctly, but alas, it falls completely flat in terms of story and characters in this rushed mess. I honestly feel like this was a huge waste of Studio MAPPA’s resources, which could’ve been spent elsewhere, instead of on this hollow shell of “what could’ve been.” Maybe if they had more episodes to work with, at least around 24, I feel things wouldn't have been this bad, but what we ended up with is a show that did not live up to its hype.
