This article contains spoilers for the School Days anime.

A series of selfishly-made bad decisions. A downward spiral of people treating other people badly to satisfy their own ends. A tragic story of people callously taking advantage of one another.

All three describe School Days. The infamous visual novel and TV anime is often described by fans as infuriating, a distorted take on the harem romance comedy genre, in which a love triangle quickly devolves into a love pentagon as protagonist Makoto Itou goes for the harem ending, to tragic results.

What begins as an innocent teenage romance quickly breaks down once people start using one another. Sekai tempts Makoto away from Kotonoha. She hadn’t been true to her own feelings when she set the two of them up with each other, so she attempts to appeal to him physically, using his teenage urges to gain his affection.

Her physical appeal works, but only so far. Makoto ends up using her for the easy sex she gives him. She hopes to turn him around and make him fall in love with her, but, in so many words, he’s already getting what he wants from her. Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?

As the series continues on, the web of lies and using grows deeper.

Setsuna uses Makoto to help satisfy her guilt over leaving Sekai to go overseas.

Makoto uses Setsuna’s desperation as a way to get more easy sex.

Otome tries to seduce Makoto, only to get used for easy sex.

Taisuke takes advantage of Kotonoha in a moment of vulnerability.

The characters’ callousness and selfishness destroy one another emotionally and psychologically. Many “fans” (term used lightly) of School Days would say “don’t be Makoto,” but “don’t be Sekai,” or “don’t be Setsuna,” “don’t be Otome,” or “don’t be Taisuke,” are all equally pertinent pieces of advice.

Makoto’s transgressions are well-documented. He cheated on his girlfriend and went for the harem ending, with blatant disregard for how it affected the people he was with. Makoto, however, is far from the only character in the wrong.