By Shanel Kamara

What comes to mind when you see the words ‘cheating’ and ‘craft’? These words on their own have very distinct meanings but combined they formulate one unique definition. Next, try to visualise what the title Cheating Craft could suggest. I am willing to bet that whatever preconceived notions or thoughts you had about this anime show, this anime show is guaranteed to flush them down the drain or drastically flip them over.

I do not know what I was expecting, but I definitely was not expecting this; the thought that this anime series, simply stripped down, is about cheating on exams is laughable. Laughable as it is, though, I do believe that there are some truths told in this anime series. These truths are especially applicable to the Japanese approach and attitude towards education. The education system in the US and the UK, as opposed to the Japanese system, is less intensive and more lenient. From my own (admittedly limited) understanding, the level of study in Japan is a great degree higher and more advanced. Thus students are expected to put in more hours of personal study in order to keep up.

While resorting to cheating is a no-go you can empathise with those students who may turn to it when all other methods fail. The ‘c-type’ (cheating type) and the ‘l-type’ (learning type) are two brackets that nicely sum up the type of students you can find in any school in any setting: real or fictional. The amount of money parents spend on their children’s education, and tuition is frighteningly realistic in this show; education is of high value and can potentially determine one’s course of life (as emphasised in this show).

This anime series plot is novel, over-exaggerated, and random. Nevertheless, I will continue to watch it.

Score: 4/5

Cheating Craft E.01