@Kaizo
@Sceleris
Can't say I don't agree with that. I thought about what ya'll said after I submitted my comment.
On one hand, if it is a dream -- it CAN enable the MC to later on apply himself.
And merely having a slice-of-life "enjoy your college days" is also acceptable.
The thing is, for me, if the entire story centers on the MC trying to reach a certain peak, and then have that peak evaporate into nothingness....People jumped out of buildings because of it, and none of them thought that rendering years of their hard-work into nothing was an inspirational tale to try harder next time.
(An exaggeration for sure, there's a difference between the "failure" of a 50 years old, and a 20~30 years old, but you get the gist here -- while the story has the potential to be positive, it can so easily become a negative cesspit of depression.)
And regarding the whole "Isekai stories invalidate your achievements after you zap away back to your old world". Not wrong, but the main difference here is that the story is either built as a motif (hero's journey, blah blah, overcome his previous fears, etc), or that the MC's strengths carry over. He only lost the relationships, nothing else.
In this sort of story, that so harshly prioritized prestige of schools, and the specific relationships you form, rather then your own merit and ability? Hard to see that apply.
TLDR: If the entire point of the story is to shut down the MC's negative self-approach, that he "cannot find his own way to "shine"" -- and thus actually contribute to his character, rather then formulate a perfect reality around him -- sure, most of my rants do not apply. But as I said, thus far, the story really doesn't seem to want to do that. I find it hard to even capture what the story even wants to do, anyway.