Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei: A look at the charms of dark humor and unique characters

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei: A strange and fascinating school life that begins with despair

"Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei" is the second season of the TV anime series based on Koji Kumeta's popular manga "Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei", and aired from January 6 to March 30, 2008. The series depicts the strange and humorous school life of the students in class 2H, taught by Itoshiki Nozomu, a teacher who can only think negatively about everything. Below, we will explain in detail the appeal and characteristics of this series, as well as its background.

Overview

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is a 13-episode, 30-minute anime series broadcast on UHF, BS11, and Kids Station. It is based on Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei by Koji Kumeta and was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine. It is animated by Shaft and directed by Akiyuki Shinbo.

story

Itoshiki Nozomu is a young man who can only think negatively about everything. If you write his name horizontally, the word "despair" appears, and fittingly, Nozomu is a troubled person who always says he is "in despair," but cannot truly die. He is assigned as the homeroom teacher for Class 2 of the school where Kafura Kafuka and her friends attend. How will Nozomu's negative teachings affect the lives of his students? Also, how will Nozomu himself be influenced by his students?

character

There are many unique characters in "Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei". The main characters are introduced below.

• Nozomu Itoshiki (CV: Hiroshi Kamiya): Nicknamed "Despair Sensei." He is the homeroom teacher for class 2-H and is an extremely annoying character who can only think negatively about everything.
• Kaori Fuura (CV: Ai Nonaka): A super positive girl in class 2, she is a female student with a positive outlook on everything that happens. This name is a pen name.
• Kizu Chisato (CV: Inoue Marina): A super meticulous girl in class 2, Kizu Chisato has an obsessive class president personality and can't help but interject if something isn't done properly. She also serves as the captain of the tea ceremony club.
• Komori Kiri (CV: Tanii Asuka): A shut-in girl in class 2, she managed to attend school thanks to the efforts of Mr. Itoshiki, but then became a "school-refusing girl" who shuts herself in and never goes home.
• Tsunetsuki Matoi (CV: Sanada Asami): A stalker girl from class 2 who used to stalk her ex-boyfriend, but was fascinated by Mr. Itoshiki's achievements and now always follows him around.
• Kimura Kaere (CV: Kobayashi Yuu): A bilingual girl in class 2 who has returned from overseas, she has two personalities: an overseas personality that is quick to complain, and an extremely modest Japanese personality.
• Kannai Maria Taro (CV: Sawashiro Miyuki): A girl in class 2 who illegally enrolled at school. She came to Japan from Asia in a container and enrolled by buying someone else's attendance number. She's a girl you just want to protect for some reason.
• Abiru Koseki (CV: Yuko Goto): A bandaged girl in class 2. Her father is suspected of domestic violence due to her constant open wounds. The truth is that she is an animal lover and the injuries she sustains are from playing with animals.
• Hito Nami (CV: Shintani Ryoko): A normal girl in class 2 who has a habit of wanting to be treated specially by others, and tries various schemes to get people's attention, but never manages to achieve much.
• Harumi Fujiyoshi (CV: Miyu Matsuki): A yaoi fan girl in class 2. She loves anime and manga, and her hobbies are making doujinshi and cosplaying. She can get a bit noisy when talking about boys' love.
• Otonashi Meru (CV: ???): A sharp-tongued email girl in class 2. She is extremely shy and can only communicate with others via email, but her emails are very sharp-tongued. She feels uneasy in places where there is no signal.

staff

The following staff members are involved in the production of "Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei".

• Original author : Koji Kumeta
• Director : Akiyuki Shinbo
• Assistant Director : Ryurin Naoyuki
• Chief Director : Yukihiro Miyamoto
• Series Composition : Yuichiro Oguro
• Character design and chief animation director : Hideyuki Morioka
• Chief animation director : Hiroki Yamamura
• Art Director : Hirotsugu Kasagi
• Color design : Izumi Takizawa
• Director of photography : Rei Egami
• Edited by : Kazuhiko Seki
• Sound Director : Toshiki Kameyama
• Music : Tomoki Hasegawa
• Music Production : Starchild Records
• Sound Production : Omnibus Promotion
• Producer : Atsushi Moriyama
• Animation Producer : Mitsutoshi Kubota
• Animation Production : Shaft
• Production : Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Production Committee

episode

"Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei" consists of 13 episodes, each with its own unique subtitle. Below are the subtitles for each episode.

• Episode 1: "Look, the Baron's Delusions" / "Please be aware that our class is a problematic one" (2008/01/05)
• Episode 2: "The dawn of the bangs" / "Decorating with Tiffany" / "Awaken, not a new person" (2008/01/12)
• Episode 3: "You're 17 years old. Don't you want to see your wrinkles?" / "Duty and Soldiers" / "Don't say it so casually!" Melos retorted angrily. (2008/01/19)
• Episode 4: "The Roadside Artist" / "I've Read a Lot of Embarrassing Books" / "A Light Summer" (2008/01/26)
• Episode 5: "I always called him the leftover" / "Cultural Genealogy" / "Beyond the Ingratitude" (2008/02/02)
• Episode 6: "You must not know" / "The Story of Hoichi the Dreamless" / "The Cover-up Officer" (2008/02/09)
• Episode 7: "The Cat That Was Said a Million Times" / "Little Red Riding Hood is going to sleep. Be careful" / "Tsugaru Correspondence Course" (2008/02/16)
• Episode 8: "Pinenut Pudding" / "When the Fruit of Exposure Ripens" / "Half a Detective Story" (2008/02/23)
• Episode 9: "It's true that a husband is better than a woman" / "The Secret Passage in the Back" / "Fight of Despair" (2008/03/01)
• Episode 10: "Deteriorating Running Water" / "Foolish Ants" / "Conditions for First Look" (2008/03/08)
• Episode 11: "The Dark Twelve Despairing Girls" / "May the moon tonight be clouded with my tears" (2008/03/15)
• Episode 12: "The Glory of the Landing" / "A Certain Woman" / "Pororoca Riding the Waves" (2008/03/22)
• Episode 13: "Fired from Kamakura Myohonji Temple" / "Audio of Daidouji Shinsuke" / "Under the premise that they are brother and sister" (2008/03/29)

Theme songs and music

The following theme songs and insert songs are used in "Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei".

• OP1 : "Fantasy Roomba"
• Lyricist: Kenji Ohtsuki
• Composer: NARASAKI
• Arrangement: NARASAKI
• Sung by: Kenji Ohtsuki and the Despair Girls (Kaori Fuura, Chisato Kizu, Kaere Kimura, Maria Taro Kannai, Nami Hito)
• OP2 : "LiliCure GO! GO!"
• Lyricist: Uran
• Composer: Kaoru Okubo
• Arrangement: Kaoru Okubo
• Sung by: Iyabon Senshi Lilicure (Kafka, Mel, Kitchiri, Normal)
• ED1 : "Love Road Romanesque"
• Lyricist: Murano Chokkyu
• Composer: Yukari Hashimoto
• Arrangement: Yukari Hashimoto
• Sung by: Despair Girls (Komori Kiri, Tsunetsuki Matoi, Koseki Abiru, Fujiyoshi Harumi)
• ED2 : "Marionette"
• Lyricist: ROLLY
• Composed by: ROLLY, Hasegawa Tomoki
• Arrangement: Tomoki Hasegawa
• Sung by: ROLLY and the Despair Girls (Komori Kiri, Tsunetsuki Matoi, Kannai Maria Taro, Koseki Abiru, Fujiyoshi Harumi)
• ED3 : "Omamori"
• Lyricist: Tadanayasanatsumi
• Composer: Ruka Kawada
• Arrangement: Ruka Kawada
• Sung by: Despair Girls (Kaori Fuura, Chisato Kizu, Kaere Kimura, Nami Hito)
• IN1 : "Traumerei"
• Lyricist: Koji Kumeta
• Composer: Robert Schumann
• Sung by: Kafura Kafuka
• IN2 : "Song of the Perfect Fleet"
• Lyricist: Tadanayasanatsumi
• Composer: Tomoki Hasegawa
• Arrangement: Tomoki Hasegawa
• Song: Perfect Fleet Crew
• IN3 : "Main character"
• Lyricist: Tadanayasanatsumi
• Composer: Ruka Kawada
• Arrangement: Ruka Kawada
• Vocals: Nami Hito
• IN4 : "Despair Song"
• Lyricist: Koji Kumeta
• Composer: Tomoki Hasegawa
• Song: Nozomi Itoshiki
• IN5 : "Zetsubou Sensei Drawing Song"
• Lyricist: Koji Kumeta
• Composer: Tomoki Hasegawa
• Vocals: Chisato Kizu, Jun Kudo

Related Titles

"Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei" is part of the "Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei" series and has the following related works:

• Goodbye, Mr. Despair
• Punishment: Goodbye, Mr. Despair
• Goku: Goodbye, Mr. Despair
• Penance: Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Bangaichi
• Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Blu-ray BOX Commemorative Edition

Appeal and evaluation of the work

"Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei" has attracted many fans with its unique humor and distinctive characters. Below we will explain its appeal and evaluation in detail.

Humor and parody

The greatest appeal of this work is Koji Kumeta's unique humor and numerous parodies. Each episode skillfully incorporates literary works, historical events, social phenomena, and more to make viewers laugh. In particular, Nozomu Itoshiki's desperate remarks and the eccentric behavior of the students provide fresh surprises to viewers. The wordplay and puns used in the work also invite laughter from viewers.

Character Personalities

Each character in "Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei" has a strong personality. Each character's characteristics are clear, such as Nozomu Itoshiki's negativity, Kafura Kafuka's positivity, and Kizu Senri's punctuality, allowing viewers to empathize with and laugh at each character. The interactions between the characters are also excellent, so viewers will not get bored.

Visuals and performance

The visuals and direction of the series, produced by Shaft and directed by Akiyuki Shinbo, are also part of the appeal of this series. The unique color sense, camera work, and character movements all add to the atmosphere of the series. The opening and ending themes for each episode also reflect the worldview of the series, pleasing the viewer's visual sense.

music

The music by Tomoki Hasegawa also adds to the appeal of "Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei". The opening and ending songs, as well as the insert songs, match the atmosphere of the work and enhance the emotions of the viewer. The theme songs for each character also play a role in emphasizing the individuality of each character.

Recommendation to viewers

"Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei" is recommended for viewers who enjoy humor and parody, viewers who are drawn to unique characters, and viewers who are interested in Shaft's animation and Akiyuki Shinbo's direction. Also, those who have read the original "Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei" will be able to enjoy the anime version, which has a different charm from the original.

summary

"Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei" is a work that depicts a strange and fascinating school life that begins in despair. Koji Kumeta's unique humor and unique characters, Shaft's animation, Akiyuki Shinbo's direction, and Tomoki Hasegawa's music combine to create a work that entertains viewers. Please watch this work and experience a new school life that begins in despair.