[Ran] Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei: A perfect blend of dark humor and deep themes

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

"Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei" is the third season of the TV anime series based on Koji Kumeta's popular manga "Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei", and aired from July 5 to September 27, 2009. This series depicts the daily lives of a teacher with a hopeless perspective and his unique students, and has attracted many fans with its humorous and satirical story development. Below, we will introduce detailed information and the appeal of this work.

Overview

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is a 13-episode, 30-minute series broadcast on UHF, BS11, and AT-X. It is based on the manga by Koji Kumeta serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine, animated by Shaft and directed by Akiyuki Shinbo. Copyright belongs to Koji Kumeta, Kodansha, and the Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Production Committee.

story

The protagonist, Nozomu Itoshiki, is a young man who can only think negatively about everything. His name can be read as "despair" when written horizontally, so he is nicknamed "Mr. Despair." Nozomu is newly appointed to his school as the homeroom teacher for class 2-H, but the class is filled with students who are even more unique and troublesome than he is. The main highlights of this work are what kind of chemical reaction will occur as Nozomu's hopeless perspective intersects with the eccentric personalities of the students, and how Nozomu himself will be influenced by his students.

character

The appeal of this work lies in its unique characters. Below are the main characters.

• Nozomu Itoshiki : Nicknamed "Zetsubou Sensei." He is the homeroom teacher for class 2-H and is an extremely negative person who thinks negatively about everything that happens. He is voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya.
• Kaori Fuura : A super positive girl in class 2 who sees everything in a positive light. She works under a pen name. She is voiced by Ai Nonaka.
• Kizu Chisato : A super punctual girl in class 2 who has a class president-like personality and can't help but speak up when things aren't done properly. She is voiced by Inoue Marina.
• Komori Kiri : A reclusive girl in class 2, who thanks to the efforts of teacher Itoshiki, manages to attend school, but then stays shut up in the school and never comes home. She is voiced by Tanii Asuka.
• Matoi Tsukutsuki : A stalker girl from class 2 who used to stalk her ex-boyfriend, but was fascinated by Mr. Itoshiki's work and now always follows him around. Voiced by Asami Sanada.
• Kimura Kaere : A bilingual girl who returned from overseas in class 2. She has two personalities: an overseas personality that is quick to complain and an extremely modest Japanese personality. She is voiced by Kobayashi Yuu.
• Kannai Maria Taro : A girl in class 2 who illegally enrolled in school. She came to Japan from Asia in a container and enrolled by buying someone else's attendance number. She is voiced by Sawashiro Miyuki.
• Abiru Kosetsu : A bandaged girl in class 2 who is constantly covered in open wounds, leading to rumors that her father is abusive, but the truth is that she is an animal lover and the injuries she sustained while playing with animals are the result of her injuries. She is voiced by Yuko Goto.
• Nami Hito : A normal girl in class 2 who wants to be treated specially by others and tries various schemes to get people's attention, but she never manages to do much. She is voiced by Ryoko Shintani.
• Harumi Fujiyoshi : A yaoi doujin girl in class 2. She loves anime and manga, and her hobbies are making doujinshi and cosplaying. She gets a little noisy when talking about boys' love. She is voiced by Miyu Matsuki.
• Meru Otonashi : A sharp-tongued girl in class 2. She is extremely shy and can only communicate with others through email, but her emails are sharp-tongued. She feels uneasy in places where there is no signal. She is voiced by Chiwa Saito.

staff

Many staff members were involved in the production of this film, and the following staff members played particularly important roles.

• Original author : Koji Kumeta
• Director : Akiyuki Shinbo
• Series Composition : Higashi Fuyako, Shinbo Akiyuki
• Character design and chief animation director : Hideyuki Morioka
• Art director : Toshiharu Iijima
• Color design : Izumi Takizawa
• Visual effects : Motoi Sakai
• Director of photography : Shohei Uchimura
• Edited by : Kazuhiko Seki
• Assistant Director : Naoyuki Ryurin
• Chief animation director : Hiroki Yamamura
• Chief Director : Yukihiro Miyamoto
• Sound Director : Toshiki Kameyama
• Music : Tomoki Hasegawa
• Music Production : Starchild Records

episode

Each episode depicts the daily life of Zetsubou-sensei and his students, and is full of humor with social satire and parody. Below are the subtitles for each episode.

• Episode 1: The Road to the Fallen Garden / The Spring Postman Rings Twice / Sarashigaoka
• Episode 2: The Woman Who Has It/Time Tales of Oroshiya Country/Sarashigaoka Part 2
• Episode 3: The Tragedy of X/I will not return to Japan. I could not make that decision/Doctor Kahogo
• Episode 4: How I Became a Real Person/Celebrating the Family Tree/Doctor Kahogo Part 2
• Episode 5: Overdosing / The Adventures of Ah, Ulu and Bi / Missing You in the Rye
• Episode 6: Measles of Madison County/Night Polygon/Missing You in the Rye Part 2
• Episode 7: Do Androids Dream of a Mechanical Bride? / The General's Failure / "Oh, what a surprise," I muttered absentmindedly.
• Episode 8: Ah, what a surprise, I muttered absentmindedly. Part 2/Confession Crepe Team/The Last and Beginning of Enoden
• Episode 9: The Nun's Crisis/The Answer Thirty Years Later/Jeremy and the Dragon Egg
• Episode 10: Cracked Eggs/Do You Know the Neighboring Country?/Jeremy and the Dragon Eggs Part 2
• Episode 11: Meganeko's House/The Recommendation of Closing the Gate/The Kimono Saw by Scholar Ageashitori
• Episode 12: After the Third Trilogy/A Secret that Failed to Be Buried/A Recommendation for Closure Part 2/Not Good! Teacher Kaere
• Episode 13: Revenge for the Inbara Typo/We are Linus/Rakuten Grand Prize/Nighttime Flight

Theme songs and insert songs

The theme songs and insert songs of this work are also important elements that enhance the appeal of the work. The main songs are introduced below.

• OP1 : Apple-picking beam!
  Sung by: Kenji Ohtsuki and the Despair Girls (Kaori Fuura, Chisato Kizu, Kaere Kimura, Maria Taro Kannai, Nami Hito)
  Lyrics: Kenji Ohtsuki Composition and Arrangement: NARASAKI
• ED1 : Despair Restaurant Sung by: Despair Girls (Komori Kiri, Tsuzuki Matoi, Koseki Abiru, Fujiyoshi Harumi)
  Lyrics: Tadanano Natsumi Composition and Arrangement: Yukari Hashimoto
• ED2 : Darkness Love Suicide - Love Song: Nozomi Itoshiki Lyrics: Natsumi Tadanashi Composition and Arrangement: Ruka Kawada
• Insert song : Zetsubou Sensei Drawing Song Sung by: Kosetsu Abiru, Kimura Kaere, Kannai Maria Taro, Maria's friend, Meru's father, Abiru's father, Tsunetsuki Matoi, Komori Kiri, Itoshiki Kou, Otonashi Meru, Kizu Chisato, Fujiyoshi Harumi, Nezu Yoshiko, Maruuchi Shoko, Kaga Ai, Kino Kuniya, Okusa Manami, Oura Kanako, Ichikyu-san, Kudo Jun, Usui Kagerou, Itoshiki Kei, MAEDAX R, Fuyu Shogun, Otsuki Kenji, Kimura Kaere Lyrics: Kumeta Koji Music: Hasegawa Tomoki
• Insert song : Going Strong My Yeah~
  Sung by: Despair Girls (Kaori Fuura, Chisato Kizu, Kaere Kimura, Nami Hito)
  Lyrics: Murano Chokkyu Composition and Arrangement: Kawada Ruka
• Insert song : Private Lesson Sung by: Kaere Kimura Lyrics by: Saori Kodama Composed and arranged by: Eiji Kawai
• Insert song : Sayonara! Zetsubou Sensei Sung by: Kenji Ohtsuki and the Despairing Girls (Kafura Kafuka, Kizu Chisato, Kimura Kaere, Hito Nami)
  Lyrics: Kenji Ohtsuki Composition and Arrangement: NARASAKI

Related Titles

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is part of a series, and the following related works also exist:

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

Ratings and Recommendations

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei has gained many fans with its unique humor and deep social satire. The chemistry between Zetsubou Sensei's negative perspective and the unique students provides viewers with laughter and empathy. Shaft's unique drawing style and Akiyuki Shinbo's direction are also not to be missed.

This work is highly recommended, especially for viewers who enjoy comedy and social satire. The world seen from Zetsubou Sensei's desperate perspective sometimes points out real social issues and other times makes you laugh. The daily lives of the unique characters may also give you an opportunity to reexamine your own lifestyle and way of thinking.

Furthermore, for fans of the original work, the anime adaptation of "Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei" is a rare opportunity to enjoy the work from a new perspective. While faithfully retaining the essence of the original work, it adds expressions and direction unique to anime, making it a satisfying content for fans of the original work.

The music is also excellent, with the theme songs and insert songs not only enhancing the atmosphere of the work, but also having melodies and lyrics that leave a deep impression on the viewers. In particular, "Ringo Mogire Beam!" by Kenji Ohtsuki and the Despair Girls is a song that can be said to be the symbol of the work.

"Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei" is a work that depicts a strange school life that begins with despair, and its unique world view and the charm of the characters provide viewers with new perspectives and laughter. Please try stepping into the world of Zetsubou Sensei once.