Goku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Episode 1

I don't know what the opposite of "Zetsubou shita!" is in Japanese, but if I did that's what I'd be shouting at the return of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, even if it's only in three episode OVA form. It's been a while Zetsubou Sensei, but boy am I glad your back.

Indeed, never mind simply returning, this first episode of Goku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is nothing short of absolutely fantastic, piling on the hilarity arguably better than any episode of the series I can remember, although maybe it's just because absence makes the heart grow fonder.


Speaking of hearts, the first port of call for this episode is a suggestion than Valentine's Day, Christmas and the like should only fall once every four years, which quickly moves us on to Chiri's rather gruesomely detailed idea of what a chocolate heart should look like. From there, we're introduced to Japan's defence against "honey trap" seduction techniques, a bunch of otaku who are more interested in 2D girls than the real thing, and can spot a dodgy piece of Haruhi or Lucky Star merchandise from a mile off.

Next on the agenda is how off-air battles are always more vicious than those you see on air, for example... err, cat stacking competitions. Oh, and manga awards for that matter, with this series happily poiking fun at its own award-winning manga by suggesting that it was only won thanks to a hefty bribe.

Finally on the menu is how things are never faithful to, not as good as, the original, from Hallowe'en (which has been overtaken by cosplayers) through to a cameo by Michael Jackson (for obvious reasons), and with plenty of amusing things in between.

I'm not going to spoil any more of the fantastic gags in this episode beyond the little odds and ends I've mentioned here (and besides, you have to be there to really appreciate it), because this truly is one of those things you could watch over and over again and not get bored of, so packed is it with humour and great little touches. Like any comedy series, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei can be a hit and miss affair, but when it comes to this first instalment of Goku, it's hit, hit, hit all the way - Simply brilliant stuff.