Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Blu-Ray Special (Completed)

I'm sure I've made it pretty clear in the past that you can never have too much Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, and thankfully it seems that I'm not the only one to think this, as the release of the show on Blu-Ray in Japan has brought with it an additional bonus episode.

Broadly speaking, this special instalment is split in two, with the first half seeing everyone's favourite despairing teacher taking on a role as a much-vaunted detective, who just happens to be visiting an old friend at the exact moment that he's murdered.  How on Earth is he going to find the culprit when everyone has a motive for murder, and what's more everyone has a sound alibi?  Is it some kind of reverse closed-room murder?  Or is it just down to some mackerel?  Perhaps the killer is closer at hand than anyone can imagine...

Compared to this, the second half takes on a musical flavour for no particular reason, as the crew ponder what small changes could make the world a much better place.  How about changing the word for rice, for example?  Or (and I'm amazed nobody has actually done this) creating a smartphone app that adds a slew of happy emoticons to otherwise violent or offensive messages?  Conversely, Chiri envisages a world where more changes makes the world a more dreadful place - just imagine if we all had buttons for nipples, for example?  Whatever you do though, don't make fun of a rubbish cat mascot character, or it'll be "No more Mr. Rice Guy" for you.

Although this episode isn't Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei at its absolute peak, it still produced plenty of laughs out of me, whether it's name-checking Lucky Star and Rick Perry or just generally being a bit silly in the name of detective fiction.  Thanks to its relatively quick-fire  observational comedy, and SHAFT's ever-quirky animation style, it's hard to ever get bored of this series - the trouble is, every time I see a new episode it just makes me pine for even more.

Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Bangaichi - Episode 2 (Completed)

The second half of Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei's OVA begins with a full-length rendition of the show's opening theme (complete with suitably insane visuals) - Quite the treat in and of itself, but this only paves the way the usual blend of the bizarre and razor-sharp wit that this franchise offers.

First up, we're introduced to the dysfunctional defibrillator, which can extend the lives of things that are really better off dead. After running around reviving things that are really already well past their sell-by date, a freak accident brings us a full-scale zombie incident... only this time the biggest concern is that the zombies are bringing back terrible 80s fashions and politically dead concepts.


Next up for discussion is the ease with which the Japanese can get swept away by certain things, which gives this episode a chance to poke some fun at Ponyo and Hetalia amongst other things, before perhaps inevitably being swept away on its own tangents. Still, with a new semester starting, the final topic for discussion is the frequent use of phrases which "soften" otherwise unpleasant goings-on or concepts to make them sound more palatable. My personal favourite here is the softening of a "massacre" to be called simply a "big Higurashi", but there are plenty of other great lines, some of which are provided by a rather errant subtitle translator. Of course, Kiri has to turn this around by looking for even harsher words rather than softer ones, with subtitles of her own which if nothing else help her to get her own way in terms of her relationship with our favourite teacher of despair.

While it's no secret that I love pretty much everything that comes from Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, this was still a genuinely good episode by any stretch - Yes, it's still as hit and miss as any comedy series is want to be, but there were so many laugh out loud moments that the scales were well and truly tipped in its favour. Whether it's lampooning anime, politics or social mores, this episode was frequently as sharp as you'd hope for, and it's that precision when it comes to hitting its targets that makes Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei such a thing of beauty. Will we see another series, or has the franchise run its course? I'd like to think there's still life left in this relatively old dog yet.

Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Bangaichi - Episode 1

There I was, bemoaning the end of another series of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Bangaichi, while completely forgetting that the first episode of the two-part OVA which follows it was already available to watch and enjoy. Well, consider it forgotten no more, as I've finally found the time to enjoy the first half of Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Bangaichi.

Of course, the general concept of the show should require no explanation by now, as once again Nozomu and his class set about the world in their own decidedly off-kilter fashion. This OVA starts with what I can't help but feel is a decidedly Japanese problem (although I suppose it happens elsewhere too), with demonstration turning into vacillation - In other words, seemingly strong feelings about a subject being watered down considerably by a simple "but" that enters your train of though. The core example here is protests about holding the Olympic games in China, which is of course followed by a string of "buts" that all but destroy any argument in the first place. Aside from some amusing nods towards other anime series, this was certainly more on the sharp social commentary side of the scale than comedy per se.


Commentary and comedy perhaps make better bed-fellows for the episodes second section, which pokes fun at the necessity people feel to pretend they understand and enjoy otherwise pretentious and complex subject matter - A slightly ironic choice of topic, seeing as I'm sure I've laughed at a few items in this very series that I don't have an exact grasp of. From pretending to enjoy stuff you don't understand, we naturally reach a point of comedy and people laughing at stuff they simply don't get, although in fairness the randomness of some of the outbursts by characters here was actually genuinely funny in its own right. Oh, and there were the berets - Laughing at berets isn't pretentious, is it?

Finally for this OVA, we get to meet Chiri's older sister, Tane Kitsu - A girl who creates a mess wherever she goes as a foil for her younger sister's meticulous precision and tidiness. Tane somehow filling a swimming pool with detritus was actually quite funny somehow, although that and the simple appearance of a new character were the real highlights of this particular chunk of the episode.

While this wasn't the funniest laugh out loud instalment of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei I've seen, I did still enjoy it for its keen focus on those very human quirks that we all recognise in ourselves and others - Sometimes this franchise is at its best when it's lampooning or gently poking fun at its own fans and viewers, and I can't help but think that was on show in spades here. I have no idea how much longer this series can keep ticking over before its popularity plummets, but to my mind Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei still very much has a twinkle in its eye.

Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Episode 13 (Completed)

Zetsubou shita! The end of another series of Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei has left me in despair! Still, at least this final instalment at least went out on a relatively positive note, with a fair few laughs to be had.

First on the agenda for this concluding episode was the issue of small, inconsequential errors being spotted while people tend to miss the huge, glaring mistakes at the same time. From hanging famous paintings upside-down through to baseball errors and missed Thierry Henry handballs (okay, maybe that last one wasn't mentioned), we end with a suitably bizarre revelation of what we've missed throughout that section of the episode ourselves.


This episode really hits its stride for its mid-section however, as Kiri Komori loses her security blanket - An absolute disaster for obvious reasons. Thus, Nozomu employs the help of his class to look for the missing blanket (which they do by walking around calling out to it by name, which made me laugh out loud in itself), only to find that it's ended up being blown into the middle of a political meeting where its presence sends shock waves throughout Japan's policy makers. Before we know it, comfort blankets are made and distributed to all of the populace to give them the security they need to spend their stimulus money with fantastic effects, to the extend where even foreign countries want to steal the idea (and you just know Gordon Brown would try something like this). The whole thing is ruined when it's pointed out that being a civil servant is a position of security in itself, and before we know it Japan is turned into an impoverished nation where everybody is a civil servant. The political satire is so sharp here it could cut you, and it naturally makes for top-notch material.

Unfortunately, the final chunks of the episode are a little weaker, from the appearance of a buzzword general (thanks to a play on words mistakenly brought forth by Maria) which turns out to be a bit of a wasted opportunity - I love making fun of marketing buzzwords and the like, but the comedy on show here was somewhat sparse. The big finale of the series is also a play on words, with the hymn Silent Night becoming an individual named Kiyohiko who has his own night but no clue what to do with it, unprepared as he is for such a bad pun. It's funny in its own ironic way, but again I'm sure more could have been done with it.

As ever, this latest series of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei has been hit and miss as you'd expect from any sketch-based comedy series, and I'll leave it to others to argue the percentages and thus which series is "better". Personally, all that matters to me is that when Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei got it right it proved to be as hilarious as ever, and as per previous series some of the jokes and moments it brings forth will live long in the memory - A definite sign of good comedy if you ask me. Will we see further series of this franchise in anime form? Who knows - Every time I declare it to be done and dusted, up it pops again, and I can't help but both hope and feel that it'll be back soon enough.

Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Episode 12

It's been a while (indeed, far too long) since we last got to touch upon a new episode of Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, but thankfully I've finally found the time to watch episode twelve... and most magnificent it is too, making me wonder why I waited so long.

Schrödinger's cat, or rather the theory that it represents (or kind of represents if you twist is around enough), is always ripe for a bit of comedy, and it also serves as a perfect fit for the kind of themes that Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei loves so much. So, we're introduced to various hilarious concepts from Schrödinger's forehead (has he gone bald or not? The possibilities are infinite!) right the way through to Schrödinger's wife (although Chiri rather spoils the latter by revealing the "interesting" individual within the box. It's great stuff, and very much typical of this franchise.


However, even this pales into comparison with the satirical genius of the next segment, as a missile launched from some foreign nation (hmmm, I wonder who that could be?) lands in the school grounds. But what should Nozomu and company do about it - Call the authorities and risk being silenced, call the media who might be untrustworthy, or something else entirely? From attempts to make the missile look like a baseball mound complete with a diamond that only makes things worse (which made me laugh until I cried), to trying to pass it off as a time capsule (not a bad idea, considering its contents), this was top-notch comedy from beginning to end - Dare I say one of the best segments of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei ever?

Finally, we return to a scenario from what seems like a million years ago, with Rin trying to go places without leaving her estate and simply buying everything in her path as a result. From ramen shops to karaoke venues, nowhere is too much trouble for Rin's travels (and the family wallet), until they inevitably end up buying the school in a segment that could never hope to live up to the glory of the humour that came before it. Still, two out of three rip-roaring joke segments is good enough for me (and I don't even know what to say about the "Naughty Ms. Kaede" - You just know that would sell in Japan on Blu-Ray, and I guess that's kind of the satirical point), so once again I'm sad to think that there's only one episode left to go of this series.

Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Episode 11

Seeing Nozomu without his glasses is a pretty odd experience in itself, but this is exacttly how episode eleven of Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei opens, with our favourite despairing teacher eschewing his glasses (which were supposedly stolen by ghosts) for a pair of contacts.

Of course, this won't do at all, so the class chips in to buy him a new pair... Except Kafuka decides to buy Nozomu a pair of tinted glasses for some reason. If that wasn't funny enough by itself (and to be honest, seeing Nozomu wearing tinted glasses got a bit laugh out of me on its own), these glasses also lets him see the world through... well, tinted glasses. Thus, the prejudices come thick and fast. A visit to the shop where these glasses were procured brings forth numerous pairs of glasses with different tints, and even tinted headphones. Just make sure you don't look in the mirror whilst wearing a pair of these glasses, it isn't pretty...


The second segment of the episode is a rather odd little story of Rin buying up properties adjoining her house just so that she can go and eat ramen without leaving her own home. As you do. With that gone (for now at least), we enter the ever-increasing number of scenarios where people look to be deliberately provocative (or "trolling", if you want to switch the whole thing into online terminology). From politicans who fall into stupid traps set for them through to game developers who "mistakenly" leave in a bug that removes the pixellation (you know what kind of games we're talking about here, don't be coy), the usual surfeit of examples get covered before Chiri gets involved and everything becomes a bit surreal.

Aside from a few odd moments (and a great bit of product placement for the iPhone), this wasn't the funniest of episodes, with the first "tinted glasses" segment also easily proving to be the funniest while the rest of this instalment fell a little flat. You can't win them all though...

Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Episode 10

What came first, the chicken or the egg? It's a classic question, but (if you inhabit the world of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei) it's also a question that can be posited in numerous other walks of life. For example, what came first - idol groups, or fans of idol groups; tea, or tea time? The answer might seem obvious, but with enough twisted logic you can never be sure, and if nothing else such bizarre logic made for a few laughs here (not least my own amusement at the portrayal of the emergence of the Great British tea time).

We then move on to the problem of a Japan that is rife with spies and secret agents, looking to destroy the country from the inside with every action; from having a big head at the cinema through to fiddling with change at the checkout, these agents of evil are everywhere! They must be stopped! Particularly when they're stood in front of me in the queue...


The final major chunk of this episode brings us a return to the golf "range measuring" game of last instalment, where we remember that Kiri really shouldn't be let out of the school building lest it collapse, while Kafuka teaches us all about the importance of using a "driver" within this particular game. To be honest this was probably the least amusing part of the episode, but as per usual with this franchise you can't win them all.

All in all, this episode definitely had some great gags (the idol one in particular made me laugh out loud, while there were a couple of nice moments of topical political fun-poking too), while I also got some amusement out of SHAFT's own despair regaring their current workload which kept cropping up throughout (and with work ongoing with this series, Hidamari Sketch and Negima OVAs and Bakemonogatari, and with Natsu no Arashi's return on the horizon I can hardly blame them), before the weekly Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei review's selection of "readers letters" (some of which I can fully believe were real) brought forth the wonderful advice to basically "go and watch Evangelion 2.0 if you don't like this series". If only I could SHAFT, if only I could... But for now, I shall make the most of my time by continuing to enjoy this show's irreverant and topical humour.

Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Episode 9

The pressures of everyday life mean that emergency measures of some shape or form are called for ever-mroe often - But just how effective are they? So begins the musings of the latest episode of Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei.

From giving out crappy birthday presents for a birthday that you'd forgotten about through to "failing" eyebrows (no, I'm not sure how that works either), a wide range of emergency measures are featured, including Kafuka's hilarious birthday song and some sticking plasters as counter-measures to those aforementioned examples. However, with the school inspection board due, even more emergency measures are required, which (as so often appears to be the case these days) concludes with Chiri killing everybody.


Next up is the problem of right answers which aren't right... In other words, situations where saying what is actually correct is more troubling that just making something up or an apathetic shrug. This segment of the episode allows for the series to sharpen its political knives somewhat by pointing out occasions where politicians and parties have blatantly avoided speaking the actual truth in the name of diplomacy. This line of thought then shifts onwards to more personal matters in a game run by Kafuka where it appears that the only way is down...

Finally, it's time for a round of golf for the girls, as Nozomu and Rin look to measure the "range" of various people to see how far they can go in a particular set of circumstances, be that how far they're willing to travel while wearing a sweatsuit or how far you can get without taking your mobile phone (an example ably demonstrated by Meru, complete with what I'd like to think was a tribute to Tokyo Magnitude 8.0's Yuuki).

Between those main episode segments, this instalment also managed to poke fun at Japan's economic stimulus plans (with Majiru using his cheque provided by the Japanese government to buy American-produced DVDs), and a discussion of the various "-tan"s (aka the anthropomorphism of inanimate object) doing the rounds at the moment, with characters fighting over which anime company they'd like to represent.

Overall, this episode was arguably at its best when it had its political satire head on, although there were plenty of amusing background references this time around to make up for any other shortfalls (including some not-so-subtle product placement for Hidamari Sketch and Natsu no Arashi and references to Bakemonogatari, which just so happen to be SHAFT-produced shows). Even when it isn't at its consistent best, you still can't go far wrong with this series, as ever.

Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Episode 8

Following on directly from the last episode of Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei and its discussion of what makes a surprise... well, surprising... episode eight continues along the same track (after the funniest "story so far" snippet yet) with the concept of the reverse surprise.

In other words, isn't it more surprising when you're expecting something to happen but it doesn't actually occur? From not getting an encore at a gig to the PlayStation 3 actually working as advertised without a huge failure rate, we get treated to a big old list of (occasionally amusing) reverse surprises.


Next up, Nozomu decides that the world needs training... confession training, to be precise. Generally speaking, people simply aren't used to admitting that they've done something wrong or made a mistake, and so our intrepid teacher sets out to create a world of free and easy confession. The trouble is that such confessions can deal out a shock to the recipient, meaning that they need training too. Zetsubou shita! As we roll on invariably to the logical conclusion of this point of view, so we see everything from Detective Conan to Death Note ruined by premature confessions in what is easily the most hilarious part of this episode. Oh, and apparently K-ON! CDs is worthy of confession too, which is something to note...

For the final segment of this episode the show takes one of those occasional detours of which it is fond by completely changing its animation style, which makes for an "interesting" aesthetic I suppose you could say. The subject of this final chunk of discourse however is one close to my heart; that of asking questions when you already have the answer decided in your head. Of course, the media is one of the worst examples of this, from push polls that all but force you to vote a certain way through to news reports with a clear agenda, but we also consider people who ask whether they should break up with their partner when they've already made a decision and so on. Not particularly funny in itself to be honest, more the kind of general point I found myself nodding in agreement with as one of the absurdities of modern media.

In general then, I wouldn't put this down as one of the more hilarious episodes of Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Last week's instalment had more laughs overall, but then again when this episode did hit the mark it did so in spectacular fashion. I think I'm going to be giggling about Light's immediate confession to being Kira for the rest of the week, quite frankly.

Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Episode 7

After quite the absence (with a week of in Japanese airing terms, but longer for us poor English-speaking saps), Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is back - Although it appears that the pthey calacid and air-headed Oora has been sat at her blood-stained desk the entire time; a suitably hilarious revelation with which to start this episode.

From here, the first subject for discussion is the "loss leader" selling something at a loss for the producer just so that they can hook you in to spending lots of money elsewhere, something which happens everywhere from printers through to (and I'm surprised this one didn't get a prominent mention) game consoles. A similar technique is also deployed by those annoying multi-part magazines that allow you to build or collect certain things, and somehow from here we're introduced to a prt-by-part magazine that lets you build your own Zetsubou Sensei. Naturally, hilarity ensues.

Next up, Nozomu and company find General Frost passed out in the middle of the street, whereby he refuses to make the winter cold any more. It's time for a new job then, but just what jobs are out there for a General these days? After struggling to find anything suitable, Kafuka suggests that everyone can be a General in this day and age, and before we know it everyone is a General, with some potentially disastrous consequences.


Finally comes my favourite segment of this particular episode - A surprise birthday party for Nozomu! Of course, to make it a surprise, the class haven't actually thrown this party on his birthday itself, that would just be silly. So begins a discussion of what does and doesn't constitute a surprise in this day and age, before Chiri made me laugh until I cried with the most surreally surprising entrance fathomable - Pure genius.

As per usual then there are plenty of laughs here, from random references on blackboards to Basquash! through to the obvious glee the writers are having in lampooning the Japanese general election (which finished today) at every possible opportunity. Once again I just can't get enough of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, and my week somehow just seems that little brighter for a new episode. This is General Normal, signing out until next time.

Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Episode 6

I'm sure we've all been told how it's better to catch measles when you're a child rather than face it when you're an adult, but in the world of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei that apparently isn't the only "disease" which you should prefer to face in your youth... So begins episode six of Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei.

As per usual, we soon veer off into left-field, with suggestions to play lots of video games while you're young so you don't become addicted and lose your job later in life, and to immerse yourself in "moe" anime series before you grow up, lest you become... oh, I dunno, some crazy guy who writes numerous episodic anime 'blog posts every day or something. Ahem. Before we know it, this instalment is advising us to grope breasts and children rather than get arrested for it later in life. Don't try that at home, kids.

After an aside from Chiri about playing "meat doll" (really, it's best not to ask), we move on to the benefits of having multiple "points" over only one so as to make life less "prickly" - Thus, being barraged by multiple insults hurts less than one precise verbal attack, and getting involved in a ridiculous number of relationships is less liable to cause distress than engrossing yourself in one. Again, don't try this at home either.


Finally, we return somewhat to the "through life" skit that was used a couple of episodes back (although of course we're advised to ignore such things), which brings us the best gag of the episode resulting from a hit-and-run accident, before Chiri bizarrely decides that everything should be labelled with who it was made by, until we somehow end up with everyone wearing stickers on their back picturing gods that have been wrestled from packs of chocolate.

At times this seemed like a surreal episode even by Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei's standards... Not that this is a bad thing, mind you. I got a big kick and a laugh out of the none too subtle references to Clannad and Macross Frontier, while there were plenty of other laughs to be had throughout. Not up there with some of the classics provided by even this latest series of the show, but funny stuff as usual nonetheless.

Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Episode 5

If episode four of Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei was ever so slightly off the show's usual comic pacing, then thank goodness for episode five, which once again had me struggling to breathe with laughter at times.

First up on the agenda is the issue of "back-scratching" as Nozomu calls it, or otherwise the issue of things which are over-hyped, particularly by the media, and thus only end up leaving everybody disappointed. Of course, this means that The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya gets a not-so-subtle mention amongst other things, before we end up with some kind of bizarre back-scratching card game created by Rin, which sees the rebirth of Mr. Despair as Mr. Big Bang. Definitely some big laughs to be had here.


The we see a rather upset and blue Chiri, whose entire year has been ruined by the introduction of a leap second at the start of it. But never mind those pesky leap seconds and leap years, what about the leap people?! David Beckham is one, and so are all the people who buy those crappy pop CDs that somehow manage to top the charts. Hell, we even have leap organs. Zetsubou shita! Thank goodness then for the Leap Man Group who come along to collect all these leap "things" in a single place.

Finally, Nozomu and company use the "Houjoue" festival as inspiration to follow the Japanese (although it might as well apply to any country) concept of living a "through life" - In other words, moving through life entirely oblivious to anything negative going on around you, from the guy passed out in the street to the woman with an unseemly amount of stubble.

Top it off with the funniest Zetsubou sensei drawing song yet (although I say that every week), and you have another great episode - Some very sharp cultural references and generally outright random hilarity combines to make another brilliant episode of Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. As per usual, I simply can't get enough of this franchise.

Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Episode 4

After possibly the funniest episode of all time last week, I suppose episode four of Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei was always going to struggle to live up to those dizzy heights. Not that this was a bad episode, mind you... It simply didn't force me to choose between laughing and breathing as episode three did.

The main reason for this is perhaps that this instalment was even more Japan-o-centric than usual - The first chunk of the episode in particular exemplified this with its talk of TPO, a frequently used Japanese acroynm meaning "time, place, objective"; in other words a broad comment on a person's given social situation. In short then, this segment dealt with inappropriate behaviour for any given situation, which of course with this being Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei was taken to the ridiculous (and not to mention amusing) length of playing dodgy erotic Nintendo DS games in the middle of Japan's "Warring States" period.


From here, we take in holidays that perhaps shouldn't be, pondering why Japanese prefectures who aren't directly next to water should celebrate "Sea Day". This soon melds into situations where celebrating can either be considered good or weird (celebrating a horse winning a race after 300 straight defeats for example) before introducing us to the concept of a "chimera holiday", which apparantly needs to be as boring as humanly possible. I'm pretty sure I've had a few of those actually...

Finally, we return to the concept of taking "excessive care" of things, from over-zealous copyright infringement lawsuits (oh, how I punched the air over that being mentioned, liberal despiser of modern copyright law that I am) through to the ever-increasing blight of health and safety (which sees the removal of all the fun things from a children's playground in this case). If the first two segments of this episode were a little too localised for your tastes, this is probably the one that had you nodding in agreement.

So, not a classic episode (particularly for the non-Japanese viewer) perhaps, but hey, if nothing else I feel like I've learned new things from this episode. And learning is a good thing, as we know, with your level of education only slightly less important in life than your ability to successfully complete the Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei drawing song without creating a monstrosity. That particular gag, which closes off every episode of this series, should probably be getting old for me by now, yet somehow it makes me laugh out loud every time.

Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Episode 3

A week just doesn't seem complete without a new episode of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei at the moment, so thank goodness a third instalment of Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is here to amuse me; in fact, is it just me or is this new series getting funnier by the episode?

This latest episode begins with a segment on the dangers of flipping switches, particularly when the switches in question pertain to people - This leads us on to some wonderful discoveries, such as the noise Meru makes when you hit her, and what happens when you touch behind Nozomu's ear; items which made for some hilarious moments.


Next up is the plethora of difficult choices we have to make in modern life - When faced with two preferences, which should we choose? Why, an entirely unrelated third option of course. Again, this train of thought gets taken to ridiculous extremes that had me crying with laughter, culminating in Nozomu "posting" himself into a baby hatch. It makes sense when you see it, trust me. Well, sort of.

Finally for this episode, Nozomu's double is on the loose again, as the real Zetsubou sensei laments the over-protective society in which we live - This is probably the least funny but the most accurate and biting satrical segment of the episode, although in this case being over-protective seems absolutely justified when there are snipers everywhere.

During Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei's three series (and one OVA), I feel like I've used the "best episode yet" tagline entirely too many times, but for me personally I think this particular instalment must be up there with the cream of the crop - The fact that someone poked their head around the door mid-episode to ask what on Earth I was watching that was so funny after hearing my near-constant peals of laughter says it all really. The trouble is, I'm going to be remembering some of these gags and giggling to myself for another week now and making myself look like a lunatic in the process - Thanks Koji Kumeta and company!

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention how great this episode's title sequence was... A return to form after the somewhat disappointing credits used for the first two episodes.

Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Episode 2

After celebrating the return of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei to our screens last week, I've already well and truly settled into this series becoming one of the highlights of my week, and thankfully this second episode of Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei truly didn't disappoint.

The first topic under discussion this time around is the subject of people with multiple talents, and whether one of those talents actually enables the other or simply causes it to be hidden away. After a bit of a slow start, the jokes are soon flying thick and fast, with KyoAni getting caught in the crossfire on a couple of occasions along with a few other great gags. This chunk of the episode ends with Haruhi revealing her true self, freed of the immense burden of her glasses.


Things only get better from here on in in terms of the number of laughs per minute, with some thoughtful discussion of this world which is full of time lags - From medication not working to those moments where you remember a joke or something funny long after it's passed, causing you to laugh seemingly at random; something which this very series has caused me to do on occasion, funnily enough. Lastly, we return to the journey of self discovery, or rather self exposure, started in episode one, where we learn never to play a game that involves naming red things in the presence of Kitsu amongst other things.

If episode one was a good start to this series, then this second instalment was sparkling - I don't think I've laughed this hard or this often since... well, since the last series of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, quite frankly. As per usual, it's razor sharp yet equally capable of hitting various nails on their respective heads, provided that you're well-versed enough in Japanese culture to spot some of the more obscure gags.

Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Episode 1

It's not very often that I get ridiculously excited about the return of a particular anime franchise, but I have to confess that the initial news of a return to our screens of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei brought forth a whoop of delight from me. Whether it's in manga or anime form, this is a series that seems capable of drilling directly into my brain to extract whatever surreal forms of hilarity hide within it before bringing them to life with artistry and flair.

It probably goes without saying that Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is looking to bring more of the same by picking out some of the best bits of the manga, and so this episode gives us cause to question the efficacy of lucky charms, a state of affairs which leads to Nozomu being incarcerated as a bringer of bad luck (you know, they might actually have a point). Of course, his students soon leap to the rescue in their own inimitable fashion, setting him free in the most aesthetically stylish segment of an episode that perhaps wasn't always at its best in terms of art quality - I can't help noticing that SHAFT really have a thing for the use of first-person perspective this season though.


Anyway, I digress... We then move on to discuss the joys of springtime and the common occurences which mark it - Beautiful moments of celebration such as seeing shops go bankrupt, an upturn in the number of divorces, and having embarassing photos of yourself posted on the Internet. Yep, that sounds like a Zetsubou Sayonara Sensei springtime to me. Finally, Nozomu dismisses the idea of going on holiday to "find yourself", in the belief that it will only eventually lead to your exposing yourself and your true nature. Nonetheless, he hops on the bus to Hokkaido to watch those who are off to find themselves to see how they expose themselves, and... well you can probably guess the punchline to that skit if you know all the show's characters. Who says this series has no punchlines?

It is perhaps hard to separate my overall excited delirium regarding the return of this series from the actual quality of the episode itself, but after a slightly slow start its second half certain had laughs aplenty for me, all the way up to the "drawing song" which makes one of its occasional appearances and never ceases to be utterly hilarious. Welcome back Zetsubou sensei, for the next thirteen weeks I shall despair no more.

Manga review: Sayonara, Zetsubou Sensei - Volume 1

I have to confess that I'm not a huge manga reader (although I have caught the bug somewhat so it is growing on me), but if there was one series I was always going to pounce on it was an official translation of the (often thought to be untranslatable) Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Anyone who follows this 'Blog regularly will know how much I loved the anime, so I was more than a little keen to take in the manga that inspired it. With that in mind, I recently completed my review of the first volume of said manga, now available in the US, for UK Anime. Check it out at the link below:

Sayonara, Zetsubou Sensei - Volume 1 review

Goku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Episode 3 (Completed)

Who knew that despair could be so much fun? For two series and now this OVA, the art of negativity has induced much hilarity and many, many smiles, but as ever all good things must come to an end, and thus this is really, officially, "sayonara" for Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei.

This third and final episode of the show's OVA may be the end of the road for our favourite teacher with suicidal tendencies, but what a fantastic send-off. We begin with what could well be described as a bit of a crisis, with the class left with no gags left to use. Why not simply remake the first chapter of the manga? Oh, they've already done that too. Still, the girls seem to have plenty of half-decent ideas floating about, if only Zetsubou-sensei wouldn't keep blowing them out like so many candles.


From there, and via a bon dance that somehow invokes 'Blogging, we enter the world of the pyrrhic victory - In short, a situation where even by winning, you still lose. The examples come thick and fast with frequent hilarity (and more than the occasional shot across the bows of otaku culture), until Kafuka (who else) turns it around to discuss situations where both sides win. This moment brings about what might well be my new all-time favourite line in anime, "No, she's obviously from the planet Peacock".

To end the series for good, we go back to the beginning, which is probably about the most Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei-esque thing to do. Here, we see the origins of a young Nozomu's fall from relentless positivity to... well, the shell of a man we've seen before us for the entire duration of the series. I wouldn't want him any other way though.

It may have been occasionally hit and miss throughout its run (as any comedy show of this ilk is inevitably going to be), but there can be little doubt that as a single entity Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is a work of absolute genius, happy to lampoon all and sundry (itself included) with its unique and twisted, yet still bizarrely right on the money, view of the world. From its ever-smart references to various facets of world culture through to its quirky wordplay, and via a spot-on line in surrealism, there isn't much that this series does wrong. Even if you aren't tightly in step with modern Japanese culture, you'll still find plenty to laugh at, and this series must easily be up there amongst the funniest anime of the 21st century thus far. It's sure as Hell the smartest, and quite probably one of the most artistically diverse to boot. Time for me to find some time to go back and watch this show in its entirety methinks.

Goku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Episode 2

Here on the cusp of Christmas, is there any better way to celebrate than with some more Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei? Of course there isn't, which brings us untidily to the second instalment of the show's Goku OAV.

Speaking of untidy, the animation for this particular episode is all over the place, but this being Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei that is, of course, deliberate, mimicking other popular animation styles both in keeping with one of the topics under discussion ("maturation", under the auspices of the Japanese preference for process over the end result, a prediliction which this very series arguably makes a strong case of) as well as just to poke fun at other specific anime genres. In a way this does make things a little difficult to watch sometimes, as you're so distracted by the changes to character designs that you almost forget to pay attention to what's being said, but on the plus side I suppose that at least gives us a good excuse to watch this episode more than once.


Other topics up for discussion this time around include doing things even though you know that they're completely pointless, and (perhaps most amusingly of all from this episode) book titles (and indeed titles of media in general) that should be changed to better reflect their contents. In fact, this particular segment climaxes with a suggestion that Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei simply doesn't feature enough despair these days, meaning that it either needs more despair or a new name, although this gag is eclipsed in my mind by the suggested renaming of Crying Out Love, In the Center of the World.

Of course, to pick out one or two gags doesn't even begin to cover the cornucopia of topics that get "the treatment" here, with the War in Iraq and the lack of WMDs and (amusingly) both Clannad and Negima having fun poked at them mercilessly - You can't possibly hope to pick up on all of this series comic nuances and quick-fire visual or textual gags in a single sitting, but as always you'll delight in the ones you do get, and find yourself wondering whenever you're going to get time to watch it all again with the "Pause" button on the remot to hand so that you can at least try to catch the rest. It's as hit and miss as ever, yet despite that Goku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei remains as brilliant as ever.

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.