 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | DEL REY | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | KOIJI KUMETA | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | JAPANESE / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 192 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | OT | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 11/24/2009 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 11/24/2009 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei is a wickedly twisted comedy by Koji Kumeta, and all the rage as of late with the people who have stumbled upon it. As the story goes, Nozomu Itoshiki is depressed. Very depressed. He’s certifiably suicidal, but he’s also the beloved schoolteacher of a class of unique students, each charming in her own way: The stalker. The shut-in. The obsessive-compulsive. The girl who comes to class every day with strange bruises. And Kafuka, the most optimistic girl in the world, who knows that every cloud has a silver lining. For all of them, it’s a special time, when the right teacher can have a lasting positive effect on their lives. But is that teacher Itoshiki, a.k.a. Zetsubou-sensei, who just wants to find the perfect place to die? In volume four, suicidally depressed high school teacher Zetsubou-sensei, a man for whom the light at the end of the tunnel is the coroner inspecting his glazed eyes, continues his attempt to endure life’s suffering while teaching a class full of cute girls. Will Kafuka Fuura, the most optimistic teenager on earth, ever convince her beloved sensei to look on the bright side of life? Or will Zetsubou and his students end up lobotomized and starving in a third-world dictatorship? All this, plus a Zetsubou-sensei Christmas! (Just in time for our upcoming Christmas! How delightful!) This is a strange, strange manga people. Very odd, very dark humor, and very funny (if you’re a little twisted and can find humor in such things that is!). It’s pretty hard to explain just how and why this series is so humorous, but you have to believe it will bring more than a smile to your face. Odd humor is not for everyone, much like dark humor is not for everyone – but if you like both these kinds of laughs, you’re going to love this series. It’s full of pop culture jokes, off-the-wall weird jokes, and great character driven jokes that become increasingly hilarious as you learn what the different characters are like and what you can expect from them. This is a great book based just on the jokes and the characterizations – I found that aspect of the book worthwhile just on its own. So what about the art and such? Manga artist Koji Kumeta has created a very unique world in which old-fashioned Japanese culture such as kimono costumes and old wood school buildings co-exist with modern technologies like cell phones and pop culture references. His illustrations are meticulously drawn and not a single space is neglected. Sometimes jokes are crammed into such small spaces as TV screen or newspapers the character is casually watching. It’s fun to try to pick them out of the scenery like this – it makes each volume worth reading twice to catch jokes you may have missed. You can’t beat a book with good replay value! The translations notes at the end of the volume are extensive, and should be for a book with so many cultural references and jokes related to Japanese pop culture. It will help you understand what is going on much better, and you’ll enjoy the series so much better for getting more of the jokes. All in all this is a hilarious read, and you should really give this oddball manga a chance and see if it appeals to you as much as it appeals to so many others!
IN SUMMARY:
Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei is the best comic gem most readers will have seen this year – this is a funny series, and wholly entertaining therefore. Not only is it hilarious though – it is also smart and features quirky, well-drawn art. Don’t pass this one up without a look! |
