Customer Reviews

The GokuSen, Class 3: The Road to Graduation

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great little feel good show. It sets out to tell the story of a Yakuza heiress who becomes a High School teacher and it does just that, no more or less. It's not particularly flashy or creative but succeeds in telling a straightforward simple story. The character types are familiar but not at all boring and they're instantly likeable. Especially our lead character Kumiko Yamaguchi, otherwise called "Yankumi" by her students. Fitting of a Yakuza heiress, Kumiko is a kick butt badass who will sacrifice anything for her students. The animation is very nice for a thirteen episode series, surprisingly better than I expected. If you want to watch something light and short to kill some time you should try out The Gokusen.

The set comes with a neat red jacket similar to Kumiko's with the words "The Gokusen" printed on it. There's a slight glitch on the first dvd, at one point the subtitle timing is completely off but it corrects itself quickly. Overall not a bad buy.

At first I was a little skeptical; I mean a 3 disc series!?!? 13 Episodes?!?! I'm coming from anime series like Boys over Flowers, Sailor Moon, and Ah! My Goddess! Each of those titles has at least 45-50 episodes. But that was it! I needed a break! I was tired of endlessly drawn out expressions of feelings (Boys over Flowers), tired of annoying characters (Sailor Moon. Yes I said it!) AND I was tired of anime marathons. Gokusen is, as said before me, just right.

The story is a good one, Yakuza raised Kumiko Yamaguchi, who is heir to the `throne' has one dream: To be a school teacher! She gets a job at an all-boys school that is supposed to be full of delinquents and it seems that she has her work cut out for her!

The characters are fun without being too over the top. Yamaguchi is hilarious because she switches from Ditzy Teacher to Mob Boss and back again. In my opinion she provides most of the humor for the show. She's really strong and a great and tactical leader. Watching it made me wish that she was my teacher too.

My other favorite character is Shin Sawada just because he is so cool. He's the leader of the class and is the only one who gets excellent grades. He is normally the one who comes up with the plans for the group and also the one who will help them get out of it, that is, if he is so inclined. The best part about Shin is that he is always calm even in the face of disaster. He is the only one who suspects that his homeroom teacher is not all that she appears.

The Verdict:
If you are looking for a fun quickie, with lovable characters and a straight forward story line, Watch Gokusen. A+

This hillarious Ganjou (tough/hard-hitting/shounenish) shoujo series is about a plain-looking female yakuza heiress who juggles 2 jobs; keeping her bumbling overemotional foloowers in-line while her (very young looking)grandfather is in the hospital & teaching in a Yanki Kuramatei/Cramortie like highschool whilst trying to keep her "other life" a secret from her students. But a very handsome & troublesome student of hers is overwhelmed with curiosity about who she really is. Call him the type who likes to say "I told you so," he's dying to proove what the other students are too dumb to see about her; that her dimwhit persona is all an act. (I'm only up to episode 6, I'll write more on the plot latter).

I liked it. I wish Yaunkumi had been my homeroom teacher when I was in high school. It might have been more fun going to school. I mean I wish one of my teachers would have stuck-up for me!

The short story of Kumiko Yamagushi, the GokuSen, and her effort to "raise" her class of delinquents is fun and not without silly humor. I laughed quite abit. There is, artless, swearing (mostly a.., b..ch and G.d d.mn). There is no nudity although there is some sexual inuendo. What would you expect from high school age boys? There is single, class against class and gang rivalry featured in this tale which many may find familiar from their high school days.

All in all it's a pretty light and tight short story of the adventures of a high school junior class and their, first year, homeroom teacher who just happens to be an Ojuo (Yakuza heiress). Well written and dubbed. The closing tune is a blast. The art is plain but quite well done and fits the story. Not as good as Cromartie (stupid, crazy funny in the first) but worth getting. Especially at this price.

If you're a student or a school teacher, this anime is quite funny.

I caught part of this series on Encore a couple of years ago, and watched the drama online. If you're used to the drama, be aware that the language used for the English dub of the cartoon isn't very suitable for kids, and also lacks the footnotes on yakuza jargon common to the fansubs. After the drama, the cartoon just isn't very satisfying, but it is what got me hooked on this series in the first place.

Gokusen - 8/10

A great alternative to GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka). None of the episodes contain anything jaw dropping, and its short length works against it, but it's still a very fun, mostly episodic series. Well worth the tenner I spent on it.

In case you're anywhere, Gokusen is about a yakuza gang leader (of sorts) teaching a class of delinquents. Comedy ensues as she tries to hide her other identity and not show her students her martial art skills.

What helps the series out is its small cast of characters. While the 13 episode length prevented me from ever getting to know all of the cast in depth, I still learned enough about the lesser members to understand them and the more important characters did receive some development. It worked rather well as a comedy series with a small scope.

I can't say I understand why a fugly dog, who could walk on two legs, smoked and had thoughts in English was included, though. Most viewers of Gokusen hate the pointless dog with passion.

It's a shame the anime only lasts for 13 episodes. The manga has 15 volumes, so there was a lot more than what was included that could've been used. From what I've read, the one thing the short length of the anime did was allow for the story to flow better and not leave the viewer thinking the plot was wandering aimlessly for lengthy periods, but I still would've liked to see more episodes. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have found myself too bored if the series had lasted for 26 episodes...

In terms of plot threads I wanted to see the until completion, the conclusion of the KumikoxShin/teacherxstudent subplot, which had been building since the start, would've been nice to see. I doubt it would've gone anywhere because of their age difference, but there was definitely something there - Shin even got jealous in the final episode.

Watching Gokusen has made me want to watch the GTO anime at some point. The manga is a bit too long and expensive. The problem is, at present it'd cost £43 or so to import the two R1 box sets...unless I try TRS. Not bad but I'd rather wait to see if the pound raises in value more - it isn't as if I'm in a rush, after all.

Kumiko Yamaguchi is a teacher. It has been her dream, her hope, her love, to one day teach. Now she has a chance to teach the youth of Japan - well the group of teenage monsters who are her students - math. the only problem is she is the heiress to the Oedo Yakuza family and if anybody finds out she may lose her job. How can she balance the two jobs, one being a teacher and the other being the leader of the mob?
Hitmen, school tests and very funny outtakes! I suggest it, new or used, for any anime library. I also know there is at least two seasons of a TV series, live action, out there and hope they are available on DVD soon!

I love the fact that the over-the-top comedy in this series did not bring down the quality of the actual story. I hate the fact that it was so short and rushed when compared to the manga. Overall, it was a great buy. I'm not disappointed in the least.

Fans of slap stick humor and semi-crude yet tasteful jokes and/or comments will really enjoy this series.

I had my doubts before buying it. The basis of the story sounded interesting - tough Yakuza heiress going incognito into an all-boy (mostly delinquents) school to teach - but the line "saving her students before her Yakuza brethren kill them off" left me unsure (I pictured stupid stubborn mafia guys bullishly charging forward...)

There was no reason to be doubtful. The series' great, the story's great, the characterizations are great. It's a riot to see Kumiko, yakuza `sister' that she is, try to hide her tough side while in her teacher persona... she's not very successful at it, much to our enjoyment! She's surrounded by a whole crew of characters, the most noticeable being Shin, the gang leader in her class, a high-scoring student who hit a teacher in his previous school and thus found himself in this disreputable one. It doesn't take long for Shin to notice Kumiko's discrepancies, and to become VERY interested in her...

All in all, a package that works. At least, it worked on my sister and I; we were supposed to watch only a few episodes but we ended up going through the whole box in one sitting!

My only problem the series - besides the talking dog - is that it's too short. But good news for those who want more (can't get enough of Shin!!): the manga (mangaka: Kozueko Morimoto) numbers 15 volumes... it's not licensed (yet?)... (^.^) Anyway, it's even better than the anime!!

Extra info: besides developing into an anime series, in Japan GokuSen was also made into a TV drama; if a manga is great enough to spark not only an anime but also a drama, it means there is something to it, right? So you can't really go wrong (especially at this price!) :D

I started watching Gokusen late at night but was never able to see it in sequence and in it's entirety. Not only is it cheaper to buy the 3 pack but the out-takes r fab. 2 thumbs up!!!