areaseven Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 (edited) Gokusen ( ごくせん ) Madhouse Studios/Nihon TV/VAP, 2004 AnimeWorks, 2005 Directed by Masami Sato Not Rated (Suggested 16-Up). Contains violence, nudity and mature situations. Based on the manga by Kozueko Morimoto. Kumiko "Yankumi" Yamaguchi enters Shirogane Gakuen Private School to become a math teacher. She's assigned as the homeroom teacher for class 2-4, populated by a gang of delinquents. At first, the class tries everything to piss her off, but to no avail. In a short period of time, Yankumi gains the respect of the class. But what the school doesn't know is that she's the heir to the Oedo Group, a powerful Yakuza clan. So while Yankumi struggles to excel in her career as a teacher, she must also keep her Yakuza background a secret. Story: B+ Unlike the live-action Gokusen, the anime version sticks very closely to the original manga. Hence, it's a bit racier with its non-stop adult humor. But don't let that stop you from watching this show. Gokusen is loads of fun for fans of GTO or Yakuza flicks. Animation: B- Yoshinori Kanemori's (X, Hanada Shonen-shi) character designs may be very close to the manga, which isn't saying much - some of the characters are rather ugly. (And I'm not talking about Fuji the bulldog.) And Yankumi is nowhere close to her live-action counterpart. Otherwise, Madhouse does a pretty good job animating this series. Soundtrack: B+ Gokusen has some interesting opening and ending themes, and the BGM is pretty decent. Cast Gokusen features Risa Hayamizu as Yankumi, Kenichi Suzumura (Shin in Macross Zero, Hajiki in Gad Guard) as Shin, Yoichi Masukawa as Uchiyama, Rica Matsumoto (Aoi in You're Under Arrest, Rumi in Perfect Blue) as Fujiyama, Norio Wakamoto (Coach Ota in Gunbuster, Vicious in Cowboy Bebop) as Kyotaro, Hiroaki Yoshida as Minoru, Keiji Hirai as Tetsu, and Katsuyuki Konishi (Samurai Deeper Kyo, Louie the Rune Soldier) as Shinohara. The Bottom Line If you like GTO, you'll enjoy Gokusen. I still prefer the live-action version, though. Links Official Gokusen Homepage (Japanese) Reference Anime News Network Edited May 15, 2004 by areaseven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myriad Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 Sounds like "Welcome Back Kotter" with a twist.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel's Fury Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 More like "Dangerous Minds" with a twist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrDisco Posted January 23, 2004 Share Posted January 23, 2004 (edited) i enjoyed the first ep of Gokusen. If they script it properly you could get a lot of laughs out of the gangster daughter slash air-head teacher. i have to disagree though..giving the animation a B+ is being overly generous. This is a pretty ugly series. The character designs remind me of beavis and butthead. ewww. Edited January 24, 2004 by MrDisco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Effect Posted January 24, 2004 Share Posted January 24, 2004 I heard this series was a complete ripoff of GTO. Especially when both main characters act the same way. Never watched GTO but that's what I was told, doesn't really interest me in anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areaseven Posted February 10, 2004 Author Share Posted February 10, 2004 I'm at episode 4 right now and I have to say that the series gets better halfway. Just recently, I picked up the manga, so by the end of the week, I'll post a play-by-play comparison between the manga and both anime and live-action adaptations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estacado06479 Posted February 10, 2004 Share Posted February 10, 2004 how do you write a review after 4 eps? normally i like your review areaseven, but i would stick to finished series for critiques... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areaseven Posted May 15, 2004 Author Share Posted May 15, 2004 Gokusen ( ごくせん ) NTV/VAP, 2002-2003 Aired on a few foreign-language stations in the U.S., but that's about it. Not Rated (Suggested 13-Up). Contains violence and mature situations. Cast - Yukie Nakama (Naoko in Trick) as Kumiko "Yankumi" Yamaguchi - Jun Matsumoto as Shin Sawada - Tomohiro Waki as Teruo "Kuma" Kumai - Shun Oguri as Haruhiko "Uchi" Uchiyama - Hiroaki Narimiya as Noda - Yuma Ishigaku as Minami - Kazuki Sawamura as Shinohara - Misaki Ito (Natsumi in You're Under Arrest drama) as Shizuka Fujiyama - Yuko Nakazawa as Nakashima-sensei - Ryosei Tayama as the principal - Katsuhisa Namase as the vice-principal Synopsis Fresh out of college, Kumiko "Yankumi" Yamaguchi becomes a math teacher at Shirokin high school. Unfortunately for her, she's assigned by the school board as the homeroom teacher for class 3-D, which happens to be the class of delinquent students. When the class attempts to make a living hell out of Yankumi's career, they fail as her persistence and aggression gain her respect. However, little does anyone in the school know that Yankumi is actually heir to the Oedo Group - one of Tokyo's most powerful yakuza clans. If anyone finds out that Yankumi is a yakuza member, her career as a teacher could be in jeopardy. Lowdown Before the anime came out, I discovered this live-action adaptation of Gokusen last year when I was flipping channels one Sunday night. A local station that specializes in foreign-language programming had this J-Drama on its Japanese timeslot. Despite not having subtitles, I was hooked on the series. Maybe it was the hokey slapstick comedy that made me stay tuned to it. Or maybe it was because it had not one, but two hot J-Drama actresses in the form of Yukie Nakama and Misaki Ito. It wasn't too long before I picked up the original manga and read through it. Just how different is the live-action Gokusen when compared to the anime and manga versions? Much like GTO, many of Gokusen's rather racy moments which involve nudity and adult jokes are nowhere to be seen in the drama adaptation (mostly because J-Drama shows are targeted to a more general audience than anime shows). Yukie looks perfect as Yankumi, but her yakuza character is severely downplayed. Misaki is hot and all, but she somewhat doesn't fit the role of Fujiyama-sensei, who's supposed to be a complete slurm. All the students are very close to their manga counterparts except Uchi. In the manga and anime, Uchi is supposed to be a level-headed dork; in the drama, he's a silent person who easily gets into fights. The vice-principal is a dead ringer for the anime version, except that he's missing his hard hat. Yankumi's underlings Tetsu and Minoru have their names completely mismatched from the manga. And there is no Fuji the bulldog in the drama. (As if they'll do a CG/plush doll like Toei did with Luna in Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon.) Because of Fuji's absence, Yankumi no longer hides the fact that she's a skilled fighter. As for the story itself, it's not perfect. Yankumi's role as a yakuza ojou takes up less than 10% of screen time. As a result, most viewers practically forget that she is a yakuza, except when she accidentally uses yakuza jargon on her dialogue. Gokusen also has a pleasant soundtrack composed by Michiru Oshima (Fullmetal Alchemist, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon), accompanied by an upbeat ending theme by V6. Gokusen may not resemble the manga or anime, but it's still enjoyable anyway. Download the fansubs here. Rating: B Links NTV's Official Gokusen Homepage (Japanese) Reference Anime News Network Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali Sama Posted May 15, 2004 Share Posted May 15, 2004 I heard this series was a complete ripoff of GTO. Especially when both main characters act the same way. Never watched GTO but that's what I was told, doesn't really interest me in anyway. not really. character motivations are diffrent, enviroments are diffrents. Onizyka and the gal in gokusen are completly diffrent.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areaseven Posted December 12, 2005 Author Share Posted December 12, 2005 For those in the L.A. area, KSCI-18 is currently airing season 2 of Gokusen on Sunday nights at 9:00. Just how popular is the show? Here's an old article from the Anime News Network: Gokusen Reaches Record Popularityposted on 2005-03-09 16:23:06 source: Anime News Service 27.3 % Audience RatingJapan Today reports that the Gokusen live-action tv drama series, which airs on NTV on Saturday nights, recently earned a record 27.3% audience rating on February 19th and maintains a rating above 25% most weeks. The series is based on the Gokusen manga, which has also been adapted into an anime series (available from Media Blasters). Actress Yukie Nakama, who plays the main character, Yankumi, reportedly earns 2 million yen (US$19,000) an episode, which, while small compared the the US$1 million that the cast of friends received for each episode, is considered a top range salary for a Japanese TV actor. The Gokusen TV series first aired for 12 episodes in 2002, followed by a TV special in 2003. The second series started airing this past January, with the final episode expected on March 19th. NTV is considering an additional special episode, for which Nakama could earn 3 million yen. And another... Gokusen Follow-Upposted on 2005-03-10 17:47:15 source: Manichi Daily News Interactive This past weekend's episode of the current Gokusen live-action series, broadcast on March 5th, actually bettered the 27.3% audience rating earned on February 19th, with a 30% rating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 Awesome show, i've been watching it religiously since it started (as I did Trick, Trick 2, Trick 3, Shopping Hero, etc). I just wish the channel hadn't dropped its Japanese variety show programming (Hey Hey Hey, & Wararu Inu...damn I miss Wararu Inu). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areaseven Posted December 21, 2005 Author Share Posted December 21, 2005 Last season, Yankumi dodged a bullet when the school board decided not to fire her after a tabloid published photos of her beating up a gang. This season is a different story. The police and the principal already know her Yakuza ties. Will this be disastrous to her class' graduation? This Christmas (Sunday night, to be more specific), KSCI LA-18 (check local listings for those outside the Los Angeles area) will air the 90-minute final episode of Gokusen at 8:30 p.m. Looks like I'll be dusting off the old VCR for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.