The Bottom Line
Nozomu Itoshiki is an emo educator who is constantly in despair. When his latest attempt to commit suicide is thwarted by his exceptionally cheerful student Kafuka, Itoshiki-sensei discovers that his entire class is filled with girls who are even more neurotic than he is.
With its dense details, wry social commentary and obtuse in-jokes, this dark comedy of the absurd assumes that readers already appreciate Japanese pop culture. Its rapid-fire humor will likely leave manga newbies in the dust, but serious otaku will adore this antisocial anti-hero and his harem of cute, kooky and socially maladjusted co-eds.
Pros
- Witty black comedy that pokes fun at modern Japanese pop culture and social problems
- A stylishly drawn, completely original manga that looks like nothing else out there
- Intellectual, sophisticated humor that makes numerous references to Japan literature
- Bizarre, yet oddly endearing characters that kind of grow on you
- With a heroine named after existentialist author Franz Kafka, this is one literate manga
Cons
- Requires some advanced appreciation of Japanese culture and literature to 'get' some jokes
- Somewhat dark and twisted -- not for the easily offended or confused
- Includes a fair amount of fanservice, and lots of references to suicide, albeit mostly for laughs
- After a few similar stories in a row, its formula seems a bit repetitive
Description
- Original Title: Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (Japan)
- Author & Artist: Koji Kumeta
- Publishers:
- Del Rey Manga (US)
- Kodansha (Japan)
- ISBN: 978-0345508935
- Cover Price: $10.99 US / $12.50 CANADA
- Age Rating:
OT – Older Teens, Age 16+
For numerous suicide attempts, mild fanservice
More about content ratings. - Manga Genres:
- Shonen (Boys') Manga
- Anime Tie-In
- Comedy
- Fanservice / Cheeky
- Otaku Culture
- US Publication Date: February 2009
Japan Publication Date: September 2005 - Book Description: 192 pages, black and white illustrations
Guide Review - Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei Volume 1
When we first meet Itoshiki-sensei, he's hanging from a tree attempting to commit suicide. Much to his dismay, Japan’s most depressed man is pulled from the brink of death (and almost strangled in the process) by his student Kafuka, a ridiculously cheerful girl. Glass half empty, meet glass overflowing.
As more of Itoshiki-sensei's students are introduced, it becomes clear that he’s not the only kook in the class. All of the girls are pretty, and pretty messed up too. The stalker, the obsessive compulsive, the shut-in, the girl with the furry tail fetish -- each girl is a poster child for Japan's most pervasive neuroses and social problems.
Meanwhile, Kafuka proves to be the most eccentric of them all, as she puts a sunny spin on her classmates' most twisted tendencies. For example, Kafuka explains her teacher's failed hanging as an attempt to become taller. Is this a wry comment on Japanese society's denial of its modern maladies, or just comedy of the absurd? Maybe both.
It would be easy to draw this story in a manic style, but Kumeta throws readers a curveball with his sleek, sophisticated artwork and retro-deco style. These contrasts between retro-imagery and modern pop culture, elegant artwork and an absurd story are probably what makes Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei so fascinating, so hilarious, and so obtuse.
Much of the dense, detailed humor in this book assumes that the reader has a deep appreciation for Japanese culture. But even the most devoted Japanophile will be flipping to the translation notes, because this story's numerous blink-or-you'll-miss-'em jokes require advanced knowledge of literature, pop culture and current events. It'll surely confuse manga newbies, but Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei is not for them anyway. Its in-jokes are meant to separate the serious otaku from manga dilettantes, and that's just how it likes it.
