The GokuSen, Class 3: The Road to Graduation (2004)

The renegade dropout Kudoh is back, and he’s joined forces with the Nekomata group to terrorize Kumiko and her students. But Kumiko’s big worry is Shin. He’s dropped out of school, and she’s determined to get him back. However, his own father is holding him, and even though Kumiko may fear no man, Shin’s father is the police commissioner! He’ll take control of his son’s life, even if it means challenging the Ooedo group with the power of the law and the power of his countless political connections.

Touching, funny and a tad weird...

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! June 12, 2008

Quite entertaining

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, I 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.
June 4, 2008

Plan on watching it all in one go!

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
March 3, 2008

combo is great

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!!! January 10, 2008

Definitely not for kids!

Anime fans know as a fact that most Japanese cartoons are not meant for children, and Gokusen is one of them.

Raised as a Yakuza (the Japanese version of the Mafia), Kumiko Yamaguchi's dream of being a teacher turned out to be not that sweet when she finds out she'll be in charge of a class of bullies! But that doesn't stop her from teaching these kids a lesson or two, and her gangster roots are put into good use (whatever way you put it).

The tone of the anime version is very different from the live-action Gokusen (ASIN: B000R3JQ1Y). While the live-action (starring the popular Japanese actress Yukie Nakama) catered to a general audience and became a hit TV series in Japan, the cartoon version was closer to the original manga, and thus was more adult-oriented (Japanese censorship laws are more lenient).

The story, while replete with cold humor, still has a very human touch which is not lost in translation and gives the series a perfect balance. However, to truly appreciate the series, I suggest you keep the original Japanese voices and just turn on the subtitles. Not that the voice actors were bad (the dubbing for this series is actually good).

In fact, if you plan on watching more foreign films, YOU SHOULD really learn to read subtitles while watching (and learn the language, which is what I'm doing). There is so much lost in the dubbing.

I also recommend that to have a better Gokusen experience, you should watch the Live-Action Gokusen first (for general audiences), the Anime version next (for a deeper, grittier 'Yakuza' tone), and then read the Manga if you can get your hands on one (sorry, no Gokusen manga here in Amazon). October 19, 2007

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