*minor spoilers*
"Gokusen" is about the young and idealistic Kumiko Yamaguchi (nicknamed "Yankumi") starting her first teaching job at Shirokin HS. Her class, 3-D, is apparently "the class from hell" (misfits, rebels, lazies, bullies, etc.); they are disrespectful and downright violent towards her. But she's actually the third generation heir of the Oedo yakuza family and therefore unfazed by their threats. This drama basically follows Yankumi as she earns the respect of her class by helping them become more than just delinquents. Although the story lines are somewhat formulaic and you can kind of predict what will happen, it's still a very enjoyable watch because all the characters are interesting, the acting is terrific, and the morals are inspiring. It also has plenty of good stuff to say about friendships and family.
In each episode, she helps a new and different student with their problems by either kicking ass or talking her way out of it. It's quite formulaic, but the stories are still entertaining. And often hilarious. One of my favorite stories was the one revolving around the Oguri Shun character, Uchiyama Haruhiko; his friends attempt to catch a purse-snatcher to clear his name. Yankumi dressing up as a naive schoolgirl and other hijinx occur. Other stories include helping a classmate get over a family death, beating up rival school gangs, high school romances, etc. Each incident unites the class even more.
Yukie Nakama acts very well, effectively capturing Yankumi's idealism, spunk, and tough-love. She's a riot in this show, often interrupting her students' discussions or kicking their asses. The only part that is off about her performance is the fight scenes are laughable, even though she's supposed to be a skilled fighter. There's even a humorous romantic sideplot for her; she battles with the other teachers for the handsome Detective Shinohara's attention, which often results in embarrassing and funny situations. The actors playing her family are also hilarious. And finally, the actors playing her 3-D students were really impressive, especially Jun Matsumoto. This was the first drama I've seen him in and he's terrific here playing the mysterious Sawada Shin. He's the only student that seems to suspect Yankumi is not your everyday teacher...and soon they're trading sarcastic quips and other hilarious barbs. For example, Yankumi: "Is that Keita's girlfriend? Is he going to as her out?" Shin: "Why are you here? Go away." etc. There are many good verbal barbs in this show.
Bottom line: Although a little formulaic, Gokusen succeeds because of its interesting characters and the wonderful actors playing them. Really enjoyable and addictive drama. I enjoyed every single episode, even if I knew what was going to happen, because it was just plain good television: great acting, good writing, and interesting characters.
9/10.
"Gokusen" is about the young and idealistic Kumiko Yamaguchi (nicknamed "Yankumi") starting her first teaching job at Shirokin HS. Her class, 3-D, is apparently "the class from hell" (misfits, rebels, lazies, bullies, etc.); they are disrespectful and downright violent towards her. But she's actually the third generation heir of the Oedo yakuza family and therefore unfazed by their threats. This drama basically follows Yankumi as she earns the respect of her class by helping them become more than just delinquents. Although the story lines are somewhat formulaic and you can kind of predict what will happen, it's still a very enjoyable watch because all the characters are interesting, the acting is terrific, and the morals are inspiring. It also has plenty of good stuff to say about friendships and family.
In each episode, she helps a new and different student with their problems by either kicking ass or talking her way out of it. It's quite formulaic, but the stories are still entertaining. And often hilarious. One of my favorite stories was the one revolving around the Oguri Shun character, Uchiyama Haruhiko; his friends attempt to catch a purse-snatcher to clear his name. Yankumi dressing up as a naive schoolgirl and other hijinx occur. Other stories include helping a classmate get over a family death, beating up rival school gangs, high school romances, etc. Each incident unites the class even more.
Yukie Nakama acts very well, effectively capturing Yankumi's idealism, spunk, and tough-love. She's a riot in this show, often interrupting her students' discussions or kicking their asses. The only part that is off about her performance is the fight scenes are laughable, even though she's supposed to be a skilled fighter. There's even a humorous romantic sideplot for her; she battles with the other teachers for the handsome Detective Shinohara's attention, which often results in embarrassing and funny situations. The actors playing her family are also hilarious. And finally, the actors playing her 3-D students were really impressive, especially Jun Matsumoto. This was the first drama I've seen him in and he's terrific here playing the mysterious Sawada Shin. He's the only student that seems to suspect Yankumi is not your everyday teacher...and soon they're trading sarcastic quips and other hilarious barbs. For example, Yankumi: "Is that Keita's girlfriend? Is he going to as her out?" Shin: "Why are you here? Go away." etc. There are many good verbal barbs in this show.
Bottom line: Although a little formulaic, Gokusen succeeds because of its interesting characters and the wonderful actors playing them. Really enjoyable and addictive drama. I enjoyed every single episode, even if I knew what was going to happen, because it was just plain good television: great acting, good writing, and interesting characters.
9/10.