Recipient of the 2007 Kodansha Manga Award, Shounen Category. Itoshiki Nozomu is the world’s most negative person. Photo editor 2006. To his way of thinking, there is no hope or meaning in this existence. Even the three kanji of his name become the two-kanji word zetsubou, “despair“, when compressed. What an ironic twist of fate, then, that he becomes teacher to a class containing his precise opposite, the.
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7.5
Itoshiki Nozomu is the protagonist of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei and the teacher of a class of 32 students. His name contains an unlucky number of characters, and when written horizontally, his name forms the kanji for 'zetsubou'. Nozumu appears to be an skinny, pale male in his early 20s. He regularly sports a kimono, with geta sandals and socks. His eye color is blue and his hair is black. Add Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei, A.D. Police, El-Hazard Anime (Jul 6, 2019) Fire Force TV Anime Casts Taiten Kusunoki as Leonard Burns (Mar 5, 2019) Fire Force TV Anime Casts Daisuke Sakaguchi as.
StorySayonara Zetsubou Sensei's central protagonist, Mr. Itoshiki, is the very paragon of negativity and a man who sees the worst in everything. While this hardly seems like the best fodder for laughs, the series functions as a satire with the titular character casting his morose gaze onto society. This said, I found that the satirical humour lacked the cutting edge that normally makes the genre enjoyable. Certain sketches appear to be more of a neutral observation of society rather than a critique, and when the series parodies and exaggerates society's practices and tendencies, it does so in a disarmingly blatant manner. At times, it feels more like a stand-up comedian walking around and describing what he sees through a megaphone rather than delivering barbed gags with the reserved finesse that tends to make satire so compelling.In addition to the satirical elements, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is absolutely laden with incidental references, ranging from Death Note to Phoenix Wright to Snoopy. Most of these take the form of the quickfire quips and quotes which decorate the blackboard and walls throughout classroom scenes, whilst others - such as Itoshiki collapsing and a manifestation of Kira's grinning face appearing in the air - are somehow more obvious. In any case, this ensures that there's always something going on which commands attention and catches the unwary viewer off guard.AnimationWhilst the story is lacklustre, it is redeemed by the anarchic but brilliant direction. The anime is guided by a seemingly of out of control genius, the type which throws in apparently random imagery and takes entirely arbitrary decisions but does so with a confidence that convinces you that there must be layers of meaning to every word and every shot. The direction also succeeds in adding drama to seemingly mundane circumstances. When Itoshiki smashes his palm on the desk, the timing combined with the sharp camera angle employed ensures that the viewer feels his frustration or anger in a more immediate way than speech or characterisation alone can achieve.Indeed, I would say that Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei's strongest suit is probably its animation. A combination of stubbornly 2-dimensional character designs and deliciously smooth movement make the whole thing feel like a living painting, a feeling compounded by an artistic style which borrows heavily from recognisable Japanese canvas art. The end result is a series which looks distinctive - perhaps even unique - without straying too far from the standard anime aesthetic.The level of detail which the animation achieves is more praiseworthy still. Some of it feels almost overindulgent, such as the frame-long, blink-and-you'll-miss-it spark that appears when a plug is inserted into the mains or the confetti that doesn't simply fall but flutters, rotating and catching the light as it goes. Other sequences of animation, however, will make you sit up and take note. When Itoshiki presses a piece of chalk too hard against the blackboard, it doesn't just snap into two or three pieces. Fissures appear, the chalk cracks and shatters into some thirty shards, each perfectly-shaped segment flying off on its own trajectory, some larger pieces further fragmenting.. All this lasts just short of a second. More if you rewind the scene to watch it again and again in open-mouthed astonishment.SoundFrom classical to electronic, from European to Japanese, the soundtrack to Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is like some kind of world tour through time. The variety is absolutely astounding. The anime treats the viewer to to warm piano pieces, gentle choral elements, upbeat accordions, dramatic orchestral arrangements and so many other styles and influences besides. In short, the background music is anything but generic, and is a treat to listen to in its own right. Surprisingly, each track manages to stay subservient to the action on the screen, augmenting each scene without ever diverting the viewer's attention.The opening and ending themes, both of them evocative and engaging, complement the magnificent array of background tunes. The driving punk sounds of Hito Toshite Jiku ga Bureteiru introduce most episodes with an explosive energy. Myriad 4 2 1 – audio batch processor pdf. Chicken invaders 6. Meanwhile, the ending theme, Zessei Bijin, employs vaudevillian tones and assumes a breathtakingly twisted quality by juxtaposing them with the scenes of beauty and violence it plays over.CharactersThere are most definitely too many characters in Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. Having as many major characters as episodes is rarely a good thing, and this anime is no exception to the rule. The lack of unrealistic hairstyles and hair colours makes it a challenge to tell characters apart to begin with, even though each of the characters has some distinctive element to their character design.Furthermore, with only a couple of exceptions, each character in Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei has one character trait which dictates all of their behaviour, and leaves no real room for something recognisable as a personality. Indeed, following a bit of wordplay hocus pocus, the characters are even named after the quirk which defines them. Whilst it is clearly intentional, and whilst I have no automatic dislike for simple characters, such a lack of depth turns the overwhelming majority of the cast into simple gag-characters who are just a repetitive catchphrase short of residing in the lowest basements of lazy humour. As it stands, character interactions - with only a couple of exceptions - mean very little; in many scenes it feels like the characters are interchangeable.OverallWhen watching Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, freezing the action becomes a routine experience. Whether it is to read the scrawlings on the blackboard and the silent film captions that pop up on occasion; whether it is to stare in silence and try and puzzle out what the meaning of the last image was; or whether it is simply to pick your jaw up off the floor after a particularly sleek piece of animation or one of the occasional excellent lines of dialogue, the pause button is almost guaranteed to see use. I suppose that in a way this entails added value, as it really does feel like each episode contains far more material than the twenty minute running time would suggest. Additionally, the series is packed with puns and allusions to Japanese culture, although much of this may be lost in translation.Although the animation, sound and direction of the anime are excellent, whether or not it is a work of entertainment is a question which remains open to debate. However, I found enough great moments of wit and wonder to pardon the lazy characters and occasionally flat humour. Coupled with the outstanding presentation of the series, this was sufficient to elevate the anime from being simply a worthwhile viewing experience to being a gripping and - on more than one occasion - enchanting tour de force.
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Organized in the order of appearance. Citation(s) would be appreciated.
General
- Lots of references to SHAFT works:
- Kumeta mades plenty of references to Madoka.
- Helped by Fridge Brilliance since despair is a theme in both series.
- Kumeta mades plenty of references to Madoka.
- Nozomu has a Death Note himself. He uses it to keep track of people he wants to die with him.
- A box of doujin labeled Genshiken appears in the classroom one day, and the table behind Itoshiki-sensei at the Comic Convention turns out to be staffed by Genshiken members as well. In Goku episode one, the Halloween cosplayers include one dressed as Ritsuko Kubel Kettenkrad. And the Tanabata chapter of the manga includes a tanzaku from someone wishing to get into 'Shio University' (Genshiken's version of Chuo University).
- Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Has a bunch of references in addition to blackboard gags. These include two separate scenes wherein Nozomu is punched in the face in the exact same manner as Simon punches Rossiu, complete with Art Shift, Punched Across the Room, and the exact same frame-by-frame animations.. until Nozomu unexpectedly crashes into a fence headfirst. It Makes Sense in Context; CLAMP, the studio collective who produced this anime, did much of the cleanup animation work on Gurren Lagann. Harumi is seen with Kamina x Simon doujinshi at least twice; once at Zetsubou Sensei's funeral.
- One episode briefly shows the class with desks like from the second Mahou Sensei Negima! anime.
- Another has a set of dolls who bear strong resemblances to various members of Negi's class.
- A Psyche-Lock from Ace Attorney briefly appears.
- Later on, a murder mystery spells out the names of important locations with Ace Attorney's trademark clicking sound.
- As for Neon Genesis Evangelion references, we have Abiru's bandages, that are a mirror flip of Rei's look at her introduction. Nami's birthday party gets a Congratulations scene, like the one Shiji gets in the last episode of the T.V series.
- Harumi poses as Lelouch.
- The opening of the second season is a reference to the Tokyo Grand Guignol's Litchi Hikari Club play.
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Manga Only
- In the manga, Itoshiki-sensei seems to be a fan of Edward Gorey.
- Death Note: Light Yagami appears briefly for one page, followed by a confused Itoshiki.
- On the final page of Chapter 15, there's a yonkoma comic strip that's an obvious Affectionate Parody of Sazae-san.
- In Chapter 17 of the manga, a wanted poster for Kira (with a question mark in place of the mugshot) appears.
- There's a chapter in the manga about people saying things they'd never say as jokes (but because it's out of character, it gets taken seriously) — included is Soichiro saying 'I'm Kira'.
- The class discusses how Nozomu's 'confession training' would ruin manga, leading to several imagine spots.
- In one of the final episodes of the manga, Nozomu is lying in a coffin reading Captain Ersatz versions of the Doraemon, Death Note and Puella Magi Madoka Magica manga.
- Chapter 192 (Combitems), an unnamed character kidnaps Nozomu and chains him in a secret room with random items in a recreation of Saw so she could figure out what he was trying to do with the random items he bought.
- In chapter 162, Harumi imagines Naruto, Kakashi, and Sasuke after hearing about a teacher attacking a defending.
Shaft's Black Board References
- The blackboards in Itoshiki's classroom regularly sport various messages, quotes, and doodles that reference other bits of pop culture:
- Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: 'Believe in those who believe in you.'
- 'Use your (Moe) drill to break through the heavens!'
- This doubles up as a reference to Lucky Star's Nintendo DS game: Lucky Star: Moe Drill.
- Azumanga Daioh: 'Hang in there, Tomo-chan'
- One Piece: 'Zoro x San'
- Code Geass: 'ZEROOOOO!' and 'I am not Orange!'
- 'The monk who leapt through time' is obviously a reference to The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.
- UNINSTALL.
- In one of the first episodes: 'Screw you guys, I'm going home!'
- Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: 'Believe in those who believe in you.'
Episode 2
- When Itoshiki sensei see photos of Matoi and her ex-boyfriends, in one of them she is wearing a cosplay of Dejiko and her boyfriend is seen with a Konata T-Shirt
Episode 3
- Dragon Ball Z: Matoi and Nozomu perform the fusion dance halfway through the Kaere introduction.
- Death Note : While the class is discussing the optimal angle for viewing fireworks, Sensei colapses to the ground, briefly seeing Light Yagami (a direct shout-out to the moment of L's death). Pan back to the students - on the blackboard behind them is written 'Death NEET,' an obvious reference and pun.
Episode 5
- The bath house story opens with a parody of the Studio Ghibli title card, and has various other references to Spirited Away.
- Also in this Hot Springs Episode, Unlucky Channel can be seen behind
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Characters
Episode 6
- In the scene where Sensei closes himself in a storage space, he notes things that are found in storage spaces. Among the people referred to are the eponymous character from Osamu Tezuka's manga Ayako and Fujiwara no Sai from Hikaru no Go.
Episode 8
- A picture of Ritsuka and Soubi from Loveless appears whilst the class is talking about criticism training.
- Around the min. 7:35, Lum can be seen sitting on the moon.
- Nozomu is attacked while in the shower by Bruce Lee, Freddy Krueger, and what appears to be a typical Kurosawa character, along with many other characters, in the same style as the famous shower scene from Psycho.
Episode 9
- During Majiru's introduction as Nozomu's 'son', Matoi goes into a rage and wields what appears to be the Flaming Tessaiga.
- When Nozomu is listing famous mistakes, Reinhard and Reuenthal is on the list.
Episode 12
- The practice for 'soft' landing is done on an arcade-like machine. On the side in one scene, it reads 'Afterburner' from the game series.
- During Ai Kaga's introduction sequence, we can see a random moment where she's sleeping on top of a red dog house, complete with Woodstock (censored by Maedax's face) flying around. In that same introduction sequence, Nozomu, Ai, Chiri and Kafuka are having a snack at a 'Ntarbucks Coffee'.
- A reference to The iDOLM@STER is made with a girl that looks incredibly similar to Yayoi and a man that claims to produce video game idols.
- Harumi buys a doujinshi whose contents look suspiciously similar to Kuso Miso Technique.
- In the beginning is a scene lifted directly from Jean-Luc Godard'sPierrot le Fou: Nozumo is seen with dynamite wrapped around his head, and following that is a scene where you see the explosion from far away on a cliff.
Episode 1
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Manga
- The prologue starts out as a bizarre story about cults, but then turns into a parody of Kamen Rider.
- The episode mentions that, at one point, Itoshiki was kidnapped by pirates. We see him on a deck, with the silhouettes of the pirates around him—one of them wearing three swords at his side..
Episode 3
- Around 15:30 there is a brief note that reads 'As of today, you have been assigned to Hinamizawa'.
- Also Hinamizawa is considered a 'double-speak' for massacre.
- In the first minute or so, when our resident Yaoi Fangirl is trying to draw her otp,if you pay attention, she has a poster of Lelouch and Suzakuholding each other and staring into another's eyes.
- Later in the first part, you can see pictures of Mesousa and the cat from the Moe café on Fujiyoshi's pencil holders.
Episode 4
- Mobile Fighter G Gundam, Ultraman, Star Wars, and Neon Genesis Evangelion get referenced in abigway:
- The mask that makes Chiri grow giant is an Ultraman mask. She dispatches the mecha in a shot for shot parallel to Asuka mutilating the MP Eva's. Abiru even hangs a lampshade on it. 'Why is she speaking in German?' The last kill is a Mobile Fighter G Gundam reference (though it's called 'Bakunetsu Gold Finger,' she grasps the head so it's closer to the Shining Finger). Finally, she blows up the Alien spaceship with Ultraman's cross laser thing, stock footage and all.
- That's not all : The way Chiri grows huge is almost exactly the same way Link does when he dons the Giant's Mask in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. Coincidentally, the mask in Zoku also happens to look a bit like the Giant's Mask.
- Whisper of the Heart: Episode 4 of Zoku, Seiji Amasawa's name appears on the library card.
- Lucky Star: 'You're purposely talking about stuff nobody cares about, aren't you? Like how to eat a chocolate cornet! Nobody gives a damn!'
Episode 5
- There is a brief picture of a parody of Eureka Seven, showing a mock Renton and typeZERO.
- Mesousa, Lord Cat and the giant salamander appear briefly in a shopping bag.
Episode 7
- Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann gets one in the Magical Girl parody, when Nozomu's defeat mirrors Lordgenome's death in the finale.
- At the beginning, Nozomu dons a mask nearly identical to Hei's Reaper mask in Darker Than Black.
- Lucky Star: Bob Ross painting Konata.
- During the Magical Girl opening, Meru is writing out something on her cell phone. The message? Up up, down down, left right left right B A.
- Nozomu's defeat at the end of the sequence is a reference to the end of the Shaman King opening credits.
Episode 8
- Maria, Abiru, and Chiri are wearing the same suits as the main characters of Cat's Eye.
Episode 9
- Ghost in the Shell gets a shout-out when Maria jumps out of the classroom window, holds her hand up as she falls, and vanishes.
- Doctor Slump: Maria mentions that the Prime Minister riding on a 'space-age Segway' doesn't look any different than Dr. Mashirito. She even brings out a blurred picture of him!
Episode 10
- This episode features Rena's cleaver.
Episode 11
- The detective parody makes reference to Kosuke Kindaichi, Japan's own Sherlock Holmes with a dandruff problem. In the Blu-Ray special, which features Nozomu as a detective again, he laments that he's not cut out to be a detective because he doesn't have a detective for a grandfather or is a kid with an adult's brain.
- Each of the murders is a Shout-Out to another anime series. One features Kaere/Kaede impaled on a cross with the Lance of Longinus.
- Another in that episode shows a old lady passing videos of Space Battleship Yamato, even with the Once per Episode damage to the third bridge.
- One to Mobile Suit Gundam: A Tanzaku tied a wish to a tree. Its wish? 'To become a High Mobility Model!'
Episode 13
- One of the people auditioning for the voice of Meru is Hatsune Miku.
Episode 9
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Mal
- After the girls begin giving each other face massages, Nozomu notes (in the sarcastic 3rd person) 'Sensei, it looks like you're gradually loving girls less and less'. Camera pans to Fujiyoshiwith a rape smile, who is reading a manga with a picture of Nozomu and Araragi Koyomi◊ from Bakemonogatari on the front cover. The two are kissing passionately.
- Immediately before this, the blackboard reads 'No, I'm Koyomi'.
- It's worth noting that both Nozomu and Koyomi are voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya, making this also an Actor Allusion.