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Gokusen

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Gokusen
File:Gokusen Pic.jpg
GenreComedy, Drama, Slice of Life
Manga
Written byKozueko Morimoto
Published byJapan Shueisha
Anime
Anime
Directed byMasami Sato
StudioMadhouse

Gokusen (ごくせん, Mob Teacher) is a Japanese manga, drama, and anime. The plot involves Yamaguchi Kumiko, the granddaughter of a Yakuza boss. Her parents died when she was younger, and her grandfather has no other descendants, so Kumiko is next in line to head the family business. However, her lifelong dream has been to become a teacher. While her grandfather approves of her choice, others in the family want her to become the next boss, especially Tetsu, who is secretly in love with her.

Kumiko (known by her students as "Yankumi") becomes a teacher at an all-boys private high school. Her class is full of delinquents, but she tries her hardest to teach them not just about academics, but about lessons of life, much like any "dedicated teacher" story. Though she's forced to keep her family a secret from the public, her Yakuza upbringing gives her the strength and the experience to reach out to her students, while also providing comedic relief.

Manga

The manga is written by Kozueko Morimoto and is serialized in You. It currently consists of 13 tankōbon that are released under the You Comics label.

Drama

File:Gokusen gma.jpg
GMA Network's title card for the Gokusen drama series in the Philippines

The drama aired on Nippon TV from April 1 2002 to July 3 2002. The series consisted of 12 episodes. Nippon TV began airing a second season on January 15 2005, with several returning cast members (including Yukie Nakama). It lasted 10 episodes. There is also a special episode titled Gokusen Special: Sayonara 3-nen D-gumi (Goodbye 3rd year Class D), it's a sequel to the first season and the prequel to the second season. It has also been aired in the Indian Subcontinent By Animax as "Miss Kathi Methi." The drama also was the highest-rated in its time slot when it was shown on the Philippines by the GMA Network, and was popular enough that the network decided to re-run it, and continued to be the highest-rated show in its timeslot.

Cast

Class 3D

Guests

  • Koutaro Tanaka as Watanabe (student of Ara High School, episode 2)
  • Keiko Inoue (井上佳子) (thief victim, episode 3)
  • Mayumi Asaka as Sayuri Uchiyama (Uchi's mother, episode 3)
  • Uchuu Fujima (藤間宇宙) as Yuuichi Teradomari (Class 3A, episode 3)
  • Youko Ooshima (Teradomari's mother, episode 3)
  • Riko Kurita (栗田梨子) as Ami Morisaki (Momoyuri Girls High School, episode 5)
  • Eiji Wentz as Masato Yuki (27th student of Class 3D, episode 6)
  • Yoshie Otsuka (大塚良重) (Masato Yuki's mother, episode 6)
  • Senjuu Sunaga (須永千重) as Kumai Masako (Kuma's mother, episodes 7&11)
  • Tokuma Nishioka as Shoutarou Sawada (Shin's father, episode 7)
  • Yui Ichikawa as Natsumi Sawada (Shin's little sister, episode 7)
  • Shishi Yamaguchi (山口詩史) as (Kenichi Mouri's mother, episode 7)
  • Takashi Tsukamoto as Yuuji Kurosaki (former Shirokin student, episode 9)
  • Natsuko Akiyama as Sachiko Sawatari (Sawatari's wife, episode 10)
  • Kouji Higuchi (樋口浩二) as Toshihiko Ijuuin (teacher in Ei Shou Gakuen, episode 10)
  • Kei Tanaka as Ono (student of Ei Shou Gakuen, episode 10)
  • Naomasa Musaka (六平直政) as Kazuo Kumai (Kuma's father, episode 11)
  • Saki Yoshihara (吉原沙貴) (Kuma's little sister, episode 11)
  • Shinichi Fukumoto as Tachibana (writer of "Shuukan Wednesday", episode 12)
  • Yasushi Kimura (木村靖司) as Itou (photographer of "Shuukan Wednesday, episode 12)
  • Sei Hiraizumi as Kentarou Sawatari (Shirokin's director & Sawatari's father, episode 12)
  • Rio Matsumoto as Wakaba (Hot Springs attendant, special)
  • Akio Kaneda (Uchi's future boss, special)

Anime

The anime series aired in Japan in 2004. It lasted 13 episodes. It has been licensed by Media Blasters for North American distribution.

Characters

  • Kumiko "Yankumi" Yamaguchi - She is a 23-year-old college graduate, and is newly hired at Shirokin Gakuen. She is very idealistic, and wants to inspire her students and help them graduate high school. For the last 7 years, after the death of her parents, Kumiko has been living with her grandfather, who is the head of an influential Tokyo Yakuza group. Despite this strange upbringing, and the bizarre mannerisms she has picked up from it, Kumiko is a good-hearted girl who has a strong faith in her students, even when they think the world is against them. Her belief in them (and her combat skills) help her earn their respect. They give her the nickname "YanKumi"
  • Shirokin High School:
    • Shin Sawada - 18 year old Shin is the leader of class 3-D. He is cool, level-headed, smart, and somewhat introverted. Everyone in the class looks up to him . Shin is feared because of an incident back in middle school, where he punched out a teacher. He knows right away that something is not normal about their new teacher. He keeps an eye on her. He's the first one who found out Kumiko's true identity.
    • Youichi Minami -He is one of Shin's friends. He always gets into fights, like everyone else. He had a fight with Tsuruta Ichiro, and was beaten by him.
    • Haruhiko "Uchi" Uchiyama -He is the guy with a weird hairstyle. He's also one of Shin's friends. He was lost in Okinawa when they had a trip there and he gave Kumiko and Shin a lot of problems during that time. When they finally found him, Kumiko smacked him til his face was swollen.
    • Teruo "Kuma" Kumai - Large and tough, Kumai (called "Kuma," or "Bear" by everyone) always seems to be getting into trouble. He's either getting into fights, or being accused of theft, or being attacked by a rival school. Kuma and Shin are best friends. They grew up together, and Kuma calls Shin "Shin-chan".
    • Takeshi Noda - He is also one of Shin's friends. He was the one who thought of giving Kumiko "Yankumi" as her nickname. Takeshi Noda is a member of class 3-D. Although not typically a main cast member, in one episode, he becomes obsessed with the teacher Shizuka. Hurt when she threw away a present he gave her, Noda takes a picture of her at her secret second job: hostess of a bar. He then sends the picture to the head teacher and almost gets Shizuka fired.
    • Shizuka Fujiyama - Shizuka Fujiyama is another female teacher hired by Shirokin Gakuen at the same time as YanKumi. In the drama, Fujiyama teaches English. In the anime she teaches music. Fujiyama is very sexy, and likes to wear revealing clothing. One of her students before attempted suicide and she learned a lesson because of that incident. She likes thin, handsome guys. She started a choir club in school.All the students love her. In the drama, Fujiyama wears her normal clothes all the time, but in the anime and manga she wears a tracksuit like Yankumi does. Fujiyama used to teach middle school students, and is very happy to be teaching at a high school. She jokes about which boys are cute, and who she would sleep with.
    • Vice-principal -The School Vice-Principal is Yankumi's main nemesis amongst the school staff.
    • Principal -He does have a great knack for popping up suddenly at unusual times to point out useful information. In the manga and anime, the Koucho is this happy little bald guy who likes to wear bow ties.
  • Oedo Clan:
    • Ryuichiro Kuroda -Kumiko's grandfather. He's kindly, wise old guy who loves Kumiko very much, and is always there to support her and give advice. He took Kumiko in after her parents died.
    • Kyotaro "Kyo-san" Oshima - Kyo is a tough-looking member of the Yakuza, but he is really close with Kumiko. Whe he was younger, and Kumiko was a little girl, he taught her how to fight and defend herself when she was being bullied in school and teased because of her Yakuza connections.
    • Kouzou Wakamatsu -
    • Minoru - Along with Tetsu, Minoru is a member of Kumiko's Yakuza group, and is one of her loyal followers. He and Tetsu watch over Kumiko and worry about her. Minoru and Tetsu can occasionally be seen running a takoyaki stand near Kumiko's school where they can be near her if needed. Sometimes their enthusiasm in serving her almost betrays her secret, but all they want to do is help.
    • Tetsu Asakura - Tetsu is one of Kumiko's lackeys. He is a member of the Yakuza group, and is very devoted and protective of her. He and Minoru always keep an eye on Kumiko and do their best to help her when they can. Tetsu seems to like Kumiko, but unfortunately he doesn't seem to have very good chances of getting romantically involved with her, as she considers him to be like family.
    • Fuji -He is Kumiko's old dog. He narrates the preview for the next episode. He is very loyal to Kumiko. He talks most of the time even nobody can hear him.


  • Others:
    • Shinohara - In the manga and anime, Shinohara is the lawyer that works for Kumiko's Yakuza group. He's handsome and cool. Kumiko's grandfather helped Shinohara back when he was a law student, and Shinohara works for the Yakuza to repay the favor. Kumiko has had a crush on him for a long time.
    • Kudoh - A former student at Shirokin Gakuin. He was a senior there until he was kicked out. He met Kumiko during her first week of school, when he tried to beat up Kuma. Then Kumiko when she found Kudoh and his gang, only to give them the worse beating. He joins the Nekomata Group and tries to frame the Oedo Clan to get back at Kumiko. Back at Shirokin Gakuin he and the other seniors use to beat up the juniors whenever they could. By the end of anime he kidnaped Kumiko in hopes of bringing down the Oedo Clan, only to be beaten by Shin and the rest of the class from 3-D.
    • Tsuruta - Tsuruta is a known pupil of all the school as being strongest. He and Kudoh were the bullies to the juniors, and Tsuruta was eventually kicked out. He returns too school in Episode 9, for the festival thanks to the Vice-principal. The seniors basically used himto start fights with the juniors, until he and Kumiko secretly had a fight. Kumiko won and in return Tsuruta had stop being a bully and start hitting the books. Tsuruta may seem tough but he's actually kind person and a good cook. He also shows up in episode 11 of anime, to try and help the guys get Shin out.
    • Ichikawa - A boy who goes Shirokin Gakuin. A good kid who being bullied by his so called friends. Ms. Fujiyama wanted him to join the choir club because she thought he was cute and to get him away from his bad friends. Mainly because he reminded her of a student she had in middle school who tried to committ suicide. He almost did committ suicide, if not for Komiko and Shin who grabbed him in time before he fell off the roof. He's later shown in Ms. Fujiyama's choir club.

Cast(Japan)

Cast(US)

Episodes

Main article: List of Gokusen episodes

Trivia

  • Gokusen is an abbrevation of Gokudo no Sensei which means Gangster Teacher.
  • Much of the cast (specifically the "students") later on appeared in various tokusatsu shows. Many of them became Kamen Riders.
  • Teruo Kumai is nicknamed "Kuma" (Bear) not only because it's a derivative of his last name, but also because he tends to look, act and eat like a bear.
  • Kumiko Yamaguchi's name evokes her family business. "Kumiko" (久美子) is partially homophone to "Kumi" (組=group), the usual suffix for crime syndicates (and class groups). The Yamaguchi-gumi (based in Kobe) is the largest and most notorious criminal organization in Japan. Her nickname "Yankumi" is the abbreviated of her full name- "Ya" in Yamaguchi and "Kumi" from Kumiko. Her nickname also evokes the word "Yankee," a word used to refer to delinquent youngsters of the bike gang type, especially women (like Arisa Uotani in Fruits Basket).
  • KSCI LA-18 in Los Angeles, CA, broadcast the first season drama untranslated. Season 2 had English subtitles.
  • Gokusen has been compared to Great Teacher Onizuka since both started out as a manga, then were adapted into a drama and finally an anime.
  • Uchiyama (Uchi) Haruhiko in the anime/manga versions of Gokusen resembles Lil' Slugger/ Makoto Kozuka from Paranoia Agent.
  • Shun Oguri, the actor who played Uchiyama Haruhiko, also played as Noboru Yoshikawa in Great Teacher Onizuka. In Gokusen, he is one of the bullies but in GTO, he is the one being bullied.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gokusen&oldid=104800798"