But I just finished all three seasons within 3 days.
It was really inspiring and enjoying to watch how the teacher, Nakama Yukie portrayed, was able to change the student's view on school, live and teachers. I noticed that teachers like her are quite rare (well I don't have one) and I guess that's also a reason to watch this drama because you'll get hope and you'll have your lessons for your live through this drama.
I really liked the chemistry between Nakama Yukie and Matsumoto Jun who portrayed Sawada Shin and I guess I'm not the only one who would have liked it if there was more.
The main teachers and students each got their own episodes in which we get to know more about their background and how they gradually change to the better.
I also liked the close relationship between the main 5 students (including Sawada Shin) and the teacher.
All in one, it was great drama where you learn about the importance of friendship, family and school (If you didn't already know it).
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In the beginning you have all of these arrogant kids who start to change and mature as Yankumi becomes their teacher. She takes care of her students, she's always on their side. It's a drama that says "You can live by standing on your own two feet" - sometimes you just need a helping hand.
The acting is great - Part of my reason for wanting to watch this drama was for MatsuJun: the more I see of him the more I can see him as a great actor for his portrayal of different types of roles. The rest of the cast was great, too, no complaints.
The music is okay - they only really had 1 song that played at the end of the drama. The rest were instrumentals that fit the drama but didn't stand out to me.
I think I'll watch this drama again someday.
Overall: I think this is a drama worth watching. Remember that it came out in 2OO2, that it's also based off a manga. It gets better with each episode - I watched the last 7 episodes in one day. If you're looking for something light and comedic with characters that go through problems and mature - this is a good drama to watch (:
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Another reason that I enjoy Gokusen is its cast. To be honest, my interest in watching this drama started because I like Matsujun and Oguri Shun-being that they were the leads in the first two dramas I'd ever watched. In Gokusen, both of them proved to me even more why I like them; however, I was most moved by Nakama Yukie's performance as Yankumi.
Some argue that a flaw of this show is the similarity in situations of some of the students. I don't see this as a flaw; rather, I find that this use is important to it's message: "You're not alone." As humans, we go through similar things each day, but we think we are alone--that no one else could go through the things we do. The beauty of Gokusen, therefore, reveals the flaw in this type of thinking.
Overall, I would watch Gokusen again and again and again. Also, the drama got me into the manga-which is awesome--and the anime--which is also very good.
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The story is a little cliche, but I enjoyed it because the acting helped a lot. There are really good quotes made by Yankumi, Shin & Ryuichiro. There was great chemistry between Yukie & Matsumoto. The ensemble cast was great. There was great character development (the students that the show focuses on).
The acting was great. I actually like Goro as a character, he is funny.
I like the ending theme song.
I would rewatch this drama because it's light hearted comedy, but be prepared for tissues, but you would probably cry at some points of this drama.
I recommend this drama for anybody who likes the manga or anime. People who like light-hearted dramas, school-dramas & comedies.
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I always thought, from afar, that GTO and this one were the classics in the whole "unlikely teacher taking care of a complicated group of students" trope in dramas, and I can appreciate, while watching it 13 years later (wow) that a lot of today's dramas owe to Gokusen.
The story is entretaining and can, at times, be as cheesy as you'd imagine, but it has heart and it's well portrayed. It was very good (and kind of adorable) to see baby Matsujun, Oguri Shun, Matsuyama Kenichi, Narimiya Hiroki and others of their generation and realize how much they've grown as actors. But the soul of the drama is definitely Nakama Yukie and her performance as Yankumi. I loved her character and the way she was portrayed, more than I liked many other teachers in other dramas with the same trope.
That being said, you need to know that there's going to be clichés, there's going to be cheesy scenes and there's going to be conflicts of one episode that get resolved in the same episode, as opposed to a cointinuing storyline; so if all that's not your cup of tea, this may not be the drama for you. But if you like school dramas with a problematic group of students and an unlikely teacher (in this case, a Yakuza heir with a very fun personality), then you need to watch this one.
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An Undeniable Classic, Though Certainly Cheesy Within “ Manga“ Tropes .
Despite its two additional seasons often seen to “ milk” the storyline , the first season of “ Gokusen” will still stand strong for many J-Drama fans as a “classic” from its later successful and beloved cast ( not least the “rookie” appearances of J-drama actors who would become beloved household names for many fans such as Nakama Yukie, Matsumoto Jun, Oguri Shun, Matsuyama Kenichi and Ito Misaki). Yet, like nearly all drama adaptations based or derived from manga, Gokusen isn’t entirely “ flawless” either...Gokusen is a little over-the-top and often tried to emulate anime and manga during fight scenes ,character interactions and tropes , which often came comes off as ridiculous and surreal in a fictionalised , yet live-action setting. Ultimately, Gokusen builds up the contemporary and beloved Japanese trope of delinquents; a concept which is waning in popularity in more recent dramas and movies, but still touched upon something a fundamentally classic message of individualism and the problems faced by youths deemed “ bad influences” by society .
Nakama Yukie plays the beloved role of Yamaguchi Kumiko; a female-teacher with a hidden secret of her family being part of the Yakuza, but someone who inflicts “ tough love” upon her students when giving them life lessons.
In all honesty, Nakama Yukie’s inexperience within previous acting roles prior to Gokusen does become evident within her sometimes awkward expressions, reflexes and cheesy line deliverances onscreen, yet she quickly makes up for this within her brilliance of revealing her true-self to her students when the glasses come off and during the more light-hearted moments of the show with adding a touch of deadpan humour to her lines.
Yet, refreshingly for a show where the angle of Shin and Kumiko’s relationship became a minor later subplot of the manga , Gokusen scraps this romantic pairing entirely in order the focus on the more didactic messages of the storyline. On the other hand, the show did have the one unnecessary element of Yamaguchi’s character having a crush upon the handsome police officer in favour of playing out an “ adult romance”. Although this is used for comedy rather than depth ( and later becomes a running gag with Yamaguchi developing a “ new crush” in each season), the pairing between Kumiko and the police officer wasn’t interesting or engaging towards the plot, and should have been cast aside in order to focus upon the main storyline.
Parallel to Nakama Yukie, Matsumoto Jun’s role as a rookie remains prominent within certain line deliverances upon screen, however, his role as the stoic heartthrob and delinquent ringleader Sawada Shin still remains one of his most renowned roles in the drama community and is often seen as kick -starting his successful career of acting, with fellow costars Oguri Shun, Matsuyama Kenichi and Ito Misaki into similar stardom.
Even though there are arching story lines, the episodes were often repetitive at times within their setup;
Kumiko’s students get into some form trouble, Yamaguchi ( or “ Yankumi” as she’s dubbed by her students) sticks up for them and ends up showing off her Yakuza inherited/taught fighting skills, and the students learn something either about life or themselves in the process. It is undeniably a generic formula in Gokusen, yet again all odds, there was something surprisingly heartwarming about nearly every episode taking time for viewers to get to know characters as individuals, rather than merely background characters, making the bond between Yamaguchi and her student surprisingly well-developed and consequently making each episode rewarding for viewers in the process.
Gokusen is undeniably cheesy at times within its line deliverances, cliches and contemporary fashion and outfits, yet,there is something prominently strikingly, entertaining and heartwarming about Gokusen. The storyline tackles many themes which are still relevant today ( delinquency, judgement upon appearance and real-life problems for disadvantaged students), the characters are strikingly engaging and the pacing can easily keep you hooked from beginning to end. Although not realistic and often playing out to the realms of fictionalised fantasy, it is easy to see how Gokusen still captivates audiences years after its original release. Certainly worth a watch if you’re looking for something more comical and light-hearted.
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Since most of the drama revolves around the basic idea, this is how I'll rate them:
Genre (example: Story) : Season 1 Rating | Season 2 Rating | Season 3 Rating | Movie Rating
Without further ado, here are the reviews!
Story : 9/10 | 9/10 | 8/10 | 9/10
You can read the synopsis of the first season and its pretty much the same for the rest of them. My only problem with three seasons is that it does get repitative quick. You always see the students getting into trouble and Yankumi coming in to save them, with a message within each episode. The movie is the only place where you see Yankumi ever get into real trouble. The change in the third season of having two rival gangs was a fresh twist on the drama, but still ended up with similar circumstances. We also see a few familiar faces in the movie to show the growth of the students who turned from high school rascals into working class citizens of Japan. Overall, this was a great drama, especially since it makes you want to wish that you experienced this when you were in high school, I know I did.
Acting/Cast : 7/10 | 8/10 | 6/10 | 7/10
Oh well... Yeah, this wasn't much of a surprise that I didn't feel that the actors weren't great here. I believe that Yukie played her role well, while the boys... were there mostly for eye candy. The cast of the drama showed moderate synergy in the lighter parts of the drama (The vice-principal was always pretty funny though) and Yukie showed off her own acting abilities during the heavier scenes of the drama, at many points I teared up whenever she was giving her lecture. In short, Yukie was great, pick some eye candy from one season(I feel that Kame did well in the second season), and thats pretty much it.
Music/OST : 8/10 | 9/10 | 7/10 | 8/10
Kat-Tun OST :] - Kizuna, Season 2, definitely a song made me cry apart from listening to it in the drama. Yankumi's entrance to every bad guy's lair made her epic and I had gleams in my eyes, wanting her to kick their butts and save the pretty boy's faces from getting hurt any further ^^
Rewatch : 7/10 -------
Its the same for all seasons, I often go back to watching a few episodes whenever I'm feeling down about school life to see that somewhere out there, theres a teacher who cares for the students. (Even if this was a drama, hahah).
Overall : 9/10 | 9/10 | 8/10 | 8/10
I liked the first two seasons, and didn't feel that the third was great itself. But thats personal opinion, (I also didnt like the eye candy in the third, so that might be a part of it) Gokusen is a great school themed drama, showing that troublesome kids, kids who have been neglected by their schools and thrown aside, can become a useful part in society as long as theres proper guidance to teach them.
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I think i have watched it at least 4 times from start to finish.
Gokusen is a drama that is full of comedy, action, suspense and all our laughs. It tackles a lot of serious teen issues and shows that sometimes the teachers are not always the bad guys. This follows a bunch of outcast students and their teacher who come to them in their times of need and helps them out in a pinch.
Without giving to much away this drama is one of those dramas that you will get hooked on and will not want to stop watching till the end. You will feel like you are part of the class and will grow attached to everyone you meet.
This is definitely a drama i recommend anyone watching as it has so many different genres mashed up into one amazing drama. The cast play their characters splendidly and make you think its real life you are watching. Even though there are other seasons of this drama. You will still want more after it all ends.
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