Hikikomori Sensei (2021)

Parents must watch.

It's a drama that makes you think..
This is the stage where you make or break your future.
I suggest all parents and teachers in any field to watch and learn how to support the kids going through theses phases.
There are many instances where someone might ask us to help.
For us we may not be super heroes
But just listening to them
Giving a should to cry helps them a lot.
Secondly
Bullying
The bullied go thru a lot
For them it's a life long hurt on their confidence and emotions..
But we should also counsel the bullies
Their home environment
And must make them responsible and realise their wrong doings.
Especially teachers friends and families if give little of their time it will help a lot.
All the actors have done a commendable job.
The scene when even the" princi "is shaking with emotions it was too emotional.

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Where sunshine and rain meet to bring a rainbow

No spoilers, proceed safely. :)

“I am alive. Uh...I am here right now. I am alive. That's it. That’s all I'm doing.”

Hikikomori Sensei follows the story of Uwashima Yohei, who is a “hikikomori survivor”. Eleven years ago, he was betrayed by his friend who put him in debt and thus began his life as a “hikikomori.” Uwashima Yohei became intensely distrustful of society and started withdrawing from it.

When he finally steps out of his room, he opens a yakitori shop with "No Service" posters on it and forbids customers from talking to him. He is then approached by the principal of the school he had once attended and thus begins his journey as a “Sensei,” as a teacher of the truant students who refuse to attend school, students who are also in a sense, hikikomori.

“When you are in... in pain you don’t have to come to school.”

Hikikomori Sensei is not a story of a man who wins over the hearts of students and blah blah blah. No. Hikikomori Sensei felt very real. It shows how truancy amongst students takes root; students who are on the verge of breakdown. But you know what's the worst part? They have to show up to school with a bold and merry face, a front that they are not in pain. The only thing worse than being in pain is to show that you are not in pain. It shows how an ambitious school principal wants to maintain a zero truancy, zero bullying model in his school but instead of solving the problems he tries to suppress them.

And then comes our Hikikomori Sensei.

“If you can't tell the truth, your heart... your heart, uh... becomes painful.”

Concentrating on school bullying caste systems, parental negligence, and a system which turns a blind eye to students, Hikikomori Sensei is an authentic representation of issues which plague the students. The drama also uses a beautiful combination of warm aesthetic cinematography, a bit different for each of the three students the show mainly concentrated on. Like most Japanese dramas, there are great side-characters too who contribute to the complexity and reveal the various sides of human society.

“Can we...stop giving up now? Principal. I learned from the kids, I learned from the kids...at this school that it's okay to think "I can do it.”

A heartwarming watch and a healing story in the truest sense of it, Hikikomori is what I would call an essential informative watch recommended for people of all ages. 8.0/10.

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YAKITORI!!

..first, the title itself is so easy to catch my attention that's why I watched it..
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..even the casting too, like Sato Jiro (Mop Girl) and Rio Suzuki (School Cop) - these two are also my reason to watch..
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..the acting of Sato Jiro is great for me (a versatile actor for me though I watched him in comedic role)..
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..and Rio Suzuki is just too cute and she's the first cast I saw which is a left handed *teehee*..
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..okay, on the film itself, even I is an introvert, I do relate on the story though I am not a student anymore but still applying those attitudes on my work..
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..I do also familiar on some social issues the Japanese students encounter, like this one, being shut-in, introvert, unsociable people..
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..it also tackles some of the reasons why a person's undergo on this - unacceptable by the society, child abuse, separated from parents, bullying..
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..this film is a wake-up call not only for the Japanese but for all people who suffering from these - and I do learn a lot from this 5-episode film but too short for me. . .and I hope everyone who will watch this will learn to cope, to understand, or even love the people like them..
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..also I observed, I am looking for some scenes that makes me satisfied for the development not only the main lead but all the students but it isn't..
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..well maybe because they only focus on the students..
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..this film also put some realization on the scene like the Corona Virus issue on their country..
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..yeah, it is a rewatch one, but I guess, I will just keep the memories and my favorite scenes on my heart and on my mind..
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..this film is a masterpiece for me..

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Underrated - Intense - Genuine - Painful, Bittersweet Reality

I was extremely unprepared and had little to no expectations for this show. I went in to it thinking it would be something of a comedy, since I mainly know Sato Jiro from comedic genre type shows and movies and I rarely ever look at the genre listing of a show (unless I'm specifically looking for a certain genre) so I won't be too biased going in to the story. I am not exaggerating when I say that this show completely blew me away, blew my mind and absolutely left me breathless.


The story is almost literally what the title says it is: a hikikomori man who regained the self confidence little by little to go outside for work, for food, and for himself. Hikikomori's are not unknown within Japan, between 2010 and 2011 there are 700,000 (according to Wikipedia and google anyways). To see a show created with hikikomori's in mind, almost as if it was created for them, with such respect, dedication, compassion, and intensity toward human kind no matter their issues and how to help not only the "main" person involved but everyone involved within the (same) problem was the definition of epic. To me, at least.


Each episode left me wanting more, to know what was going to happen to, not only the students, but the teachers and the principal, and especially to "yakitori-sensei" and Yoda-kun, too. The dramatics for each episode left me in tears; the emotions of the students and parents involved were so dramatically intense, so raw and fierce, and full of brutal, bittersweet honesty. It was inspiring and empowering to watch the students rise above their issues, not full of entitlement, but full of confidence, preservation, love, and genuinely face themselves and their problems, and especially life itself.


I completely felt depressed when covid reared its ugly head. The feelings and emotions of each person, student and teacher alike, really was a punch to the gut. It completely took my breath away. Personally, covid was a 50/50 high issue. I quarantined and got vaccinated of course, especially because I'm high risk, and I actually did get covid for a week last month, but since I'm vaccinated my covid wasn't as bad as it could have been. Watching how hard covid had hit society, even though it's oceans away from me and involved people who (even though the actors/actresses are real, the characters are not) are strangers to me and (sort of) not real was really hard to watch. I felt my breath leave my body during a couple of episodes, I was so upset and concerned for each person; I sympathized and empathized with almost all the students and hikikomori-sensei, too!


This show was very special, and to me feels underrated; it definitely needs more press and more people to see such a beautiful story full of the joys and sadness and frustrations and hardships that life deals us. I cannot wait for season 2!

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Si bien chez-soi, ...

Si Hikikomori Sensei était un film américain, Sato Jiro obtiendrait, à coup sûr l'oscar du meilleur acteur. Son rôle affiche toutes les cases, qu'un jury en manque d'inspiration coche pour satisfaire la conscience collective d'une société bien pensante. Acteur confirmé (52 ans) et très populaire, il a souvent joué dans des comédies, mais a eu aussi quelques rôles jolis dramatiques durant sa carrière. Il interprète ici un ancien hikikomori ayant fui ses congénères durant de nombreuses années, avec en toile de fond, l'absence de sa fille unique (sa femme ?). Ultra introverti, bégayant et fuyant du regard, il accepte avec peu de motivation d'aider un lycée à faire revenir dans une classe d'adaptation des élèves totalement absent de l'école depuis des mois. Véritable poison sociétal au japon, l'isolement des jeunes et moins jeunes d'ailleurs fait souvent l'objet d'épisode dans les séries de school life/sensei qui pullulent dans au pays de l'Ijime. Mais c'est rarement le thème principal, surtout avec un personnage de cet âge. Touchant ainsi une plus large audience, La NHK cherche clairement à sensibiliser une société qui préfère encore trop souvent mettre la poussière sous le tapis. Alors, est-ce que ça marche ?

Je vous l'ai dit, Sato Jiro est un excellent acteur, qui peut être énervant comme dans Super Radical Gag Family ou Shiro demo Kuro..., mais formidable dans un rôle titre. Il vous fera monter les larmes aux yeux pour sa relation avec les autres et sa fille en particulier. Les larmes n'auront rapidement plus de place sur le globe oculaire, tant les histoires de chaque élève vont vous toucher. Ses jeunes acteurs interprètent avec fraicheur et sincérité leur rôle, leur âge et leur physique, sans méchanceté de ma part, se rapprochant du monde réel et non pas des idoles ou models trop présentent dans ce genre de série.

Dans cet univers déjà riche, ou l'on voit avec plaisir revenir à chaque épisode des élèves à l'école, des personnages inquiétants font leur apparition. Le lourd passé de notre ex Hikikomori semble le rattraper et les embûches vont se multiplier. Il faut dire que le cast des adultes est plus que bon pour faire monter la sauce à Yakitori: Suzuki Honomi en assistante sociale désespérée, Takahashi Katsunori en principal arriviste, Tamaoki Reo en Hikikomori flippant. Sakuma Yui a malheureusement la tache difficile d'incarnée la énième professeur débutante de dorama, pleine de doutes et de questionnement et arrive difficilement à relever le défi du renouvellement. Face justement à Suzuki Honami, elle parait insipide et c'est bien d'hommage. Suzuki Rio à peine agé de 15 ans est une bonne surprise et son rôle prend vraiment de la profondeur au fur et à mesure des épisodes. On s'attache vraiment à ses élèves qui ne sont, pour le coup, vraiment encore que des enfants.

Mais bien sûr, c'est Sato Jiro qui porte toute la série sur ses larges épaules. Géant bien portant, on souffre avec lui quand il court tant de km pour ses élèves et il montre tellement de sensibilité quand il s'occupe de ses fleurs ou fait tourner en boucle ses ritournelles d'idole dans son petit hizakaya. L'ambiance musicale de ce drama a été particulièrement soigné et rajoute alors qu'il n'en avait pas réellement besoin encore une corde de sensibilité. Composée quasiment uniquement au piano, je tenais à la mettre en valeur, tant elle touche au cœur, à qui c'est l'écouté. Comme l'ensemble de l'œuvre d'ailleurs, qui seulement avec 5 épisodes pourra peut-être sensibiliser les parents et enseignants qui regardent bien trop souvent ailleurs. Ayons le courage de monter cet escalier, ouvrir la porte de cette chambre trop longtemps fermée et prenons-lui enfin la main ...

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