Gokusen is one of my favorite manga. I mean, literally. It is right up there, in the top 5. I have re-read it several times, especially the last volume. It is funny, romantic, silly, entertaining... When I finished it, I was glad that I had at least the anime and the dorama. If the manga is a 10/10, the anime is 7/10. If the anime was not good enough, the dorama is even less. What is good: The actors. Nakama Yukie looks exactly as Yankumi, and when she needs to appear sweet, she does, but when she has to fight, she looks like a bad-ass. The actors have a lot of chemistry: among the students, between Yankumi and her students, between Yankumi and Shin... The best moments of the dorama were all the scenes where the guys were together. And some of them look so young! Oguri Shun, Matsumoto Jun.. even an unknown Matsuyama Kenichi (who barely opens his mouth). What was bad: It is like the scripwriter took only the characters from the manga and nothing else. Everything was different. It seems like a crime to change such a wonderful manga. What was changed: - Fujiyama-sensei: she lacks personality in the dorama; she is a beauty and nothing else. And she is not even a friend to Yankumi; her closer friend is an invented nurse. - Shinohara-sensei: in the dorama, he is a detective who is not even close to Yankumi. He is always right in the middle of every fight, festival, party, etc. It was like he was working for the school or something. - The Ooedo clan: they were a merely comic background. And the Kumicho was just a therapist for Yankumi, always there to listen to his Granddaughter issues and to have sympathy for her problems. Kyo-san is non existent, and Tetsu is "in love" with Yankumi (WTH!). - Yankumi wants to be a teacher and nothing else. She does not want to be the Kumicho and her Grandpa supports her decision (as if Yankumi would refuse her role!). -Every student's story: Kuma and his dad; Uchi and his mom; Shin and "his sister"... everything was made up. Honestly, I did not care about Kuma and Uchi, but that special episode, where Shin tells Yankumi that he wouldn't go to college and instead, was going to South Africa! That was such a big crime I almost burst in tears. Since when Shin cares to be a missionary?! Shin, who only wanted to study law to be the lawyer of the Ooedo clan and be beside Yankumi forever. - The fact that she was a Yakuza is barely important. It is only relevant for her language, nothing else. - Yankumi: this is not the actress' fault, it was the script. She acted silly most of the times. People who have read the manga know she is somewhat childish and silly, but not all the times. She was also a bad-ass, temperamental. And dorama-Yankumi likes to give looong speeches, which were kind of MEH. Although I have to admit I almost squeal like the Shinkumi fan I am when Shin reveals he is also a rival in the love for Yankumi =D Ending song: "Feel the breeze" by V6. Catchy song that fits the dorama perfectly.