Spotlight Character: Nozomu Itoshiki (Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei) MAL Character Information Page: Nozomu "Zetsubou-sensei, Momoiro Kakarichou" Itoshiki MAL Favorites: 2738 Original Spotlight Thread: Nozomu Itoshiki (Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei) For the next two weeks I would like to have everyone familiar with this character discuss what they think makes it an exceptional character. What attributes make it stand out in the ocean of interesting characters that exist in the realms of anime and manga. Unlike the other two subjects I will not force this conversation to fall into any set structure. Characters that are nominated typically get here because they are adept at breaking the existing character moulds and defying definition. Because of this freedom I encourage everyone to do their very best to stay on topic and keep any and all debate civil. Have fun and I look forward to seeing what everyone has to say about this character. RESULTS OF THE RESURRECTION POLL Nozomu Itoshiki was PERMANENTLY BARRED from induction in the club Character list: 17 Yes - 42.5% 23 No - 57.5% 16 Don't know this character - 23.5% of the total number polled 12 Abstained - 17.6% of the total number polled |
santetjanAug 29, 2012 12:06 PM
Current FAL Ranking + Previous best::  [ |
| I've only seen the first series. Is my opinion likely to change if I watch the rest? |
Lindle said: Well, there was nothing in Zoku to give him any additional development as far as I remember.I've only seen the first series. Is my opinion likely to change if I watch the rest? I haven't seen Goku or Zan yet, though. For me, this character is all reactions. He sets a topic for his students, insanity ensues, and he's in despair (again). I can't really say that he is exempelary in any way from the first two seasons as he relies as much on the insanity of his students as he does on his own insanity. |
| Current FAL Ranking + Previous best:: [ |
| What truly defines a character as "exceptional" isn't his or her development over the course of a story (although this can help) but whether their presence defined the work. In the case of Nozomu, it's easy to simply write him off as being unfunny or a character that didn't change a whole lot from one season to the next. However, in the case of a comedy show like Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, a better way of analysing his character would be from the angle of whether the humour in the show would be just as effective without his presence. Looking at Nozomu's core personality, he's mainly defined by one main trait, which is that he's supposedly the most negative person on earth. Now on paper, this may seem like it regulates him to a specific role in the comedy (ie. the tragic or hopeless character), leaving not a whole lot of room for variety. While in some cases, this leads to his character being quite predictable in terms of his verbal jabs and responses, Nozomu's presence is still a large part of what defines SZS as a dark, satirical comedy. Considering most of the humour in SZS is used to satirize elements of society such as its political systems, industries and even people's everyday trends, Nozomu's character fits quite well as the instigator for effective comedy to occur. In many ways, he's quite like a lead in a more plot driven show who effectively paves his own path irrespective of plot events. Though in this case, Nozomu's defining personality traits allow for a very upfront and if anything, simplistic, way of conveying the topic at hand to the viewer. His numerous exaggerations coupled with his clinical level of cynicism presents the topic in such an obscure manner that even the most mundane of subjects are immediately elevated to a highly amusing level. It is only through Nozomu's extreme viewpoint that the viewer is able to see these situations or topics from a different light and not only see the humour in them but how they are upfront depictions of a lot of current issues in Japan's society. It shouldn't come to a surprise that such a negative person is also incredibly critical. However, with Nozomu, he’s critical to the point of being highly perceptive of all of society’s inner workings and even the most obscure of details. Through his warped perspective, elements which are often overlooked or kept hidden are brought to light, criticized and even humorously deconstructed by the rest of Nozomu’s students. However, it is only through Nozomu’s fine knowledge and extreme approach towards these subjects which effectively allows for the rest of the characters to follow suit. Though he isn’t always the instigator of the skit’s current topic, his contributions more often than not enhance either its comedy or commentary. So what exactly makes Nozomu and exceptional character within his own work? An opposing argument could be made that each of the characters in SZS bring a different perspective to the same issue, and Nozomu is no different. However, while characters such as Chiri or Kafuka are also defined by one specific personality trait, their contributions to the work are far less pronounced than Nozomu’s. For one, each of the other student’s roles are usually reactionary in nature. That is they simply respond to Nozomu’s extreme introduction on the subject, provide their respective viewpoint before the focus shifts to the next student. Unlike Nozomu, a lot of his students could be completely removed from the show with little consequence. Though each one does provide a distinctly different perspective on the same subject, they aren’t single-handedly responsible for driving the comedy forward or providing highly perceptive social commentary. Now if Nozomu was completely removed from the show, would the humour be nearly as effective in allowing the viewer to understand these relatively obscure issues within Japanese society (a lot of which are highly cultural) and find humour in them? Of course with just about any comedy, a lot of the enjoyment which Nozomu provides is going to be subject to the viewer’s personal sense of humour. Despite that, it’s difficult to really rule out his definitive contributions to the work, irrespective of whether one found him to be funny or not. What truly makes Nozomu an exceptional character within the context of a comedy stems from his defining perspective and highly perceptive viewpoints. It is only through him that a lot of the humour is able to take place and be understood by a wide variety of audiences. Without him, the show just wouldn’t be able to carry itself, and if anything would be no different than the vast majority of parody shows out there which throw out obscure references and jokes. In all honesty, he’s a very well deserved “yes” from me. |
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