Gokusen

Along the lines of GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka), this anime focuses on an unorthodox teacher and her unmanageable class... well, they're unmanageable until they realize how bad-ass she is and she helps bring out their inner "good kid." ;)

Original? No. The best ever? No. Amusing? Sometimes. Entertaining? Enough.

Yankumi is trying to balance her goals to be a high school teacher and her life as the future head of a crime family. (In other words, the hoodlums and punks in her class aren't so tough compared to her.) Everyone's kind of someone you've seen before -- ... down to the annoying, screechy vice principal who's always trying to trip her up and the class ringleader whose middle school experiences taught him not to like teachers (sound familiar, GTO fans?).

The art and the sound wasn't anything to write home (or a review) about, but I have no major complaints either. (And as always, Kenichi Suzumura does a great job. ;) )

Despite the strong deja vu, I thought it was cute and entertaining over all. It's always kind of funny to see the soft, silly side to yakuza (like the way her henchmen fawn all over her or blow the smallest insult to her all out of proportion). And it's kind of funny to see Yankumi trip over things she shouldn't, like using gangster slang and/or metaphors when she shouldn't. It's no where near as good as GTO, but it's not awful. My feeling is that I'd probably have liked this show more if GTO didn't exist.

In other words, if you're trying to decide between watching this or GTO, go watch GTO. (Or even if you're not... watch GTO anyway. ;) ) Or if you've seen GTO and really like that genre and that storyline so much that you'd like to see it again, this is for you!

This might also be worthwhile for people who are a little too young for GTO. This is a cleaner, more superficial version, without the darker edges -- you're not going to find the levels of abuse, horniness and risk of death here that you do in GTO. If you're going to watch both anyway, I'd actually watch this one first and then GTO -- that way you'd be working your way up. =)

Enjoy!

I really love this anime. Absolutely love it. For a feel good, make you laugh, walk away with a goofy grin anime, at only 13 epidosed, you can't go past it.

The storyline is nothing new - teacher from wrong side of the tracks wants to make a difference and teach delinquents. We have seen it all before. But I don't think that this detracts. Yamaguchi's underlying passion is sharply contrasted with that of the.. not so passionate students. they are rude, messy, fight all the time, but are loyal to each other. And seeing how their opinion of her changes, hey, that is part ... of the joy of these teacher/delinquent storylines!

The art itself is bright and brash. There is one pretty character in the whole thing (and that is not our heroine). However, he is *very* pretty :-) I think that the art is perfectly in keeping with the comedic nature of the story. The sound.. didn't really register? I don't remember it standing out as particularly bad, but I don't remember it being brilliant either.

The strong point of this show are the characters - all are typical (from the sidekicks, to the romantic lead, to the buxom teacher in the all boys school), but I genuinely liked them all! I cheered when they cheered, and wanted to kick the VPs butt so bad.. Yamaguchi is a very strong female lead, which I love! Shin is ever so cool. And the others, are not just there for comic relief.

I absolutely recommend this anime. It is one that I truly enjoy, and have rewatched a number of times.

Gokusen is a really light, cute, and funny anime. Although labelled under Josei, I think that even boys will like it for its comedy, art, yakuza plot, and also the story. The art takes time to get used to but after you get used to the art, you will love the character itself as they react like what a normal person in real life will react. Gokusen is a really moving anime that I plan on continuing in the manga. The story is intriguing and the only reason why I didn't give it a 10/10 for its story is because it was only 13 episodes ... long. This anime series will wrap up really nicely but will make you want a sequel because of your interest in the story of this teacher and her students. The students are really cute once you get past their "ugly" faces. (As I have mentioned before, the art takes time to get used to if you are used to watching those fluttery shojo themes.) All in all, Gokusen will definetly make me re-watch it again. I hope you'll like it too :D

-peace.

i thought gokusen would be one of those animes that who would be like...wtf this isnt what i want. i was so wrong. this anime is now one of my top 10. the plot is fantastice and the opening and ending theme are really enjoyable. last but not least i like shin and ooje witch ive almost never had 2 charactors in a a single anime ive liked.it was really hard for me and my brother to stop watching the anime, and to know there is a real action one is really exiting.i would have to say if you like OCT youll like this to. ... so START WATCHING IT!!!! thats all XD

A masterpiece indeed i enjoyed every episode i finished this series 4 times and i recommend you watch gokusen the drama 3 seasons triple the fun

This anime is Enjoyable. It is short, and i wished it was longer, because it really felt unfinished, but you could read the manga if you want more of this anime. Yamaguichi (the protagonist) has a great character. Her also being the leader of a yakuza gang also adds to it, which makes the anime more enjoyable. So if you want an anime that is short and enjoyable, give this anime a try. Happy Anime Watching

Pretty decent but I was quite disappointed. It only has 13 episodes which is way too short. I don't mind this one having 40+ eps since the manga version has 150+ chapters. They took off mostly the funniest parts of the manga. Fuji bothered me too since he had the spotlight every single episode,and it's not even funny. Don't expect a yankumi X shin moments here since i didn't see any and if ever there is .. it's very minimal and if you have poor eyesight then none at all.

But then again, seeing kyou-san in action was still fun.

If you finished GTO and want more of the same, watch Gokusen. The anime is set in the same kind of setting and it is way shorter, though it has its flaws, which i'll try to express below.

The story is similar to GTO, it has a main character, Kumiko Yamaguchi, who is a gang leader and tries to become a teacher. It follows her relationships with her students and eventually gets them from trouble. Where it actually fails, is that the first half of the anime she is hiding her real identity of being a gang leader and thus half of the series is centered ... on her character, rather then the school setting. It wouldn't be a great deal, if it wasn't so badly executed, in which rarely happens something interestingly.

The art is something i really don't get. GTO, which came out in 1999 has a better facial animation than Gokusen in 2004. The faces are bland and just aren't anything special and it is very strange, considering Madhouse did Monster the same year, which is a lot better. And for a 2004 anime, it feels more like a 90s, i really don't understand why the creators took that road.

The sound probably is the only thing better in this anime, namely the opening theme, it is awesome and has a feel that the anime is going to kick ass. Unfortunately, no, it doesn't kick ass.

The characters are all bland, apart from the dog, Fuji, funny and surprisingly charismatic. Other than that, not even the main characer has something to hold you more to the anime. She actually is quite boring to be with.

Overall, this is a good anime that probably will find its viewer. What it is seriously lacking is a damn style. I think everyone agrees that GTO has a damn cool style and feel to it. The anime Gokusen, or should i better say the manga, is actually copying some events from GTO, like the Okinawa trip. Its heavily inspired by GTO, but does nothing as well as GTO did. Thats the main flaw which separates the amazing GTO from a good anime Gokusen.

If there's one anime I have to review, it's Gokusen. No other anime has shaped my sense of comedy and appreciation of the possible maturity and nuance of anime/manga than Gokusen. Which seems a bit hyperbolic for an anime only 7.something on MAL, but hear me out.

Yes, we have the heroine who works hard to overcome obstacles, the tsundere male who's cool and impossibly good at things. You have dorky side characters for comic relief, the somewhat contrived villains, the mandatory 'beach' episodes and school festival. Nothing unique so far.

But Gokusen gives all of it such a hilarious twist that if you're a long-time ... anime watcher who knows the cliches inside and out, few things are more refreshing. Not to mention the comedy in this anime is golden; the jokes on femininity are crass without being offensive, the characters are caricatures without becoming repetitive, and all of it is carried off by one of my all time favourite female leads.

A Yakuza heir who wants to become a teacher? Yeah, we've heard it before, but now it's a woman who's also known as 'four-eyed monkey'. She's a total dork, but also a total badass. She's self-aware whilst also being dense as a wooden spoon. Goodness, don't tell me: Is this an anime character that's COMPLEX?

Yes. Yes it is. This is one of those animes you can watch over and over because it's really got that level of maturity and depth that allows you to appreciate the jokes and the drama in tandem. You'll root for all the characters, including and at times especially the side characters. The 'romance' is really a sideline plot that if you enjoy, you should continue onto the manga for, but it's touching and endearing when it crops up here too.

Gokusen is the kind of anime I would recommend to anyone over sixteen, or anyone whose sense of humour and drama has matured past being endlessly amused by the same old melodrama and implausible extremes. Sure, Gokusen isn't realistic always, but it pokes fun at itself and the world in such a way that leaves you laughing at just what cartoons and anime are able to accomplish in all their nonsensical weirdness.

Gokusen is a golden gem. Maybe it just suits my sense of humour and affection perfectly, or maybe it's perfect in its own odd, goofy way.

Either way, I'd recommend giving it a shot for 3+ episodes and if you're not feeling oddly protective of every character by the end, well, I guess it's just me then.

I found this quite an original storyline that wasn't too dragged out ( it doesn't run forever - only 13 eps).
Although this isn't the best out there it still has some good points:
its enjoyable
original
and entertaining.

The art and sound are both average as well, and the main characters are perhaps the most enjoyable piece of this anime.

I found this anime a welcome break from all the seriousness of other shows and shows that are currently in the middle of fillers.
Nothing special but still enjoyable.

Took me ages to find this anime again. The anime is very comedic and interesting. From the moment the anime starts it starts to draw you in.

Personally I love finding the unknown underrated animes, and this is a prime example.

Everything about the anime is top notch except one crucial part. The animation is a mile behind. If this anime had a re-adaptation it would be a best seller.

I could see this anime getting a re-adaptation like Dororo and it would become popular just like Dororo. Unfortunately that will probably never happen.

The plot and character development is perfect but the soundtrack and animation is lacking.

Let me say this if your looking for the powerful bada** female lead this anime is for you. The reason why I loved it so much was for the main character girl. From the first episode, I could tell that this anime was going to be great. She was trying to hide the fact that she can fight and is stronger than most of the guys, she got stuck teaching the worst class and was disrespected as a woman and a teacher. The relationship between her and the student do progress but just not each individual character.Though the character development or the plot was that ... good or filled I think that this anime is VERY underrated and you should give it a shot. (Even though it has terrible art, content over art is what i prefer.) D

Plot
I absolutely love the plot. I’ve heard of Yakuzas before but I honestly don’t know about them, the only thing I know is that they’re dangerous and most people stay away from them. And my, imagine creating a story centered about them, isn’t that exciting?

Aside from sharing life lessons, I also love the fact that it was so funny.

Art
The art was good and it kind of giving me the old anime vibe, I’m not sure why though. The sound effects and soundtrack we’re fine and I think it goes well with the anime.

The opening theme also reminds me of some good children anime that I ... remember watching when I was just a kid so I already expected that it will give us some pretty good life lessons.

The character design was good too and now that I read the manga, I have to say that they’re pretty identical excluding Shin and Shinohara. Shinohara was ok in the anime but he’s more handsome in the manga (like really handsome!). And Shin on the other hand, my! He was supposed to be so hot but I don’t like the anime version. In manga, he’s definitely so hot that you will learn to hate the Shin in the anime, haha.

And speaking of characters, I really love the main character, Kumiko. Despite her family background, she’s very nice and considering her age, she sure knows how to give you a very good advice. She’s quite violent that sometimes it makes this anime even funnier, lol. I just love how she loves her family and how she cares for others especially for her students. She will really do anything for them and I’m glad that she was able to face all the challenges she met but with some help from her family, friends, and students especially Shin, ayeeei! (I just dropped some hint there, haha)

Voice Actors
Just like the rest, I also watched this anime in English dub. There’s some really annoying English dubs out there but for this anime, it was fine. Not that great but not bad either. I guess when I really like the plot, the voice actors wouldn’t concern me that much.

Overall
The anime version was very short with only 13 episodes. The ending was really good that it’ll make you curious on what’s going to happen next. And as you can see, I got so curious that I decided to read its manga afterwards, *wink.

It wasn’t really a splendid anime but it’s undeniably one of the good ones in the slice of life genre. I love that it teaches some pretty good life lessons to its viewers and I’m loving the relationship Kumiko was able to build up with her delinquent students.

And you know what’s the other thing I like about this anime? The hint of romance in the ending, *wink.

Gokusen is the female onizuka-ish, there I said it.

I love digging from the garbage pits of hell olden years of anime shows that I can watch, without all the complexities of modern time anime, there's a sense of innocence and non-try-hard writing that makes me chuckle.

Writer: And then, he doesn't remember anything that happened before the car crash, muhahaha, they would never see this coming.

(Not spoiler for the show, just a tragically common trope in old anime)

Gokusen is nice, but I can't fully judge until I've read the manga, because the anime feels like a sample, but I consider anime that makes you want ... to view the original material successful.


What to expect:

It's old, it'll tell old stories, nothing shocking, but nice pacing.

Cheesy, feels good, sort of funny, and nostalgic.

Absolutely love the lead. She just isn't something you see often, or ever, she's not a trope or fetish.

Enjoy it, I'll probably edit with a review of the manga.

I've watched GTO, and while similar in premise Gokusen was alot funnier to me. Maybe it was the idea that it wasn't 50 some-odd episodes of the same "teacher saving student" cliches? Maybe The shortened length let the story fly by while amusing me. But it's worth recommending in my opinion. I found a genuine laugh at least a few times.Charachter art is slightly above totally sloppy at some times, to be fair you're not tuning in to this show for mind blowing digital carnage either.

I didn't read every other review but as opposed to GTO (which is an undeniable comparison) I would ... give it a Cromartie nod as well. While not as over the top out there as Cromartie, I just found a good laugh in both shows from time to time. So if you're looking for a bit of mindless humor that's not screaming under drawn characters all the time check this out. I can't imagine too many people that would be disappointed having watched this show.

Groundbreaking? Not by a long shot.
A Waste of Time? By No Means.
A Must See? Ehhh not really. .

This series has the same enjoyment factor as the Great Teacher Onizuka. It is also a great series made by Madhouse production. It is also short and easy to consume, but I do wish there were more episodes. The English dub has some fine voice work as well. There are many things I liked about the characters , like the bits with the dog. The comady is what you would expect for something like the new teacher teaching a class of delinquents who are actually good kids, but they do make it different with the teacher being from a yakuza family.

If you're on the lookout for a lighthearted and occasionally emotional comedy then Gokusen should be the next anime on your list. Watching this one brings back memories of old American sitcoms with the story lines centering around the full time teacher (and part time crime boss) 'Yankumi', who vows to take care of the day to day problems within her school and the lives of her students no matter what it takes.

Kumiko 'Yankumi' Yamaguchi teaches a class of violent underachieving delinquents while trying her best to hide her Yakuza background and avoid run-ins with the police. In later episodes you discover that all of ... the characters have more to them than first meets the eye and many of them have multiple layers of depth. Gokusen walks the line perfectly between humanity and comedy and all but a handful of the episodes are brilliantly written and very, very funny. The music here is awesome too, and although the intro song isn't all that good, the music during certain fight scenes or tense moments is decent, consisting of film noir type jazz (with lots of trumpets) and early 90s synth pop. There's nothing too special in the sound department but it works just fine.

With a strong start, a good ending with no loose ends, and laugh out loud humour throughout, I can't recommend Gokusen enough for those of you looking for something easy going to waste an afternoon on.

i want to premise this by saying that i don't often write reviews. however, this show is so incredibly underrated that i though i should pitch in my thoughts on it.

before watching gokusen, i had never seen it anywhere. no one ever talks about, cosplays from it aren't common, there is a tiny if no fandom at all. i found the gokusen in a "top 10 underrated gang anime" video on youtube. mind you, this was the only video that mentioned gokusen at all. i was a bit cautious to start this anime because it isn't well known, however, after watching it, i can conclude ... that this is by far the most underrated anime i have watched.

STORY: the story of gokusen is about a young yakuza clan heiress who has always dreamed of becoming a teacher. she becomes a math/homeroom teacher at a high school known for its delinquent students. i really liked this show because it didn't try too hard to stand out or be different.

ART: i won't lie, the art wasn't top quality. however, this was made in 2004, so i would say it's quite nice considering the time period. i personally really like the "old anime" art style so it was very pleasing for me, but i know most people prefer more modern art. the characters aren't sexualized and they just look like normal people.

SOUND: the sound was good throughout the entire show. there isn't much to say about it.

CHARACTER: contrary to what i expected before watching gokusen, i found the characters really interesting. even though most characters other than kumiko and shin were e x t r e m e l y similar, all of the characters being together really makes the show whole. it provides a mostly non-cheesy friendship/teamwork feel and watching the characters bond is really neat.

ENJOYEMENT: although i wasn't expecting anything special from this show, it really surprised me. the classic 2000s anime comedy had me rolling on the floor laughing practically the whole time i was watching. as this is mainly a feel-good, chill show, you want to keep watching because it puts you in a good mood but you're not overly intrigued to the point where you can't sleep until you finish the show.

i'd give this show an overall 10/10 but i must admit that it's nothing too original. it was an extremely enjoyable show, but it was nothing gorundbreaking. i'd also like to add that the gokusen will most likely appeal to almost everyone. you may not enjoy it as much if you prefer action anime, though.

overall, i'd recommend the gokusen to everyone i know and it's SO underrated. so please please give it a chance :))