― Winston S. Churchill
I find that quote to be a very fitting mindset to have while watching this series.
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is not your average gag/satirical anime. What should be dark is funny and even when we think the world is as dark as the bottom of the ocean, this series somehow manages to throw in a shred of light and bring about laughter in such dark topics.
To be honest, I enjoyed this show because I am a pessimist my self much like the main character (well not to that extreme). Many of the dialogue or jokes within the series are actually social commentary. And if you are a big anime/manga fan and are decently informed about social issues, politics and current events and the like, this should be quite enjoyable for you.
Yes there are cheesy moments in the show but I never felt at any point that the creator of this show tried to take advantage of the audience by presenting cheap fan service shots or tried to forcibly invoke laughter.
Visually, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is moderate at best. Not too many flashy colors, not to dull either, a good balance and I'd say the animation is definitely easy on the eyes. The artwork on the still frames are very vibrant and enjoyable too.
The audio is just awesome. The OP and ED snippets are a little crazier than most of the animation in show but it really gets your attention. The voicing in this series isn't half bad either. I don't know too much about Japanese seiyuu but for the purposes of this show, they get the job more than done.
To wrap things up, this anime is a must watch if you really enjoy dark humor and satire. A little psychotic perhaps to spice things up, and definitely a little more psychological than the usual brainless cheap laugh inducing fan service laden gag anime. It is a must watch.
Overall experience and after thoughts: 9/10
