Fan reviews: Gokusen

Finndlin · 11 Jul 2012

I did it, I watched the infamous "Gokusen" which is pretty much supposed to be one of the funniest jdrama.

First of all if you're looking for something realistic and plausible you can spare you the trouble of watching it. You're not going to believe one second that the story could have actually really happened. For example you can clearly notice that Nakama Yukie can't fight, which makes all those tough yakusa combats positively ridiculous!

As for the general plot, the idea of a the granddaughter yakusa being a teacher was rather nice and caused many good jokes (sometimes a bit repetitive..)

Actor were just plain, and most of them weren't natural. It was very disturbing during the emotional sequence, the result was gross. Oh and I absolutely hated the moral lessons which were inappropriate for this kind of entertainment.

I'd say it's a fair comedy, distracting and very forgettable ;)

doramanoai · 4 Mar 2012

Acting and Characters are amazing! Not an either-or with GTO--it has its own distinct feel.

ester_grace · 28 Nov 2010

Yukie such a great actress, I think there's no other actress can do yankumi's role.

MonsterZero65 · 15 Aug 2010

When I think back of all the drama's that I have seen this is one that really always springs to my mind. It really has a steady flow of comedy throughout every episode and the characters are all rich and entertaining. I have seen it a few times and can enjoy it just as much each time.

yuki_yoru · 25 Apr 2010

I do not regret watching this, but I admit it kinda got boring for me because of the same routine. It's still nice to see how her relationship with the students progressively changes.

slencia · 11 Apr 2010

Really great!! for thoese who like school dramas

xxxYxxx · 17 Dec 2009

This first one has a better story line than the second and the third one.Less fighting scene but the connection between the students and teacher is more.I wonder if teacher like Yankumi is exist in a reality life...?-_-

coop · 21 Jul 2009

Yankumi (Nakama Yukie) certainly didn't fit as the heir of a yakuza family. When she went into "Yakuza mode" there were more times I wanted to hide under my blanket in embarrassment than not. She was not credible as a yakuza, everything from her facial expression, stance and the way she spoke was just wrong. If anything, I'd say Nakama Yukie ruined this series for me. I might also add that I don't like Nakama Yukie in general, everything she does feels forced.

Sawada Shin (Matsumoto Jun) wasn't credible as the leader of a gang of delinquents either. I really never understood why he was the leader, he hit a teacher once and acted high and mighty (of course, this is the writers fault, not Matsumoto Jun's), was that it? Can't take much to become a leader of delinquents in Japan. It looked like there were a lot of people who could whoop Sawada Shin's ass just in class 3D, and isn't that usually how a leader of delinquents is born, being the toughest guy around making people respect you with strength? As for the actual acting, I guess he did a good enough job.

Teruo Kumai (Waki Tomohiro) did a really good job in my opinion. He was good both in the serious and less serious scenes. This is probably my favorite character in this series along with Minoru and Tetsu (the two of the four yakuza who live in Yankumi's house who had the most screen time).

Noda Takeshi (Narimiya Hiroki)... I never really understood what this guy did in this series, he was probably just eyecandy for the female audience. There was nothing delinquent about him, he would have fit better in a beauty salon.

Uchiyama Haruhiko (Oguri Shun) and Minami Youich (Ishigaki Yuma) both did good jobs, I have nothing more to add to these characters.

I liked the school staff too, the vice principal could be hilarious at times and the male audience also got some eyecandy here from the English teacher Fujiyama Shizuka (Itoh Misaki)

In Yankumi's house, as I already mentioned, I really liked Minoru and Tetsu, they were hilarious and they actually felt like yakuza. So did Wakamatsu Hiro (Anan Kenji), but unfortunately he didn't really get much screen time. The yakuza boss Kuroda Ryuichir (Utsui Ken) was just as credible as a yakuza boss as my can of coke here next to me. A yakuza boss shouldn't run around screaming "KORRRRRRRRRRA" at everyone, but at the same time he shouldn't feel and look like he couldn't hurt a fly even if he wanted to.


Conclusion:
This series is watchable but not recommendable. The comedy does its job, but many of the delinquent/yakuza scenes feel forced, especially when the main character is present. This series is average and gets a 6/10 mainly because of the side characters.

Qiqilla007 · 5 Jul 2009

Omoshiroi!!! totemo

weetzie_bat · 20 Apr 2009

yankumi is the best! yukie nakama was born to play this character. amazing. the first drama i've seen matsujun in. he's just too cute for words. oguri and hiroki are fantastic, as usual. the head sensei is hilarious. his chemistry with nakama is one of the best! predictable but very funny and touching.

sos_fukada · 16 Jan 2009

I don't know why...but i didn't like this drama...not on my list.

epah · 2 Sep 2008

one of the best drama i ever see....
if you guys love tis,u should watch my boss my hero as well..
worth it i might say...

OneWingedAng3l · 29 Jun 2008

Has no one noticed this? There isn't much to a storyline for this series. It's quite overrated and too similar to GTO.
Each episode begins with a student having a problem(usually with another group of punk kids), teachers don't believe the student and tries to expels them, YanKumi defends them is is doubted. Her grandfather gives her some random advise that seems to answer her doubts and another student comes to her and tells her that the student with the problem is getting beat up.
YanKumi goes and fights off(horrible fighting by the way) random punk kids attacking her student, student starts to "believe" in her and goes her posse of followers.
Other than the crappy storyline, awesome acting for Oguri & Matsumoto.

lovej4panM · 8 May 2008

Amazing drama with PERFECT ACTORS

lovej4panM · 8 May 2008

amazing drama
nice actors cant w8 for the 3 gokusen :) GOGOGOG :)

jdoramadotcom · 29 Apr 2008

Everything aligns near-perfectly to make for a spirited comedy-drama in the spirit of GTO. The plot isn't completely unfamiliar: a high school teacher also happens to be the next in line to succeed a yakuza family.

What really makes it special is the cast. This series is packed with top talent, and the script is crisp and energetic. With GTO and Shomuni, one of my all-time favorites.

whatever0024 · 13 Apr 2008

Although each episode was fairly formulaic and predictable, I enjoyed this immensely because of the cast. Nakama Yukie is funny as Yankumi. Matsumoto Jun is very good as the quiet and complex Sawada Shin, and the rest of the students were a blast. They were well developed and had good chemistry with each other and with Yankumi.

nadiafarhana · 3 Apr 2008

it's a good series.. it's cool to have a teacher who fights to protect her pupils

aznanimedude · 27 Feb 2008

i must say, lilke alot of others, when i first saw the synopsis of this drama, i was thinking "this is going to be like GTO, gangster-like teacher with delinquent students but eventually she wins them over". however, i soon found out that while it on the surface reminded me of it, this is by no means a GTO-esque drama. much like sorimachi eikichi seemed to perfectly epitomize his role as onizuka, so did yukie nakama play her role brilliantly. playing a teacher trying to hide her yakuza background with a cutesy exterior, she showed it to perfection. i really felt i could follow the story and it took the story beyond what onizuka had accomplished. with GTO it is a feel good with a teacher being able to connect with students who trust noone, however with gokusen, not only does she create the connection, it does not end there, she even brings out the best in her students leading them to the ultimate reward for a teacher, taking her delinquent students that noone believed in, and bringing them to the graduation stage, showing a disbelieving body that yes her students were capable of graduating too. it had it's moments, and seeing her students respond to her was hearfelt, her neverending trust breaking the tough exterior to reveal a heart of gold not only in the teacher, but in the students

to sum up, this drama went beyond where i thought it would, and it is only my belief that nothing is perfect that i gave it a 9, but in actuality this deserves a 9.99999999, not a 10 for nothing is perfect, but damn close to it

fokey · 4 Dec 2007

this drama is very awsome...!! i wish i had a teacher like her in my high school... T_T