Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei Vol. 1

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei: The Power of Negative Thinking, vol 1

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Mar 31, Michael rated it it was ok. Thus, I am rating, strictly speaking, my reading experience. The only reason I read all the way to the end of this volume, was that I was so baffled both by the themes and by the narration that I felt I had to see where Kumeta is taking his readers. Now, and after reading about the book, I would recommend it only to people already very familiar with manga and with Japan: Interestingly, this raises the question of whether universal satire is possible -- i.

This book, unfortunately, does not support the affirmative, both because you are not made aware of the standard codes that Kumeta plays with, and because of the form of the storytelling. The tale is written with almost extreme naivete.

Of course, naivete and satire can go together very well think Voltaire, for starters, or even Murakami, if you want to stay within Japanese literature. However, the storytelling has a lack of sophistication that in my opinion falls flat because there is no first-person narrative voice that might have created a "dumb-yet-interesting" narrator. Of course Kumeta may simply be criticizing bad storytelling where craft and composition are niceties that can be done without. But there is, as a result, not even the joy of clever storytelling to compensate for the lack of joy that the ignorant misses on the jokes regarding themes and characters.

May 16, VeganMedusa rated it it was amazing Shelves: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is quite possibly the funniest thing I've read in years. I have to get my hands on the rest in this series. A suicidal teacher and a class full of misfits - the super-positive girl you weren't trying to hang yourself, you were trying to make yourself taller!

My stomach muscles hurt from laughing so much, and I'll be snorting attractively for quite a while every time I think of some of the great moments. Like when the perfectionist girl is about to cut her birthday cake into four equal slices with one strawberry on each slice, then someone else comes in. So she cuts 5 slices of cake, cuts the strawberries into 5 and gives every slice 4 pieces of strawberry.

Then teacher comes in! Panic, then she puts everything in the blender and gives everyone a cake drink. Or when the truant girl is trying to get attention, finally about to jump out the window suicide will get their attention and there's teacher trying to hang himself again. Someone who got those references would probably find the book even funnier, but it didn't matter to me. Apr 19, Luula rated it really liked it Shelves: It's ten to one in the morning, I should really be asleep and yet here I am, reviewing a manga I read earlier. Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei only recently found its way onto my manga to read list.

And yet I found myself choosing to read it over some if the manga which had been on the list for years looking at you Maid-Sama. But there was something about it which made me go back to it and think "I want to read this and I want to read it now. The story starts off with the teacher, Zetsubou- It's ten to one in the morning, I should really be asleep and yet here I am, reviewing a manga I read earlier.

The story starts off with the teacher, Zetsubou-Sensei, trying to kill himself. This makes it seem like a serious, deep manga. I can assure you it is nothing of the sort. He is prevented from hanging himself by a girl who grabs onto his feet. The combined weight of the two causes the rope to snap. Thus, the eternal pessimist meets the eternal optimist. The two appear to go their separate ways. Until they meet again in the classroom of Zetsubou. It is not just the teacher who is strange, however. The while class seems to each have their own individual problems which are represented.

This manga was funny as hell.

I spent a lot of time actually laughing out loud and not just blowing air out of my nose. The artwork was quirky, but enjoyable. I think that some of the ideas portrayed in the manga were slightly lost on me and the general western audience, but nevertheless, it made an interesting read. I'm on a manga hit at the moment, but this has to be one of the best I've read so far.

Dec 08, Jacki rated it it was ok Shelves: A string of odd students bring mayhem and misfortune to their suicidal, negative-minded teacher. Zetsubou-sensei is the most relentlessly negative person imaginable. He could see the bad side of winning the lottery. While his shtick is a little funny at first, his shrieking paranoia and lack of any other defining characteristics quickly wears thin. He comes equipped with a large supporting cast of odd students, including a shut-in who refuses to leave the school, a serial sta Summary: He comes equipped with a large supporting cast of odd students, including a shut-in who refuses to leave the school, a serial stalker, and his exact opposite: This manga is episodic.

Every chapter finds Zetsubou dealing with a new problem student. Each problem student becomes a recurring character, but you could easily open to any chapter and pick up the plotline with no problem. This series is prettily drawn, especially the silhouettes on the chapter title pages. This is a comedy manga, and the dialogue has some spring in its step. The jokes are pretty clever. Since there isn't an overall story arc, the ending isn't a cliffhanger or a revelation.

It's just a pause before the next volume. What more did I want?: To smack the hero and say, "Stop. Like a little girl. Jul 08, Matthew rated it really liked it. The promise is fantastic: A suicidal teacher teaches a class of even more ridiculously messed up kids. We have a winner. I had such a great time reading this. Zetsubou-sensei defies any real plot-based structure, instead electing to delve into these mini-scenarios where the teacher brings up a topic, goes into despair mode, and then everything goes to the dogs as the students finally begin to "get" the lesson which, as it it turns out, is probably not a good thing.

The first volume is mostly intr The promise is fantastic: The first volume is mostly introductions to the major characters. Nozomu the eponymous Zetusbou-sensei: Despair teaches at a high school but is depressed beyond belief and finds the modern world to be worthy of constant despair and contempt. There's so much language-based humor that a lot of it gets lost in translation, but sometimes the conceptual understanding of it is enough to make you laugh.

Apparently, putting the kanji for Nozomu and Itoshiki his last name next to each other gets the result of "zetsubou" which is the Japanese word for despair. It's clever, but not laugh out loud funny. He does that word-play naming humor for pretty much every character, too. It's fun to look up. Oct 01, Jennifer Graham rated it liked it Shelves: The publisher's description of this book on the back really doesn't quite get at the dark, deadpan humor.

This is a book of satire that roasts everything from the Japanese school system outwards, and yet the book's blurb manages to make it sound The "suicidal" teacher's constant refrain every time someone saves him from self-harm is "I could have died! Th Oh, manga marketing. They basically had me from that joke on. His interactions with the emotionally disturbed students of his classroom are hilariously bleak he adds one girl to his "double suicide" short list, for instance, and in another scene he coaxes a painfully shy girl into talking by way of text message, only to discover that shy as she may be she's a mean girl bully.

I agree with other reviewers that the book doesn't gracefully translate--a lot of the jokes need glossing, which obviously makes them lose a little punch.

That's the only reason for 3 stars instead of otherwise it cracked me up. But I've been accused of being a sicko, so take with a grain or two of salt. May 22, Yue rated it really liked it Recommends it for: People who likes parodies. Who would have thought that a manga about a Sensei trying every opportunity to commit suicide would be so funny.

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And no, it is not that I have a strange sense of humor, but this manga is really funny! To be honest, the Sensei is not trying every moment to die, just occasionally, but he is very negative in every aspect. He is the schoolroom teacher of a bunch of odd students: And I can't decide yet which one is more unique, more extravagant, and Who would have thought that a manga about a Sensei trying every opportunity to commit suicide would be so funny.

And I can't decide yet which one is more unique, more extravagant, and more crazy. So far we have: Sensei is like Hinamaru's twin the gloom mangaka from Bakuman. He is always in despair and just want to die. The art is normal but cute and suits the story. Jan 25, Timothy rated it really liked it Shelves: A wickedly dark comedy where the main character is a high school teacher who is constantly in depression the Mr. Balancing this out is his classroom of eclectic students, each seeming with a personal disorder of their own, with the lead being a girl who is always cheerful and seeing things to the positive, even to the most absurd levels think Pollyanna's 'glad game' except you also believe in extraterrestrials, spirits, and a A wickedly dark comedy where the main character is a high school teacher who is constantly in depression the Mr.

Balancing this out is his classroom of eclectic students, each seeming with a personal disorder of their own, with the lead being a girl who is always cheerful and seeing things to the positive, even to the most absurd levels think Pollyanna's 'glad game' except you also believe in extraterrestrials, spirits, and anything out of the ordinary.

The humor of this series is crazy to the extreme and can come out so fast and so sharp that alot of us would probably miss out on all the inside joke references, if it weren't for the translation notes in the end that goes for 11 pages most of the time they're around 5. The art might be somewhat on the simple side but somehow fits the theme of the book with its deep contrasts between light and dark.

But when necessary, the frame can be filled to the brim with detail all with its jokes. A fun series to start, especially if one is into gallows humor. Oct 28, Chibineko rated it really liked it. I'm always divided on the madcap manga series. As he goes about his daily life and his halfhearted attempts to end it he gets entangled in his students' lives for better or for worse.

I highly enjoyed this manga. The chapters run from silly to downright hilarious, some of which had me laughing out loud while I read it. My only word of caution is that the constant comedic pace may wear some out after a while, so this manga is one that is best appreciated in little gulps at a time so you can best appreciate it. This manga shows a lot of promise!

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Feb 09, Misa Niranon rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: I can't help but laugh at the pages. I just love all of the references that I'm picking up as I'm reading this book, too! I even used this book as an example in one my essays. It's made that much of an impact for me. I can't wait to find out more about his class and the many "suicidal" attempts that he wi Aw I can't wait to find out more about his class and the many "suicidal" attempts that he will go at.

It is definitely one of my favorite series. If only I can get the rest of the books and start collecting the anime now. Sep 02, Sassa Mifrass rated it liked it. Decided to read after I saw the anime. Kumeta satirises a great deal of Japanese culture through this work - for those not familiar enough with Japan, the English DelRay translation contains notes at the end of each volume to provide more context. A good way to learn some more obscure cultural references!

It definitely character-driven, although don't expect an over-arching plot so much as a series of running gags. I love this series because it appeals to my bizarre sense of humour and Kumeta's Decided to read after I saw the anime. I love this series because it appeals to my bizarre sense of humour and Kumeta's drawings are gorgeous. If the manga is anything like the anime, it will get better with each volume. Read if you like satire, learning more about Japanese pop culture, puns and bizarre running gags. Nov 28, LeAnn rated it it was ok. If you go into reading this book knowing its black humor you will be less stunned by some of the content and be able to enjoy it more.

Despair, who is the girls' suicidal teacher. It starts out with one of the girls finding Mr. Despair attempting suicide If you go into reading this book knowing its black humor you will be less stunned by some of the content and be able to enjoy it more.

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei: The Power of Negative Thinking

Despair attempting suicide by hanging. That sets the tone for the book. I read this book because it's my niece's favorite book. She finds it humorous and loves Manga. She gave this book 5 stars. I'm not a Manga fan and found the content disturbing, but I didn't hate this book and did find humor in between the lines. May 16, Kit rated it liked it. The setup for this adult-ish manga is simple if weird: Their class is composed of kids with every personality disorder known and some that are probably made up. Many of the jokes require a lot of background knowledge of Japanese culture, but the basic premise is clear enough.

The funniest episo The setup for this adult-ish manga is simple if weird: The funniest episode in the first volume involves a "normal" student who wants people to sympathize with her problems only to find that every single student in her new class is, in her mind, way worse off than she is. Nov 09, Beth rated it liked it Shelves: The tale of a suicidal though not diligent about it high-school teacher and the very strange girls in his homeroom class.

The art is good, the characters are amusing: Supremely-Optimist girl even more so than me! Sensei is negative and a bit sarcastic, but there's something kind of endearing about him. Besides his glasses and adorkable traditional wardrobe, that is. I like it despite the panty shots yes, it has a defin The tale of a suicidal though not diligent about it high-school teacher and the very strange girls in his homeroom class. A possibility for older teens and young adults who like weird stuff and social satire. I'd pitch it to goth teens, plus fans of Ouran High School Host Club who want something obsessed with money and social competition.

Jan 23, Anne rated it it was ok Shelves: The "main" charfacter I suppose, is the "super positive girl" who sees the bright side of everything e. Except none of it is, it's just Willing to give it another ocuple volumes to see if maybe it just takes a bit to get to its stride. Aug 02, Amber rated it really liked it. While fun and simple, the bad proportions drove me crazy. If the art is yet another joke in this satire, then I'll accept my wrongness.

I was hooked with the premise of a suicidal character, but this book is so cultural-specific, I had a hard time trying to follow it.

Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei Vol. 8

The jokes I got were funny, and I might've enjoyed this better if I was more learned in the culture, I guess. I think it's a response to harem manga, but I can't stand harem to begin with, so even those jokes di 4 stars for the art. I think it's a response to harem manga, but I can't stand harem to begin with, so even those jokes didn't work for me. Aug 18, Rachel rated it really liked it Shelves: S1E10, S2E4 Chapter S2E4, S2E4 Chapter S3E1, S3E2 Chapter S3E3, S3E4 Chapter S3E5, S3E6 Chapter O1E1, S3E1 Chapter S3E7, S3E8 Chapter S3E9, S3E10 Chapter S3E11, S3E12 Chapter S2E1 End of Volume 5, 9, S2E7 End of Volume S3E12 End of Volume Sign up or log in Sign up using Google.

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