Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei definitely keeps people divided; it shows incredibly detailed, gorgeous art, and others will enjoy the madcap humor and highly off the wall 'plot' twists that keep everything fresh and intriguing. Some will enjoy the dark subtext, and still others are highly unlikely to get the nature of some of the humor, or get tired of what they see as stale characterizations.
The first season follows the adventures of Itoshiki Nozomu (Readable as 'Mr. Despair') and introduces us to an interestingly stereotyped class of characters who seem to be throwaway gags; and although many are, just as many have proven to be more varied then first glance, and all have the potential of growing into even more interesting individuals. We follow their dour ringleader - the aptly named Mr. Despair - through many trials and tribulations, from the simple problems of teaching such a *diverse* class(coaxing a recluse into attending school, convincing a stalker to give up her object of affection, investigating alleged abuse) to arranged marriage and - of course! - attempts at suicide that fail quite miserably.
The second season builds wonderfully on the first, giving more character to the cast, introducing a few more new characters(or characters who had brief appearances), and showing new depths about our favorite class of misfits, as well as introducing an incredibly kind college student who appears to be developing love interest for Itoshiki. I feel that the series truly shines here - with well placed out of left field surprises, dark humor, and an episode that demonstrates all sorts of animation styles, one that artists are sure to enjoy.
From what I've seen, the third season seem primed to continue this shows good legacy. I recommend everything about this show, but on the pretext that you should know what you're getting into before hand. A lot of the jokes are heavily geared to a Japanese audience, and even Kiri Komori-level fans of anime should be expected to rack their brains a bit to get all of the injokes and shout outs. If you enjoy humor that blurs the line between (Dare I say!) despair and comedy, truly gorgeous art, and eclectic references, then give Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei a try. Your Mileage May Very, but I give it five attempted suicides out of five! Fun for the whole family!
Sure not to leave you in Despair!
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei definitely keeps people divided; it shows incredibly detailed, gorgeous art, and others will enjoy the madcap humor and highly off the wall 'plot' twists that keep everything fresh and intriguing. Some will enjoy the dark subtext, and still others are highly unlikely to get the nature of some of the humor, or get tired of what they see as stale characterizations.
The first season follows the adventures of Itoshiki Nozomu (Readable as 'Mr. Despair') and introduces us to an interestingly stereotyped class of characters who seem to be throwaway gags; and although many are, just as many have proven to be more varied then first glance, and all have the potential of growing into even more interesting individuals. We follow their dour ringleader - the aptly named Mr. Despair - through many trials and tribulations, from the simple problems of teaching such a *diverse* class(coaxing a recluse into attending school, convincing a stalker to give up her object of affection, investigating alleged abuse) to arranged marriage and - of course! - attempts at suicide that fail quite miserably.
The second season builds wonderfully on the first, giving more character to the cast, introducing a few more new characters(or characters who had brief appearances), and showing new depths about our favorite class of misfits, as well as introducing an incredibly kind college student who appears to be developing love interest for Itoshiki. I feel that the series truly shines here - with well placed out of left field surprises, dark humor, and an episode that demonstrates all sorts of animation styles, one that artists are sure to enjoy.
From what I've seen, the third season seem primed to continue this shows good legacy. I recommend everything about this show, but on the pretext that you should know what you're getting into before hand. A lot of the jokes are heavily geared to a Japanese audience, and even Kiri Komori-level fans of anime should be expected to rack their brains a bit to get all of the injokes and shout outs. If you enjoy humor that blurs the line between (Dare I say!) despair and comedy, truly gorgeous art, and eclectic references, then give Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei a try. Your Mileage May Very, but I give it five attempted suicides out of five! Fun for the whole family!