Subculture Anime Blog

OP: “kūsō Rumba (空想ルンバ)” by Kenji Ohtsuki and Zetsubō Shōjo-tachi - It might have been easy to miss, but the OP has been changing slightly with each episode. This time it was offered in full color, making it more epic than ever. (Final Impression at the end!)

Summary:

The demon Nozomu is pelted out of the school by many of his students. As he stands outside, he wonders where he is to go. Nozomu describes the many pitiful situations people are forced to face when they are thrown out of positions, but the students do not seem to care much as they proceed to knock him down more. Walking in town, Chiri lets out a terrifying scream at the sight of demons she sees. Nozomu takes Chiri away when he finds her, suggesting that it would be better for her to put the demons out of her mind. When Nozomu reaches home, he is shocked to find that Majiru has taken in a stray demon. This makes Nozomu wonder about other strays, as his students take many other abandoned individuals to his house. Nozomu attempts to find places that would take people in, but he is denied where ever he goes. He eventually makes it to an icy schoolhouse, where his students have followed. Nozomu attempts to escape his responsibilities again, causing the students to desperately search for him. Nozomu eventually returns as a stray, relieving those who have been searching for him. In the meantime, Majiru sadly searches for his lost demon.

Jun tells his audience a story about a princess. The princess is Harumi, who one day discovered BL doujinshi. The princess’s followers desperately searched for ways to please her, but she only wondered where they obtained the doujinshi they brought to her. Their reply was Comiket. After the event, Nozomu finds that Meru was also there watching. He suggests that it would be nice if she could say that much, but he quickly apologizes after his statement. Nozomu is soon attacked by a large man afterwards, discovering that he is Meru’s father. Meru’s father explains that his daughter had stopped talking after becoming traumatized as a child. Her classmates had called her voice strange, and Meru found that this was true when she tested herself. Nozomu and his students find themselves at a very large competition later - a competition to see who would provide the best voice for Meru. Many people present their voices, and even the students become involved. Meru runs out after the humiliation, but she gets caught by a strange man in the process. The man finds that the image he had in mind for Meru’s voice is quite different because of the microphone around her neck, allowing her to escape. When she bumps into Majiru, an even bigger misunderstanding is created.

Nozomu overhears a lot of talk about prerequisites in school one day, falling into despair. Because of this, he invites his students into the city to find examples. Nozomu finds many ridiculous forms of prerequisite, but some even show up to state that prerequisites are a good thing. Wanting such things to end, Nozomu points out things such as couples fighting before making up. Nozomu eventually makes it to Akihabara, surprised by the attitudes he finds inside a maid cafe. As she works inside, Kafuka explains to Nozomu the tsundere and eternal 17 traits that accompany the job. An enemy appears before Nozomu, but quickly becomes his ally. Bringing up shounen manga, Kafuka believes that this is another necessary prerequisite.

ED: “Omamori (オマモリ)” by Ai Nonaka, Marina Inoue, Yu Kobayashi and Ryoko Shintani - Following the usual SHAFT style, the last ED did not appear until the last episode. This song was already on the previously released single. The almost comic style animation is disturbingly amazing, putting a perfect end to the second season.

Impression:

Seeennn noooo kaze ni naaattteeeee~. GET OUT OF THE ORICON!!! Man, as much as I hate that song, I laughed really hard when it appeared at Meru Meru’s audition. Hatsune Miku’s appearance was just icing on top of the cake. I think they even actually used the real Vocaloid voice! The first part of this episode was the usual cultural flare, and I almost melted at Kiri’s appearance again. The subtle things were hilarious as usual, like Abiru staring at Nozomu’s tail. I also loved Jun’s tale of the BL princess. Nozomu’s inviting everyone outside in the third part had me thinking about the usual lecture parallel, but it was even more direct this time. The otaku references were really high when they even went to Akihabara, and I think I facepalmed at the Naruto reference. ZETSUBOU SHITA!

Final Impression:

Ah, what am I to say? It’s really hard to put an impression on this series without looking at the first season. Being the SHAFT loyalist I am, I came into this show expecting a wonderful dark comedy with a Pani Poni Dash edge. After just a few episodes, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei became one of my favorite anime of all time. At the end of the first series, I had fallen in despair at the ending of my joy. When the second series was announced not too long after, however, Kafuka’s positive message might have been ringing in my head. Zoku was everything I was hoping for it to be, combining the same twists from the first season with an even greater SHAFT edge. There may have been a few episodes that didn’t come off as strong to me in the beginning, but overall, this was a perfect continuation from the first season I loved with a passion. I don’t think I will despair this time, because I feel like the series is not even over. I wouldn’t be surprised to see another Zetsubou Sensei in another few years. If not, the ride has been just as fun as it ever has. Why take psychology or sociology? All you need is Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei.