Gokusen

Gokusen: B

Another bit of josei anime, Gokusen is a short series about a yakuza princess who is inheriting her grandfather's position but also has aspirations of becoming a high school teacher.  The title comes from a portmanteau of "Gokudou" and "Sensei," and pretty well sums up that basic concept in one go.

The story is mostly humorous, with just enough of a serious story to drive the plot.  Being based on an ongoing manga, the story loses points in my book for not reaching any sort of completion.  The other primary criticism I have of it is that I much more enjoy the yakuza side of the story than I do the high school side of the story, and it is the latter that the story spends more of its time on.

These criticisms are small next to the execution and characterization present in the series, as well as its fun and positive outlook.  It seems like a strange thing to praise a show for less words than you criticize it for, but the truth is that the good qualities of it are in its purity and relative simplicity.  It's just good.

If you're looking for a show that's genuinely about people and story and emotion and growth without anything like fan service or supernatural events getting in the way, you'll really enjoy Gokusen.  If you're looking for something a bit less realistic, or you like your girls drawn the way we picture 'anime girls,' these days, you'll be disappointed.