Gokusen 3

It's OUT! Gokusen 3 is out (I hope that there would be Trick 4 but well, it's better than nothing)

Summary/Casts
Currently airing in Japan, I manage to catch the first 2 episodes of Gokusen 3. Back in the sequel would be Yankumi (Nakama Yukie) and Kyoto Sensei (Namase Katsuhisa). The story focus on yet another notorious class (supposed to be even worse than Gokusen and Gokusen 2's class). The class consists of Yuya Takaki (of Hey! Say! JUMP), playing the lead male role, and joined by Haruma Miura, Hideo Ishiguro, Junta Nakama (B.A.D.), Akito Kiriyama (also of B.A.D.), and Shohei Miura.


Synopsis
Eps 1
The show started off with Kyoto Sensei being appointed to a new school, (and he was employed because he was credited for the successful graduation of the previous 2 school's notorious class. Which means, he was being given the credit of what Yankumi did, which explains why no one heard of Yankumi). Anyway, Kyoto Sensei did a good job in trying to mimic Yankumi(although without success). So, in order to secure his new job, he approached (or should I say, coax) Yankumi back to the school (after Yankumi failed to teach proper Japanese to foreign students in Japan).

Fast forward to the 1st day of her new job, she is faced with a class divided into two groups. The class was portrayed as being very fierce, but it seems to me it's nothing as compared to the class in Part 1 and 2.

So the new task for Yankumi in Eps 1 is to:Unify the class!
Official title: That Yankumi has returned. Finally, the revival of the legendary school drama!!

Eps 2
At the end of Eps 1, although the leader of the two groups seemed to be moving towards being unified as a whole, BUT in eps 2, the situation the two of them faced was finding a good reason to do so.

Yankumi tried to explain talk the two into understanding that they shouldn't treat each other as their enemies but well, we can't blame them for not being able to accept this reason as they have been against each other before Yankumi joined them...

Task for Yankumi in Eps 2 is still to: Unify the class
Official Title: From now on, you guys are my friends!!

Eps 3
After 2 episodes of trying to unify the class, Yankumi finally succeeded in doing so. However, unifying the class is different from gaining their trust.. In this episode, it was almost a ripped-off from Gokusen previous storyline.

This week's storyline involves cases where victims got beat up by a group of seven members. The slight difference this time wrong was that NO police/arrests was made. But well, (as ALWAYS) there were accusation that the culprits was students from 3D class.

For me, I was only looking forward to the acting of the casts than trying to guess who is the culprits. (The culprits was made known in the middle of the show anyway)

Objective for Yankumi: I trust you

Eps 4
With the class now in peace with Yankumi, it's back to the individual character storyline for Episode 4.

This week's storyline focus on the sibling relationship of Kazama Ren and his elder sister. The show started off with the teachers trying to enforce something(sorry I wasn't paying attention so I dunno what's that about) where they will patrol the streets (sounds familiar as compared to the previous Gokusen storyline?) at night after school hours. And as usual, Kyoto Sensei told Yankumi to take precaution against her class. After some argument, the scene was changed to the classroom of 3D where the guys had setup a trap for Yankumi. However, Yankumi choose another entry route and Ren's sister, who came to the school to find him, fall into the trap.

After apologizing on the class behalf to Ren's sister, Yankumi was told that Ren has been secretly working. Ren's parents has passed away and his sister was the only one that Ren has and is depending on. Ren's sister work as a dental assistant by day and a hostess by night.

Well, so far, I guess you know how the storyline goes... Ren wanted to work and earn his own living while his sister insist that he concentrate on his studies. Then some trouble arise where he was force to leave the school (At this moment, he wasn't really upset or what. He seems totally fine with leaving school). It was his sister who pleaded for the forgiveness from those people on Ren's behalf.

Ren even got into a fight where his sister intervene but got beat up by those hooligans. Of cos, as usual, Yankumi joins in the fight (actually, more like the savior as those people doesn't stand a chance against her). After the fight, Yankumi lectured Ren about the ordeal that his sister encounters for him. Ren finally realize his fault and plead for the chance to go back to school and continue his studies.

Objective for Yankumi: Bringing Kazama Ren and his sister together

Ep 5
It seems so slow yet its so fast and now we are at eps 5. Almost halfway of Gokusen 3.
In this week, it's san-shon-men-tan aka meet-the-parents session this week. This meeting session involved, the students to discuss their ambition with the teacher, together with their parents/guardian.

Summary
Well, we don't get to see the guys grad! And we won't get to see a repeated storyline of Season 1 and 2 for Season 3 at the later part (Get my hint?) Anyway, if you can't get enough of Gokusen, there is a Gokusen SP Class 3D Graduation and Gokusen Final (Movie where you will see a number of special appearance from the cast of Season 1, 2, 3 and the new class that Yankumi now takes over)

Objective for Yankumi: - Sidetrack

In Gokusen, Yankumi fall in love with a police.
In Gokusen 2, she falls in love with the sensei (teacher) of a all girls school
In Gokusen 3, she falls in love with a doctor-to-be...

So her love life is actually quite exciting.. and there is no mention on her previous love life. From Gokusen to Gokusen 3, only shown 2 characters were casted in the sequels which is Kuma (he appears quite few times as compared to Gokusen 2) and Kyoto Sensei. Why don't they have any special appearances from the main cast of the previous two Gokusen?

(P.S: Note that NOT the entire drama's storyline is described here as
1: I don't want to flood my blog with text
2: It's just a bit review of my thoughts on that episode)

Cast
* Nakama Yukie as Yamaguchi Kumiko (Yankumi / Ojou / Kumichou) (Math Teacher/Class 3D adviser)
* Namase Katsuhisa as Sawatari Goro, Kyoto (School Vice Principal)
* Enami Kyoko (Board Chairman)
* Utsui Ken as Kuroda Ryuichiro (Kumiko's grandpa / 3rd Generation Oedo Yakuza Boss)
* Anan Kenji as Wakamatsu Hiro
* Kaneko Ken as Asakura Tetsu
* Uchiyama Shinji as Tatsukawa Minoru
* Ryogoku Hiroshi as Sugawara Makoto
* Waki Tomohiro as "Kuma" / Kumai Teruo (Former student of Yankumi)
* Azuma Mikihisa as Baba Masayoshi (PE Teacher)
* Koizumi Kotaro as Natsume Seichi (School Doctor)
* Hirayama Aya as Takano Aoi (English Teacher)
* Hoshino Aki as Ayukawa Sakura (School Nurse)
* Sato Jiro as Yajima Hosaku (Japanese Classics Teacher)
* Sakigake Santaro (魁三太郎) as Hatoyama Yasuhiko (World History Teacher)
* Ishii Kota as Tsuruoka Keisuke (Physics Teacher)

Class 3D

* Miura Haruma as Kazama Ren
* Takaki Yuya as Ogata Yamato
* Ishiguro Hideo as Honjo Kengo
* Kiriyama Akito as Kuraki Satoru
* Nakama Junta as Ichimura Rikiya
* Miura Shohei as Kamiya Shunsuke
* Kido Yuya
* Mayama Akihiro
* Wakaba Ryuya
* Warabino Tomoya
* Kanno Atsumi (菅野篤海)
* Kujirai Kosuke (鯨井康介)
* Shimizu Ryodaro (清水良太郎)
* Totani Kimito (戸谷公人)
* Nakayama Masei (中山麻聖)
* Hamao Kyosuke (浜尾京介)
* Maeda Goki (前田公輝)
* Maruo (まるお)
* Yazaki Hiroshi (矢崎広)
* Yuki Jutta (夕輝壽太)
* Yuji

Source of Cast

Official website of Gokusen can be found here