ヤンキー母校に帰る ▫️2003 ▫️Episodes

This show was decent, I liked the main teacher and some of the story lines were interesting, but it felt a bit bogged down or stagnant. If I isolate the student’s stories into concepts, they are very moving. Like the ideas are solid and I appreciate the messaging. I felt that the show just didn’t present them in a way where I actually enjoyed watching the episodes fully.

Although I love Aiba’s goth look (plus glasses!), he’s not in it much. I also didn’t enjoy his character, he seemed petty and ignorant. I guess that was intentional and by no means does that mean Aiba did a poor job. It’s just hard for me to get excited when I don’t like a character that Arashi is playing unless there is some exaggerated or entertaining aspect to the performance. Just being a bozo is a bit boring, perhaps that was the general vibe of the show getting in the way as well.

I really liked Takenouchi Yutaka’s performance, but that was basically the only aspect that kept me watching. It’s neat that it was a true story and of course the subject is touching, but the documentary honestly might have been a better way to engage with this information. I’d say I liked this show but I don’t feel I can give it a high rating, if that makes sense. One good reason to watch this drama, though, is to prepare for Sho’s performance in the drama special released several years after because it has some of the same cast and references this story.