Class is in Session with "Billion x School"

Actually kind of astounded how freaking GOOD I found the new Teacher/Student drama “Billion x School”, as I dislike the tropes in this genre, however, when the show employs a certain “gimmick” into the premise, it can turn an ordinary High School drama into something really FUN and interesting to see!

Perhaps the most famous of these gimmicks is the legendary GOKUSEN series, with Yukie Nakama as a bookish and goofy teacher who is secretly the daughter of a notorious Yakuza clan who takes her students problems in class and “solves” them out in the field- BILLION SCHOOL has ALL of those fun and creative elements to it, spicing up the usual and over-used cliches (the first episode already had the “Student who must work a night job because his family cannot afford  his tuition” cliche) and turning them into entertaining stories to see!

Rei Kagami (Ryosuke Yamada) is the heir to a multi-million dollar tech empire KAGAMI, and when we first meet up with him, he is demonstrating a business suit using AI technology that gives the wearer inhuman agility and fighting abilities (think the Jackie Chan movie “The Tuxedo” and you get the picture.), a real marvel,  but he is currently working on something even bigger!

Below: conferring with his second-in command Ichika Serizawa (Haruka Kinami), the level headed of the two who frequently has to calm him down over his many outbursts!

Rei’s big invention is a completely AI instructional program called TEACH, software which will use a virtual projection of the perfect teacher (here modeled after Yumi Adachi) using a database of all its collective educational knowledge to give perfect lessons tailor made for each individual student. A futuristic program that he believes can change schooling  forever!

Kagami’s program is mostly completed, but what they need now is raw data of teacher and student interactions that can only be extracted by organic means. That is, Rei himself will have to get hired at a high school… and get his information by actually TEACHING students!

This might be hard enough for a normal person, but this Rei Kagami is a decidedly eccentric oddball. Because of his sheltered affluent upbringing, he is not good dealing with people and is extremely bristly and arrogant when talking, making him a quirky handful to deal with!

Already used to defying authority,the problem students (Okuno So, Azusa Ohara, Rintaro Mizusawa, among others) cannot make heads or tails of this quirky  and BOSSY young gentleman suddenly ordering them around!

The students aren't the only ones who can't figure out Kagami, as the other teachers on the staff seem to have a problem with him, too! Instructors like Mitsui (Mirai Shida) Sakai (Megumi), Uchimaki (Ryunosuke Kamiki) and even Vice Principal Dobashi (Munenori Nagano), they all find his methods rough and unorthodox!

Ichika Serizawa, however, is a smooth, calm and collected sort, able to diffuse any situation and take control. Working behind the scenes, she can fix and rearrange any shortcomings they might have and produce a succesful outcome! She will be an invaluable assistant to Kagami if he intends to take on this plan, and is already on the lookout to find what makes the students tick!

Kagami’s plans are to get the teaching data by teaching at one of the finest schools in Jaopan and teaching only the most intelligent and upright students, however for SOME reason, he ends up saddled with Class ZERO, where every single student there is a problem pupil on the verge of getting kicked out! Right off the bat Kagami is met with students struggling in some capacity, and as they are all part of his AI experiment, must use his skills and connections to help them out of their jams. 

And when mere counseling and guidance doesn’t help and he finds his students are in actual trouble of some kind (like this student below whose family is being threatened by scammers)…Kagami brings out his AI Battle Business SUIT and, much like Yukie Nakama did in Gokusen,  MOPS up the FLOORS with the bad guys!

Power Suit ACTIVATED!

Making QUICK work of the thugs...

 ...before they all chicken out and scatter!

Surely there isn't any teacher badder than THIS!

Back at school the next day, resuming his role as the mild mannered Sensei!

Like I mentioned, Billion School is a really fun and entertaining drama to watch! Funny to think I had been mostly avoiding it since I dislike school student dramas so much! Little did I know it might go on to become one of my big faves of the season!!! Can't wait to see more!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com

Tsuma, Shougakusei ni Naru 終わり

When I first read the synopsis for "Tsuma, Shougakusei ni Naru" with Shinichi Tsutsumi as a Husband whose deceased wife comes back to him in the body of a 4th grade Schoolgirl, I expected a wild and WACKY show in the style of his previous shows like "Super Salaryman Saenai-shi", with zany hijinks and slapstick comedy...Instead, what I got was a sweet, thoughtful, and touching story  which had a lot to say about family, grief, responsibility, and above all, cherishing what you have and using the time you have positively. 

From Tsutsumi Shinichi as the Husband to Aju Makita as the daughter, Ryunosuke Kamiki as the brother and an incredible performance by Nono Maida as the Yuriko Ishida reincarnated Wife Takae (and even Misato Morita and Yo Yoshida as support characters), these were all people you grew to really care about and want to see find happiness, though you are aware that not everyone can get what they want in life.

From the get go, we all knew that this story would have a bittersweet ending but I'm happy to say that it was an entirely satisfying and complete conclusion to a wonderful story.

Who would have ever thought a drama with such a humorous set-up could be so heartfelt and heartbreaking!