Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei

Anime Review

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei

Genres: comedy, drama, slice of life

Themes: harem, parody, school, suicide

Age rating: Teenagers (May contain bloody violence, bad language, nudity)

PLOT

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei revolves around a very pessimistic high school teacher named Nozomu Itoshiki who, at the very beginning of the series, tries to hang himself on a sakura tree. Despite this effort of self-destruction, he is saved by an extremely optimistic girl known only as Kafuka Fuura (though in her effort to save his life, she almost kills him). She explains to him that it is simply unimaginable that he would hang himself on such a nice day, especially in front of such beautiful trees. She decides to nickname Nozomu "Pink Supervisor" (桃色係長, Momoiro Kakarichō^?), and offers to pay him fifty yen to call him by that nickname. After having enough of the strange girl, Nozomu bolts to the school and starts his homeroom class, but the attempt to escape was in vain as he finds that the girl is one of his students. Not only that, but Kafuka is just the tip of the iceberg: each and every student in his class represents a new personality quirk or bizarre obsession, posing challenges that the suicidally-inclined teacher must overcome in spite of himself.

Each chapter or episode of the series revolves around a particular aspect of life, Japanese culture, or a common phrase in the Japanese language. Typically, this involves the subject being taken either to its most logical extreme (a discussion of amakudari, the practice of "descending" from the public to the private sector, results in Nozomu "descending" until he reaches his previous life), or taken literally (in Nozomu's family, omiai, normally a meeting between a potential match in an arranged marriage, is instead a marriage concluded by eye-contact). On other occasions, Nozomu challenges his students to think about the negative aspects of something usually considered positive. These in-depth, off-kilter analyses (along with the reactions of the students according to their own personality quirks) are usually brought to a head with a punchline based on the overall premise, or more rarely, a non-sequitur gag or piece of fan service.

While ostensibly set in the present day relative to its original serialization, the manga utilizes a variety of aesthetic tropes that evoke the early-to-mid Shōwa period. This is exemplified by Nozomu and Matoi consistently wearing a kimono and hakama (an obsolete style of Japanese school uniforms in the late 1800s), but is also evident in stylistic choices such as the anachronistic appearance of architecture, vehicles, and technology such as televisions. Chapter title pages are drawn to resemble karuta cards, with an illustration in a silhouetted kiri-e style. Chapter titles are oblique references to literature, modified to suit the needs of the chapter. The anime carries this further through a washed-out, grainy visual style that mimics film, and frequent use of katakana (rather than hiragana) as okurigana. The anime also regularly refers to the date as though Emperor Hirohito were still alive, such that Heisei 20 (the twentieth year of Emperor Akihito's reign, or 2008 by the Gregorian calendar) becomes "Shōwa 83".

Plot Summary(1st Season):

Itoshiki Nozomu is the world's most negative person. To his way of thinking, there is no hope or meaning in this existence. Even the three kanji of his name become the two-kanji word zetsubou, "despair", when compressed. What an ironic twist of fate, then, that he becomes teacher to a class containing his precise opposite, the invincibly positive-minded Fuura Kafuka.

Plot Summary(2nd Season:

More crazy antics abound as Nozomu Itoshiki, a.k.a Zetsubo-sensei, who is the worlds most negative person, tries to teach class 2-H about how life is filled with despair and darkness. A harder task than it first may seem, with his students being far from ordinary themselves, including the likes of the most positive girl he has ever met, his very own stalker, a foreign exchange student with split personalities and a perfectionist acting class president, due to the fact the real class president can't be seen by anyone, among others.

Plot Summary(OAV):

A continuation of Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, with more stories revolving around Nozomu Itoshiki, the extremely pessimistic or despairing teacher, and the students of class the 2-H, who are each hilariously abnormal in their own unique way except for the one relatively normal girl who hates being called normal.

Plot Summary(3rd Season):
Nozomu Itoshiki is still the bizarre teacher of the even stranger Class 2-H. He attempts to teach his students the negative aspects of the world and society, only to have each circumstance thrown at his face whenever he tries. With more students and friends than before, Zetsubo-sensei's life bcomes harder and crazier than ever before.

CHARARACTERS

Itoshiki family

The Itoshikis are a prestigious family in Kuraizawa (蔵井沢^?), Shinshū Prefecture (信州県, Shinshū ken^?), a parody of Karuizawa, Nagano, where they reside in a 70 ha mansion, and have great influence in local affairs. When written closely together, a running joke through the series, Itoshiki family resembles zekke (絶家^?, "extinct family")

Nozomu Itoshiki (糸色 望, Itoshiki Nozomu^?)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya

The main character, a high school teacher and the youngest son of the Itoshiki family. He always wears a hakama and kimono abroad, preferring flippant casual western clothing in his hometown. When his name is written horizontally it resembles zetsubō (絶望^?, "despair"), befitting his extremely negative, paranoid and pessimistic attitude. He often shouts "I'm in despair!" and attempts suicide several times, though rarely with serious intent. Most of the main girls seem to have feelings for him but only because they misunderstand what he said to them (during the episode about them). His negative personality started blossoming when he was in his first year of high school when he 'accidentally' joined a 'Negative' club. He is based upon the main character from Dazai Osamu's No Longer Human, which is both Nozomu's and the author's favorite novel.

Rin Itoshiki (糸色 倫, Itoshiki Rin^?)

Voiced by: Akiko Yajima

Nozomu's younger sister, a seventeen-year-old ikebana master. When her name is written horizontally it resembles zetsurin (絶倫^?, "unequaled"), which describes her exceptional talent in various skills; however, calling her zetsurin evokes her fury, as the word is often used as slang for sexual prowess. She has revealed her willingness to marry out of the Itoshiki family in the hope of abandoning her unwanted name. Rin eventually transfers to Nozomu's school and becomes a student in his class, after which she frequently faces the readers/audience with her backside (in a parody Shin-chan, who is also voiced by Akiko Yajima).

Mikoto Itoshiki (糸色 命, Itoshiki Mikoto^?)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya

The third son of the Itoshiki family, with an uncanny resemblance to Nozomu. He is a doctor at the private "Itoshiki Clinic." When his name is written horizontally it resembles zetsumei (絶命^?, "death"), which explains why his hospital is rarely visited by the town's residents; he has a tendency to lose control of himself whenever he is referred to as "Zetsumei-sensei" ("Dr. Death").

Kei Itoshiki (糸色 景, Itoshiki Kei^?)

Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu

The second son of the Itoshiki family, a surrealist painter who is quite full of himself. He has a wife named Yuka who is actually a large stain on the wall of his house. When his name is written horizontally it resembles zekkei (絶景^?, "superb scenery").

Enishi Itoshiki (糸色 縁, Itoshiki Enishi^?)

The first son of the Itoshiki family, Majiru's father, who has yet to appear in the series. His name becomes zetsuen (絶縁^?, "disinherited") when compressed, presumably hinting at his whereabouts.

Majiru Itoshiki (糸色 交, Itoshiki Majiru^?)

Voiced by: Akiko Yajima

Nozomu's nephew, the son of Enishi. He was sent to live with Nozomu when his parents abandoned him. Although he is rather arrogant for his age, he is quite vulnerable to the psychological trauma caused by Nozomu's students. His name becomes zekkō (絶交^?, "breach in a relationship") when compressed. It is hinted he has feelings for Nozomu's student Kiri Komori but so seems to hide this and refer to her as big sister.

Hiroshi Itoshiki (糸色 大, Itoshiki Hiroshi^?)

The head of the Itoshiki family, a member of the National Diet. His name becomes zetsudai (絶大^?, "great") when written horizontally.

Tae Itoshiki (糸色 妙, Itoshiki Tae^?)

Matriarch of the Itoshiki family. Her name becomes zetsumyō (絶妙^?, "exquisite") when written horizontally.

Tokita (時田^?)

Voiced by: Yōji Ueda

The Itoshiki family butler. He is called "Sebastian" by the students.

NOZOMU'S Students(CLASS 2-H)

Female students

Kafuka Fuura (風浦 可符香, Fuura Kafuka^?)

Voiced by: Ai Nonaka

A somewhat strange and exceedingly optimistic student who always sees everything in the single most positive light possible: the polar opposite of Nozomu, who sees only the dark side of things and is constantly in despair. She often has bizarre, childishly optimistic explanations for grim situations, calling suicide by hanging "becoming taller" and the act of stalking "deep love." She enjoys giving whimsical nicknames to people (much to their annoyance), and has a strange obsession with aliens. Once she turned in a briefcase full of money to the police. Her cheerfulness apparently conceals a traumatic past. Her father tried to hang himself all the time, as did her mom once. At one point her mother was possessed by demons. In addition, her recent actions; watching the school burn down with a satisfied grin, and the more harmless act of disguising herself as a college girl and making food for her teacher and his nephew (giving them food poisoning!) hint at a much darker personality. Another hint is the fact that one or more of the other characters are mortally terrified of her; for example, when Kafuka teaches Meru about communication through eye contact, Meru can sense only bloodlust in her eyes. Kafuka's depiction with a bandaged right wrist in chapter 7 of the manga and episode 4 of the first anime may or may not be an indication that she attempted to cut her wrist.

Kafuka Fuura is a pen name, taken from the name of author Franz Kafka, and is quite at odds with her sunny attitude. Her real name has not been officially revealed; however, she was referred to as "An-chan" in a flashback, and the surname "Akagi" appears in the attendance book, leading fans to speculate that her real name is An Akagi (赤木 杏, Akagi An^?). This would parallel Nozomu's comment in the first chapter about her personality resembling Anne of Green Gables (赤毛のアン, Akage no An^?).

Akagi may also refer to 赤来 (red future), considering Nozumu's fate whenever he is near her. For example, her attempt to save him at the start nearly killed him instead.

Chiri Kitsu (木津 千里, Kitsu Chiri^?)

Voiced by: Marina Inoue

A student who demands all things in her life to be precise, equal and conforming. This is most notable in her hair style, which was originally curly and is parted in the center. She often tries to set things straight and is usually extremely cruel and violent in her ways. She is also very knowledgeable in areas that revolve around violent international historical events. She hid numerous razors and knives within her bra, but her favorite weapon of choice is a spade and the kanji of her first name can be joined together to form the first character of "to bury" (埋める, umeru^?). Despite being the most combative against Nozomu and his antics as well as usually being the most level headed of the class, she often demands him to marry her after they accidentally took a nap together in the same bed. Although she is not the class representative, she is often called so because of her exacting behavior. Her name derives from the Japanese word kitchiri (きっちり^?, "precisely"). She occasionally displays psychic abilities via a third eye; her name contains two of the kanji in the word "clairvoyance" (千里眼, senrigan^?). Through Japanese mimetics, the term chiri can be taken to describe an item that is curly or fuzzy. This in turn appears to be a reference to Chiri's natural hair style which is curly rather than straight.^[7] She is revealed to have an older sister named Tane Kitsu (木津多祢^?).

Abiru Kobushi (小節 あびる, Kobushi Abiru^?)

Voiced by: Yuko Goto

A girl who is always heavily bandaged, and assumed by most people to be the victim of domestic violence. She has a fetish for pulling animal tails, and her injuries are actually caused by irate animals reacting to having their tails pulled by her. She works at the local zoo to indulge her obsession, and keeps an extensive collection of mounted animal tails at her home. She has differently-colored eyes　because of a cornea transplant when she was younger but this feature is not obvious because her transplanted cornea is usually covered by an eyepatch. Abiru claims that she has inherited the memory of the former owner of the cornea. Her name is derived from kobushi abiru (小節 あびる^?), which means "to bathe in fists". She has admitted having put on bandages even when not injured for the sake of attention.

Kiri Komori (小森 霧, Komori Kiri^?)

Voiced by: Asuka Tanii

A beautiful, fair-skinned girl whose looks are hidden behind her long hair and the blanket she wears most of the time. She is a hikikomori (possibly agoraphobic), but Kafuka believes her to be a zashiki-warashi. Nozomu and Kafuka unintentionally frighten her out of her home during an attempt to persuade her to resume attending her classes, and she now takes up permanent residence in school. She also falls for Nozumu when he was judging her as a good double suicide partner. She spends most of her time in an unused room, but turns up every now and then in odd places such as school lockers or toilet cubicles. Something that Nozomu doesn't pay any attention to and just marks her attendance when he finds her. She inevitably became his caretaker whenever Nozomu is at school, cooking for him and doing his laundry. Her name is derived from komorikiri (籠もりきり^?), which means "it sticks in its home".

Matoi Tsunetsuki (常月 まとい, Tsunetsuki Matoi^?)

Voiced by: Asami Sanada

A girl with short, straight-fringed hair who stalks whoever she falls in love with. She is also known for changing her manner of dress to partner those of her current love interest. She falls in love with Nozomu after misinterpreting one of his statements as a confession of love, and follows him wherever he goes, much to his dismay; even dressing up in a kimono similar to Nozomu and performing many of the duties of a Japanese wife (walking three steps behind, always by his side, etc). She has admitted to having read through Nozomu's mail and disposing of them before he gets a chance to read them. Her name is a pun on tsune tsukimatoi (常付きまとい^?), which means "always dangling after".

Nami Hitō (日塔 奈美, Hitō Nami^?)

Voiced by: Ryoko Shintani

A girl whose only trait is that she is completely ordinary (relative to her classmates); however, she takes offense at being called "normal," which she considers boring and undesirable. Her name derives from the Japanese term hitonami (人並み^?), meaning "run-of-the-mill". Although it has not been referenced in the present, she attended elementary school with Kafuka, who may have been the first person to call her normal. It is worth mentioning that Nami isn't really a normal person at all, being both a truant and possibly self destructive; but since those are relatively normal behaviors for a neglected person seeking attention, in addition to the extermities that her classmates provides, she does, by comparison, indeed end up as nothing short of normal. In the planning stages of Sayonara Zetsubō Sensei, she was originally planned to be a heroine.

Harumi Fujiyoshi (藤吉 晴美, Fujiyoshi Harumi^?)

Voiced by: Miyu Matsuki

A fan of yaoi and cat ears, and the classroom's resident illustrator. She has an innate coupling instinct, imagining slash pairings between all sorts of (male) characters, her favorite couple being Pine × Napple; she has also imagined pairings between Nozomu and his friend with rather explicit content. Her tastes are considered unusual, even abnormal, which often puts her at odds with Chiri. She possesses amazing athletic abilities, causing her to be recruited into various athletic clubs. Her three older brothers are all involved in the anime industry. Apparently, according to her mom, Harumi was an accidental child. Her name is a combination of fujoshi (yaoi fangirls, sometimes romanized as fujyoshi) and Harumi, the previous site of Comiket before it moved to Tokyo Big Sight.

Tarō Maria Sekiutsu (関内・マリア・太郎, Sekiutsu Maria Tarō^?)

Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro

An illegal immigrant of unknown nationality. She is nicknamed "Mataro" by Kafuka, although she refers to herself (as do most others) as simply "Maria". She purchased the birth certificate of a male student and is attending school under his name. She is fascinated by "Japan's abundance" and hoards food and refuse she finds on the ground or in garbage cans. While Maria frequently displays wild behavior and an unusual abhorrence to panties and shoes, her impoverished appearance and illegal status, coupled with a bright smile, often encourage people to give her things. The name "Sekiutsu Tarō" derives from seki-uttarō (籍売ったろう^?), which means "You sold your own register, didn't you?" or "I'll sell you my register". Because of their optimistic personalities, Kafuka and Maria get along quite well. Although Maria is legally a boy (since she bought the birth certificate of a male student), she is actually a girl.

Meru Otonashi (音無 芽留, Otonashi Meru^?)

A very shy girl who does not talk and only communicates via text messaging on her cell phone; she is notably and viciously abusive in her e-mails. Her family name, Otonashi, means "soundless", and her given name derives from the loan word "mail" (メール, mēru^?). Her e-mail address is "hazukashigariyasan" (恥ずかしがり屋さん^?), which means "full of shyness". She is called "MeruMeru" by her father. Aside from a few weak sounds and squeaks, she is essentially mute, and any attempt to speak will cause her to uncontrollably sputter in a horrific language. Her family also seems ridiculously rich, as her father is able to set up an audition for people to try and dub her voice in real time. In the anime, her voice actress changes every episode and is chosen at random, and is credited with, at most, a short sequence of nonsense characters^[9] with the exception of episode six of Zoku, where she is voiced by Chiwa Saito.

Kaere Kimura (木村 カエレ, Kimura Kaere^?)

Voiced by: Yu Kobayashi

A returnee to Japan suffering from dissociative identity disorder. One is an ultimately Japanese woman named Kaede, a very gentle personality well-versed in Japanese culture. The other is a foreigner named Kaere who is disgusted by Japanese culture and touts the bizarre ways of the country she is supposedly from, though what country is never explained. Kaere is easily offended and constantly threatens to sue everyone. She unfortunately adopts the latter personality more often. Her given name derives from Japanese kaere (帰れ^?), the imperative form of the verb kaeru (帰る^?, "to return, to go back"), and also from Kaela Kimura, a Japanese idol. She provides many panty shots, often with strange images on her panties. It is interesting to note that she possessed a third personality, a balance between the two, until she came to this class, and the students triggered a psychotic breakdown. A running gag is that she possesses a horrible singing voice.

Ai Kaga (加賀 愛, Kaga Ai^?)

Voiced by: Saori Gotō

A shy, insecure girl who constantly apologizes for trivial matters and things she didn't even do. Her name in Eastern order sounds like kagai (加害^?, "perpetrate"), and is most likely borrowed from former Morning Musume member Ai Kago.

Manami Ōkusa (大草 麻菜実, Ōkusa Manami^?)

Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue

A married high-schooler who works multiple jobs to pay off her husband's debts. Her name derives from okusama-nami (奥様な身^?, "a married person") It is revealed in episode 5 of Zan that her husband is unfaithful and she's aware of it.

Mayo Mitama (三珠 真夜, Mitama Mayo^?)

Voiced by: Asuka Tanii

An evil-looking girl who compulsively commits malicious acts. Not wanting to be accused of reacting to stereotypes, people simply assume she is a good girl who only looks evil and whatever she did was not her doing. Just as most girls in the class, she has developed a crush on Nozomu, but can only express her love through harming him. Maria made the comment of her being a tsundere. Her name derives from mita mama yo (見たままよ^?), which means "What she is is exactly what she looks."

Kotonon (ことのん^?)

A net idol. Her website of heavily photoshopped images is extremely popular; in reality she is overweight and unattractive, and wears gothic lolita-fashion. Her name is derived from voice actress Kotono Mitsuishi.

Marui (丸井^?)

Voiced by: Asami Sanada

A tea ceremony club member who likes Kino, but despairs at his fashion sense.

Kanako Ōra (大浦 可奈子, Ōra Kanako^?)

Voiced by: Ayahi Takagaki

A very open-minded girl that can not refuse to entertain new ideas and let other people express their ideas, even if it means possible negative effects on herself or her property. Her name derives from the phrase "ōraka na ko" (大らかな子^?) which means "big-hearted girl". She usually wears her hair in a pony tail restrained by a big ribbon and keeps her hands buried inside the sleeves of her school uniform; possibly because it is a size or two too big for her. The zipper on the side of her skirt is always open.

Shōko Maruuchi (丸内 翔子, Maruuchi Shōko^?)

Voiced by: Yui Horie

A girl that works as a street-vendor to earn money. She partners up with Miko Nezu. Together they employ rather questionable business methods. Her name is a pun on "multi-level marketing" (マルチ商法, maruchi-shōhō^?) in Japanese.

Miko Nedu (根津 美子, Nedu Miko^?)

Voiced by: Michiko Neya

A merchant girl and friends with Shōko. Her name is a pun on "pyramid scheme" (ネズミ講, nezumi-kō^?) in Japanese.

Male students

Kagerō Usui (臼井 影郎, Usui Kagerō^?)

Voiced by: Youji Ueda

The actual class president of 2-He, who is ignored to the point of vanishing into thin air; only when his baldness is exposed does he become visible to others. In the anime, he has a major crush on Abiru, but leers after most female students (especially Kaere), who naturally do not notice he is there. His name is a pun on the phrase kage ga usui (影が薄い, "overshadowed"^?), referring to his lack of presence. (The usui also refers to his thinning hairline.)

Jun Kudō (久藤 准, Kudō Jun^?)

Voiced by: Takahiro Mizushima

Jun is described in episode 4 of the second season as "Genius Storyteller. There is no story he can't tell. Good-looking guy". His name comes from the bookstore "Junkudo-Shoten" (ジュンク堂書店^?) and Jun Kudō (工藤淳, Kudō Jun^?), its founder. His stories usually drive other characters to tears even though some of his stories have a mocking purpose. He has previously checked out every book in the library Nozomu wants to read, and lives with his grandfather (a reference to Seiji Amasawa in Whisper of the Heart).

Kuniya Kino (木野 国也, Kino Kuniya^?)

Voiced by: Takuma Terashima

Kuniya is described in episode 10 of the second season as "Library committee member, hates losing. Supposed to appear as a rival character to Jun Kudō, but his strange clothes and interest in Ai Kaga are now his most notable traits." His fashion sense is terrible; a scene in the manga showed strange underwear hanging from his balcony. His name comes from the Books Kinokuniya chain.

Aoyama (青山^?)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita

Another friend of Kino and Haga who is nearly as negative as Nozomu.

Haga (芳賀^?)

Voiced by: Takahiro Mizushima

The perverted friend of Kino and Aoyama.

(Name unknown)

Voiced by: Takahiro Mizushima

A student with a butch haircut like a jizō. He read a pornography named "Bishōjo in Northern Europe (北欧の美少女, Hokuō no Bishōjo^?)", so he is sometime called "Hokuō (北欧^?)". He wears an earring in chapter 19 (episode 8 of the anime's first season), earning the nickname "Pierced Jizō (ピアス地蔵, Piasu Jizō^?)".

Mr. Parachutist (天下り様, Amakudari-sama^?)

A middle-aged man who came to 2-He from the Ministry of Education via "golden parachute," which launches a discussion of "descent" from one sector of life to another and leads to Nozomu re-visiting his previous life.

Other students

Ex-Tarō Sekiutsu (元・関内太郎, Moto-Sekiutsu Tarō^?)

Voiced by: Takahiro Mizushima

The real Tarō Sekiutsu who sold his own family register to Tarō Maria Sekiutsu. The origin of the name is the same as Maria and refers to him. He sold his name as it was the only possession he had left to experience complete freedom. He is usually found in random places like Kiri Komori and is seen sitting in a cardboard box with a lamp shade over his head with holes for his eyes.

Wataru Manseibashi (万世橋 わたる, Manseibashi Wataru^?)

Voiced by: Yōji Ueda

Wataru is a hardcore otaku who puts more priority on his hobby than anything else. His name comes from "Manseibashi o wataru" (万世橋を渡る^?, "to cross over Mansei Bridge"); Mansei Bridge is a bridge that connects Chiyoda and Akihabara. He is not in Nozomu's class, but from the neighboring Class 2-Ho(2-ほ, "2-5" or "2-E") .

Sonokō Suzuki (鈴木 その公, Suzuki Sonokō^?)

Voiced by: Takahiro Mizushima

A former male student of Class 2-He. He leaves the class by the promotion. He is an otaku who wants to be an animator. He looks like Wataru Manseibashi but with a different hairstyle.

Ichirō Tanaka (田中 一郎, Tanaka Ichirō^?)

Voiced by: Takahiro Mizushima

A former male student of Class 2-He. He leaves the class by the promotion. He belongs to the soccer club.

Shun Honoi (本能井 駿, Honoi Shun^?)

A former male student of Class 2-He that has transferred to another school. Apparently nobody remaining in the class knew who he was.

School staff

Chie Arai (新井 智惠, Arai Chie^?)

Voiced by: Akiko Yajima

The student counsellor. If one supplies an alternate reading for the first kanji in her surname, her name is read "Niichie", a reference to Friedrich Nietzsche. She has an excellent figure and a large bust, which is admired by the local people during the swimming pool scene. A case of sexual fetishism features her as a sadist rebuking various masochistic males, often featured in the beginning of various episodes. Nozomu usually does anything she orders him to do (like getting Kiri Komori back to school) as he states her eyes are terrifying but he goes to her anytime he has one of his suicidal breakdowns brought on because of a random conspiracy theory.

Jinroku (甚六^?)

Voiced by: Yōji Ueda

School teacher, Nozomu's colleague. He is generally gentle, but has a tattoo at his back, suggesting he has a past with the yakuza. He is a fan of Nightmare.

Others

Ikkyū (一旧^?)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita

The self-proclaimed "old friend" of Nozomu Itoshiki, who, like Nozomu, likes old things. It is later found out that they weren't old friends (旧友^?) but rather "one day friends" (1日友^?) in elementary school. His name is a reference to the anime series Ikkyū-san. He attempted to marry Rin, thus gaining an "old name" and becoming a member of an "old family", but Kafuka thwarted him in his advances.

Kōji Kumeta (久米田康治, Kumeta Kōji^?)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya

Disheveled, unshaven, and overworked self-insert of the author.

Nakanao Lee (リー・仲直, Rī Nakanao^?)

Voiced by: Takuma Terashima

Leader of the seventh secret society darkness patriot corps charges. The successor of the despair fist. His name comes from "Nakanaori" (仲直り^?, "reconciliation").

Judge of the Darkness Court (闇の法廷の裁判官, Yami no Hōtei no Saibankan^?)

Voiced by: Marina Inoue

The judge of "The mystery darkness court." The long-haired woman who put on the mask of the half drawn game from the middle. Most characters assume she is Chiri, who later appears contemporaneously with the judge, disproving this.

Maeda-kun (前田君^?)

Voiced by: Maeda-kun (first season's stage name is MAEDAX and second season's is MAEDAX G)

Bald and wears glasses. The model of the character is Kumeta's assistant, Maeda. Appears a lot of the time in the animated version in self-imposed restraint marks. He plays the voice of himself.

Tane Kitsu (木津 多祢, Kitsu Tane^?)

Chiri's older sister and in contrast to her a complete slob who creates disarray and dirt by her mere presence. Her name derives from the Japanese word kittanee (汚ねえ^?, "dirty").

SEASON ONE

Running time: half hour per episode

Number of episodes: 12

Episode titles: We have 12

Vintage: 2007-07-07 to 2007-09-22

Opening Theme:

#1: "Hito toshite Jiku ga Bureteiru (人として軸がぶれている)" by Kenji Ohtsuki feat. Ai Nonaka, Marina Inoue, Yu Kobayashi, Miyuki Sawashiro & Ryoko Shintani (eps 1-9)

#2: "Goin ni Mai Yeah~ (強引niマイYeah～)" by Ai Nonaka, Marina Inoue, Yu Kobayashi & Ryoko Shintani (eps 10-11)

Ending Theme:

"Zessei Bijin (絶世美人)" by Ai Nonaka, Marina Inoue, Yu Kobayashi & Ryoko Shintani

SEASON TWO

Running time: half hour per episode

Number of episodes: 13

Episode titles: We have 13

Vintage: 2008-01-05 to 2008-03-29

Opening Theme:

"Kūsō Rumba (空想ルンバ)" by Kenji Ohtsuki and Zetsubō Shōjo-tachi

#2: "Lyricure Go Go! (リリキュアGOGO!) " by Ai Nonaka, Marina Inoue and Ryōko Shintani (ep 7)

Ending Theme:

#1: "Koiji Romanesque (恋路ロマネスク)" by Zetsubō Shōjo-tachi (eps 1-4)

#2: "Marionette (マリオネット)" by ROLLY and Zetsubō Shōjo-tachi (eps 5-12)

#3: "Omamori (オマモリ)" by Ai Nonaka, Marina Inoue, Yu Kobayashi and Ryoko Shintani (ep 13)

OAV

Running time: 24 minutes per episode

Number of episodes: 3

Episode titles: We have 3

Vintage: 2008-10-17 to 2009-02-17

Releases: We have 2

Opening Theme:

#1: "Daydream Rumba" by Kenji Ōtsuki

#2: "Kuusou Rumba Rap" by Kenji Ootsuki & Zetsubou Shoujotachi feat. Rapbit (ep 3)

Ending Theme:

#1: "Marionette" by Rolly Teranishi, Ai Nonaka, Marina Inoue, Yū Kobayashi, Miyuki Sawashiro and Ryōko Shintani (ep 1)

#2: "Omamori" by Ai Nonaka, Marina Inoue, Yu Kobayashi and Ryoko Shintani (ep 2)

SEASON THREE

Running time: 23 minutes

Episode titles: We have 13

Vintage: 2009-07-04

Opening Theme:

"Ringo Mogire Beam! (林檎もぎれビーム!)" by Kenji Ootsuki and Zetsubou Shoujotachi

Ending Theme:

#1: "Zetsubou Restaurant (絶望レストラン)" by Zetsubou Shoujotachi

#2: "Kurayami Shinchuu Soushisouai (暗闇心中相思相愛)" by Hiroshi Kamiya

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