Original Run: April 8, 2019 - June 24, 2019 Number of Episodes: 12 Genre: Comedy, Romance Based on the Series Created By: Soborou
***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Nande Koko ni Sensei ga. Reader discretion is advised.***
Series Synopsis
Often when everything seems normal, that is when life throws you a curveball. For four high schoolers, that curveball is their sudden closeness with one of their beautiful teachers.
Ichiro Sato (voiced by Ryota Suzuki) is on the verge of graduating when he takes notice of and is noticed by, his infamously strick teacher Ms. Kana Kojima (voiced by Sumire Uesaka).
Rin Suzuki (voiced by Toshiki Masuda) has an unearned reputation of being scary and intimidating. One of the few to see past his gruff appearance is his petite, kind-hearted instructor Ms. Mayu Matsukaze (voiced by Yuko Goto).
For his entire life, Takashi Takahashi (voiced by Kazutomi Yamamoto) has been treated like a kid by his childhood friend and now P.E. teacher, Ms. Hikari Hazakura (voiced by Shizuka Ishigami). Recently, though, Hikari has begun to see Takashi in a more mature light.
With his graduation on the horizon, Ko Tanaka (voiced by Yusuke Kobayashi) laments his inability to find a girlfriend. Conversely, Ko’s school’s nurse, Ms. Chizuru Tachibana (voiced by Nozomi Yamamoto), has been trying to connect better with her students. After spending some time together, albeit awkwardly, the two realize they have feelings for one another.
Series Positives
Fair warning, this won’t be a long review. I mean, how can it be?
Nande Koko ni Sensei ga isn’t the sort of series you go out of your way to watch because you’re expecting things like a compelling story, fun characters, or just quality in general. No, if you want to watch this show, you’re doing so for one reason.
Anime boobies.
If that is the case, then you might be out of luck unless there is an uncensored version of this series. But on the off chance there is, I only review anime. I don’t make it a habit to judge people who want to watch what they want to watch.
Speaking of reviewing, I’m surprised by how little I intend to rip into this show. I won’t be throwing you a twist by implying Nande Koko ni Sensei ga was a secret gem. Let me make this clear; this wasn’t a good series. However, it wasn’t a burning pile of garbage either.
Something needs to be said about a show’s self-awareness. There are anime that are ridiculous because they were poorly made and have an apparent lack of competence behind them. Then there are examples such as Nande Koko ni Sensei ga which know precisely what they are doing because their level of insanity doesn’t happen by accident.
If you are looking for a good laugh, even if for the wrong reasons, then by golly, Nande Koko ni Sensei ga can deliver.
For fun, let’s assume this show is reality. Well, look alive because you’re one friendly nod away from surprise sexy-times with every person you pass on the street (with the likelihood doubled should it be with the gender you are attracted to).
Anime’s tendency to snowball any situation from placid to crazy to what-even-the-hell-is-going-on is nothing new for me. Nevertheless, the lengths Nande Koko ni Sensei ga went to were in a class of their own.
Putting the BS aside, this series actually did have excellent comedic timing. There were several occasions when Nande Koko ni Sensei ga got a legitimate, non-ironic laugh out of me. This show knew how to deadpan. When everyone’s clothes weren’t falling off, the frequent one-liner would slip out. Plus, there was the type of weirdness that was just funny.
For instance, during the Tachibana-Ko arc, there was a quick shot of the kitchen at the restaurant where Ko Tanaka worked. No setup, no explanation, no later references, just a one-time look at the cook staff which was made up of an army of fired-up muscle heads. It was utterly random, but goddamn it if it didn’t make me laugh.
And in a nutshell, that was Nande Koko ni Sensei ga. It was a bad show, but I would also be lying if I said I didn’t find enjoyment in it.
Series Negatives
Nande Koko ni Sensei ga was a series about high school teachers dating their students. Already that’s an irredeemable quality. Whatever may be attached with it (solid comedic timing and all), that is something you don’t come back from. So, even before I started watching this show, it was never going to be earning a recommendation from me.
You can shout, “Unfair” as loud as you want. There may not be a type of anime I won’t review (minus pure hentai), but there are shows I will refuse to put my name behind no matter what positivity there is. Ultimately, the choice is yours whether you want to watch a series or not. I’ll list what’s good and bad, and what you decide to do after my final recommendation is on you.
With that said, what were some of Nande Koko ni Sensei ga’s weaknesses? Naturally, this is excluding the over the top ecchi nature of this series; which, by the way, I’m not convinced was a weakness given how ridiculous it was.
However, that ridiculous-factor was a bit of a double-edged sword. There are particular aspects of Nande Koko ni Sensei ga which can be described as memorable. Not among them are the characters.
As I said earlier, you can’t go into this show expecting a strong cast. Be that as it may, there is a difference between not expecting good characters, and a show not having good characters. And for the record, when I say, “not good,” what I mean is, “bland and basic.”
Of the teachers, each of them fell into one of four classifications:
- Ms. Kojima – tsundere (outwardly hostile, but inwardly affectionate)
- Ms. Matsukaze – dandere (quiet and shy)
- Ms. Hazakura – deredere (hyper and energetic)
- Ms. Tachibana – kuudere (cold and emotionless)
Just looking at their character designs, you can effortlessly put together a well-rounded idea of what kind of person the four teachers were.
As for the guys, each of them fell into one of one classification:
- The person with the penis.
Nande Koko ni Sensei ga was broken up into four parts, one for each of the teachers and their respective love interest. While a specific arc was unfolding, this series went all in. The focus, the entirety of it, was on the main couple in question. Everything and everyone else was inconsequential. Hence, for example, when the show was occupied with Ms. Matsukaze and Rin Suzuki, everything that had to do with Ms. Kojima and Ichiro Sato was dropped. As a consequence, you forget Ms. Kojima and Ichiro were ever a thing. It doesn’t matter that their storyline occurred immediately before Ms. Matsukaze and Rin’s.
That is why I can’t stress this enough. Nande Koko ni Sensei ga is simply one of those shows that knows what it is, an excuse to have pretty anime babes in sexy situations. If that sounds even a little interesting to you, then I suppose there isn’t anything I could say to convince you otherwise.
Final Thoughts
This show didn’t catch me off guard. All it took was one look, and I knew exactly what I was getting myself into.
And had that not happened, the very first scene was Ichiro Sato somehow stuck in the restroom stall where Ms. Kojima was doing her business. A series isn’t really designed to be a masterpiece after something like that.
This show was directed towards a very specific audience. If you’re a part of that audience, well, I guess you could do worse.
And if you’re not, then Nande Koko ni Sensei ga is one you can skip.
But these are just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen this show? How would you advise Nande Koko ni Sensei ga? Leave a comment down below because I would love to hear what you have to say.
And if you’ve liked what you read and want more anime content, please follow me at LofZOdyssey Anime Reviews or on Twitter @thelofzodyssey.
Also, be sure to subscribe here at The Outerhaven and never miss all your video game, anime, and other nerdom news and content.
I’m LofZOdyssey, and I will see you next time.
