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The two specials are called 'Botchan' and 'Student Days', and they both cover a similar topic in one way or another - the Japanese education system.
'Botchan' features an inexperienced teacher of the same name from Tokyo, Japan entering his first teaching position far away from his home city. In Japan, a great deal of respect is to be given to one's teacher, but in 'Botchan', the opposite of that occurs. Botchan's students harass and make fun of him, and he does the same back. The students call him names, and Botchan calls them "idiots." This kind of relationship in 'Botchan' is strange, because it's not typical for a teacher to degrade his own students, or even fall to his students' level of immaturity. Someone in class mentioned that it's usual for the students to misbehave and harass their teachers in all-boy schools. I don't have any personal experiences to back that claim, but I have no doubt that it's true. But what I'm wondering is if all-boy schools in Japan have students who misbehave and harass their teachers? Since Japan is known for their more strict and rigid schools, I'm curious to know if the students there would pull such disrespectful acts.
Another relationship is explored in 'Botchan' as well, between the faculty of the school. It seems that the teachers with more experience, the ones who've been there longer, deserve more respect than the newbies. Also, the principal and vice-principal are given more respect and more dominance over the schools than the teachers. I feel like these two types of relationships are typical, even in schools in the United States, but is given more emphasis in Japan.
I do want to say one thing as a "critic," though. 'Botchan' is strange in that it doesn't really have any likable characters, other than one or two of its supporting characters. The titular character is almost as unappealing as his students and Red Shirt and Buffoon. The only redeeming qualities to 'Botchan' are Porcupine guy and Weakling. But hey, I liked it more than 'Ninja Scroll'! Lol.
As for 'Student Days', it's a much better anime than 'Botchan'. The main character is a hardworking student preparing for a big entrance exam. When he meets the "love of his life," he plans to pass his exam and then propose and marry the girl right after. Also studying for the same entrance exams is the main character's younger brother. The brother doesn't care to study much, and he soon forms a relationship with the older brother's "girl." In the end, the main character fails the exam, while his brother passes it and wins the girl. 'Student Days' is a really depressing anime, constantly throwing it's main character horrible luck until it all becomes too much for the guy. In the end he commits suicide, and we feel for him.
'Student Days' presents a dramatic take on the stressful life of a typical student in Japan. Entrance exams are one of the most important things in the life of a Japanese student. Passing the exam means getting into a prestigious college, setting himself on course for the rest of his life. Students study for weeks in trying to pass the entrance exams because they're so rigorous. 'Student Days' shows just how important education and studies is to a person's life in Japan.
I definitely agree with you when you say that both anime are exaggerated versions of school life not only in Japan, but I'm sure most other places as well.
ReplyDeleteWith Botchan, the level of disrespect given both both the titular character and his students is appalling, but I would not say that it is really atypical. When I was in elementary school, one woman's English class locked her out of the classroom and never let her in even as she was beating the glass window to get inside. The kids were bad, but only because she let them get to her, and also because she was a little crazy.
I also agree that the faculty hierarchy shows to be true in just about every school environment.
I actually found Botchan more likable than School Days. I hate the way that I felt for Kenkichi, and I was definitely rooting for him, but then he ended up failing horribly. And to add insult to injury, his little brother, who was NOT taking the test seriously at all, passed, AND he took the girl that Kenkichi was after!
It really angered me.
UGH, forgot to comment until just now. Whoops. But anyway, how can you like Botchan more than Ninja Scroll??? NINJA SCROLL WAS AWESOME! I respect your opinion though, because Botchan did bring some interesting topics to the table, such as the corrupt and sneaky fraternizing in school systems, as seen in the relationship between Buffoon and Red Shirt. And it is odd that Botchan has an unappealing, quite aggressive personality. That made for more interesting conflicts though, I suppose. My favorite character was Porcupine! He seemed like a cool guy.
ReplyDeleteEven though Student Days was terribly sad, I liked it. It was so depressingly relatable to young students, and people in general these days, succumbing to suicide because they feel they aren't worthy in comparison to others. Okay, but really, why did that poor guy have to suffer through the pain of losing an almost lover AS WELL AS feeling so inferior to his younger brother? So sad. Too sad. By the way, you are a really good writer.