Nozomu Itoshiki is depressed. Very depressed. He’s certifiably suicidal, but he’s also the beloved schoolteacher of a class of unique students, each charming in her own way: The stalker. The shut-in. The obsessive-compulsive. The girl who comes to class every day with strange bruises. And Kafuka, the most optimistic girl in the world, who knows that every cloud has a silver lining. For all of them, it’s a special time, when the right teacher can have a lasting positive effect on their lives. But is that teacher Itoshiki, a.k.a. Zetsubou-sensei, who just wants to find the perfect place to die?
Chapter 11: May the Moon of This Month's Evening Cloud Over with My Tears
>Hikikomori Hikikomori is a Japanese term for individuals who have chosen to withdraw from society and not leave their homes. The word comes from the verb hikikomoru, which means “stay indoors” or “be confined indoors.” It is considered a serious social problem in Japan. Komori’s name comes from the hikikomori phenomenon.
>May the Moon of This Month's Evening Cloud Over with My Tears Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei’s chapter titles are usually references to classic Japanese fiction. This title is a reference to Koyo Ozaki’s 1897-1902 novel Konjiki Yasha (“The Golden Demon,” also known as “The Usurer”), in which a wealthy suitor comes between a poor young couple.
>Hanging wishes This chapter takes place during the beautifully lit-up, night-time festivities of the Tanabata Festival (or Star Festival), held annually in summer. During Tanabata, people write their wishes on strips of paper, known as tanzaku, and hang them on special bamboo branches in hopes that their wishes come true. The festival celebrates the meeting of the stars Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair) who, at other times of the year, are separated by the Milky Way. According to mythology, these two lovers are allowed to meet only once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.
>Assorted references The Great King of Terror is a character from the prophecies of Nostradamus, who was supposed to begin his reign of terror in July 1999. “JR” stands for the Japan Railways Group, which operates most of Japan’s railway network. The “Cool Biz” campaign was a 2005 Japanese environmental campaign to save electricity by dressing casually at work and using less air-conditioning. (“Warm Biz” was an unofficial counter-proposal to save electricity during winter by wearing heavy turtleneck shirts.) “May He Walk” refers to Futa-kun, a red panda at the Chiba Zoo who became a big attraction due to his ability to stand on his hind legs. Tamao Nishi is the name of a bearded seal who took up residence in a river in Yokohama’s Nishi Ward, and was so beloved by the locals, that he was registered as a citizen under the name Tamao Nishi. Dr. Nakamatsu (or as he calls himself, Dr. Nakamats) is a colorful inventor of strange devices who has repeatedly run for governor of Tokyo.
>President Kosaku Shima This is a reference to Shaché Shima Kosaku (“President Kosaku Shima”), the manga by Kenshi Hirokane. Hirokane’s businessman hero, Kosaku Shima, first appeared in 1983, and gradually rose through the corporate ranks, becoming company president in 2008 (a few years after this manga chapter first appeared, suggesting that Shima’s wish came true).
>Assorted references Ichiro Tanaka and Suzuki are characters who appeared in Zetsubou-sensei, volume 1, page 26, in which they previously expressed their dreams to join Japan’s J. League soccer league, aka J2 (Tanaka) and study at Momogi Animation School, aka Mo-Ani (Suzuki). Evidently they’re serious about their wishes. “The former Mr. Sekiutsu” is a character who appears in volume 1, page 121, having sold all that he possessed, including his internal organs. He sold his name to Maria Taro Sekiutsu.
>Assorted references Ichiro Suzuki is a Japanese-born outfielder for the Seattle Mariners. Prince Peter Kropotkin (1842-1921) was a famous Russian anarchist, scientist, and author. “Horiemon” is short for Horie Takafumi, founder of the Japanese Internet portal livedoor. (He was known as an “alchemist” in the IT industry, hence the wish for “gold.”) “Ayu” is short for Ayumi Hamasaki, the Empress of J-Pop, who easily sells a million CDs. The so-called Kano sisters are a pair of Japanese TV celebrities who are chiefly known for their flashy fashion sense and appearing nude together in photo books.
>“You, who sleeps, have you forgotten?” “You, who sleeps” (Utatane no kimi) is a verse from the poem Hasu no Hanabune (“Lotus Flower Boat”), from the book Midaregami (“Tangled Hair”) by Akiko Yosano (1878-1942). The poems deal with love’s awakening and carnal desire.
>Assorted references Morning Musume is a famous all-girl J-Pop group, founded in 1997. They have a revolving lineup with new girls auditioning for spots as others “retire.” Haru Urara is a Japanese racehorse, born in 1996, who became a sort of celebrity due to her unbroken string of 113 losses. Akira Kaji is a Japanese soccer player who lost a goal due to a controversial offside decision in a 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup against Brazil. “May I get together with Komuro” refers to the failed love affair between idol singer Tomomi Kahara and music producer/DJ Tetsuya Komuro. “May I be the chief mourner” refers to the public dispute between two popular sumo wrestlers, brothers Takanohana and Wakanohana, as to who was going to take over the honorable role of “chief mourner” at the funeral of their sumo wrestler father in 20085. (This incident is also referred to on page 35, and again on page 53.) Amuro and Lalah are characters from the 1979 anime series Mobile Suit Gundam. Touch is a famous 1981 baseball manga by Mitsuru Adachi, an artist Koji Kumeta admires.
>Assorted references “May I practice birth control” refers to Shido Nakamura and Yoko Takeuchi, actors who met on the set of the movie Be With You in 2004. They had an affair, Yoko became pregnant, and they were briefly married and then divorced. Kazuyoshi Miura is a Japanese soccer player who was not selected as a main registered member in the ’98 game and ended up unable to participate in the World Cup. Yama Hiraku is short for Taku Yamasaki, a Japanese Diet Member who was frequently embroiled in sex scandals and became famous for saying, “If I hadn’t been a Diet Member, I definitely would have been an adult video actor.” (“AV” is a Japanese abbreviation for “adult videos.”) Goku and Vegeta are characters in Akira Toriyama’s manga Dragon Ball, aka Dragon Ball Z. “Nacchi” is short for Natsumi Abe, a former member of Morning Musume, whose image was tarnished in 2004 by a plagiarism scandal. Kazuhide Uekusa was a former professor at Waseda University who was arrested in 2004 for peeping under girls’ skirts at a train station using a mirror.
And that's all for today. Do you have any wishes for the next life? Feel like sharing them? See you tomorrow. __________
>I want to be a shellfish in my next life This is a reference to the 1958 Japanese TV drama Watashi wa Kai ni Naritai (“I Want to Be a Shellfish”), which has been repeatedly remade, the most recent remake being in 2008.
