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 32: I’m Sorry for Being Born on November 4th
Previous chapters: , Be mindful of first-timers; please use spoiler text for any spoilers.
I’m very sorry for this late chapter. Something came up unexpectedly, and I didn’t have the opportunity to access my computer until now. __________
>I’m Sorry for Being Born on November 4th This title is a reference to Osamu Dazai’s 1937 novel, Nijusseiki Kishu (“A Standard-Bearer of the 20th Century”), in which the protagonist says, “I’m sorry for being born.”
>Famous people The list of people with birthdays around November 4 includes anime director/screenwriter Yoshiyuki Tomino, Golgo 13 manga creator Takao Saito, and many other celebrities.
>Kurushimimasu tree “Kurushimimasu Tree” sounds a lot like Christmas tree, which is pronounced “Kurisumasu Tsurii.” Kurushimimasu literally means “you will suffer.” Tsuri sounds like the English “tree” but can also be read as “hanging.”
>Kurushimimasu cards The cards are takeoffs on actual consumer finance bank cards.
>Assorted references Cocco (1977- ) is a J-pop singer whose 1997 single “Countdown” is apparently not held in high esteem by Koji Kumeta. “Eating your brain” refers to Hannibal Lecter, the fictional cannibal mastermind of Thomas Harris’s novels Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs, and Hannibal. NEET stands for “Not currently engaged in Employment, Education, or Training.” It’s usually used to refer to adult losers who still live with their parents. (See also the reference on page 141.)
>Fish scale This is a reference to a Japanese saying, me kara uroko ga ochiru (“fish scales fall from the eyes”). It means that a person is suddenly “brought to their senses,” i.e., awakened to the truth of something.
>Dictator’s switch The dokusaisha switch (“dictator’s switch”) is one of the many strange and marvelous tools used by the title character of the manga and anime Doraemon. By using the switch, Doraemon can make people disappear leaving no traces of their former existence.
Assorted references In addition to people, the tree is decorated with various things that cause suffering (such as childbirth, company “restructuring,” which usually entails people getting laid off, etc.). Hidetsugu Aneha (1957- ) is a former Japanese architect sentenced to five years in prison for falsifying data on earthquake safety. While he was in the public eye, he also received a lot of media attention to the style of his glasses.
And that's all for today. Sorry again for dumping so late, it wasn't by choice. Tomorrow's chapter might be around 12AM UTC, but I'm expecting it to be closer to the usual time than today. So anyways, have you finished your Christmas shopping yet?
this chapter has 1 Tsunetsuki, 2 pantyshot, 1 Uropen, 0 Amakudari-sama 3 Miss Yoshiko Sakurai, and 0 eye of darkness. This time kumetan isn't certain Amakudari-sama isn't there either, so he may be. Probably not though. There's also a bit of a philosophical note on whether or not Abiru's peek in the first page should be considered a pantyshot, but I kept it out of the count
