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?
>Setsubun, throwing beans Setsubun is the day before the beginning of spring in Japan. The name literally means “sea- sonal division.” In its association with the Lunar New Year, Setsubun was previously thought of as a sort of New Year’s Eve, and so was accompanied by a special ritual to cleanse away the evil of the former year and drive away evil spirits for the year to come by throwing beans.
>Shoplifter-busters Shoplifter-busters (“Manbiki G-men”) was a popular television drama from the 90s starring a female detective who would bust neighborhood shoplifters with her daughter and husband.
>Self-inflicted auto accidents Called “Atari-ya” in Japan, these are people who drive close to bicyclists and cause accidents on purpose in order to gain money from their insurance agreements.
