How does an optimist differ from a pessimist? A pessimist, dressed in kimono and hakama, deciding to hang himself on a blooming sakura tree, thought that things could not get any worse. But after chatting for a couple of minutes with a very optimistic schoolgirl, he realized he was wrong—the scariest part of his life had only just begun. So hanging oneself early is premature; one must ascend to Golgotha until the end. And so the unfortunate teacher named Nodzomu Itosiki went back to school, meeting a new class in which, of course, that same girl turned up. Thus went the working days of Itosiki‑sensei, who regularly recalled his favorite phrase: "I am in despair!" The imperfections of the world, the instability of personal life, selected scenes from an atlas of adolescent psychopathology flooding his class – there were more than enough reasons. The adventures, joys and sorrows of the "melancholic teacher" and his devoted 11th "E" class ultimately formed one of the most interesting textbooks on Japanese life, philosophy and culture, written in the spirit of postmodern absurd comedy – the signature genre of Shaft studio and director Simbo Akiyuki.
SHAFT Japan