Gokusen

Sequel: Gokusen 2, Gokusen 3, Gokusen Graduation Special '09

Gokusen (ごくせん?) is a manga series by Kozueko Morimoto. The story follows Kumiko Yamaguchi, the granddaughter of a Yakuza boss and teacher at an all-male private high school. In 2008, a SP manga was out, featuring some of Yankumi's (Kumiko) old students who are by now working adults.

In 2002, the manga was adapted into a television drama with Yukie Nakama in the title role. A second series was produced in 2005. An animated adaptation ran in Nippon Television from 6 January 2004 to 30 March 2004.

The third season of the series was aired as Nippon Television's 55th Anniversary Program in 2008.

A movie as part of the drama was released in Japanese theaters on July 11, 2009.

SYNOPSIS

The plot involves Kumiko Yamaguchi, the granddaughter of a Yakuza boss, Kuroda of the Kuroda Ikka. Her parents died when she was younger, and her grandfather has no other descendants, so Kumiko is next in line to head the family business with the title of Ojou. However, her lifelong dream has been to become a teacher. While her grandfather approves of her choice, others in the family want her to become the next boss.

Kumiko (known by her students as "Yankumi") becomes a teacher at an all-boys private high school. Her class is full of delinquents, but she tries her hardest to teach them not just about academics (her subject is Mathematics), but about lessons of life, much like any "dedicated teacher" story. Though she's forced to keep her family a secret from the public, her Yakuza upbringing gives her the strength and the experience to reach out to her students, while also providing comedic relief.

CAST

Oedo Family

• Yukie Nakama (仲間 由紀恵) as Kumiko Yamaguchi (Yankumi / Ojou / Kumiko) (Math Teacher)
• Ken Utsui as Ryuichiro Kuroda (Kumiko's grandpa / 3rd Generation Oedo Yakuza Boss)
• Kenji Anan as Hiro Wakamatsu
• Ken Kaneko as Tetsu Asakura
• Shinji Uchiyama (内山 信二) as Minoru Tatsukawa
• Hiroshi Ryogoku (両國 宏) as Makoto Sugawara

Note: The Ooedo Family cast members remain the same throughout all three seasons of Gokusen.

Shirokin High School

• Misaki Ito as Shizuka Fujiyama (English Teacher)
• Yuko Nakazawa as Kikuno Kawashima (School Nurse)
• Osami Nabe as Osamu Ando (Social Studies Teacher)
• Masahiro Kohmoto as Kouhei Iwamoto (P.E. Teacher)
• Ichirou Ookuma (大隈 いちろう) as Hajime Oyama (Science Teacher)
• Ryosei Tayama as Gonzou Shirakawa (Principal)
• Satoru Saito as Kanji Washio (Japanese Language Teacher)
• Ikki Sawamura as Tomoya Shinohara (Police Officer)
• Tadashi Sakata (坂田 聡) as Yutaka Kashiwagi (Police Officer)

Class 3D

• Jun Matsumoto (松本 潤) as Shin Sawada
• Shun Oguri (小栗 旬) as "Uchi" / Haruhiko Uchiyama
• Hiroki Narimiya as Takeshi Noda
• Yuma Ishigaki as Youichi Minami
• Jun Kawai (河合潤) as Jun Kechi
• Kouhei Kou (港耕平) as Kouhei Imagawa
• Hiroshi Okabe (岡部紘樹) as Hiroshi Uesugi
• Yusuke Kamiji Yusuke (上地雄輔) as Yuusuke Ooishi
• Masayuki Izumi (泉政行) as Masayuki Oouchi
• Kouji Kanazawa (金沢浩司) as Kouji Oda
• Ren Matsuzawa (松沢蓮) as Ren Gamou
• Eiki Kitamura (北村栄基) as Eiki Shimazu
• Ryuji Sainei (載寧龍二) as Ryuuji Senzoku
• Sho Tomita as (冨田翔) Sho Takeda
• Shigeo Tomita (富田樹央) as Shigeo Chikamatsu
• Hitoshi Sasaki (佐々木仁) as Hitoshi Hazama
• Masafumi Hatakenaka (畠中正文) as Masafumi Hattori
• Katsutaka Furuhata (古畑勝隆) as Katsutaka Fujiwara
• Yuuya Nishikawa (西川祐也) as Yuuya Houjou
• Hiromi Nagayama (長山浩巳) as Hiromi Hosokawa
• Ryoji Morimoto (森本亮治) as Ryouji Horibe
• Shingo Yashiro (八代真吾) as Shingo Maeda
• Makoto Onodera (小野寺尊允) as Makoto Matsudaira
• Kenichi Matsuyama (松山研一) as Kenichi Mouri
• Mitsuru Nishitani (西谷有統) as Mitsuru Yagyu
• Tomohiro Waki as Kumai TeruoOther cast
• Katsuhisa Namase as Goro Sawatari (the Vice Principal of all of the high schools Yankumi worked at on all three seasons)
• Tomohiro Waki (脇 知弘) as Teruo "Kuma" Kumai (a student of Class 3D at Shirokin High School (Season 1) → the owner of the ramen restaurant named "Kumai Ramen" (Season 2-3))
• Mikihisa Azuma as Masayoshi Baba (a PE Teacher who first appeared on Season 2 and returned on Season 3)