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The Return of Yamaguchi Kumiko
Enter Yamaguchi Kumiko, our heroine. She’s standing on a tree stump facing the
She turns around to face a group of people and give an impassioned speech. “Life is the same as this ocean. Sometimes, it's gentle. Sometimes, it's furious. The days pass like this eternally.” She briefly pauses for dramatic effect.
“Listen. Don't give up on life no matter how much suffering you endure. You have the power to overcome any adversity. Believe in your inner strength! Do you understand?”
While she honestly believes these words, they also also reflect the typical rhetoric of the（教職員組合）Kyoushokuin Kumiai (the teacher’s union).
Without warning, there’s an outburst of English. “What?” “I don’t understand!” “English please!” Now we see clearly Yamaguchi is teaching a class of international students. Unable to cope with their rapid fire of their words, she digs her dictionary from her pocket and asks them to speak slowly.
The Vice Principal, a dark-haired guy with a ponytail, appears and tells her that has a problem. She assures him she’ll study English harder. The English language is the Kyoushokuin Kumiai’s current pet project. I wonder if the writers are trying to tell us something.
He tells her English isn’t the problem. It’s something more fundamental: she teaches the students strange Japanese.
As if on cue, two girls face each other and say, “なめたら開かんぜ世- nametaraakanzeyo,” meaning “Don’t mess with me!” This is a famous line from the movie, Gokudo no Tsumatachi (Gotutsuma) – “Gangster Wives.” The word Gokusen (Gangster Teacher) is a spin-off of this title.
A boy steps forward with his hand extended. “おひかえなすって- Ohikaenasutte.” This is what two Yakuza say before they actually greet each other. Then they take a certain position and finally introduce themselves. Two different boys then clasp forearms and say, “義理と人情 – giri to ninjou,” meaning duty and compassion.
Yamaguchi wonders why the hell they only remember that Japanese.
As expected, she’s fired. The Vice Principal leads the students away and she runs after them in an effort to save her job. The VP is sarcastic. “Try English.” Arrogant bastard.
She can’t believe she was unceremoniously dumped just like that.
In the next scene, we see her struggling uphill with her luggage. She sits down at a bus stop. She’s screwed. The school probably provided room and board. Now she has neither.
As she sits there, someone approaches with a map. He asks for the directions to
Now they’re sitting at a picnic table just off a dusty road. It’s quite rustic .There’s even an ox pulling a cart. Both of them are wearing polite smiles. They are Japanese, after all. Civilized people go through great lengths to avoid conflict.
Sawatari praises Yamaguchi and she hides her luggage because she doesn’t want him to know she’s been fired. After he tells her he can looking for her specifically, she tells him why she ended up there in the first place.
She’s pissed; she’s talking through her teeth. “After the
Sawatari lowers his head on the table and begs her to return with him to
She does. “In other words, you want me to teach for you?” When he says she’s right, she faces the camera. “Lucky!” At that point, she turns the tables on him. “Since it’s you asking, I’ll do it as a favor.” This way she doesn’t have to admit she’s already been fired from the international school.
Sawatari is overjoyed. His ass is saved. Yamaguchi keeps up the pretense and says she’ll have to break the hearts of her students there. Sawatari continues to thank her. She says there’s no need for him to express gratitude. After all, they’re close friends. He doesn’t particular share that sentiment; however, he goes along with it because he thinks he’s won. Both cackle at each other, each thinking that they’ve won the battle and the war.
Abruptly, Yamaguchi bounces out of her seat and races towards the ocean. There she delivers yet another Kyoushokuin Kumiai speech. “To my precious students I haven't seen... I chose this path in order to meet you. There's no need to worry anymore. Let's laugh together, cry together, have heated debates... and pour out our hearts and souls. I'll be there soon. Wait for me!”
She’s overjoyed. Finally, she’ll have proper students in a proper high school. The poor thing is delusional.
Roll credits. English subtitles by Henna_Sapporo. Timing by Tianj. The Japanese script by Rokonoko. This is followed by an acknowledgment of the grand sponsors.
Page 1 - Hell is an
Page 2 - The Return of Yamaguchi Kumiko
Page 4 - Don’t Turn Your Back on Them
Page 6 - Cheers, Crime and Boyz on the Loose
Page 8 - Misconduct, Punishment and a Lie
Page 12 - The Fight to Save an Innocent
Page 13 - Redemption: A Leader is Born
Page 14 - To Protect What is Important