Gokusen

Gokusen is without a doubt the fowlest manga I have ever allowed myself to read … and I’ve been following it for years.  It’s about a woman in her twenties who becomes a teacher in an extremely rough high school for boys.  You’d think that she wouldn’t be able to handle the delinquents that attend the school and go home crying after one day (after what they do on day one – I would have quit).  She doesn’t, because actually she’s a mafia princess and can handle anything these punks can throw at her.

                                                                     

The series was quite popular and had an anime and two seasons of a drama made for it.  Forget those.  The manga was where my heart was even though it was quite disgusting.  There’s frequent mention of prostitution, really bad language, and violence and icky vulgarities are abundant.  But I fell in love.  Our little teacher, Kumiko, has a student who is this brilliant boy who should have gone to an elite high school but because he punched out a teacher in junior high – he got stuck at the school for stupid rowdy boys.  His name is Shin.  He dyes his hair red and is eventually referred to as ‘Young Master Red Lion’ by the yakuza (Japanese mafia).  And guess what?   He’s suffering from an excruciating love for Kumiko.  That’s what got me.  Hook.  Line. Sinker.

The author places so many taboos in their relationship that it is totally and completely out of the question.  I decided that I would be satisfied with the series if he kissed her … once (P.S. That’s my favourite in Gone with the Wind when Rhett is like ‘Kiss me, Scarlet – ONCE’).  Anywoo – so today I finally got to read the end of Gokusen.  As an aside, it was really quite pathetic.  I heard the last chapter came out and I didn’t know how much I’d missed, so I went back and read like 20 chapters (maybe more) to catch up.  And it turned out that the only chapter I hadn’t read was the last one.  BUMMER.  In the last chapter Shin confesses that he loves her and he tries to kiss her … and she uppercuts him. 

MY HEART IS BROKEN.

I didn’t care if he got to be with her forever.  I didn’t care that he’d set up a way for him to follow her into her world.  I didn’t care about any of that.  All I wanted was a picture of him kissing her – ONCE. 

You see, this was my thing.  Other people have things they’re suckers for.  You know someone comes in while you’re reading and you throw a pillow at the door and yell, ‘Can’t you tell grandma’s watching her stories?’  That special thing that makes your heart flutter like you’re 13 again?  This was mine and he didn’t even get to kiss her ONCE. 

Thank goodness for fanart.