Jigoku Sensei Nube Review
Somehow, I managed to binge watch a drama despite my busy work schedule, and how could I resist this one? I love Maruyama and I tend to lean more towards supernatural/fantasy types of shows to watch. So how does Jigoku Sensei Nube fare against others? Let's begin, shall we?
Synopsis: Nueno Meisuke is the homeroom teacher of a 2nd grade 3 class in high school. He is referred to as Nube. He sometimes carries himself as an idiot, but he does care about his students a lot. He also has a hidden side. Nueno has a demon's hand. He solves monstrous cases and fights desperately to save students from monsters.
The demon hand had me sold before starting this show as well as the fact that Maruyama played the titular character. It's a really cut and dry synopsis that gives the viewer a basic sense of what they'll be watching for the next ten episodes.
Important Characters:
Nueno "Nube" Meisuke - mission: protect all of the students
Rtakahashi Ritsuko - Nube's crush, believes in science and cold, hard facts
Tamamo Kyosuke - the "mysterious" economics teacher with silver hair
Baki - that pesky red-faced demon in Nube's left hand
Breaking it Down: I'm going to be completely honest. If I only had, had the time to sit down and watch two episodes I don't know if I would have continued with the series until the very end. The first two episodes give off a very "Gokusen" vibe where Nube slowly reveals his demon hand to his students and they come to appreciate him more. Coupled with a very heavy hand of cliches to the story and plot, it's not something that I would have recommended to anyone else.
The third episode changed my mind about the series. It's here where we're met with Nube's fear of the entire class discovering his secret and rejecting it. What's brilliant about this episode is that it takes that thought, puts it on the back burner, and goes for that Gokusen vibe. Just as Nube is about to protect the next student, the rest of the class shows up, and we see a little character development from Nube and he pushes away his fear to protect every member of his class. It's a brilliant turn of events and keeps this show from staying on the Gokusen track.
Now, because it is a school based drama, there are episodes riddled with cliches: the student who doesn't know what they want to do after high school episode, the "getting into trouble after discovering the magical side of the world" episode, the two sides hating each other and coming together at the end episode, the evil younger brother episode, and the big, bad villain episode. Also, daddy issues. Lots of daddy issues.
There are cliches being thrown around everywhere, but the way the writers protray these cliches is what makes this series, or maybe its just because of the yokai element being thrown in. Either way, the episodes stand out from the rest and you're able to enjoy these cliche episodes without rolling your eyes and wishing you picked another series to watch. Also, because this is a series based on a 90's manga, I'm not going to give this show too much criticism for its cliches because the source material is a little older.
Without going too much into the final episode, because this drama was released a year ago and I want to avoid too many spoilers, this is where the drama lost me. After so much build up and love and adoration, the last episode was not handled well. Of course, as a viewer, we know that Nube will eventually either stay at the school or move on. It's what happens. But the first 22 minutes made me so incredibly angry and frustrated with the "main villain" of the show. It's....exasperating to watch.
In regards to character development, the show is a little choppy with how its handles the main character's growth. For Ritsuko, she's so set in not believing in yokai and supernatural things, when she does have experience with yokai and Nube protecting her, she immediately believe it without any hesitation. For the viewer, its a little hard to believe. Also her sudden love for Nube...it's a little strange. As for Tamamo's character development, he goes through more of a roller coaster, up and down since Nube sparred his life in the second episode, and its more believable. Since he's lived for the purpose of hating humans, his switching sides and conflicting feelings over wanting to protect humans is believable.
As for Nube, his character stays fairly stagnant throughout the show until he overcomes his own issues towards the end and admits his faults. But the character we see throughout the show, a man who is serious when his students are on the line and silly when yokai aren't involved. It is a pleasure to watch every moment Nube is on screen. Maruyama Ryuhei handled the role well, almost as if he was born to play Nube. His comedic timing is a little rough in the first episode, but once the viewer is accustomed to the cliches, Maruyama's comedic timing feels just right and perfect for the role. You can't help but laugh.
Score: 3/5
Final Thoughts: If you don't mind cliches, and can look past how the show handles its final episode, Jigoku Sensei Nube is for you. You laugh, you cry, and you become so attached to the titular character you can't help but root for him every time. If you're a Maruyama Ryuhei fan, you're going to want to watch this show.