Majisuka Gakuen 5 Review

Title: Majisuka Gakuen 5

Genre: School, Fighting

Episodes: 12

Broadcast period: 2015-Aug to 2015-Oct

Cast: Miyawaki Sakura, Shimazaki Haruka, Yokoyama Yu, Kawaei Rina, Iriyama Anna, Kizakki Yuria, Kojima Mako, Owada Nana, Takahashi Minami and a whole lot of AKB48.

After a small fit with the yakuza, Antonio (Yamamoto Sayaka) is kidnapped and beaten. Salt (Shimazaki Haruka) decides to crash the party and beats the yakuza to the bulb, and manages to save Antonio, even though they are rival schools. This sparks worry at Majijo High School, but also anger at the yakuza who feel like they have been stepped on. The Rappappa, now with Sakura (Miyawaki Sakura) as one of the four since Bakamono (Kawaei Rina) gratuated, want to take it to the yakuza, but are told not to by Salt.

Bakamono on the other hand has gotten a job at a firm, only to find out that they are the very yakuza who had kidnapped Antonio, and want her to kill Salt by handing her the gun. At the same time other groups are fighting the smaller schools, in order to take down Majijo and Gekioko.

That same night Salt gets shot, and Majijo and the Rappappa have to decide how they are going to fight…

Well that escalated. I kind of watched all 4 seasons of Majisuka Gakuen with that one light feeling where I did not have to worry about the acting or the storyline, as I knew they weren’t that good to begin with. But the fifth season really took me by surprise: the story is so dark and the camera shots kind of improved, not to mention the storyline. I usually wondered while watching this type of drama, about the parents of the Yankees or the teachers. Surprisingly this time around they added both, and much more! I am a bit confused by why they decided to end the drama franchise like they did, but I guess five seasons is all they wanted to make.

Besides that, the acting didn’t really improve; maybe a little bit by a few of them, but not all of them. And generally even if they added all the things they did, the drama isn’t really going to get better.

So if you have watched the four seasons I do recommend this, if not, you won’t really find it that interesting..

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Majisuka Gakuen 3 Review

Title: Majisuka Gakuen Season 3 

Genre: School

Episodes: 12

Broadcast period:  2012-Jul to 2012-Oct

Opening song: Ponkotsu Blues by AKB48  

Cast: Shimazaki Haruka, Kizaki Yuria, Shimada Haruka, Oba Mina and a whole lot of AKB48

“Year 20XX. With the reform of the juvenile law, private prisons are born. Dangerous delinquent young girls, abandoned by society, school, and even their family, are gathered there. The detention period is unlimited. A battle ring where only the fittest survive. That is what you could call Prison HOPE, also known as Majisuka Prison” (Taken from intro).

Paru (Shimazaki Haruka) was one day brought to Prison HOPE, a correction facility for delinquent girls. The problem is, she has no memory of why or how, only short flashbacks. The guards and the inmates don’t make it easier for her; the only person that seems to be nice to her is Peace (Kizaki Yuria), a weak girl and her roommate who is somehow an outsider in the quarter ‘Habu’ where Paru is put. In Habu there are all in all 8 girls, where the leader, Nobunaga has left them for some unknown reason leaving the top spot vacant. The Habu quarter is split in two, by the two strongest after Nobunaga: Urusayo (Shimada Haruka) a strong girl and Daasu (Oba Mina), Nobunagas friend.

After Paru’s entrance, the Habu as well as the rival gang ‘Mongoose’ get shaken up big time, even though Paru only cares about finding about a so-called Keita…

Lol, I can’t explain my rating. There is just something about these girls beating the shit out of each other that I enjoy (It’s not the hitting part, It’s just the way they seem to be fighting for whatever they love with their bare hands that make me so linking it - a bit like CROWS 0). The acting was bad, occasionally good by some actors. The plot was silly, better than the other and lastly the involvement with the “other people” - meaning not just the girls from the school - made it more interesting. To sum up, only watch if you watched the other 2 seasons, it gives you a new breeze of air, or whatever..

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Majisuka Gakuen 2 Review

Title: Majisuka Gakuen 2
Genre: School
Episodes: 12
Broadcast period: 2011-Apr to 2011-Jul
Opening song: AKB48 - Yankee Soul
Cast: AKB48 and others..

After getting the teppen (top), Maeda Atsuko (Maeda Atsuko), an uproar started amongst the freshman and the rest of the school, led by Nezumi (Watanabe May), and her companion Center (Mastsui Jurina). But for some reason, Maeda had left the school, and has announced that Otabe (Yokoyama Yui) is the new president (which is only possible id the current president is beaten, In this case Maeda). If that’s not enough, Yabakune High School, another Yankee school, whom Majisuka had a truce with, gets a new leader, and buries the truce. The leader happens to be no other than Shibuya (Itano Tomomi) the ex-queen of the four queens of Rappapa, who has betrayed Majisuka because of a grudge on Maeda for beating her.
Now Majisuka High has to fight the terrorizing Yabakune High until Maeda returns.

I have to admit I liked season 2 better than season 1. In the first one it was just about getting the top and fighting till dead, but season 2 is about protecting what you love, in their case their school and the reputation of the school. I love the fact that it didn't just focus on Maeda, but gave the others room to not only shine but also progress, and show a more experienced side of themselves.. All in all, I like!

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥½ / 3½ out of 5 hearts

Majisuka Gakuen Review

Title: Majisuka Gakuen
Genre: School
Episodes: 12
Broadcast period: 2010-Jan8 to 2010-Mar
Opening song: Majisuka Rock n' Roll by AKB48
Cast: alot of AKB48 and Nachu.

This drama revolves around the school ’Majisuka Gakuen’, an all girl high school mainly for Yankees - the schools tagline is ’no one left behind’. The school is ruled by the Yankees and the fight for the ’Teppen’ (top) goes on every single day. On the current Teppen there is the ’Rappapa’ a group of seniors feared by all the students.
One day two new transfer students arrive, Onizuka Daruma (Nachu), pretty famous for being violent and enjoys fighting, and Maeda Atsuko (Maeda Atsuko), a quiet person who takes her studies seriously. One day Atsuko happens to be present as Daruma is beat up by a group of girls, and by hearing the word ’majisuka?’ (are you serious?), Atsuko freaks and beats up the group, only to get a follower in Daruma.
But Atsuko’s strength alarms the Teppen, and soon it’s a fight for the school…

LOL, the title suits this perfect, ”are you serious?”. This drama is basically about a bunch of girl fighting, totally meaningless brawls. Okay, meaningless is a bit hard, but it sort of ’bad crows zero’. The story is identical with Crows Zero, except for the lead not caring about the Teppen, which we all know is Genji’s (Oguri Shun) main goal.
But it isn’t all COMPLETELY bad. I have to give the ’behind the face’ stories a star, because they were neat, and I have to give the AKB48 girls a star, cuz they tried real hard to make this drama good, even though the screen play sucked. The last half star goes to the fact that it is a girl school, and not a boy school, which threw me off in the beginning, but ended up liking it…

☆☆½ / 2½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts