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 4 Review

Title: Majisuka Gakuen 4

AKA: Majisuka Academy 4

Genre: Teen, School, Action, Comedy

Episodes: 10

Broadcast period: Jan-2015 to Mar-2015

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

Since the students who made Majijo (Majisyka Jou Gakuen) notorious have graduated, the current Rappappa are living off the fame. Though the Four Heavenly Queens are strong they are not as tight-knitted group as they used to be. This all changes when a new transfer, Sakura (Miyawaki Sakura), student arrives. At first she has no interest in anyone, but soon she decides she wants to take the top - as she prefers to see things from above. This shakes the school’s grounds, but also excites the bored Salt -  who had been wanting to relive her boredom ever since she had beaten every single student in Majijo. On top of that the rival school Gekioko High want to finally beat their rivals once and for all...

Compared to season 1 and 2 (not mentioning season 3 as it about a prison not Majijo), the fighting is very very bad. I don't know if it because of the new cast or there is another director, but they really are bad at it - both the fighting and the 'beat' scenes. Atsuko is no longer there, not that I liked her, but there really isn'y anyone from the original series. Shimazaki Haruka, who plays Paru in season 3, is Salt is season 4 - the new head, but other than that nothing really is close to good acting. The lead is dull an quite a weird character - weird in the sense of not being portrayed as an actual human being, but rather a rag doll looking pretty - if being blank is pretty :S . The story is okay, I kind of like that the storyline has changed focus, meaning it is no longer about Atsuko, and that it once again is about getting to the top.

Whether it is recommendable or not, I have to say that unless you are a fan of AKB48, I don't really see why you should watch it... (and yes, I am a fan.. a bit :P)

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts