Gakkatsu 4-7: Mommies, Princes, Sun Fish, and the Appropriate Reaction to Duckface

Surprisingly, Gakkatsu continues to be a fresh 5 minutes of intense classroom debate. As Chiho, class president, leads the homeroom in a gambit of “What to call your mother?”, a goodbye to a dearly loved class member, and to never give up on our dreams. Quite honestly, I wish my homerooms in high school had been like this…

While dynamic and fast-paced, with simple but elegant tranes of thought, I disagree with Chiho’s conclusion that male students cannot resist duckface. I don’t know where the writers got this idea, but they certainly haven’t seen Facebook in a while. Maybe it was supposed to be ironically funny, and I just missed it. The appropriate reaction to a girl “duckfacing” is typically shouting and posting derogatory slurs aimed her lack of intelligence and/or silly appearance.

But other than that, the discussions Chiho leads are gripping, intense, and sometimes heart-warming. Who knew such truths could be boiled down in under 5 minutes? I keep expecting Chiho to tackle peace in the Middle East or a solution to world hunger. But I guess figuring out an appropriate way to address your mother is good too…

Gakkatsu – BeldenOtaku’s Photobucket

Gakkatsu: I’ve never seen such…interesting….debate

Back with the first 3 episodes of the Spring 2012 series, Gakkatsu. Gakkatsu centers around a homeroom class that uses its time to debate a particular topic for about 5 minutes (the length of an episode). So far, we’ve been treated to discussion over the bumpy thing on your wrist, why boys can’t use the restroom at school, and extraterrestrial lifeforms. Lead by their class president, Chiho Takachiho, the class participates in extremely random, yet enthusiastic debates.

Due to the 5 minute-format, it’d be hard to episodically blog about Gakkatsu, but I may bring it up every few episodes, and will do a final review at the end of the season. Though the format keeps it from really developing in any meaningful way, it’s still fun to watch this discussions play out, and the end is never as simple as it may seem (Chiho is determined to prove this so). The animation style is such that you’re more wrapped up in the dialogue and thought procession, more so than what’s actually going on. But it’s still a unique style, nonetheless.

I look forward to seeing what Chiho has in store for this homeroom, this center of epochal debate. I’m possibly more interested in seeing more of these solutions they keep coming up with, like a new word for the bump on your wrist, manly toilets for men, and being more understanding to our alien friends.

Until next time,
- BeldenOtaku