Episode title: That Yankumi has returned. Finally, the revival of the legendary school drama!!

Like the previous installments of the Gokusen live action series, this one started with the introduction of the most notorious class 3-D in a new school, Akadou Academy. We see someone walking in a red gym suit with the camera only focused on the feet. Now who could it be huh? *cough*Yankumi*cough* The classroom looked like 10 delinquent elephants rumbled in there. The students are typically 3-Dish like the previous ones, delinquent and all that jazz. And so the person in the red suit enters the classroom and the 3-D students stopped to stare. The camera pans from the gym-suit-person’s feet up to the shoulders where I was just wondering when the hell Yankumi gained such guyishly broad shoulders.

Then a focus on the head floored me as Sawatari-san (The principal from previous Gokusens) was revealed.

Hah! I seriously wasn’t expecting that.

Obviously he is doing things exactly like how Yankumi does it in the past, everything from the usual beginning of class speech, to the jersey, and down to the wooshy expressions. It was hilarious!

…and then he was thrown out of the classroom like a pinball, literally.

Because it’s a new school, we’re introduced to new characters. 3:35 minutes into the film and I’m left wondering if Yankumi will still be there.

The teachers bow at the Chairman who just arrived, looking a lot like Hitler, and I sense she is very much the villain in the series but let’s see. She expresses disappointment at how Principal Sawatari failed at the first day. So, feeling cornered, principal Sawatari suggested a teacher he knows that could tame the 3-D delinquents.

and so we’re taken to a mountain top overlooking the ocean or sea where a familiar face is giving the usual speech about all the positive-looking-forward stuff that she always talks about. And yeah this time it’s Yankumi. I just want to add that the sight is seriously pretty. I really need a vacation right now.

…and so we’re left wondering who the hell she’s talking to now. The previous Gokusen has her in the same spot (I think) talking to a bunch of kindergarten students. So this time it’s a:

bunch of foreign students who couldn’t understand a word that she just said. Hah! Which ended up with her getting fired for the reason that she just teaches these foreign students weird Yakuza Japanese slangs.

Just look at that ocean/sea behind her. I would love to live in a place near that!

Ok going back… So Yankumi is jobless now and probably pondering what she’d do next. Sitting at the side of the road without a camera to take full advantage of the awesome view.

…and then principal Sawatari came to ask for directions. Which took them a few seconds to actually figure out who they’re talking to, surprising them both.

Eye-poppingly surprised.

Will someone please stop me from taking random screenshots. The first episode was just set at such an awesome place that gives us these wicked views and if I were there I’d be taking shots like there’s no tomorrow!

Well hello there cute little store, where principal Sawatari asked Yankumi to teach at Akadou Academy. And taking it as a lucky chance, she excitedly agreed.

…which ended up with her running happily towards the ocean/sea, with the crew obviously taking full advantage of the whole scenery. Damn them! I’m phoning a travel agency now to have me moved to Japan.

Yankumi and principal Sawatari came back to Tokyo to Yankumi’s house where again we see familiar faces, Tetsu, dumpling Minoru, and the rest of her Yakuza family.

In the middle of the meal she was given a gift by her subordinates and I was in sync with Yankumi in guessing that it’s either a kimono or a pink flashy suit like the ones given to her before. Luckily it was just a jersey. But this time I wasn’t in sync with her in believing that it’s just some ordinary jersey.

Ofcourse it has to have the Yakuza touch. With a huge 4th generation Oedo family writing at the back. and Math sucks.

Is this how schools in Japan looks like? That’s some serious architecture going on in there.

So Yankumi gets introduced to the rest of the staff following a run-in to another familiar face from Gokusen 2. Baba-sensei.

And there’s some serious grunge look I’d have to take note of.

So Yankumi enters the class, introduced herself, got stared at, and as usual ignored. A ruckus started and then we’re introduced to our first delinquent 3-D cutie.

and another one.

and I thought 3-D class is composed of just…boys?

Yankumi quickly assumed that Ogata Yamato is the leader. But then another bunch of guys came in and some of the students salutes Kazama Ren.

and I assume these two are his sidekicks.

It’s the beginning, I know, but I’m somehow disappointed at how the main characters looks. Gokusen 2 leads are hella cuter and ofcourse the original Gokusen 1’s cast could have their current star status to speak for themselves. But ofcourse there’s the type that will just grow on you. I’m hoping these bunch are that type.

and so… I was quick to judge.

They both look ok at an angle…

So turns out these two are both leaders in their respective classes and both being thrown into one class has made all hell broke lose.

The teachers talked about the recent bad events that happened around their areas and quickly assumed that it was one of the 3-D boys’ doing. Ofcourse Yankumi wasn’t as quick to believe the rumors but unsurprisingly, principal Sawatari is the opposite. I thought if I would be in his place, knowing all the Yakuza background on Yankumi, I’d be reducing all that eye-popping staring down thing he usually does and just sit in a corner and pee myself.

The teachers went drinking to welcome the new teachers but like in previous Gokusens (again) Yankumi is being ignored for the two cute teachers. 27 minutes in the episode and I’m wondering if Baba sensei is Yankumi’s main love interest this season…errr…not likely. Right? That same night, a lady was attacked and all we see is the shadow of the attacker. Meanwhile, Yamato sees Ren running away from something.

The next morning, Yankumi’s running late for work and she accidentally ran into a guy who is also running late.

Ahhh there’s our destined partner… and we get a younger guy this time. I think this guy could pass as one of Yankumi’s students though. So after apologizing, he left and Yankumi picks up a book that our mystery guy dropped. As Yankumi was daydreaming about her destined man, Kumai Teruo passes by in a bicycle. She ignores him and skips happily to school with squeaky kid’ shoes effect.

At the classroom, principal Sawatari and another teacher came to get Ren because he is being accused for the mugging incident last night. (And I must say, that Ren is starting to grow on me. But Yamato still looks like a chic.) Ren was suspended and when Yankumi confronted the boys about not caring about what happened to their classmate, Yamato admitted that he saw Ren near the tunnel last night.

Well good morning hottie. Yankumi visits Ren in his house asking him to tell her the truth about the tunnel incident. (That’s it! Ren is now the number one reason I’m watching Gokusen 3!) Ren admits to Yankumi that he’s at the scene and blah blah blah about his childhood being accused all the time.

Yankumi draws up a sketch of the perpetrator along with descriptions that Ren gave him. A skull necklace and a tribal tattoo on the right arm. She passes it around, persuading everyone to help out but the rest of the 3-D students aren’t interested. Except for Yamato who is slightly showing curiosity as to Yankumi’s actions.

Yankumi sure works hard searching for the culprit.

As Yamato and his sidekicks are talking about the incident about Ren, the two cops investigating the tunnel incident overhears and invited Yamato to tell on what he knows.

OMG hawt!!!!!!

With Yamato’s information, Ren was taken into police custody to investigate more on the matter. The silly little fuckers… err police took him with them as Yankumi tries to stop them.

Surprisingly, Yamato realizes Yankumi’s dedication and started to search for the culprit himself. And he runs into the culprit at a bar.

Well hello there Mr. Perpetrator! Won’t you perpetrate me? Sorry that was my inner pervert talking. But the culprit is just so f-ing hot! Why isn’t he in the cast!??!

Yamato followed him, disappointingly indiscreetly, and unsurprisingly got discovered and cornered by the uber hottie perpetrator and his gang.

Yankumi found out about Yamato’s actions and quickly ran to save him. As we get shown another familiar scene of a student getting a good beating from a bunch of ugly jerks and a hottie.

And againnnnn another familiar scene of someone banging at a huge steel door, and comes a familiar figure coming out from the smoke.

(I’m seriously imagining Gokusen 15 and this scene will still be there. Can’t they think of another grand entrance besides this?) I don’t really want to write anymore on what happened next because it’s the same old formula with just a few changes on the dialogue. Ok, fine for the sake of those who haven’t watched the previous Gokusens, Yankumi beats up all the fuglies and the hottie last while making a speech about how bad they’ve become.

Pretty Sakura tree and Yankumi lying.

The episode ended with a Yankumi speech about how a real comrade would stick up with each other not just through times of fun but also in times of trouble.

Despite all the common scenes recycled from previous Gokusens, I enjoyed the episode which maybe because I was already expecting from the beginning for Gokusen 3 to be a recycle of Gokusen 1 and 2 just like how Gokusen 2 is a recycle of the first one. I pretty much enjoyed the eye-candy, namely Kazama Ren and Hiro (the hottie perpetrator). Too bad it’s the last we see of him. And I would say it is still interesting to watch nonetheless.

— I’m providing this summary for my friends who couldn’t watch the drama online. Thank you SARS fansubs for the subs. =)