Dragon Zakura (2005)

Loved: Abe Hiroshi is excellent in this role (it was the first I saw him in and probably still my favourite) - he maintains the balance of strictness, understanding and self-interest well and the students develop a real rapport with him. While the students were all quite young when Dragon Zakura was filmed most of them are now big names (Yamashita Tomohisa, Koike Teppei, Nagasawa Masami, Aragaki Yui) and it's interesting to see where they started out (although the acting of some has definitely improved with time!).



Didn't Love: The student's homeroom teacher (played by Hasegawa Kyoko) can be annoying at times but she always has the student's best interests at heart. Like most high school doramas there is a whole bunch of anti-change teachers to irritate the viewer and an incompetent but well-meaning principal with a penchant for hats tops it off.



Dragon Zakura isn't just another high school dorama - it's unique, funny and focuses on encouraging the students to want to improve themselves and their lives, rather than just mass-producing exam bots who can't think for themselves. A feel good show with some wacky characters and teaching methods thrown in for good measure.



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A funny yet heart warming drama Dragon Zakura tackles the lives of teens who are always looked down upon and called "idiots".

This drama deals with very realistic problems that teens face everyday in schools and in their homes. I quite liked how there are many lessons you will learn just by watching this drama. I think you will be left with a little bit of a new outlook on life as i was.

The cast is jammed packed full of great actors and actresses such as Aragaki Yui (from Koi Zora), Koike Teppei (from Lovely Complex), Yamashita Tomohisa (from Kurosagi) along with the charming Abe Hiroshi.
I think the cast was perfectly matched to this drama and kept it interesting. Plenty of eye candy for both boys and girls!


Music wise all the music seem to fit really well into the story especially the opening theme song Realize by Melody.

I would recommend this drama to everyone, It has its funny moments but also has a very serious side to the drama that most people would understand and relate to.

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Story: 10
It's a mixture of everything (school, friendship, family, life, comedy!, and a bit of romance (if you can call those romance at all. lol)). I never thought I'd finish this one in just two days, but that's what exactly happened. Actually, I'm not really expecting much from this one, but the plot and the sequence of events really got me hooked. The story, like what is written in the Synopsis above, is about a lawyer attempts to get students from Ryuuzan High School (students studying here are known to be stupids) enters into the prestigious Todai (Tokyo University). The plot may sound lame to others, but wait till you see the acting and the drama itself. Or maybe, it's because I just really missed studying :'( (huhuhu). The other great thing about this drama is the humor incorporated in it. Each episode never fails to get a good laugh out of me. It has this "here we go again" comedy scenes, that keeps on appearing in the show. And lastly, it has life lessons, that can be really useful in everyday's life.

Acting/Cast: 10
I beg to differ to other reviews. I really thought that the casts did a great job on this one. They really portrayed and did able to convince me the characters that they're playing. The emotions that the scenes demands are executed by the casts properly.

Music: 7
The music doesn't stick to my head as much as the other dramas that I have watched. Though the music they used when they are about to take the exam really gets to me.

Rewatch Value: 8
I'm not really a big fan of rewatching a whole drama. I only rewatched funny scenes and other interesting scenes. Since this one has a lot of funny scenes, I'll not be surprised if I find myself rewatching it in the future.

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[WARNING: the rating and review I give have the possibility to be subjective due to my preference for the genres, scenes or casts]

I watched this dorama because of Koike Teppei, but I enjoy the whole performance (^_^) This is a good and inspiring dorama, which gave us lots of good tips about life and higher education. It's about determination and what kind of life and success you decide to be. It’s also funny to watch the ex-lawyer and an ex-motorcycle gang member to teach a high school student with all their mischief.

And it’s really funny to see all the young casts, especially Yamapi (^_^)

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Best drama to watch at the beginning of a new academic year

These types of dramas are timeless, heartwarming, funny, and rewatchable.
A simple story about stupid students in a special class to help them succeed and get into Tokyo university aka the best university in Japan.
The way it shows how the students are working hard/studying and how they’re supporting each other during the ups and downs is probably my favorite part which is the entire story lol.
tbh they could’ve added a whole romantic plot line but I appreciate how they focused on the friendship instead.
I highly recommend this drama it’s very enjoyable and you’ll probably learn a thing or two about studying or life.

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Amidst the plethora of high-school related dramas featuring the "inspiring teacher" trope, this "Dragon Zakura" stands out for a few reasons: first of all, that the "teacher" in question is actually not a teacher, but a lawyer (and there your "suspension of disbelief" superpowers will need to strongly assist you, 'cause the guy doesn't do anything even remotely related to a lawyer's job throughout the whole drama, LOL); secondly, because as an experienced teacher myself, I must say that some of the tips given by Sakuragi-sensei and his talented colleagues (I'm referring of course to the teachers he brings with him, not to the ones already in the school - those and the moronic principal should jump off a cliff and the cosmos wouldn't be any worse for that, quite the opposite, ehm), I was saying, some of the tips Sakuragi&Friends give are not only extremely accurate, but also denote, at least imho, that they originated from someone (I suppose, the manga author, right?) with both teaching experience and wits. And that, by itself, would deserve a 10.
Unfortunately, there are a few details I couldn't help but frown upon; I've already named a coupla (the school's "teachers" + why a *lawyer* as ML, for crying out loud?!? Pardon me, but I'm afraid I'm a true Shakespearean there - LOL some of you will get what I mean, otherwise google "Shakespeare" and "lawyers" ^__-), but there are more, for example the hairstyle of most characters (basically all but Sakuragi, Okuno and Mizuno - why all those yankee/gyaru-looking characters? Thus perpetuating the typical living oxymoron of youngsters thinking that they're being rebels while all they're actually doing is to follow the musical system's dictates - which means, establishmentarianism at its worst...), the obnoxious evil twin (who would deserve to end up like the villain in Kusturica's "Black Cat, White Cat"!!!), and most of all (don't worry, no spoilers, I promise) an ending which I actually found a bit unsatisfying.
All things considered, it's still a very solid drama. 8/10

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Дорама оставляет странное послевкусие, не совсем хорошее. Все серии зрителям компансируют мозг, что без знания ты дурак и неудачник, потому что.... внимание.... не получишь высшее образование и будешь вечно подчинятся тем, кто это самое образование получил. А тем более тем, кто получил его в Тодай (Токийском университете). Однако, чтобы знать туда экзамены главное не только знания, но и способность их правильно применить на вступительных. Всё это новоиспеченный учитель (а потом и его соратники) добиваются новой методикой, которая на мой взгляд ломает молодых людей.
Однако в конце, как бы создатели одумались, и выпрямили ситуацию. Молодежь это не сломало, а лишь закалило (ну да, ну да), родители поняли кчемность своих детей, и поступление оказалось не таким уж важным - главное те знания, что остались в голове. И дружба.
Но первая часть была в 10 сериях, а последняя в одной - 11-ой. Поэтому такой вот диссонанс.
Было интересно профессионально следить за методикой преподавания, тем более непрофессионального учителя . В принципе, по нашим новым веяниям в образовании, скоро в школу придут такие учителя. Только палок не будет - будут маты.
По актерам понравилась вся молодежь, который раз поражена отличной работой 16-17 актеров. Однако в этот раз очень понравились (в том числе и внешне) девчонки. А вот взрослая часть подкачала - не по игре, нет, по сути. Так что без комментариев.

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