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When Psychological Disorders Collide (Sayonara! Zetsubou-Sensei)

The main cast of "Sayonara! Zetsubou-Sensei".

“I’m in despair!!” - Nozumu Itoshiki

What happens when you find yourself surrounded by psychologically-flawed individuals? Do you try to avoid them as much as possible? However, what if you had to be around them for your job? This is the scenario played out for one high-school teacher in Koji Kumeta’s Sayonara! Zetsubou Sensei. It is a manga that pokes fun at daily aspects of Japanese life. In some ways, the title reflects how certain countries & cultures (especially Japan) view mental disorders & illnesses.

Zetsubou-Sensei chronicles the life of Nozumu Itoshiki, a high-school teacher who is filled with despair. He makes his first appearance trying to hang himself in front of a sakura tree. Nozumu is rescued by a young girl named Kafuka Fuura, who tells him that it’s terrible to kill himself during a nice day. Annoyed by Kafuka’s relentless optimism, Nozumu runs off to teach his homeroom class. It is to his horror that Kafuka is in his class. Not only that, his class is filled with students who have a wide variety of psychological issues or wacky character traits. Nozumu’s life becomes an ongoing battle between his despair and his students’ mental instabilities. (One quirk about Nozumu’s name: when written horizontally in Japanese characters, his name can read as “zetsubou”, which means “despair”.)

Nozumi shows how much despair he is in.

For those who are unaware, it is considered shameful in Japanese culture to have a mental illness. If you have one, then you will be ignored by your family, friends, etc. The idea of psychotherapy is generally frowned upon. Japanese children are taught not to express themselves to help preserve some sort of social standard. Another note is that Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, with 25 suicides per 100,000 people.

In Zetsubou-Sensei’s case, I wonder if Kumeta grouping Nozumu with his class was a jab at how Japan might solve the problem of those who have mental problems. Those who won’t fit in should just be put into a group & be ignored. Also, all of the characters in Zetsubou-Sensei are aware of their quirks and aren’t afraid to show them. They know they have traits that might be bothersome to others, but they seem to get along with each other.

Nami Hito, the "normal" girl of the Nozumi's crazed class.

There’s one character that seems to stand out from the others: Nami Hito. She is constantly joked as “normal” & has nothing that makes her truly stand out. Her inclusion makes you question what defines normalcy. Everyone has some weird, lovable trait in their own ways and it’s normal to have certain types of feelings. Society always tries to come up with rules & regulations on how to behave. That doesn’t mean that you have to consistently follow them.

Nozumi and his class of wacky students in a class photo.

The most important thing that Zetsubou-Sensei seems to emphasize is to not be afraid of letting others know that you have a mental illness. Even though Nozumu is pessimistic & expresses his disappointment in society, his students still stick by him because of other charming aspects he may have. There is a lack of open communication about mental illness in Japan. Those who have some issues need emotional support. Genuine care & friendship are key factors that can help offset certain behaviors and also teach people about themselves & each other. Everyone has both bad AND good traits.

With mental health issues becoming a huge concern in Japan in the long-term because of the March 11 earthquake, will Japan really step up and understand the importance of emotional therapy?

On a final note, reading Zetsubou-Sensei has got me thinking about how mental clinics work. I’ve had a few experiences where I have interacted with those who are mentally ill. I also have been to a clinic where I saw a class of individuals learning new skills to function better in society. What I found was that those individuals got along with each other pretty well & no one was judged. Everyone supported each other despite their flaws. Although it’s hard for me to interact with mentally-ill people at times, I wish them the best of luck. Mental health issues are clearly understated & should be taken more seriously.

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Tagged: Koji Kumeta Nozumu Itoshiki Sayonara! Zetsubou Sensei Weekly Shonen Magazine mental stereotypes psychological disorders manga psychology mental illnesses