I found this good-condition trade paperback at the local library's book sale. I'd first heard about the series via this Unshelved book-review page, and couldn't resist picking it up at book-sale prices!

Later: A very unusual series, this - it opens with a cheerful young schoolgirl coming across her teacher hanging by the neck from a tree! She runs up and pulls him from the noose, and his first words are "What if I had died!" Seems he's chronically depressed and often suicidal, but never so much so as to actually carry it out successfully - though he does keep trying. An odd way to introduce a series that's about quirky humor and extreme stereotypes, eh?

Each chapter introduces another of the students, each of which represents a stereotype (and acts it out to the nth degree!): the Pollyanna ("super-positive girl"), the stalker, the obsessive-compulsive, etc. Along the way there are many (many, many) cultural references, some obvious and some neatly hidden in the background - playing spot-the-reference could take forever! (Among the ones that tickled me most: the chapter introducing "poison e-mail girl" - she sends vicious texts and emails to everyone, a cyber-bully if you will - opens with a scene of the class chalkboard which bears an Edward Gorey assignment, apparently a graph taken from The Gashleycrumb Tinies. As Gorey's a favorite author of mine, and as his funny/gruesome work fits the tone of this series very well, I was especially pleased to see this.) The end notes describe some of these references, as well as adding explanations of terminology and naming conventions; very helpful.

The stories manage to fit social and political commentary and a lot of satire in among the humor, and it can be something of a rough ride, but overall I enjoyed it.

[You can see the TV Tropes entry for this title here.]

I also have Volume Two.

I'm adding this book to k00kaburra's Manga bookbox, which should be on its way to the next in line, BCer emmejo in New York, some time tomorrow. [I'll post the delivery-confirmation number in the forum thread after I've mailed the box.] Enjoy!

I picked this book out of the bookbox. It looks very interesting.

What do you get when you mix a suicidal middle school teacher with a class full of unusual students who run the range from cyber-bully to stalker to illegal immigrant? A lot of amusing situations, mixed with more serious ones. Some are in the classroom and others take place outside as the teacher is sent out to help his students. One of my favorite parts was about a girl who had become a shut-in and refused to leave her home. The teacher and one of his students convince her to come to the school, but she then decides not to leave and wants to live in the school.

Many of the situations are highly improbable, but amusing. This is very much a cultural satire and pokes fun at many manga stereotypes as well. (For example, the cyber-bully tells one girl "UR just a panty character, so flash em already." This girl appears in nearly every chapter with her short skirt fluttering.) I found myself giggling several times at the highly dramatic dialogue and character stereotypes successfully being played for laughs.

The art really stands out. It is bold and almost modern-art looking, with some fun visual elements that resemble traditional asian art. The layout is really nice; clearly showing the reader where to go, but never dull. The author isn't afraid to step his characters outside the boundaries of the panels or use unusual shapes and design, which is nicely complimented with most of the base panels being well-spaced and not too crowded with action.

Since most Americans aren't very familiar with Japan's cultural references and most of the wordplay is lost in translation, there is a very handy guide to the references.

Added to the bookbox.

Come to room 109 in the basement of the Henry St. John Building and pick out some free books!