My friend asked me what this anime was about and I looked her right in the eye and asked, “Do you know what a dank meme is?” Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, the second season of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, is a satirical comedy that pokes fun at our everyday behaviour whilst simultaneously bringing to light the more serious issues in modern society. The protagonist of this anime is Nozomu Itoshiki, a seemingly depressed young man whose name literally spells out “despair” when written horizontally. Itoshiki likes to portray himself as being pessimistic and suicidal, although uponcloser inspection, one would notice that he is neither. In direct contrast to him, is Kafuka Fuura, a cheerful optimist (though again, the genuineness of her persona is questionable). Itoshiki lands himself a job as the homeroom teacher of Fuura’s eccentric class and soon embarks upon several adventures alongside his students.

The art is unique but not especially breath-taking. However, it is clear that the hues are carefully chosen to set the mood. The soundtrack, again, is nothing special. The opening and ending songs are great but the lyrics are somewhat nonsensical (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing).

The characters are definitely what give Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei its flavour. The new characters introduced in this season include: Manami Ookusa, an okusama-nami (married person); Ikkyu, an “old friend” of Itoshiki who is obsessed with all old things; Kuniya Kino, a student of 2-H with an unconventional taste in clothes; and Marui who has a crush on Kuniya but is appalled by his sense of fashion.

Personally, I found Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei to be extremely enjoyable and I highly recommend it. This anime does seem to be targeted towards the more cynical individuals of society. That being said, it isn’t overwhelmingly deep/philosophical so even if you’re just looking for a good laugh after a hard day’s work, you’ll find this anime pleasurable.