In the first place, that episode of Ganbare! Nakamura-kun!! was definitely a cracker. But if you read my post last week, you can’t help wonder what certain viewers will do with all that. If this indeed is what the prudes were upset about from the manga, my immediate reaction is “BFD”. If it goes to another level, maybe it’s a different story. I also wonder if this might assuage some of the complaints from manga die-hards about the anime toning things down too much.
The contradiction there is obvious. And it seems pretty clear this adaption is damned if it does, damned if it doesn’t. By appeasing one extreme it’s going to piss off the other, and that’s a real shame because as a piece of anime production, it’s pretty great. Really snappy and stylish, with a real wit to it. The EDs are a prime example of that – you really don’t want to skip those. I continue to have some issues with the writing – and they’re none of the ones I see anybody else bitching about – but the adaptation itself is a banger.
This business with Takeuchi-kun and Hirose was the appetizer. I mean, if I were Nakamura I would have been freaking out watching that too. What I thought was really cute was how the fujo trio were always close-by and checking out the action while that flirtation was going on (with Hifumi trying – badly – to look disinterested). Hirose is one hell of a bro to let Takeuchi put on that performance – I mean, for a high school boy that’s a serious risk if you don’t want to face social repercussions (as stupid as those would be, they could happen). The key here is not Hifumi though, but Hameoka-san – she’s the one Takeuchi is doing this to impress.
I have thoughts about Hirose. Later on Nakamura-kun calls him an angel and honestly, he pretty much is. He’s just an impossibly nice and tolerant kid. I also kind of think that if a series in 2026 fetishized a female high schooler as much as this, it would be taking a lot of heat for it. Does that make it wrong? It’s in the eye of the beholder I suppose, but it’s the weakest part of Ganbare Nakamura-kun for me that its deuteragonist is objectified to this level.
This is when the real meat of the ep kicks in. First off, the hair thing. Lest anyone think this is exaggeration for dramatic effect, this absolutely happens in Japan. Kids are forced to dye their hair black because black is the only “natural” hair color. Even if their natural hair color isn’t black. Not every school does this – but many do. It’s racist and dehumanizing and there absolutely are assholes like the guidance counselor and the baldy with the clippers. Fuck them and everyone who enables this sort of brutality in the name of order. It was great that Otogiri-sensei stepped in. Of course it was obvious the whole “discipline” thing was an act, but that’s fine. Good on him for doing the right thing.
Of course, however, there are consequences to this. We already knew that Hirose-kun seemed to be developing a crush on Otogiri-sensei. This subplot is apparently what prompted the haters to hound Syundei off social media. High schoolers do develop crushes on teachers sometimes, and it certainly shouldn’t be off-limits for animanga. No more so if the two are of the same gender. I don’t personally think this series needs to muddy the waters with that distraction, but whatever. Where it did get a little squicky is with that conversation between the two of them in the nurses’ office, however.
The genesis of that was Nakamura-kun needing to puke after downing way too much protein powder thinking he could bulk up and steal Hirose back from Otogiri. Naturally Hirose accompanies him – to the porcelain God and the nurse’s office – not because he’s the health officer but because he’s an angel (as noted). I don’t know quite what the make of the teacher’s behavior there, to be honest. That “this would be cute if you were a girl” thing was skeevy for starters. And them exchanging LINE IDs – you can’t tell me a teacher should ever do that with a student. Especially when Otogiri-sensei is smart enough to realize what’s really going on here.
What my gut tells me is that the mangaka was just trying to be clever and have a little fun with it, and this gets no more explicit. I hope so. The series absolutely doesn’t need this element, but irrespective of that for people to personally attack the mangaka over it is the height of arrogance and idiocy to me. There’s so much good stuff going on here observing the way kids this age make a total hash of things romantically that to tar the whole series with that brush over a little subtext – as unwise as it may be – is silly. But congrats, you’ve driven the creator offline – good job. Now don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out as you leave the rest of us alone to enjoy the rest of the season.
