I have recently become completely enamoured with this series and I hope to garner it the popularity it deserves. The premise is that Itoshiki Nozomu (糸色 望), whose name can be read as 'despair' (絶望) when written sideways, is a chronically pessimistic man, who will always see a situation in the worst light possible. His first appearance in the show is that of him trying to hang himself from a sakura tree, where he is found by Kafuka Fuura, a chronically optimistic girl who cannot see a situation in any light but it's best (A good example of this is that, instead of thinking Nozomu is committing suicide, she believes him to be trying to get taller to join a basketball team). It is then that it is revealed that Nozomu has taken the job of homeroom teacher, where he ends up being the teacher of the class containing Fuura. This is where the show gets it's title.
I am probably managing to make the show sound highly uninteresting, but between the impressive animation, unique art style and wondefully original presentation (there are frequent occasions where scenes are punctuated at by ornately framed text, in the style of old black and white films) as well as the sheer comedic value the show has. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei seems to me as a show that would be incredibly hard to translate, as a lot of the puns used require knowledge of either kanji or Japanese slang, resulting in some jokes being missed by a western audience, but the show makes up for this by cramming as many jokes, puns and humour as possible into every scene, making you laugh your head off even when you didn't catch everything.
The show is also delicious to look at, with detailed shots such as this, this and this. It also plays around with colours and vectors, such as here and here. It is hard to define what sort of animé Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei actually is, what with it having traits of romance, comedy, gothic lolita and even a bit of harem throughout, as well as never falling into the realm of cliché. Not to mention Nozomu trying to commit suicide at least three times per episode over the strangest of reasons.
I really can't say enough how much I love this show, so I'll just say that it's definately worth taking the time to watch, even if just to see Mr Kumeta's adorable (if vaguely disturbing) little animation.
You'll know what I mean when you see it
~Zizzo
