Dragon Zakura

Country: Japan
Genre: Comedy
Release Year: 2005
Type: Series

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Dragon Zakura Review
Ryuuzan High school is the school for "losers" with a student body's average test score of 36%. Ouch! Yup it's pretty bad and as a result of its unmotivated students, the school may be shut down because of debt. Who could possibly save this "stupid, crappy" school? That's where Sakuragi Kenji (played by Abe Hiroshi) comes in. This ex-gang leader turned lawyer will save the school's financial problems with an almost unbelievable promise which is getting 5 students to be accepted into Toudai (aka Tokyo University, a very prestige university in Japan). Following the selection of students for the "special" class, the studying for the Toudai entrance exams begin.

The story was really hilarious and motivating. I never felt more compelled to pick up a book in my life (obviously untrue since I haven't picked up a book since May). The story doesn't just revolve around cramming for an entrance exam. It also goes into the lives of the characters, revealing each of their hardships and the cause for their inability to truly concentrate on having that "awesome" future like the people who enter Toudai (of course all of that changes in the "special" class). I suppose the only problem I had with the story was that there wasn't much romance between characters. It all kind of left you hanging or hoping that this person would end up with this person and that you'd actually see it progress, but there was none of that, really.

I must say that Abe Hiroshi was well suited for the role of Sakuragi, the ex-gang leader turned lawyer and savior of Ryuuzan. His cold attitude and blunt remarks to the students made you hate him but his coolness also revealed that he wasn't such a bad guy. Ino Mamako (played by Hasegawa Kyoko), the English teacher was a good representation of how bad the teachers at Ryuuzan were, with her inability to answer the questions asked and her innocence, you couldn't help but kind of side with her when Sakuragi was being too harsh. The students played by Yamashita Tomohisa, Koike Teppei, Nagasawa Masami, Nakao Akiyoshi, Nogiwa Yoko, Saeko, and Aragaki Yui were all diverse from childhood friends, boyfriend and girlfriend, older sibling, and aspiring idol. Each one brought out humor to the drama with their determination to help each other and pass the Toudai exams. None of the characters were very annoying. Each had their "cute" factor and their own background stories that made them enjoyable to watch.

The drama totals eleven episodes which is a good length for a series about students cramming for an exam. Each episode is about an hour long, most of it because of the opening and credits.

There’s a lot of humor in Dragon Zakura; just looking at Sakuragi's face makes you laugh, and it was good humor too. I don't think adults would truly find this drama funny, but kids, especially students, would find something to laugh about. Drama, yes, there's drama. The students have their little complications with their lives and the workload given in the special class which keeps the drama interesting throughout. It does lack in romance, which is usually a necessary element in any drama series.

I didn't hear many sound effects beside trumpet and drums. Musically, the series wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. The music went along well with the whole Sakuragi ex-gang theme but as for the students cramming, I'm really unsure. Effects did make things more mysterious in a way. I haven't heard the entire soundtrack but the theme song is by Melody and there's a song by Yamapi (aka Yamashita Tomohisa).

Would I recommend this? Yes, I would but not to the crowd that likes those deep, deep dramas with intense love and romance or even the ones who like dramas with deep meanings. This drama is more suitable for students because all students can relate to at least some of the students in the drama. There isn't really anything obscene about this drama, it's just plain fun. It's amusing seeing all the reactions of the actors and the outcome of the students at the end. In addition, I'd recommend it if you like watching idols acting. Yamashita is a pretty well known singer (and Koike too), so for all the fan girls, it's a good drama with him basically playing the lead student role.

Written by Chiyuffie

Rating Meter: 90 %