Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei vol.1
Koji Kumeta
Published by Del Ray
Released February 24, 2009 ($10.99)

For those new to the series, Zetsubou follows an eternally depressed and insanely pathetic school teacher named Nozomu Itoshiki. How pathetic is he? Well, the story opens up to Itoshiki attempting to hang himself from a tree. Even that doesn't work out for him, making him even more depressed. Topping it all off is Itoshiki's chance meeting with a blindingly positive schoolgirl, who just happens to "save" him. And what's a depressed schoolteacher who can't even kill himself left to do besides go to work?

At school he encounters the most unusual female students imaginable. Each subsequent chapter details another girl's quirks, all while poking fun at life, love, money, Japanese culture, world culture, and just about anything else you can think of. After seeing just how stupidly positive Itoshiki's savior is, you'll learn of the hikikomori Komori, the stalker Tsunetsuki, the animal-loving and bandage-wearing Kobushi, and many more. My favorite is Meru Otonashi, a girl that is so addicted to email that she can't effectively communicate with words. And her name is Meru...like "mail." Get it?

Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei is absolutely packed with little jokes and puns like this. Crammed into every cell is small text on posters, mock brand names of foods, and even subtle nods to other manga series you may know of. Ideally, you'd be well-versed in Japanese popular culture and be able to read a bit of Japanese. Only then will you get all of the in-jokes. Fear not, though, newbie: Del Ray always does a fantastic job of packing in translations notes, and the notes for this volume clock in at about 12 pages. Even then, you're left to some on your own. And if you don't care to get the little satirical bits, that's okay, too; Zetsubou is still a great read without all of that. 

For those that enjoyed the anime but found themselves pausing and rewinding the show to appreciate all of the little jokes, we think you'll be releived that you can take the manga at your own pace for a change.

Something that is really easy to appreciate is Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei's striking artwork. Del Ray did a nice job on the cover, choosing a pretty pink tones on matte paper. Inside you'll find a very unique, very flat-looking two-dimensional style--all good things, mind you--that's always visually pleasing. The main characters themselves seem to follow this design, save for the occasional always-hilarious almond-eyed background character. The looks on their faces are always priceless. The rest of the art ranges from very simple to detailed and ornate, especially with some of the backgrounds and settings. With some settings, you almost feel like you should get out the magnifying glass to see if you've missed any little jokes in the background.

Aside from the great manga, you get a few more little included bonuses. There's a preview that originally ran in 2005 in Weekly Shonen that you can look at. The mini "Paper Blogs" toward the end are quite funny, also.  There's even a couple of filed complaints by the panty-flashing Kimura toward the back of the book. She's serious when she says that she'll sue you! We won't ruin all of the little surprises, but we will say that there's plenty extra to enjoy.

I know this first volume of Zetsubou is subtitled The Power of Negative Thinking, but we have nothing negative to say about it. In fact, I think it's an even better read than it was as an anime. Live on, Itoshiki-sensei, so that we may laugh at you again. 

Highly recommended.