A Tokyo hothead tries to teach math to country kids. Chaos ensues. Justice is served cold.
Botchan (Kazunari Ninomiya) has sense of strong justice and does not lie. He is offered a teaching job at a middle in a small village far away from his hometown of Tokyo. Botchan accepts the position and begins to work as a math teacher. The assistant principle there wields absolute power. Botchan has a hard time dealing with his fellow teachers and the students.
Acting
Ninomiya's perfect comic timing makes stubbornness weirdly charming.
Writing
Sharp adaptation captures Natsume's satirical bite without feeling dated.
Director
Masayuki Suzuki
Kazunari Ninomiya
Botchan
Nao Matsushita
Madonna
Arata Furuta
Yama Arashi
Norito Yashima
Nodaiko
Koji Yamamoto
Uranari
Naoki Matayoshi
Soseki Natsume
Machiko Washio
Mitsuhiro Oikawa
Red Shirt
Koichi Sato
Physics School Principal
Yuko Asano
Madonna’s mother
Kaoru Kobayashi
Madonna’s father
Ittoku Kishibe
Tanuki
Nobuko Miyamoto
Kiyo
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on Natsume Soseki's 1906 novel, often called Japan's 'Catcher in the Rye' for its irreverent narrator. The book is required reading in Japanese schools, making this a bold modern reimagining.
Ninomiya, a pop idol from Arashi, fought hard for this role — he reportedly read the original novel over 20 times to nail Botchan's specific blend of arrogance and moral clarity.
JP
