Mr. Hiiragi's Homeroom or the directly translated title; 3rd Grade A Class: From Now On You're all My Hostages is a 2019 prime time Japanese drama that was directed by three different directors, one including Komuro Naoko. Shugo Muto wrote the script for the drama that stars popular actor/singer Masaki Suda, Mei Nagano, Moka Kamishiraishi, Generations from EXILE Tribe's Ryota Katayose, and many more.
A homeroom teacher stands in front of his class of students with bad attitudes late one day. One of their students had just committed suicide but most of her classmates could only talk about what rumors went around the internet about her. This homeroom teacher then stands in front of his twenty nine students and declares, "from this moment on, you are all my hostages."
This drama takes pieces of elements from popular Japanese cinema such as Battle Royal and Lesson of Evil. Mr. Hiiragi's Homeroom never gets quite as violent as these two films since it's a prime time television drama, but the script does like to constantly test the waters of what's acceptable to show small screen viewers and what's not. The story defiantly uses the familiarity of high school bullying while adding a new twist to the constantly used topic for J-drama scripts. I love anything about bullying because seeing how the problem can be solved in many various ways interests me. Each episode shows viewers different flashback scenes that allow you to piece together why the students ended up in this situation. You also get to witness what's transpiring in the present with the students and the police as the try to rescue them. The beginning does a little foreshadowing to bait the viewers into watching till the last episode as it's hard to control your strong curiosity not to. What really is the most interesting aspects of this drama is how you're taught a very valuable lesson while you witness all that hot mess caused by the teacher. The chaos that rages between the students keeps you wanting to know the real piping hot tea too. On top of that, there's the teacher who is basically a toned down version of the Joker controlling everything. His comedic moments are so misplaced in this drama that you're forced to laugh from the awkwardness caused. Something good is created from the destruction when you come upon the conclusion though. A good lesson is taught where I believe many of us can relate. No matter if you were a victim or you watched someone you know be a victim. I was a victim and it hurt a lot at the time, however I picked myself up again. Killing myself never crossed my mind because I knew it wasn't worth giving up my life over stupid people who are going to think whatever they want to no matter what I do. Overall, this drama is a ten out of ten when it comes to the storyline. Everything was very thought provoking.
Suda shines bright in the role as the Homeroom teacher. His multilayered personality in the character he played keeps the balance of the drama. He still looks young enough to have been a student in my eyes though.[INSERT ME LAUGHING.] Some of his scenes are super intense even for Japan's standards. For example, the manhandling of students…. I'm sure many people had a lot to say about this drama online in Japan when it was airing. The students all did a good job adding that extra spice to the conflict. Each character had to find a point in the chaos to decide if he or she wanted to change for the better. It's not an easy transition to watch and it was kinda sad that such extremes had to be taken to make them see that they needed to change before going out into the world as an adult. Great cast for all that it was worth. Suda has always been a universal actor.
My final ruling is that Mr. Hiiragi's Homeroom is a must see for any Jdrama fan. You're missing out of you haven't checked out this unique drama yet. Get watching because you'll learn something.
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