Blazing Transfer Students! / Honō no Tenkōsei REBORN

Like a lot of people do, I have Netflix, and use it to check out things I may have otherwise not had the chance to be able to watch. Though I should admit I have the UK version of Netflix and there's still a lot of stuff on there that's to be unlocked - I'd really like to see Fate/Apocrypha sometime soon! Anyway! Within the last week, I found a comedic Japanese drama that is only eight episodes long and that I binge-watched and enjoyed a lot. That show? BLAZING TRANSFER STUDENTS


So, first of all, this is technically anime done as live action. Not going to lie? This is something I would like to see more of. Don't get me wrong, I love the sheer amounts of anime that make it over from Japan, but it would be cool to see some more of their dramas and what not. You can learn a lot from watching the media of another culture but that's not my point here.

This show is technically a sequel series to the original manga Honō no Tenkōsei, written and illustrated by Kazuhiko Shimamoto. The manga originally ran in Weekly Shōnen Sunday from 1983 to 1985, and from what I've been able to see of the manga? Yeah, it's very 80s. Even though the Japanese 80s was different from the British 80s, there's still a very similar feel to material from that decade and yeah.The manga is a parody of shōnen tropes related to school martial arts stories and this sequel series basically continues that. The basic plot goeth thusly: Takizawa Noboru is transferred to a new high school, in which all disputes are settled through fighting. He quickly runs into the school bully - Ibuki Saburo - and ends up beating him in a fight. There's hints of a love triangle, and all the over the top stuff you'd expect from a series that is primarily about the comedy. There have been two OVAs by Gainax, each one with a different twist on the ending.

Here's the thing? That above? You do not need to know it to watch the series. Hell, I only know it through Googling to help make this post a little more informative. For Blazing Transfer Students, the plot goeth thusly: seven boys - all named Kakeru - are transferred to the one school and brought together to become agents who go into problem schools and fix their problems. It still parodies all the shōnen tropes, including each type of shōnen protagonist in the seven Kakerus. The parodies are updated to include newer stuff that has come into use and become cliche since the original manga was released.

The seven Kakerus are played by an idol group known as Johnny's WEST. I ... know very little about idol groups, but as comedic actors I've got to say they all seem to have good timing and each embody their character well. My personal favourites of the Kakerus are the delinquent and the boxer, but that doesn't meant to say I don't like any of the others - they're all very likeable. The plots are fairly over the top and everything is driven by the rule of funny. Which actually means each of the Kakerus gets interesting development for their character that you wouldn't necessary associate with their cliche, but there it is.

I'm trying to think of more to say about this series so I don't end in just yelling at people to watch it... even though that's exactly what I want people to do. Listen, it's light-hearted, ridiculous in the best ways, and genuinely funny. It knows exactly what it is, and never tries to take itself more seriously than it should. There's even hints of a potential second series, though I think that is going to depend on the ratings on Netflix. Which is why I say please go watch this.

No, seriously, you'll enjoy yourself and it won't feel like any time has pasted. The humour is a bit over the top but in the best way. Just... trust my judgement and go check out Blazing Transfer Students.

And be hot-blooded about it!

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