is a Japanese TV series that aired from January 8 through March 19, 1993. It was written by

Shinji Nojima is a Japanese screenwriter. Career Nojima was born in Niigata Prefecture. He graduated from Saitama Municipal Urawa High School in 1981. Following graduation, he entered Chūō University majoring in political science, though dropped out and mo ...

, with

Hiroyuki Sanada Hiroyuki Sanada (; ; born 12 October 1960) is a Japanese actor. He has received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a British Academy Television Award, a Japan Academy Film Prize, two Hochi Film Award ...

and Sachiko Sakurai playing the lead roles. It aired on

TBS Television TBS may stand for: Broadcasting * Taipei Broadcasting Station, a radio station in Taipei, Taiwan * TBS Holdings (formerly Tokyo Broadcasting System), a stock holding company in Tokyo, Japan ** TBS Television (Japan), a television station ** ...

on Friday nights at 22:00.

Background

The TV series dealt with various social taboos such as teacher-student love,

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

incest Incest ( ) is sexual intercourse, sex between kinship, close relatives, for example a brother, sister, or parent. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by lineag ...

, and

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

. The high school scenes were shot at Japan Christian Junior College. The final scene was shot at Ōmigawa Station on the JR

Shin'etsu Main Line The is a railway line, consisting of three geographically separated sections, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan. It was originally one continuous line connecting and via . Since the opening and later extension of ...

, which became a popular

pop-culture tourism Pop-culture tourism is the act of traveling to locations featured in popular literature, film, music, or any other form of media. Also referred to as a "Location Vacation". Pop-culture tourism is in some respects akin to pilgrimage, with its mo ...

spot following this series. In May 1993, a 6-disc laser disc was released. On September 19, 2001, a DVD box set including all episodes and extras was released. On March 20, 2019, a Blu-ray box was released.

Theme song

Dōji Morita's 1976 song Bokutachi no Shippai was used for the main theme. Typically a popular contemporary song would have been used. Morita was no longer well known anymore, but writer Nojima and producer Itō were fans of her and selected her song as the main theme. The song once again became popular along with the series. The song had previously been out of release but was re-released, as well as appearing on a best album release. Due to this success, later works would use older and often forgotten songs, having a significant effect on theme music. Five other songs of Morita were used throughout the episodes.

Cast

—Takao Hamura * Sachiko Sakurai—Mayu Ninomiya *

Hidekazu Akai Hidekazu (written: 秀和, 英和, 秀一 or 英一) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese rower *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese voice actor *, Japanese comedian *, Japanese composer and arrange ...

—Tōru Shinjō *

Masaki Kyomoto is a Japanese actor, singer-song writer, and guitarist. He is famous for playing the role of Ryu on the television jidaigeki Hissatsu series. He has appeared in films and television series including '' Legend of the Eight Samurai'', ''Sukeban De ...

—Tomoki Fujimura * Maki Mochida—Naoko Aizawa * Emiko Nakamura—Asami Saeki * Tōru Minegishi—Kōsuke Ninomiya

Sequel

A sequel was produced ten years later in 2003, starring

Naohito Fujiki is a Japanese actor and singer. Filmography Television * ''Happy Mania'' (1998) * ''Nanisama!'' (1998) * ''Great Teacher Onizuka (1998) ** ''GTO Revival'' (2024) * ''Oni No Sumika'' (1999) * ''P.S. Genki Desu, Shunpei'' (1999) * ''Nurse No Osh ...

and

Aya Ueto is a Japanese actress, singer and television personality. In 1997, Ueto participated in the seventh Japan Bishōjo Contest, where she won the special jury prize. Soon thereafter, Ueto joined the talent agency Oscar Promotion and began taking s ...

. Although it was set in the same high school,

was the only cast member to reprise their role from the 1993 version.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koko Kyoshi Japanese drama television series 1993 in Japanese television 1993 Japanese television series debuts Television shows written by Shinji Nojima