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The Best Episodes of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

Every episode of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei!

Best episode
S1E2 When I Came Out Of The Tunnel It Was White
8.143 votes
Worst episode
S1E10 You Mustn't Burn the Raw Yatsuhashi
6.330 votes
Top season
Season 3
7.3avg
Binge time
15h 24m
38 episodes
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons3

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 1 Episode 2 - When I Came Out Of The Tunnel It Was White
    8.1/10(43 votes)

    S1:E2

    After confiding in his latest despairs to Ms. Arai, she asks Nozomu to visit one of his students who hasn't shown up to school — Kiri Komori, a hikikomori. In the end Kiri goes to school but decides to be a hikimori there. The next day, Nozomu notes that another of his students, Matoi Tsunetsuki, didn't show up that day. Ms. Arai brings Nozomu to the counseling room, where she explains Matoi's obsessive-stalker tendencies to Nozomu. That night, he attempts to dissuade her from bothering her last boyfriend; however, his strategy backfires on him. This turns him into Matoi's latest object of affection.

    Director:Yoshihiro Mori
    Writer:Katsuhiko Takayama

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  2. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 1 Episode 1 - Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei
    7.8/10(62 votes)

    S1:E1

    Kafuka Fuura is cheerily walking to school one April morning when she suddenly spots a man trying to hang himself in a fit of despair. Kafuka manages to use her weight to snap the rope, thus saving his life. Nozomu Itoshiki, the man, eventually cannot take anymore of the girl's ridiculous ramblings, and runs off to school to start homeroom at the beginning of a new school year. When Nozomu walks in the door, he finds Kafuka is one of his students.

    Director:Yukihiro Miyamoto
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 2 Episode 7 - The Cat That Was Told a Million Times / Little Red Riding Hood Sleeps. Be Careful / The Tsugaru Correspondence Education
    7.9/10(21 votes)

    S2:E7

    Nozomu Itoshiki hands out an application for his pension in a government office, but an employee makes fun of Nozomu's name. Nozomu is sick of hearing the same thing about himself over a million times and he sympathizes with other people, who have experienced a similar situation for countless times in their life. Meanwhile, Harumi Fujiyoshi realizes that she is an extreme minority as no one seems to agree with her view. The second part of the episode shows a Zetsubō channel featuring a number of television programs such as audience survey, music show, magical girl anime, cooking show, etc. In the third part of the episode, Nozomu is kicked out of a café, because a Jyuken student is constantly irritated by him. The café manager kindly asks Nozomu to forgive him, because it is generally believed that exam-preparing students should be treated with the utmost care. Though Nozomu can't quite understand this kind of expectation in the Japanese society, he nevertheless tries to take advantage of this trend by becoming an exam-preparing student himself. Eventually, he happens to pass every certificate exams in the world except for one: an exam that tests whether a person is ready enough to commit suicide. However, he fails the exam and thus becomes not worthy enough to live nor worthy enough to die. The third part of the episode is shown using various animation techniques.

    Director:Tomoyuki Itamura
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 3 Episode 11 - House of the Girl in Glasses / Progress in Confinement / The Clothing Seen By the Sage Leglipht
    7.8/10(17 votes)

    S3:E11

    Nozomu says that a ghost stole his glasses so the class decides to buy him a new pair. The glasses he gets are tinted and make Nozomu be filled with prejudice and hatred about everything. Rin is home and bored but, because she cannot leave her estate, in order to get the near ramen shop she buys and destroy all the houses on the way. During sport time Nami lifts her leg in order to gain males' attention, this makes Nozomu think about people provoking with intention.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 3 Episode 2 - She Who Has / Russian Time Song / Withering Heights Part 2
    7.7/10(16 votes)

    S3:E2

    While watching a baseball match, Nozomu wonders about the sad fate of the multi-talented people. If a famous baseball player is as handsome as a model, is he missing a more successful career? Later on, as Kiri is taking some medicine to treat her cold, Nozomu explain to Majiru why did it took a moment for the medicine to take effect : the dreaded time lag, which can be observed in a lot of phenomenon. As the journey to find themselves continues, more of Nozomu's students embarks on the bus and procede to reveal some parts of their personality. In the end, Kafuka leads the group to expose themselves to reality and at the same time the acceptance of their true self as they are, after which she concludes by singing a heartwarming song.

    Director:Masayuki Iimura
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 1 Episode 4 - From Elbow to Knee
    7.5/10(36 votes)

    S1:E4

    Chie dispatches Nozomu to investigate rumors that the invariably injured Abiru Kobushi is suffering from domestic violence. He pursues Abiru's father while he shops, causing him a great deal of inconvenience, before discovering Abiru's obsession with pulling the tails of dangerous animals. The latter half of the episode concerns Meru Otonashi, who is silent and shy in person, but remarkably abusive via text-messaging, her only means of communication.

    Director:Masayuki Iimura
    Writer:Katsuhiko Takayama

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

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  7. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 3 Episode 6 - The Measles of Madison County / Polygon in the Evening / The Dropper in the Rye Part 2
    7.6/10(15 votes)

    S3:E6

    Since there's an outbreak of measles in town, Abiru suggests to Majiru that he should get infected right now, for it is quite worse to get them as an adult. Nozomu then proceeds to unveils many more types of "measles" you're better off to have as a kid, since their effects can be disastrous later on in your life. As Nozomu and Kafuka walks in the street, they stumble on Kanako Ōra, a laid back and careless girl from Nozomu's class, who doesn't seem to mind that a myriads of political parties uses her property's wall for their posters. As Kafuka and Nozomu continues to explore the concept of "through life", Chiri decide to label object and people so as to know who's the creator.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 3 Episode 7 - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? / Failure as a General / Yeah, It's a Surprise, I Muttered Hollowly
    7.6/10(15 votes)

    S3:E7

    During a walk, Nozomu gets deceived by Maruuchi Shoko and Nedu Miko, who sell him maguro and a block of ice for 15.500 ¥. Nozomu complains that many dealers make up money only after the customers buy the goods, using tricks. The too mild winder is caused by Shogun Frost who refuses to do his work anymore. The class helps him to find a new job. The class prepares a surprise party for Nozomu, even if his birthday is not on that day, but on 4th of November.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 3 Episode 5 - Back Scratch / The Adventures of A, Leap, and B / The Dropper in the Rye
    7.6/10(14 votes)

    S3:E5

    Whilst complaining about how people use poetic words that make you skeptical about them, Nozomu gets thrown into a card game by Rin in which excessive writing is applied to their names. As Chiri complains about the leap seconds added at the new year, Nozomu considers there might be leap people who multiply unnoticed. Chiri is suspected of being a leap person and is enlisted into a parody of the Blue Man Group (in Japanese, blue (ブルー) and leap (うるう) have similar pronunciations). Whilst Nozomu sees Houjoue, a buddhist holiday, as a day for overlooking things, Kafka believes it should be a part of daily life, and introduces him to family that ignores life.

    Director:Toshikatsu Tokoro
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 3 Episode 8 - Yeah, It's a Surprise, I Muttered Hollowly / Confession Crepe Team / The Last, and the First Enoden
    7.5/10(14 votes)

    S3:E8

    Nozomu shows how, in a suspicious society, there is more "reverse-surprise" than surprise itself: people, in fact, are more surprised when they expect things to happen, but they do not, than when they really do. Chiri finds out Nozomu standing in front of a Police box, he tells her that he's training to confess. Modern Japanese people are not able to admit their fault and need this kind of training. Nozomu gets on a train which apparently has no destination. On the contrary everything, even the train, has got a previously decided destination. People, in fact, ask questions about things they have already analyzed and chosen. The 3rd part of the episode has been made with an experimental graphic technique.

    Director:Hisatoshi Shimizu
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 3 Episode 10 - The Egg of the Klak / A Certain Country You Know Well / Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher Part 2
    7.3/10(13 votes)

    S3:E10

    Grabbing an easter egg, Nozomu wonders if came first the egg or the chicken, the panties or the panty-thieves, hope or despair, and so on. Being in a queue clogged up by a woman who's seeking for changes in front of the counter, Nozomu notices how Japan has become the Paradise for spies who try to wreak havoc among the population.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 1 Episode 3 - Go Fly Over That Country
    7.2/10(34 votes)

    S1:E3

    This episode is a pastiche of parodies about foreigners and Japanese attitudes concerning them. A foreign student named Kaere Kimura transfers into the class. Kimura is a blonde girl with multiple personality disorder stemming from cultural identity confusion. Nozumu prevents her from committing suicide but sees her underwear and is sued. While Nozomu is absent from school Chiri investigates his students and discovers that Maria is an illegal immigrant.

    Director:Tomoyuki Itamura
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 1 Episode 5 - Removing Toxins and Stains
    7.2/10(31 votes)

    S1:E5

    On physical examination day, many of the girls are feeling stress about their weight, measurements and fitness. Nozumu distracts them by deciding to judge the "social worth" of students so that they will know whether they are living "above their station." Kitsu seizes on this idea, scolding everyone who possesses any luxuries, appalling Nozumu to the point where he decides to go on a hedonistic binge before killing himself. In the second half he encounters some of his students at a hot spring and is frightened to learn the spring has the power to remove their "toxicity" giving them well-adjusted personalities.

    Director:Hideyuki Yoshida
    Writer:Katsuhiko Takayama

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  14. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 2 Episode 5 - Team Play / I Always Called That Person A Leftover / The Other Side of an Act of Kindness
    7.2/10(19 votes)

    S2:E5

    Nozomu Itoshiki and his students enjoy the festival of Tanabata and talk about instances where people pay more attention to the trivial details of many objects rather than the main subjects. In the middle of their conversation, which Ikkyū-san later joins, the alien race El Niño suddenly invades Japan with their mecha army. Fortunately, Chiri digs up an ancient mask and activates its hidden power to defeat the alien force. The aliens admits their mistake of paying attention to trivial aspects of Nozomu's students rather than the progress of their invasion. At the end, Nozomu and Ikkyū-san do not remember how Japan was saved from the alien invasion, as they were paying attention to trivial details of the battle scene. In the second part of the episode, Jun Kudō is reading books in the school library, while Nozumu is worried about Jun's desire to read everything in the world, which could eventually include Nozomu's own embarrassing mind. When Nozomu's other students visit the school library, Jun tells heart-warming stories that move every one of them to tears. Nozomu feels even more certain of Jun's ability to read people's minds, so he puts himself in a freezing room full of penguins to prevent Jun from reading the conclusion of the episode. The third part of the episode shows what happened between Nozomu's nephew, Majiru Itoshiki, and Kiri Komori while the alien invasion of the 'A Painter by the Roadside' episode was undergoing outside the house.

    Director:Masayuki Iimura
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 2 Episode 11 - Dark Despair Women / On This Month, On This Night, The Moon Shall Be Clouded by My Tears
    7.2/10(17 votes)

    S2:E11

    Detective Nozomu Itoshiki is called upon by an investigator Jinroku to cooperate with the serial murder case, which took place in Sakebu Itoshiki's mansion. Sakebu was a famous artist, who was known for taking care of twelve girls in his mansion, but he has recently died of a chronic disease. After finding out that each murder resemebled various scenes of well-known anime, Nozomu initially suspects Kagerō Usui from his deduction. However, he later discovers the hidden truth behind the serial murder in Sakebu's underground storage room. In the second part of the episode, everyone is celebrating the Tanabata by hanging their written wishes on a bamboo tree, but Nozomu is initially doubtful about the Tanabata custom. However, Kafuka Fūra manages to convince him that every wish will eventually come true in the afterlife, even if it seems impossible to achieve in the current life. Suddenly, everyone in Tanabata festival is convinced of her idea, so they begin to form a cult based on her belief.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 3 Episode 1 - Highway to Hell / The Spring Postman Always Rings Twice / Withering Heights
    7.2/10(17 votes)

    S3:E1

    As the school exams approach, Nozomu sniffs at the idea of good luck charms. Just then, he is arrested by mysterious people for being a potential bad luck charm for the students and locks him up in solitary, which he is quite pleased about. However, the girls break in and rescue him, and it comes to light that the students actually see Nozomu as a good luck charm. Next, everyone has different opinions of what tells them spring has come, which for some people involve strange dancing people. Later, Nami tells Nozomu she is going on a trip to find herself, whereas Nozomu says it is really a journey that exposes a person's true nature.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 2 Episode 10 - Deteriorating Stream / A Fool's Adequacy / The First-time Condition
    7.2/10(16 votes)

    S2:E10

    Nozomu Itoshiki watches a live baseball game and is reminded of a fact that many baseball stadiums intentionally reduce the flight range of baseball to make the game more enjoyable to watch. He suddenly realizes that such practices of intentional 'detuning' are quite popular in Japanese society. Nozomu points out that some people use 'detuning' as an excuse for their faults, Kafuka explains that people in general feels more comfortable with 'detuned' products rather than the cutting-edge one. In the second part of the episode, Nozomu states that there is an increasing tendency of saying 'not bad, not bad' at terrible things to comfort the victims. However, Nozomu explains that such instance can turn out to be a 'mini-propaganda', which could unknowingly mislead other people to believe in the same way. In the third part of the episode, Nozomu refuses to teach the first period class, because he was previously rejected by a restaurant in Kyoto as he was a first-time customer. He realzies that the Sayonara Zetsubō Sensei anime series could have been difficult series to approach for the first-time audience, so he decides to start the first-time-friendly episode. However, he is annoyed by the constant inquries from the first-time audiences. Thus, he decides to only invite regular audiences, but they seem to knows too much about the series. Ultimately, he decides to also reject the regular audience from the show.

    Director:Yusuke Kamata
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 3 Episode 4 - How I Became a Real Human / Celebrated Pedigree / Doctor Kahogo Part 2
    7.2/10(15 votes)

    S3:E4

    Chiri notices Nami wearing brand new trainers in the rain and gets annoyed when people don't consider TPO (a wasei-eigo term meaning Time, Place, Occassion). Nozomu laments that some people do an incorrect TPO when compensating for another TPO. When ume no hi comes, Nozomu ponders that its not a convenient holiday for prefectures of Japan that aren't next to the sea. The discussion moves onto the morals of celebrating things others can't cheer about. The gang decide to have a 'chimerical holiday', involving as little fun as possible. After escaping from the Excessive Care Guardian's Club, Nozomu finds all his leisure options restricted due to excessive care. He then notices that his body double has been benefitting everyone in his place.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 3 Episode 13 - Revenge of the Shit / We Are Linus / The Optimism Prize / Kiyohiko Night
    7.2/10(13 votes)

    S3:E13

    When Chiri hangs up a painting upside down without noticing, the class are taken through a gallery where involving big mistakes that go unnoticed compared to the minor details. In the second part, Nozomu accidentally causes Kiri's blanket to fly away, and the class go on a search for it. However, it flies onto a government member who decides to mass produce it so people will feel more secure. Soon everyone decides to become civil servants and the world becomes impoverished. In the third part, Nozomu and company discuss buzzword generals and are disturbed by one. Maria then mentions "Kiyohiko's Night" (a mispronunciation of Silent Night) and a Kiyohiko shows up, but is unprepared for the abrupt pun.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 2 Episode 13 - Dismissal of Myohonji in Kamakura / The Voice of Daidouji Shinsuke / Under the Assumption of Siblings
    7.1/10(15 votes)

    S2:E13

    After dismissed from the school as a demon, Nozomu Itoshiki wonders where the devils will end up once they are dismissed from everyone. Nozomu suddenly argues that dismissed people should be provided with a new employment after their dismissal, otherwise dismissed people will end up being 'wild' people in the street. Nozomu's students brings various wild people to his house and ask him to take care of them. Nozomu flatly refuses the offer, but he cannot help but to take care of them. Unfortunately, Nozomu is fired from his school for his suspicious conduct and he himself becomes a 'wild' teacher. In the second part of the episode, Meru Otonashi's dad wants to find a suitable voice actor for her as she has inferiority complex of her voice. However, no one seems to have a voice that matches with Meru's character. After the failed audition, she goes throught a number of troubles thanks to the voice transmitter attached to her neck. In the third part of the episode, Nozomu complains that people seem to have too many statements on the premise of something as it is a serious breach of etiquette. While Nozomu makes a visit of a Tsundere cafe in Akihabara, he finds numerous instances where unnecessary premises are made. Moreover, Nozomu confronts an enemy character, but they end up being friends together on the premise that the anime series is indeed derived from a Shōnen manga.

    Director:Tomoyuki Itamura
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 2 Episode 3 - Seventeen Years Old Don't You Want To Grab Your Wrinkles? / Duty and Soldiers / Don't Say It So Casually! Melos Stood and Retorted Furiously
    7.1/10(18 votes)

    S2:E3

    Harumi Fujiyoshi is listening to a Zetsubō Sensei radio show at home while working on her yaoi dōjinshi. The radio show is actually derived from a chapter of the Zetsubō Sensei manga, which portrays Japanese people's indifference to their ages and introduces a new character, Manami Ōkusa, who is a married high school student. In the second part of the episode, Nozomu criticizes the society where individuals are compelled to serve their 'duties' to meet other people's expectations. These 'duties' are often very superfluous and trivial. However, Kafuka points out the irony that Nozomu himself is a part of such a society, as the girls around him are expected to serve their various 'duties' to take care of their teacher. In the third part of the episode, Nozomu is in despair about society, where serious matters are often taken too lightly. Several of Nozumu's students provide their experiences of such a trend. After Rin Itoshiki makes an appearance as one of Nozomu's new students, Nozomu and his students decide to reverse the trend by treating various trivial matters with serious attitudes, which eventually becomes an addicting habit for everyone.

    Director:Yusuke Kamata
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 2 Episode 1 - Look, the Baron's Reckless Remark / There Are a Lot of Problems in This Class So Please Be Aware of That
    7.1/10(23 votes)

    S2:E1

    Nozomu Itoshiki, a direct marketing businessman, is chased by a mysterious religious group called Hamasho. At one point, he is caught and his body is modified like a mole cricket. After his long adventure, he is discovered by Kafuka and he then becomes a high school teacher. Students in the class start calling him "Left-wing Guerrilla" (apparently in lieu of "Pink Supervisor"), making him want to die again. Right before he jumps off a cliff, Kafuka suggests he "mock marry" a girl of the Holy Nosebleed Empire. A card reveals that the entire segment is a gag based on a summary from the jacket of the manga's first volume. In the second segment, Nami Hitō, who has been missing classes, finally decides to attend her school as no one really seems to notice her absence. Unfortunately, she does not get much attention from her classmates as the high school is full of extraordinary characters. At the end of the episode, most of the major characters are introduced and Nami is labeled as the 'ordinary girl' in the school.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 3 Episode 3 - The Tragedy of X / I will not Return to Japan. I Was Unable to Be That Resolute / Doctor Kahogo
    7.0/10(14 votes)

    S3:E3

    As Nozomu and Kafuka attempt to find the switch to the town christmas lights, Nami finds she keep switching on other people's switches. Next, Nozomu contemplates on how people making a decision between two things subconsciously end up picking a third. He and the girls end up in a third-choice city. Whilst arguing about excessive care, Nozumu is taken by Rin to a Guardian's Club, where people take excessive care measures.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 3 Episode 9 - The Emergency Which Became a Nun / The Right Answer, 30 Years Late / Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher
    7.0/10(14 votes)

    S3:E9

    Whilst waiting for the bus, Nozomu and Chiri talks about how important are emergency measures in one's life. Later, at school, the class finds out Nami's birthday, but, because nobody knew about it, everyone makes her a sudden emergency present. Nozoumu, correcting some tests, shows the class how, in the adults' world, there are correct but not right answers. While the class is playing golf, Nozomu's sister tells them that a new course has been created in town. In this new kind of game the balls are represented by people and the tees are disguised as objects or places they have to keep away from as long and as far as they can.

    Director:Masayuki Iimura
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 2 Episode 8 - Spynapple Pudding / When The Fruit of Exposure is Ripened / A Half of the Criminal Investigation Report
    6.9/10(17 votes)

    S2:E8

    When Nozomu Itoshiki tries take photograph of his nephew and Kafuka Fūra in the public swimming pool, he is accused of being a spy by another woman. Nozomu blames the society, where everyone, including those who do not have any malicious intent, is suspected of being spy. Suddenly, Kafuka gives him a secret mission and Nozomu has to escapes from the greater suspicion by finding a good place to isolate himself. At the end, Kafuka devises a plan of 'positive counter intelligence' to help him out by leaking unreliable rumors such as urban legends to confuse everyone in the society. In the second part of the episode, Nozomu claims that pretentious side of everyone is ultimately exposed in May. At the end, many of Nozomu's students' hidden secrets are exposed, though some of them are merely his imagination. In the third part of the episode, many things in the world are not divided exactly half and half despite their claim. To correct such mistakes in the world, Chiri Kitsu enforce the ratio of everything into exactly 50/50 ratio, which produces various results at the end.

    Director:Masayuki Iimura
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"When I Came Out Of The Tunnel It Was White" is the best rated episode of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. It scored 8.1/10 from 43 votes. Directed by Yoshihiro Mori and written by Katsuhiko Takayama, it aired on July 14, 2007. This episode scored 0.3 points higher than the second highest rated, "Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei".

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