(Jmovie Review) Sensei Kunshu

English title: My Teacher, My Love

Director: Sho Tsukikawa

Writer: Momoko Koda, Erika Yoshida

Producer: Akihiro Yamauchi, Akira Kobe, Hisashi Usui

Cinematographer: Yasushi Hanamura

Distributor: Toho

Release date: August 1, 2018

Runtime: 104 minutes

Genre: School, romance

To make a kind of popular and acceptable manga, you need some formulas that other mangas have: kawai characters, love triangle, unrequited desperate love, idiot but cheerful female lead. Well, you name it. And when you need to make the manga into live action, select the good looking actors/ actresses, it is a guarantee that your production will pay off.

 Sensei Kunshu manga cover

Sensei Kunchu has those formulas. Nothing is new. How many times I have read or watched love story between teacher-student? Chuugakusei Nikki, Sensei, Daytime Shooting Star, and the newest ongoing dorama, A Story To Read When You First Fall in Love. But Sensei Kunshu might be the hilarious one. 

Ayuha Samarun or Samarun (Minami Hamabe) is easy to fall in love. Her goal is only to have a boyfriend in high school to make out. Whaatttt??!!! So, no wonder that she confesses her love to anyone that interests her. Her confession is just rejected when she encounters Hiromatsu sensei (Ryoma Takeuchi). She is enjoying her meal to express her broken heart when Hiromatsu sensei scouts her from embarrassment not able to pay the bill. From then on, Samarun turns her love to her math teacher.

The hot math teacher, Hiromatsu sensei

The head over heels in love student, Samarun

Unfortunately, her love is unrequited. It’s nothing new, actually, remembering the way she approaches her teacher is too obvious. If I may say, it’s too naïve and idiotic. But, it’s not a shoujo manga character if she doesn’t work hard. She even yells at her math teacher saying that he would fall for her one day. And day to day, Samarun keeps wondering what things can please her teacher. Her action seems annoying, embarrassing but hilarious. If you are in love with your teacher, don’t be afraid to show off in case you can get credits, or more than that, his love.

Samarun tries to 'please' her math teacher 😂😂

She keeps fighting for her love fate, until she meets Hiromatsu sensei’s childhood friend, a beauty she cannot compare herself with. Awwwww…..

Samarun's childhood friend, been in love with her

Hiromatsu sensei's childhood friend, a beautiful pianist

 Chuugakusei Nikki and Sensei! have similar idea, love between teacher-student, but the tone seems melancholy. Daytime Shooting Star and Sensei Kunshu have this amusing tone. You get a great laugh while watching this. The formula of love triangle and unrequited love are there, too. Not to mention, someone who is always there to provide his shoulder and to wipe her tears. Daytime Shooting Star has a bit different ending with the second male lead. Since Sensei Kunshu is the title, just forget the shoulder to cry on. LOL. 

Minami Hamabe is absolutely a great actress. I saw her in many movies with different characters, and she nails them all. I didn’t watch all episodes of Kakegurui, but her sadistic combined with naïve expression are awesome. In this movie, her character is naïve, idiotic and expressive are as awesome. Her long hair, though, looks artificial on her. LOL. Ryoma Takeuchi plays as Hiromatsu sensei doesn’t really look as astonishing as Minami Hamabe. His glasses show that he is a nerd but I don’t think that he is THAT nerd. His love of math is pretty obvious, though. I love his character when he played in Overprotected Kahoko. But other than that, he looks very much alike from one character to another. The chemistry between both characters are not really engaging. IMHO.

Overall, I had been waiting for this live action movie for quite long, but after I watched it, I think it’s worth my time watching. But only once. However, if you are in love with one of the characters here, feel free to re-watch it. For me, there are tens of hundreds of movies are waiting.

 Sensei Kunshu trailer

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