夜回り先生

YOMAWARI SENSEI

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
9
RELEASE
December 25, 2008
CHAPTERS
45

DESCRIPTION

The author, a high school teacher, recounts his 12 years on "night patrol" in Yokohama City, where he comes face to face with youth dealing with issues ranging from self-mutilation to drug abuse.

CAST

Osamu Mizutani

CHAPTERS

RELATED TO YOMAWARI SENSEI

Cover Art for Yomawari Sensei Tokubetsu-hen: Sayonara ga Ienakute

MANGA DramaYomawari Sensei Tokubetsu-hen: Sayonara ga Ienakute

REVIEWS

contradict
100/100
Osamu Mizutani teaches the reader about hope through a passionate and beautiful recount of his experiences as a mentor.
"In my heart, I still believe in these lies. And I will always believe in them. Because it is in these lies that hide their hopes and their will to survive for another day."

Consisting of only 45 chapters, Yomawari Sensei is a short episodic and somewhat auto-biographical manga telling the stories of Osamu Mizutani, a night teacher who roams the lonely streets of Yokohama City, looking to mentor the troubled. Each story arc is short, consisting around three chapters each, which follows a similar structure: Mizutani comes across a troubled youth during the night and attempts to help rebuild their life, where his efforts are sometimes successful, sometimes not.

One thing the manga excels at is the portrayal of the mental torment that all of Mizutani's "mentees" experience. Each and every one of them are introduced with a vice which led them astray from pursuing their true desires, wether it be drug use or violence. Despite being relatively short, each story arc shows a commendable level of depth, in which the author perfectly illustrates the torment, underlying hope and lack thereof of each character which Mizutani encounters. Surprisingly, story arcs that have a bitter ending (usually death) are not heart-wrenching in the slightest, and rather inspiring due to each individual's commendable efforts to change their life for the better. It taught me about the beauty of hope, and how it can completely change one's outlook of their life, regardless of the outcome of their effort.

The manga's art, illustrated by Seiki Tsuchida, also plays an integral role in exacerbating the raw emotions and melancholic struggles of each character. Through a hyper-realistic and detailed art style, Tsuchida effectively illustrates the facial contortions of each character, particularly in the manga's spreads, which are able to portray the genuine emotions and expressions intended for each scene.

However, my favorite part of the manga would be Mizutani himself, who, through my reading of the manga, has become a genuine role model for me. His understanding of the youth is like none other, and introduced to me a more open-minded way to help others. His kindness is inspiring and passionate, and taught me how to truly be there for someone. In no other manga would you see someone like Mizutani, who, by giving his mentees a certain degree of freedom, allows them to truly reflect on themselves, which I realized was the best possible way to motivate someone to instigate change.

Overall, Yomawari Sensei is a manga that holds dear in my heart. With incredible art, characters and story arcs, this should be a Seinen manga that everyone should give a chance.
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RinTohsakaLover
90/100
A True Story from his own lens, Osamu Mizutani showcases the brutal reality of life amongst the rejects of society.
(This review is from 2 years ago, so reader discretion is advised.)
True stories never fail to grab my attention. This is especially true in the manga world due to the abundance of fiction in the genre. I started reading Yomawari Sensei not only because it was an autobiography, a method of storytelling I had yet to see in the manga world, but also because it was short and had good ratings on MAL. I finished it in about 3 hours, and it is safe to say this manga became an instant favorite of mine due to it's almost unparalled reality and beautifully told true stories.

Story:9
Yomawari Sensei is an episodic manga that follows the life of our main character, Osamu Mizutani, a teacher who helps troubled youth. Every chapter is quite simple once you break it down. Mizutani finds a troubled individual, Mizutani tries to help, Mizutani fails or succeeds. While it is very simple it's also realistic, as Mizutani fails to help as often as he succeeds. I was always on the edge while reading and sometimes the conclusions of certain characters devastated me. I really enjoyed this change of pace from many other manga, as the situations Mizutani gets in are gripping with pure practicality and unblemished truth. A few examples would be a fellow teacher who can't connect to his students, drug abuse and addictions, or sexual assault and rape.

Art:8
The art is the weak point of the manga, though it is also really good. The feel and overall art style was fitting for the story and setting and there is some brilliant art hidden in many scenes, but it wasn't anything insanely groundbreaking. I appreciate the style of Mizutani himself, and many of his expressions painstakingly reveal his intent and morose affirmation of his desolate career.

Character:10
A large problem I have with manga is the lack of realism within the characters. In rom-com or Shonen manga it's fine, hell unrealistic characters can be some of my favorites (As Kamina from Gurren Lagann is even my favorite character.) But when a character oriented manga has tropey, uninteresting characters, I lose interest fast. The characters in the manga are flawed, but every one of them feels real, which is to be expected from a manga based on a true story. I can see the characters the mangaka was trying to establish in his former students, and I can relate to their problems in many ways, as Mizutani himself does really give recognition to these lost souls and gives them a platform to finally be presented. I do think the mangaka made himself look a little to much like a saint, but in the end it shows his moments of weakness as well. The character in this manga is easily the highlight.

Enjoyment:9
It was short and sweet, all of the stories brought something new, and the tension built up through out every story always helped the ending become something special to me. Because of it's episodic nature, however, it can be hit or miss with some stories.

Overall:10
An easy favorite manga for me, I have never felt a manga that portrayed life in such a unique and realistic way. Highly recommended.
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Boyawawawa
97/100
Yomawari Sensei is a manga based on an autobiography of the eponymous 'Night Patrol Teacher', about the children he met
'Yomawari sensei' has to be prescribed reading for every young person in the world.
Vague, overall spoilers for the ideas of 'Yomawari sensei' ahead, although it isn't too important either way:
Mizutani, writing about his own observations and encounters with children of his city, bleeds a clear and admirable dedication to children of all walks of life in every story he writes. He may describe someone who has nearly ruined their own lives from misguided decisions, or in reaction to trauma or someone caught up in events they couldn't possibly control. Nearly all short stories are about a child on a dangerous path or situation. Throughout all people he meets, those he talks to or intervenes with or advises he consistently tells them they can redeem themselves, or forgive their own actions and move on with life, with a central message that every child is infinitely redeemable. While simple, and probably universally agreed with, I think it is a profound theme to write about. I think it is often forgotten, or not said enough. It says that no past action cannot be redeemed, or that no decision cannot be taken back and is a poignant way to get through to some children, saying that they indeed can change and deserve to live in spite of what has happened to them, or what they have done to others. It is also important when he says he cannot forgive adults getting in the way of a child's future, as he says when confronting the abuser of a now dead child. In someways 'Yomawari sensei' is the most realistic and inspiring story that can be written, even if some events are far removed from the people reading it, truly everyone can learn something from each story- be it empathy for children seemingly choosing a bad path for themselves, or motivation for others to follow his footsteps in guiding the youth. It makes me happy that such a person exists, and shares his lessons with the world, with chapters ending with excerpts by Mizutani writing about hope, or empathy in any eloquently written passage. You also cannot help but feel so sad about the people he writes, real people who you know an uncomfortable and tragic amount about. As I read, I thought about similarities between the characters written and people I knew, or how I would feel and act in the frequently hopeless scenarios these children find themselves in which made me feel the presence of Mizutani more clearly. He's always a figure of hope but at the very least, the knowledge someone knows who these people are itself is powerful. Both his small actions- swinging on the swings with a misguided child or comforting someone in pain- or his large have their impact felt clearly and you can appreciate each as if you're living it.
At times, 'Yomawari sensei' is quite a beautiful series, at others it borderlines on depressing and an experience akin to staring into the abyss. The difference between it and other tragic, impactful, meaningful stories like (for example) 'The Horizon' is that the events are real. Mizutani practically stares you in the eye saying 'Yes, these are real people; Yes this did really happen; No, you the reader do not get to lessen the weight of your emotions by thinking these events are fiction'. At one time it can be read as both the actions Mizutani took in guiding the next generation as well as a touching memorial for the people he met and helped. Many of the stories and children are embedded in my memory forever, for some unfortunately it is in memory of their tragically short lives, and for others it is in celebration of the redemption they wrested from the jaws of near inevitable disaster of their lives.
Having read 'Yomawari sensei' I think I have been profoundly impacted by it, subconsciously. It is only upon deliberate self-analysis that I can really appreciate how it has changed my thought process, and ways I react to negativity. At the very least, for every child who reads it, I hope the message that all children can be forgiven and redeemed is remembered and cherished. I read it over 2 years ago, and now as an adult I can truly appreciate how it has steered me into a better person, still vividly remembering the events and messages of the story.
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