Please Teacher! | |
![]() Onegai Teacher Vol 1 DVD cover featuring Mizuho Kazami | |
おねがい☆ティーチャー (Onegai ☆ Tīchā) | |
---|---|
Genre | |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Yasunori Ide |
Written by | Yōsuke Kuroda |
Music by |
|
Studio | Daume |
Licensed by | |
Original network | Animax, WOWOW, Bandai Channel |
English network | |
Original run | January 10, 2002 – March 28, 2002 |
Episodes | 12 |
Original video animation | |
Directed by | Yasunori Ide |
Music by | Shinji Orito |
Studio | Daume |
Licensed by |
|
Released | October 25, 2002 |
Runtime | 21 minutes |
Manga | |
Onegai Teacher | |
Written by | Shizuru Hayashiya |
Published by | MediaWorks |
English publisher | |
Magazine | Dengeki Daioh |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Original run | January 2002 – February 2003 |
Volumes | 2 |
Light novel | |
Onegai Teacher: Mizuho and Kei's Milky Diary | |
Written by | Gō Zappa |
Illustrated by | |
Published by | MediaWorks |
English publisher | |
Imprint | Dengeki Bunko |
Demographic | Male |
Published | March 2003 |
Sequel | |
Please Teacher! ( Japanese: おねがい☆ティーチャー, Hepburn: Onegai Tīchā, Onegai ☆ Teacher) is a 2002 science fiction and romantic comedy anime television series directed by Yasunori Ide, written by Yōsuke Kuroda, and produced by Bandai Visual. It was later adapted into a manga and light novel and centers on a group of friends and the odd things that happen to them after they get a new teacher.
The Please Teacher! anime series premiered in Japan on the WOWOW satellite television network between January 10 and March 28, 2002, spanning a total of 13 episodes, including twelve originally premiering on television plus an OVA episode released on DVD on October 25, 2002. It was adapted very soon into a manga, serialized in MediaWorks's shōnen manga magazine, Dengeki Daioh, in January 2002, and was also later adapted into a light novel, entitled Onegai Teacher: Mizuho and Kei's Milky Diary, published in March 2003.
The Please Teacher! anime series was soon continued with a spin-off sequel, [3] Please Twins!, which premiered on WOWOW between July 15 and October 14, 2003.
The setting of the series, though left unsaid in either anime or manga, is Lake Kizaki, located in Nagano, Japan, and the region and its surrounding locations are featured prominently and accurately across the series. [4] The novel states that the school the characters attend is the Nagano Prefectural Kizaki High School. This school is based upon the Old Matsumoto High School located in Agatanomori Park of Matsumoto, about an hour south of Lake Kizaki on the JR Ōito Line. The tower on which Kaede and Hyosuke stand upon can be found in Joyama Park on the northwest part of the city. A reference to Mizuho’s father places the series some time after 2009; given her age of 23, the story occurs no earlier than 2034.[ original research?]
Please Teacher! is a story mainly revolving around a tight-knit group of friends in high school and how they cope with several life-changing events that are never too far off from intimate relationships. The main character is a boy named Kei Kusanagi who suffers from a very rare disease which causes a comatose state referred to as a " standstill" whenever he is under severe emotional distress.
Before the beginning of the story, Kei, at 15 years of age, had fallen into a "standstill" lasting three years after witnessing the suicide of his elder sister. After recovering, he quietly moved away from home in order to avoid social difficulty due to his long absence, and began living with his uncle, a medical doctor, and aunt. Due to the strange nature of how he came to live there, Kei wanted to keep the situation a secret from his new friends for fear of being ostracized as being too old to associate with them. After Kei had established himself in his new surroundings and had entered into a close group of mutually supportive friends, a Galactic Federation starship had entered Earth's atmosphere stealthily, approached Honshū Island and landed surreptitiously in Lake Kizaki.
The story begins with Kei suffering a minor 'standstill' while in the vicinity of the lake, witnessing several unexplainable phenomena happening there, and then watching as a beautiful half-human alien named Mizuho Kazami materialize beside the shore. Kazami was sent to observe planet Earth by a seemingly benevolent Galactic Federation in order to prevent humans from making developmental mistakes. Kei, upon observing the materialization, attempts to escape the pursuing Kazami. Kazami is under strict orders to prevent her true identity and mission from being discovered. During his attempt to escape, Kei falls into the lake. Kazami rescues Kei and, using information from his identification, is able to return him home in secret. The next day, Kazami has become Kei's new homeroom teacher and next-door neighbor.
During assisting her in moving in, Kei suffers another standstill, and while in a weakened state explains his predicament to the compassionate Mizuho, who ends up revealing her own origins and purpose on Earth. Several accidental activations of Mizuho's teleport technology (which were inadvertently caused by Kei) eventually place Kei and Mizuho in a couple of compromising situations in front of his uncle and aunt and his school's headmaster, but Kei protects Mizuho from charges for an inappropriate relationship between student and teacher by impulsively stating that they are married, resulting in an actual civil marriage that later blossoms into genuine affection for each other. The headmaster relents, partly because he, too, had married a former student younger than himself and can understand their situation personally. Both are allowed to stay so long as they do not reveal their status to the other students, and do not engage in any public displays of affection.
The remainder of the series concerns the budding intimate relationships between the close friends, one of whom (Koishi Herikawa) is romantically interested in Kei, and another (Ichigo Morino) who has suffered even greater loss of time from the same disease as he has; the problems of having to maintain the secrecy of the marriage; an interfering parent and sibling visiting from the Galaxy Federation; and Kei learning to overcome the ever-present threat of another lengthy 'standstill' stealing more of his life, particularly as he has fallen deeply in love with Mizuho and desperately wants to remain with her.
Eventually Kei falls into another major "standstill" and in order to bring him out of it, Mizuho has to use her technology which is against the law. As a result, her status on Earth is revoked, she is banned from the planet and all memory of her is erased from everyone's, including Kei's, minds. With the help of her mother and sister she sneaks back and is devastated to learn that Kei, who she is deeply in love with, has no memory of her. While helping her move back in, Kei reveals that his memory has returned and the two express their love for each other and get married again.
The Please Teacher! anime series, authored and scripted by Yōsuke Kuroda, directed by Yasunori Ide, [5] and produced by Bandai Visual, Studio Orphee and Daume, originally premiered in Japan on the satellite television network WOWOW, between January 10 and March 28, 2002, spanning a total of thirteen episodes, including twelve originally premiering on television plus an OVA episode concluding the series, released on DVD on October 25, 2002.
It has also been broadcast across Japan by the anime satellite television network, Animax, who have aired the series across its respective networks worldwide, including East Asia, Latin America, and as well as its English language networks in Southeast Asia and South Asia. The series has been licensed for North American distribution by Bandai's distributive unit across the region, Bandai Entertainment, who have released the series via a four-volume DVD release, and whose English dub has also been broadcast by Animax across its English-language networks in Southeast Asia and South Asia. The series is now licensed by Right Stuf under their Nozomi Entertainment label.
The Please Teacher! anime series was soon continued with a spinoff, Please Twins!, which premiered on WOWOW between July 15 and October 14, 2003, featuring many of the characters featured in the series, as the series' story happens after Please Teacher!.
The series' opening theme is "Shooting Star" by Kotoko, and the ending theme is "Sora no Mori de" (空の森で, In the Forest of the Sky) by Mami Kawada. The song "Sora wa Kataranai" (そらは語らない) by Kikuko Inoue is used as an insert song in episode 11, and the song "Love a Riddle" by Kotoko is used as the ending theme in episode 12.
An official AMV of the series was released as "Snow Angel", the music is from the entry #6 of Kotoko's album "Stokesia".
# | Title | Original airdate | |
---|---|---|---|
01 | "Teach Me, Teacher" "Oshiete Tīchā" (教えてティーチャー) | January 10, 2002 | |
While out walking on the lakeshore, Kei witnesses a UFO landing. A female alien materializes and he panics as a result. Kei attempts, rather poorly, to escape from her, falling into the lake and nearly drowning but the alien saves him. The next day, he is surprised to find that the alien is his new homeroom teacher, Mizuho Kazami, and later that day he also discovers that she's his new neighbor. | |||
02 | "I Can't Get Married Anymore" "Mō Omuko ni Ikemasen" (もう、お婿にいけません) | January 17, 2002 | |
After being teleported into the gym closet for a much needed talk, Kei and Mizuho are stuck when the door is locked. While they are trapped, Kei and Mizuho share their secrets and begin to fall in love. Later, they are freed by Kei's uncle and the principal. In an attempt to save Mizuho's job, Kei's uncle lies to the principal, saying that Kei and Mizuho are married. | |||
03 | "This Isn't Right, Teacher" "Mazui yo Sensei" (まずいよ★先生) | January 24, 2002 | |
Kei and Mizuho get married, but during the ceremony Kei's friends show up for an unexpected visit. Kei must avoid being discovered, and a series of close encounters ensues. | |||
04 | "Actually, I Think I Love You" "Yappari Suki ka mo" (やっぱり好きかも) | January 31, 2002 | |
Kei and Koishi get set up on a date by Ichigo. A worried and jealous Mizuho finds out and decides to follow them. Kei must be attentive to Koishi and try to hide his marriage, while contending with an emotional wife. | |||
05 | "For That, Teacher, I..." "Sonna Sensei ni, Boku wa" (そんな先生に、ぼくは) | February 7, 2002 | |
Kei and Mizuho go to the beach and stay at a hotel for their honeymoon. When they first arrive, a little girl with a dog falls in love with Kei the moment she sees him but is heartbroken to see he is with Mizuho. The honeymoon begin to go horribly wrong when Kei's friends are discovered to be staying at the same hotel forcing Kei and Mizuho to take steps to hide their relationship from them. In other relationship news, Kaede and Hyosuke progress beyond friendship by becoming intimate for the first time. In the end, Kei and Mizuho are able to come together but are interrupted by the little girl from the beginning of the episode running away in tears. Mizuho gets angry thinking that Kei has been cheating on her with other girls and storms off. Kei chases after her trying to explain to her he was not with other women and does not know what is going on. | |||
06 | "Let's Start From The Beginning" "Hajimatte kara Hajimeyō" (始まってから始めよう) | February 14, 2002 | |
Kei and Mizuho receive an unexpected and awkward visit from Mizuho's flirty mother, who intends on exciting their marriage, and her annoying little sister, who is intent on separating the couple by whatever means necessary. | |||
07 | "Don't Cry, Teacher" "Nakanaide Sensei" (泣かないで先生) | February 21, 2002 | |
Mizuho's sister, Maho, sees what she thinks to be Kei making Mizuho cry so she tries to get rid of Kei. Due to Maho's interference, Kei falls into a standstill upon hearing that Mizuho would be happier without him. Fortunately, Mizuho arrives in time to call him back. Shortly after, mother and daughter say their farewells, but Maho drops by the apartment, pretending to have forgotten something. After kissing Kei on the cheek to make up for her earlier actions, Maho disappears, leaving Mizuho crying over the fact that Kei "kissed" her little sister. Kei tries to explain that Maho kissed him but instead he seizes the opportunity to kiss Mizuho. | |||
08 | "Long Night" "Nagai Yoru" (長い夜) | February 28, 2002 | |
Mizuho and Kei get into an argument. Kei meets Koishi as he wanders around thinking about the argument. Later that day Koishi confesses her love for Kei and is rejected. She walks home in tears. | |||
09 | "Let's End It Now" "Mō Owari ni Shiyō" (もう、おわりにしよう) | March 7, 2002 | |
Ichigo finds out that Kei rejected Koishi and tries to confront him but falls into a standstill thus revealing her secret to Kei. He leaves Mizuho to go on date with Koishi so that Ichigo does not fall into a standstill again. | |||
10 | "But" "Demo" (でも) | March 14, 2002 | |
Koishi finds Kei talking with Ichigo, and realizes that Ichigo set everything up. She then runs off crying. Koishi wants Kei to kiss her to prove that it was not a set-up. Kei tries to kiss her but is interrupted by Mizuho, who runs away with tears in her eyes. Kei catches up to her and they kiss but Kei falls into a serious standstill. | |||
11 | "Teacher" "Sensei" (せんせい) | March 21, 2002 | |
Kei has fallen into a serious standstill and Mizuho tries to help him out of it. We find out that the reason Kei experiences standstills is due to the trauma of witnessing his sister's suicide and hearing her last words, "I want to bring it all to a standstill." | |||
12 | "One More Time, Teacher" "Mō Ichido Tīchā" (もう一度ティーチャー) | March 28, 2002 | |
Mizuho is sent back to her planet, where she is stripped of her rank in addition to other sanctions, but her love for Kei prompts her to return to Earth (with help from her mother and sister). A year has passed and the memories of everyone she interacted with previously are supposed to have been erased. However, thanks to an empty box of Pochy, his memories flood back on seeing Mizuho return to her job as his homeroom teacher. He pretends not to recognize Mizuho until he has a chance to be alone with her. Initially dismayed at his act, the two confess their love for each other and marry again, repeating the events of episode 1. | |||
OVA | "Secret Couple" "Himitsu na Futari" (ヒミツなふたり) | October 25, 2002 | |
Hatsuho and Maho return for a visit and Hatsuho forces Mizuho to talk about intimate details of her relationship with Kei. Hatsuho kidnaps Kei, takes him to a love hotel, and ties him to a bed. Although Hatsuho is attracted to Kei, this is actually an attempt to add excitement into Kei and Mizuho's marriage, which ends in success when Mizuho arrives to save Kei but ends up in bed with him. The following day, Kei and Mizuho becomes shocked and discomforted after finding out that everyone in school is talking about what happened between Mizuho and Kei along with Maho, and Hatsuho at the love hotel by Ichigo. |
Please Teacher! was adapted into a manga series, authored by Japanese manga artist Shizuru Hayashiya, which was serialized in MediaWorks's manga magazine, Dengeki Daioh, in January 2002, its run consisting of two- bound volume compilations. The manga has since been licensed for North American distribution by ComicsOne and in Brazil by Editora JBC, under the title Onegai Teacher.
The story maintains the basic plot, but adds comic humor that suits the manga format well, taking full advantage of still frames. However, there are quite a few minor details that have been omitted from the anime or were completely changed: the relationship between Hyosuke and Kaede is deflected, with Hyosuke ending up with Ichigo; Yamada is never introduced; Minoru is much more overt with his lecherousness, but is a great deal of help in Kei and Mizuho's relationship; Koishi's role is diminished somewhat; Hatsuho is only shown in only two frames, as a transmission call to the couple warning them of Maho's wrath and in the other world when Kei has a standstill; and finally, the Okinawan honeymoon is never shown or mentioned.
The light novel version entitled Onegai Teacher: Mizuho and Kei's Milky Diary was written by Gō Zappa and illustrated by Taraku Uon and Hiroaki Gōda. It was published in Japan by MediaWorks in March 2003 and was only one volume in length. The English edition was released by Comics One in October 2003.
Critical reception of Please Teacher! has been generally positive.
Carlos Ross and Lauren Smoller of THEM Anime Reviews praised the series, giving the TV series 4 out of 5 stars, and 3 out of 5 stars for the OVA. Ross praised the animation, cast of characters, character designs and development, the opening track, the chemistry between Kei and Mizuho, but handed out criticism regarding the plot. He states that "the plot does rely on a whole lot of circumstances and cliches that do get grating as the series goes on. While the accessory characters are often just as well characterized as the leads, you do get really sick of them popping up to interfere with the main relationship." Overall, Ross concludes that "there are moments in this show that are pure magic. While its flaws prevent it from being the best of the best, this anime is very well worth watching and picking up the moment you see it on the shelf." [6] Smoller handed out mild praise for the OVA's animation, and the chemistry between the two main leads, but handed out criticism for the lack of a coherent plot, the jokes, and the supporting cast. She also notes that the OVA's main target audience is for adults, stating that it is "basically soft-core hentai." [7]
Theron Martin of Anime News Network gave the series a B− rating, praising the soundtrack, animation, character designs and development, as well as the chemistry between Kei and Mizuho, but criticized the plot for being too cliched. He handed out mild praise for the English dub, stating that it sticks very closely to the original Japanese, and handed out good marks for Sandy Fox's performance as Maho Kazami. Martin ultimately concludes that "it is a mildly entertaining series with occasional strong points and some storytelling aspects which offer a different feel than most current romantic fare." [8]
Please Teacher! | |
![]() Onegai Teacher Vol 1 DVD cover featuring Mizuho Kazami | |
おねがい☆ティーチャー (Onegai ☆ Tīchā) | |
---|---|
Genre | |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Yasunori Ide |
Written by | Yōsuke Kuroda |
Music by |
|
Studio | Daume |
Licensed by | |
Original network | Animax, WOWOW, Bandai Channel |
English network | |
Original run | January 10, 2002 – March 28, 2002 |
Episodes | 12 |
Original video animation | |
Directed by | Yasunori Ide |
Music by | Shinji Orito |
Studio | Daume |
Licensed by |
|
Released | October 25, 2002 |
Runtime | 21 minutes |
Manga | |
Onegai Teacher | |
Written by | Shizuru Hayashiya |
Published by | MediaWorks |
English publisher | |
Magazine | Dengeki Daioh |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Original run | January 2002 – February 2003 |
Volumes | 2 |
Light novel | |
Onegai Teacher: Mizuho and Kei's Milky Diary | |
Written by | Gō Zappa |
Illustrated by | |
Published by | MediaWorks |
English publisher | |
Imprint | Dengeki Bunko |
Demographic | Male |
Published | March 2003 |
Sequel | |
Please Teacher! ( Japanese: おねがい☆ティーチャー, Hepburn: Onegai Tīchā, Onegai ☆ Teacher) is a 2002 science fiction and romantic comedy anime television series directed by Yasunori Ide, written by Yōsuke Kuroda, and produced by Bandai Visual. It was later adapted into a manga and light novel and centers on a group of friends and the odd things that happen to them after they get a new teacher.
The Please Teacher! anime series premiered in Japan on the WOWOW satellite television network between January 10 and March 28, 2002, spanning a total of 13 episodes, including twelve originally premiering on television plus an OVA episode released on DVD on October 25, 2002. It was adapted very soon into a manga, serialized in MediaWorks's shōnen manga magazine, Dengeki Daioh, in January 2002, and was also later adapted into a light novel, entitled Onegai Teacher: Mizuho and Kei's Milky Diary, published in March 2003.
The Please Teacher! anime series was soon continued with a spin-off sequel, [3] Please Twins!, which premiered on WOWOW between July 15 and October 14, 2003.
The setting of the series, though left unsaid in either anime or manga, is Lake Kizaki, located in Nagano, Japan, and the region and its surrounding locations are featured prominently and accurately across the series. [4] The novel states that the school the characters attend is the Nagano Prefectural Kizaki High School. This school is based upon the Old Matsumoto High School located in Agatanomori Park of Matsumoto, about an hour south of Lake Kizaki on the JR Ōito Line. The tower on which Kaede and Hyosuke stand upon can be found in Joyama Park on the northwest part of the city. A reference to Mizuho’s father places the series some time after 2009; given her age of 23, the story occurs no earlier than 2034.[ original research?]
Please Teacher! is a story mainly revolving around a tight-knit group of friends in high school and how they cope with several life-changing events that are never too far off from intimate relationships. The main character is a boy named Kei Kusanagi who suffers from a very rare disease which causes a comatose state referred to as a " standstill" whenever he is under severe emotional distress.
Before the beginning of the story, Kei, at 15 years of age, had fallen into a "standstill" lasting three years after witnessing the suicide of his elder sister. After recovering, he quietly moved away from home in order to avoid social difficulty due to his long absence, and began living with his uncle, a medical doctor, and aunt. Due to the strange nature of how he came to live there, Kei wanted to keep the situation a secret from his new friends for fear of being ostracized as being too old to associate with them. After Kei had established himself in his new surroundings and had entered into a close group of mutually supportive friends, a Galactic Federation starship had entered Earth's atmosphere stealthily, approached Honshū Island and landed surreptitiously in Lake Kizaki.
The story begins with Kei suffering a minor 'standstill' while in the vicinity of the lake, witnessing several unexplainable phenomena happening there, and then watching as a beautiful half-human alien named Mizuho Kazami materialize beside the shore. Kazami was sent to observe planet Earth by a seemingly benevolent Galactic Federation in order to prevent humans from making developmental mistakes. Kei, upon observing the materialization, attempts to escape the pursuing Kazami. Kazami is under strict orders to prevent her true identity and mission from being discovered. During his attempt to escape, Kei falls into the lake. Kazami rescues Kei and, using information from his identification, is able to return him home in secret. The next day, Kazami has become Kei's new homeroom teacher and next-door neighbor.
During assisting her in moving in, Kei suffers another standstill, and while in a weakened state explains his predicament to the compassionate Mizuho, who ends up revealing her own origins and purpose on Earth. Several accidental activations of Mizuho's teleport technology (which were inadvertently caused by Kei) eventually place Kei and Mizuho in a couple of compromising situations in front of his uncle and aunt and his school's headmaster, but Kei protects Mizuho from charges for an inappropriate relationship between student and teacher by impulsively stating that they are married, resulting in an actual civil marriage that later blossoms into genuine affection for each other. The headmaster relents, partly because he, too, had married a former student younger than himself and can understand their situation personally. Both are allowed to stay so long as they do not reveal their status to the other students, and do not engage in any public displays of affection.
The remainder of the series concerns the budding intimate relationships between the close friends, one of whom (Koishi Herikawa) is romantically interested in Kei, and another (Ichigo Morino) who has suffered even greater loss of time from the same disease as he has; the problems of having to maintain the secrecy of the marriage; an interfering parent and sibling visiting from the Galaxy Federation; and Kei learning to overcome the ever-present threat of another lengthy 'standstill' stealing more of his life, particularly as he has fallen deeply in love with Mizuho and desperately wants to remain with her.
Eventually Kei falls into another major "standstill" and in order to bring him out of it, Mizuho has to use her technology which is against the law. As a result, her status on Earth is revoked, she is banned from the planet and all memory of her is erased from everyone's, including Kei's, minds. With the help of her mother and sister she sneaks back and is devastated to learn that Kei, who she is deeply in love with, has no memory of her. While helping her move back in, Kei reveals that his memory has returned and the two express their love for each other and get married again.
The Please Teacher! anime series, authored and scripted by Yōsuke Kuroda, directed by Yasunori Ide, [5] and produced by Bandai Visual, Studio Orphee and Daume, originally premiered in Japan on the satellite television network WOWOW, between January 10 and March 28, 2002, spanning a total of thirteen episodes, including twelve originally premiering on television plus an OVA episode concluding the series, released on DVD on October 25, 2002.
It has also been broadcast across Japan by the anime satellite television network, Animax, who have aired the series across its respective networks worldwide, including East Asia, Latin America, and as well as its English language networks in Southeast Asia and South Asia. The series has been licensed for North American distribution by Bandai's distributive unit across the region, Bandai Entertainment, who have released the series via a four-volume DVD release, and whose English dub has also been broadcast by Animax across its English-language networks in Southeast Asia and South Asia. The series is now licensed by Right Stuf under their Nozomi Entertainment label.
The Please Teacher! anime series was soon continued with a spinoff, Please Twins!, which premiered on WOWOW between July 15 and October 14, 2003, featuring many of the characters featured in the series, as the series' story happens after Please Teacher!.
The series' opening theme is "Shooting Star" by Kotoko, and the ending theme is "Sora no Mori de" (空の森で, In the Forest of the Sky) by Mami Kawada. The song "Sora wa Kataranai" (そらは語らない) by Kikuko Inoue is used as an insert song in episode 11, and the song "Love a Riddle" by Kotoko is used as the ending theme in episode 12.
An official AMV of the series was released as "Snow Angel", the music is from the entry #6 of Kotoko's album "Stokesia".
# | Title | Original airdate | |
---|---|---|---|
01 | "Teach Me, Teacher" "Oshiete Tīchā" (教えてティーチャー) | January 10, 2002 | |
While out walking on the lakeshore, Kei witnesses a UFO landing. A female alien materializes and he panics as a result. Kei attempts, rather poorly, to escape from her, falling into the lake and nearly drowning but the alien saves him. The next day, he is surprised to find that the alien is his new homeroom teacher, Mizuho Kazami, and later that day he also discovers that she's his new neighbor. | |||
02 | "I Can't Get Married Anymore" "Mō Omuko ni Ikemasen" (もう、お婿にいけません) | January 17, 2002 | |
After being teleported into the gym closet for a much needed talk, Kei and Mizuho are stuck when the door is locked. While they are trapped, Kei and Mizuho share their secrets and begin to fall in love. Later, they are freed by Kei's uncle and the principal. In an attempt to save Mizuho's job, Kei's uncle lies to the principal, saying that Kei and Mizuho are married. | |||
03 | "This Isn't Right, Teacher" "Mazui yo Sensei" (まずいよ★先生) | January 24, 2002 | |
Kei and Mizuho get married, but during the ceremony Kei's friends show up for an unexpected visit. Kei must avoid being discovered, and a series of close encounters ensues. | |||
04 | "Actually, I Think I Love You" "Yappari Suki ka mo" (やっぱり好きかも) | January 31, 2002 | |
Kei and Koishi get set up on a date by Ichigo. A worried and jealous Mizuho finds out and decides to follow them. Kei must be attentive to Koishi and try to hide his marriage, while contending with an emotional wife. | |||
05 | "For That, Teacher, I..." "Sonna Sensei ni, Boku wa" (そんな先生に、ぼくは) | February 7, 2002 | |
Kei and Mizuho go to the beach and stay at a hotel for their honeymoon. When they first arrive, a little girl with a dog falls in love with Kei the moment she sees him but is heartbroken to see he is with Mizuho. The honeymoon begin to go horribly wrong when Kei's friends are discovered to be staying at the same hotel forcing Kei and Mizuho to take steps to hide their relationship from them. In other relationship news, Kaede and Hyosuke progress beyond friendship by becoming intimate for the first time. In the end, Kei and Mizuho are able to come together but are interrupted by the little girl from the beginning of the episode running away in tears. Mizuho gets angry thinking that Kei has been cheating on her with other girls and storms off. Kei chases after her trying to explain to her he was not with other women and does not know what is going on. | |||
06 | "Let's Start From The Beginning" "Hajimatte kara Hajimeyō" (始まってから始めよう) | February 14, 2002 | |
Kei and Mizuho receive an unexpected and awkward visit from Mizuho's flirty mother, who intends on exciting their marriage, and her annoying little sister, who is intent on separating the couple by whatever means necessary. | |||
07 | "Don't Cry, Teacher" "Nakanaide Sensei" (泣かないで先生) | February 21, 2002 | |
Mizuho's sister, Maho, sees what she thinks to be Kei making Mizuho cry so she tries to get rid of Kei. Due to Maho's interference, Kei falls into a standstill upon hearing that Mizuho would be happier without him. Fortunately, Mizuho arrives in time to call him back. Shortly after, mother and daughter say their farewells, but Maho drops by the apartment, pretending to have forgotten something. After kissing Kei on the cheek to make up for her earlier actions, Maho disappears, leaving Mizuho crying over the fact that Kei "kissed" her little sister. Kei tries to explain that Maho kissed him but instead he seizes the opportunity to kiss Mizuho. | |||
08 | "Long Night" "Nagai Yoru" (長い夜) | February 28, 2002 | |
Mizuho and Kei get into an argument. Kei meets Koishi as he wanders around thinking about the argument. Later that day Koishi confesses her love for Kei and is rejected. She walks home in tears. | |||
09 | "Let's End It Now" "Mō Owari ni Shiyō" (もう、おわりにしよう) | March 7, 2002 | |
Ichigo finds out that Kei rejected Koishi and tries to confront him but falls into a standstill thus revealing her secret to Kei. He leaves Mizuho to go on date with Koishi so that Ichigo does not fall into a standstill again. | |||
10 | "But" "Demo" (でも) | March 14, 2002 | |
Koishi finds Kei talking with Ichigo, and realizes that Ichigo set everything up. She then runs off crying. Koishi wants Kei to kiss her to prove that it was not a set-up. Kei tries to kiss her but is interrupted by Mizuho, who runs away with tears in her eyes. Kei catches up to her and they kiss but Kei falls into a serious standstill. | |||
11 | "Teacher" "Sensei" (せんせい) | March 21, 2002 | |
Kei has fallen into a serious standstill and Mizuho tries to help him out of it. We find out that the reason Kei experiences standstills is due to the trauma of witnessing his sister's suicide and hearing her last words, "I want to bring it all to a standstill." | |||
12 | "One More Time, Teacher" "Mō Ichido Tīchā" (もう一度ティーチャー) | March 28, 2002 | |
Mizuho is sent back to her planet, where she is stripped of her rank in addition to other sanctions, but her love for Kei prompts her to return to Earth (with help from her mother and sister). A year has passed and the memories of everyone she interacted with previously are supposed to have been erased. However, thanks to an empty box of Pochy, his memories flood back on seeing Mizuho return to her job as his homeroom teacher. He pretends not to recognize Mizuho until he has a chance to be alone with her. Initially dismayed at his act, the two confess their love for each other and marry again, repeating the events of episode 1. | |||
OVA | "Secret Couple" "Himitsu na Futari" (ヒミツなふたり) | October 25, 2002 | |
Hatsuho and Maho return for a visit and Hatsuho forces Mizuho to talk about intimate details of her relationship with Kei. Hatsuho kidnaps Kei, takes him to a love hotel, and ties him to a bed. Although Hatsuho is attracted to Kei, this is actually an attempt to add excitement into Kei and Mizuho's marriage, which ends in success when Mizuho arrives to save Kei but ends up in bed with him. The following day, Kei and Mizuho becomes shocked and discomforted after finding out that everyone in school is talking about what happened between Mizuho and Kei along with Maho, and Hatsuho at the love hotel by Ichigo. |
Please Teacher! was adapted into a manga series, authored by Japanese manga artist Shizuru Hayashiya, which was serialized in MediaWorks's manga magazine, Dengeki Daioh, in January 2002, its run consisting of two- bound volume compilations. The manga has since been licensed for North American distribution by ComicsOne and in Brazil by Editora JBC, under the title Onegai Teacher.
The story maintains the basic plot, but adds comic humor that suits the manga format well, taking full advantage of still frames. However, there are quite a few minor details that have been omitted from the anime or were completely changed: the relationship between Hyosuke and Kaede is deflected, with Hyosuke ending up with Ichigo; Yamada is never introduced; Minoru is much more overt with his lecherousness, but is a great deal of help in Kei and Mizuho's relationship; Koishi's role is diminished somewhat; Hatsuho is only shown in only two frames, as a transmission call to the couple warning them of Maho's wrath and in the other world when Kei has a standstill; and finally, the Okinawan honeymoon is never shown or mentioned.
The light novel version entitled Onegai Teacher: Mizuho and Kei's Milky Diary was written by Gō Zappa and illustrated by Taraku Uon and Hiroaki Gōda. It was published in Japan by MediaWorks in March 2003 and was only one volume in length. The English edition was released by Comics One in October 2003.
Critical reception of Please Teacher! has been generally positive.
Carlos Ross and Lauren Smoller of THEM Anime Reviews praised the series, giving the TV series 4 out of 5 stars, and 3 out of 5 stars for the OVA. Ross praised the animation, cast of characters, character designs and development, the opening track, the chemistry between Kei and Mizuho, but handed out criticism regarding the plot. He states that "the plot does rely on a whole lot of circumstances and cliches that do get grating as the series goes on. While the accessory characters are often just as well characterized as the leads, you do get really sick of them popping up to interfere with the main relationship." Overall, Ross concludes that "there are moments in this show that are pure magic. While its flaws prevent it from being the best of the best, this anime is very well worth watching and picking up the moment you see it on the shelf." [6] Smoller handed out mild praise for the OVA's animation, and the chemistry between the two main leads, but handed out criticism for the lack of a coherent plot, the jokes, and the supporting cast. She also notes that the OVA's main target audience is for adults, stating that it is "basically soft-core hentai." [7]
Theron Martin of Anime News Network gave the series a B− rating, praising the soundtrack, animation, character designs and development, as well as the chemistry between Kei and Mizuho, but criticized the plot for being too cliched. He handed out mild praise for the English dub, stating that it sticks very closely to the original Japanese, and handed out good marks for Sandy Fox's performance as Maho Kazami. Martin ultimately concludes that "it is a mildly entertaining series with occasional strong points and some storytelling aspects which offer a different feel than most current romantic fare." [8]