Sakura Middle School management has decided to open a day care center for the elderly using vacant classrooms. Of course, the center would be run by professionals. Kinpachi's role is to provide the students with the proper information and outlook in dealing with the elderly. One day, the grade 3-B (9th grade) teacher is rushed to the hospital after being beaten up by his students. Kinpachi takes over the class while the teacher is mending.

Rikiya gets into trouble when he breaks the school windows. His reasons are unclear. He starts working at the day care center in order to pay for the damages. Of course, that means he can't attend classes, but he's not losing any sleep over it.

Atsushi, an excellent student, collapses at school for no apparent reason. Kenjiro visits him at home, feigning concern, to warn him to keep quiet about the incident with Mr. Nakano. The next day, Atsushi skips school and finds himself before Mr. Nakano's home instead...

Although Kenjiro plays the innocent in front of his teachers, he continues his pranks behind their backs. When Rikiya drops an envelope full of cash, Kenjiro hides it and watches as Rikiya searches frantically for it. Kinpachi just can't seem to get a grasp of his class.

Kinpachi's class must decide what to do for the school's Cultural Festival. Class leaders are nearing the end of their rope when the Karate Club members suggest a karate demonstration. Their advisor doesn't believe it's appropriate, but Kinpachi steps in to help.

It's finally time for the Cultural Festival. Overwhelmed by the fervor of their advisor, Mr. Endo, the unity of the students of 3B shows signs of crumbling. Kinpachi has his own problems with Endo, who shows up at the Sakamoto home in Kinpachi's absence, with a gift for Otome, his daughter.

Asumi declares that she wants to become a star. Getting hints from Barbara, who's been modeling since she was scouted in the sixth grade, Asumi works toward her goal. Kenjiro and the other boys tease her mercilessly, but one day, she dresses up and goes to town in hopes of being scouted.

Atsushi, who has been refusing to go to school, goes to Mr. Nakano's home, and for the first time, he confesses that Kenjiro was behind the delivery of the funeral flowers. Even the attack on Mr. Nakano had been engineered by Kenjiro. Kinpachi learns the truth about Kenjiro for the first time.

Kinpachi calls Kenjiro to his home in order to talk to him about Atsushi and the person behind the attack on Mr. Nakano. Kenjiro refuses to tattle. The next day, some students catch another teacher, Mr. Kita, apparently trying to pick up a young girl in Harajuku!

Kinpachi finds Nakano a teaching position at a non-traditional school. Perhaps he will be able to heal while helping these students with their problems. Among the students are three former delinquents. The teachers are wary of them, but the boys are soon enjoying themselves.

Kinpachi Sensei submits his resignation after hitting his students! In all the years that Kinpachi has been teaching, he has been nothing but patient with his students, talking out their problems with them. But this year's crop is completely different and he can't seem to figure them out. At 50, he's not a hot-headed young teacher anymore, yet why does he resort to violence this time?

Will Kinpachi really resign his position at Sakura Middle School? Some parents are outraged by the corporal punishment, and the media have dubbed Kinpachi a "violent teacher," but the students lay the blame upon themselves. The final decision is made by the principal.

It's time for the students to take their high school entrance exams. Everyones under a great deal of pressure, and tempers are short. A "love" triangle has Kinjiro and Kinpachi's son, Kosaku, fighting it out. Kanae forgoes her own exam in order to be with Kota.

When it comes to his own daughter, Kinpachi does everything he can to discourage her suitors. First there was Endo Sensei, and now there's Odagiri Sensei. When he discovers Otome wants to become a teacher, he is vehemently against it. He wants something better for her.

It's time for the first high school entrance exam results to be announced. Across Japan, students wait with bated breath. Kinpachi, who had prayed to the gods that his son would pass his exam, is disappointed. Of the students, Kenjiro in particular, seems extremely dejected.

Kenjiro's brother, a bright scholar who was supposedly studying in the U.S., lands in the hospital. He had been suffering from neurosis and acting violently at home. All this, the family kept quiet. And Kenjiro, forced to be the "good son" at all times, has no one to turn to.

Kenjiro's family is falling apart. His mother's only thought is to escape from the eyes of the community where she has "lost face" since the truth about her first son came out. Kinpachi and Dr. Yasui do their best to help keep the family together.

The results of the public school entrance exams are announced. Which of the students will pass? Akihiko packs his sleeping bag and some food and sets out on a solo journey. Worried that he's running away from home, Officer Omori, Kinpachi and Odagiri follow him.

With entrance exams over, Kinpachi takes the students to his former student's family ramen restaurant to get a taste of a "real" work situation. Then, an unexpected diner walks into the restaurant, and anger flares. Meanwhile, students learn another life's lesson when tragedy strikes at the hospital.

Kenjiro's brother, Yuichiro, is released from the hospital, but he and his mother have a confrontation which goes out of control after Yuichiro grabs a hold of a knife. While trying to stop his brother, Kenjiro accidentally stabs his mother. During the confusion, Yuichiro disappears.

The police interrogates Kenjiro about the stabbing, while Yuichiro and his mother give conflicting accounts. Will Kenjiro be sent to a correctional facility and miss his graduation? Also, Asumi is in police custody after she had been spending nights at her classmate boys' homes.

With graduation day approaching, the 3-B class has a series of special classes, which Kenjiro is unable to attend. His classmates make great effort to keep him abreast of the goings-on at school. Kenjiro pays a visit to Nakano, the teacher he injured half a year ago, who has since left Sakura Intermediate.

A judge will announce Kenjiro's fate three days after the graduation day, which means he will be barred from participating in the ceremony. Will he even be allowed to go to high school? The ever-escalating Nakano incident and Kenjiro's family conflict come to a touching conclusion on graduation day.

Kinpachi gets two transfer students at the start of the second term. Although the other students try to make them feel welcome they make no headway. Kinpachi later discovers that his son Kota has collapsed on his way to school. The doctor diagnoses him with a type of leukemia. Kinpachi, who lost his wife to cancer, is devastated.

Kinpachi's heart is heavy, with two students who just won't fit in, and worry over his son, who has been hospitalized. Nao is called into the Principal's office and reprimanded for her bad attitude. Meanwhile, Masanori seems to be suffering from emotional problems too.

Nobuta has been repeatedly tardy. Kinpachi thinks he's just been oversleeping, but in reality, he has family problems. Seeing how frustrated his son is at not being allowed to leave the hospital, Kinpachi decides to tell his son the truth about his illness.

Kosaku becomes more emotionally unstable when he learns the truth about his illness. Losing his hair due to chemotherapy aggravates his emotional state. Kinpachi does his best to encourage his son, at times with strong words, at times with tender actions.

When Kinpachi takes a cap which another teacher has knitted for Kosaku to the hospital, Kosaku shows him one that a young female cancer patient has given him. For the first time in weeks, Kinpachi sees him smile.

Kosaku uses a computer to find out all he can about his cancer, so he can fight it. Meanwhile, former 3B students gather together in order to put into effect a suggestion made by Kinpachi years ago--to register at a bone marrow bank when they turned 20.

During class, Kinpachi confiscates a note the students have been passing around. He is stunned to find that the students suspect that Naomi is in love with another girl. When he finds out that Naomi once suffered from bullying, he lectures his class on "love."

When the number of case of purse-snatching increases around the school, an anti-crime committee is set up, and former 3B students volunteer to do night patrols. Meanwhile, Kosaku is finally moved out of isolation.

The students are given mock interviews to prepare for high school entrance exams and Kinpachi is amazed by what he hears. Meanwhile, he is concerned about Tadashi, who has been absent from school.

Although Ken enjoys the e-mails he's been getting from Nao, he doesn't realize they are from her, and is embarrassed by her staring. Meanwhile, Kosaku and Masako share stories and their dreams.

One morning, on his way to school, Tadashi finds Mr. Inui's wife Eiko doubled-over on the road. She is about to have her baby. With the help of people nearby, Tadashi manages to get her to the hospital in time. The kids at school excitedly talk about the baby, but Nao attacks Mitsuhiro for speaking like a girl. Meanwhile, Kosaku is allowed a visit home.

Tadashi's brother Takeshi shows up out of the blue. When Tadashi begins scolding him, his brother starts beating him up. A kerosene stove gets knocked over, starting a fire. Meanwhile, Kosaku takes a turn for the worse.

Kosaku is placed in isolation again, in order to receive treatment to raise his white blood cell count. Kinpachi worries about him, but Kosaku urges him to turn his attention toward his students who are preparing for high school entrance exams.

To the great joy of her classmates, Naomi begins coming to school again. But Miki refuses to take the entrance exam, believing she is responsible for her father's suicide attempt. Meanwhile, Kosaku undergoes aggressive treatment at the hospital.

The results of the entrance exams cause an uproar at school. In the midst of this, Mr. and Mrs. Inui bring their newborn baby to the classroom. As everyone oohs and ahhs over the baby, Miyuki drops a bombshell.

The private school entrance exams are being held today. Yamakoshi and Suga get into an altercation with students from another school. Meanwhile, Nobuta has his father and Kinpachi worried when he doesn't come home one day.

Natsumi and Nami post a message on a "dating" website. They immediately receive a response, and agree to meet the boy, who turns out to be a middle-aged man. Natsumi is later called out alone by the man, who then kidnaps her.

Two of Kinpachi's students happen to read a magazine article about a school teacher named Narusako, who committed murder. They immediately connect him with Masanori, who has the same last name, and begin hounding him for details about his father.

Nao and Mitsuhiro get into a vicious fight over Masanori and his father. Masanori's anger with the magazine that published the shocking article continues to build. Worried about him, Ken goes to his father, a lawyer, for some help.

On an Open House day, Kinpachi has his students do a debate on the subject of the magazine's handling of Masanori's story. Kinpachi is pleased to see how much his students have matured. Nao gets help thanks to Kinpachi and Mr. Honda.

Kinpachi tries to talk Nao into returning to school. He and Ms. Honda plan an exercise in class where the students explore "sexuality" and "the role of men and women in society." Meanwhile, Nobuta decides to go and live with his mother.

Nao has returned to school, and is slowly being accepted as a boy by everyone in the class, except for Mitsuhiro. Kinpachi tries to find out what Mitsuhiro's problem is. Meanwhile, although Kinpachi is overjoyed by his son's release from the hospital, he has a problem of his own. Principal Senda has ordered Kinpachi's transfer to another school and Kinpachi finds himself unable to discuss it with his fellow teachers.

The school year is drawing to a close, and soon it's time for graduation. To the very end, Kinpachi Sensei has words of wisdom for his students. At the graduation ceremony, Nao gives a passionate speech before students, teachers, and parents, thanking them for their understanding and acceptance.

New Year's Special

Graduation Special