S.S. ASTRO: Asashio Sogo Teachers' ROom, Vol. 1 (S.S. ASTRO)

By Negi Banno

Ever wondered what goes on behind the closed doors of the teachers' lounge? At Asashio High, the new school year brings new faces, both in the student body and on staff. The new crop of teachers are all former students, and it quickly becomes obvious they have yet to grow out of their hilariously juvenile ways. From romantic entanglements to otaku obsessions, these teachers just go to show that the fun doesn't have to end after high school

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0759528985
• ISBN13: 9780759528987
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Yen Press
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 16 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 11 and higher

Customer Reviews

(3.5 STARS) "Azumanga"? Umm...Not Really. Still Entertaining

Four-panel comic "S. S. Astro" created by Banno Negi offers a unique take on high school life in Japan, which is frequently taken up as the setting for comic books. Here the entire characters are high school teachers (ASTRO stands for Asashio Sogo Teachers ROom or Asashio General High School Teachers Room). Remember the world of "Azumanga Daioh" and Yukari sensei and Nyamo sensei as the main cast. The teachers (mostly female) are all described as unique persons with slightly eccentric traits; physical education teacher Maki sensei never grows up; nursing teacher Arai sensei is romantically attracted to someone else in school; Japanese teacher Nagumo sensei has uncanny ability of eating "accidentally" so much food, and so on. Students appear sometimes, but they are just "character # 1" without names. I am sorry to say, however, that for all nice illustrations "S. S. ASTRO" is no "Azumanga." Obviously teacher's life in school is less eventful than student's (I was a high school teacher and I know that) and the manga's story goes on, it tends to be less and less about the school life, which initially rendered "S. S. ASTRO" quite unique. Maybe creator Banno Negi is running out of material. The comic has been serialized in Japanese magazine "Manga Time Kirara Carat" (known for "Sunshine Sketch" and more recently "K-On!" both turned into anime series), but sadly "S. S. ASTRO" has not been published in the magazine since November, 2007. At this time of writing nothing has been announced as to the comic's return. Perhaps we muct wait for its Volume 2 (if any) very, very long. Yen Press did a great job of translating the book. English edition has the same format as the Japanese one, with color pages intact. Translation of FXs and signs are not neglected. The translation itself is very good with 4-page translation notes that explain the comic's references to games and otaku culture. One thing must be said, however. The translator clearly confuses "ensoku" (field trip) and "shugaku ryokou" (school trip). The former is, as the notes say, "once-a-year" (and one-day) field trip, but the comic refers to the latter, much longer travel that students can join only once in their school life. (Remember the delightful epiasoeds in Okinawa in "Azumanga"? That's "shugaku ryokou" and we cannot afford to do that once in a year.) The book also contains a 10-page preview of "Suzunari," my favorite comic of a cute girl with a pair of nekomimi ears.

Great Read

I love this Manga. It was the first 4-panel or yonkoma I've ever read. The greatest thing about this style, I've come to find, is unlike other mangas, the 4-panel ones are way more re-readable. Once I've finished, the down time for a typical manga is a year or two before I'm ready to read it again. With this style, I was ready to read it again the next day! The story: was simply great! A little disjointed at times, but overall a fun and fast paced storyline. This was a great manga and I would recommend it for anyone.

Refreshing

The cliche of "school life" manga is one focused on the drama or humor of student life. This is an okay formula in and of itself, but it's done done done done done into the dust. And especially annoying is how most school life manga ends as soon as the students graduate, as if the end of school was the end of life entirely. In that respect, SS Astro is a refreshing change of pace. All the main characters are adults, high school graduates, and struggling along in the work world. The author excellently balances an adult's frustrations with employment, while emphasizing the humor of it. SS Astro shows us that life doesn't end when school does, and that the life elements that allow for school life humor are actually around us our whole lives. Get this manga, and let's all pray for a second volume.

Azumanga teacher style

S. S. Astro: Asahio Sogo Teacher's Room can best be described as Azumanga grown up. The entire work is in 4-koma style with an occasional splash or two thrown in. The drawings are chibi free, but demonstrate a clean art style that will please any manga fan. Now for the plot - The work is a lot of fun. Don't expect amazing jokes on every page, but the slice-of-life humor is rather good. The main focus are four teachers: Maki, the gym teacher with a lazy attitude; Arai, the school nurse who is mostly bored and craving someone else's injury; Karasuma, the foreign language teacher who has hopes for a yuri relationship with Maki; and Nagumo, the Japanese teacher who can eat more than most small countries' could afford. There are other secondary characters that begin to get introduced towards the end of the work. A good portion of the plot oddly takes place away from work, but makes reference to work. The group eats out (and drinks), the obligatory hots spring trip is experienced, and other such manga stand-bys. The portion that takes place during work is by far the best. From messy lockers, to grading papers, and experience of two of the teachers' first day as homeroom teachers is delightful. (Plus the handheld video game segment is so much fun!) Overall, S. S. Astro is a fun 4-koma styled work. It is grown up enough that the extreme wackiness of Azumanga (such as papa cat) has been replaced, but the charm is not lost.