#class 2-4

Lesson of the Evil is a Japanese suspense-thriller and horror movie based on the novel "Aku no Kyoten" by Yusuke Kishi (first published serially from July, 2008 to July, 2010 in the monthly magazine "Betsatsu Bungeishunju" and then published in novel form July 30, 2010, by Bungeishunju). This movie is directed by Takashi Miike a hugely anticipated suspense-thriller screenplay writer and director. This movie is led by the actor Hideaki Ito, who plays the main character known as Seiji Hasumi aka Hasumin by his female students, and set solely in a high school and revolves around class 2-4.

Seiji Hasumi is described as the cool and charismatic English teacher, however, this façade starts to crumble as the film progresses as he is plagued by his past and the students start to disappear. As time progresses he sets his sites on three teachers and puts both students and teachers alike against each other in order to 'weaken his prey'. He also uses two of these teachers who are known to be having sexual relations with students in his homeroom class as his "greatest weapons" and exclaims that their lives are in his hands.

I would describe this movie as a suspense-thriller disguised as a shoujo/ slice of life drama flick contrived of romantic encounters, student/teacher affairs, and things that happen in a normal high school in Japan such as bullying, club activities, exams and preparing for a school festival. However, this theatrical façade starts to crumble about a third of the way into the movie as a fire starts to brew both literally and figuratively.

This movie focuses largely on Norse mythology and mainly focuses on  Odin and his two ravens as well as how Hideaki's character, Seiji Hasumi, detests them and sets out to kill them. This is quoted in the film when Hasumi is monologuing and says "In Norse mythology, a pair of ravens named Huginn and Muninn patrol the world as agents of Odin. Their names mean 'thought' and 'memory', these two ravens fly over the Earth and bring tidings to Odin, king of the gods". He especially detests Muninn who he refers to when talking to one of his students at the end of the movie when he says to them "Say hello to Odin for me".

Another concept that is prevalent in this movie is the Werther effect also known as copy-cat suicide which is a spike of emulation suicides after a widely publicized suicide is known as the Werther effect, following Goethe's novel The Sorrows of Young Werther. This is where a publicized suicide serves as a trigger, in the absence of protective factors, for the next suicide by a susceptible or suggestible person.

A final thing to note from this movie is the use of English words like 'good', 'great', 'excellent' and 'magnificent' that are used by Hasumi throughout. He uses these words as their usual expressions of fondness but, as the movie progresses these expressive words seem to take on a much deeper and darker tone. Another English saying Hasumi uses is "united we stand, divided we fall" which he says in English and repeats in Japanese as the movie is coming to its climax and the students start to panic and become moving targets that Hasumi can cross of his list.

  Tour program:

8:00 – 10:30  Transfer to the River (not included in the cost of tour).

11:00 – 13:00 Rafting.

13:00 – 14:00 Lunch (not included in the cost of tour).

14:00 – 15:30 Rafting.