Wow, I didn't think I would find an anime quite unknown to those looking for a moe comedy full of characters with such different personalities. And the result, after watching 12 episodes, is that... it was hilarious and funny at times. Okay, Sensei no Ojikan (Teacher's Time) tells us about Mika Suzuki, a teacher who, despite being close to her thirties, is very short so her students don't take her seriously. Well, basically all its episodes do not follow any sense but are sketches of each student doing something with Mika-sensei or with another student, from something normal like talking about a random topic to the surrealwith one of their characters attached to their own imagination. If you have seen other comedies in the style of Azumanga Daioh, Paniponi Dash or Lucky Star, probably in Sensei no Ojikan you will get a similar experience of cute everyday school life.
Although Mika-sensei is the protagonist, her students are the ones who steal most of the show. In fact, there's a range of characters with personalities typical of a Japanese sitcom, but also other types of characters that you wouldn't normally see in a moe sitcom (the inclusion of male characters is one of those): we have the class representative, the energetic and naive girl, the "ojou-sama", the one who is obsessed by the teacher, by the feminine side. On the masculine side there's the transvestite, the "old man" (although he's really a teenager), the manga-drawing otaku, the dumb athlete, and his best friend who he's in love with (and doesn't know it). Yeah, even if it seems absurd, but this works on many occasions where different personalities mix for different jokes throughout the show.
Of course, which can have its disadvantages since it may be difficult for you to identify a bit with any of them. Likewise, this show is made for a more niche audience with "very Japanese" jokes in which you need to know a little more about their humor and culture. On the other hand, if you feel ready enough to go further down the iceberg of cute Japanese shows, then I'd say Sensei no Ojikan would be an interesting option if you have no idea what to watch for the week. There are episodes where there is comedy, but in others there are moments where Mika-sensei spends good times with her students in her day to day (The Festival episode is one of my favorites).
Despite that, its artistic section is not very striking. The design is much more "pretty" simple and short than if you compare it to Azumanga Daioh (which many will think is inspired even though Sensei no Ojikan's manga was published two years before it). Likewise, don't expect excellent animation either, it's just average and nothing out of the ordinary.
Both its opening and ending theme songs are simple but strangely catchy J-Pop songs. The first, played by can / goo, has a more pop rock style that describes Mika-sensei's day-to-day life, her personal life and her family life, and her life as a teacher with her students from she. The ending, by DROPS, has a more 80s-synth-pop style that, curiously, is a cover of the original 1984 version played by Tom Cat, another Japanese band.
Too bad there aren't many voices that you may have heard from Sensei no Ojikan before. In itself it doesn't seem appealing to an audience looking for a predominantly female cast in moe comedy. But the biggest problem is how it is presented:
Something that Sensei no Ojikan abuses a lot is the use of large texts in each dialogue, joke, action or even when representing the feelings of the character. On some extreme occasion, it seems as if you are watching an animated manga than an anime. Likewise, the show's sound effects can sometimes be missing in favor of using text to represent said sound. It is as if they had saved a budget to even limit the movement of the characters at various times.
Also, said before, if you haven't gotten very far with the anime, it's probably that picking Sensei no Ojikan as one of your first animes can give you a long experience of jokes that are better understood by speaking the language, repetitive structures and some characters that you may find annoying.
However, personally, Sensei no Ojikan was a pleasant experience. Having seen several moe comedies already, Sensei no Ojikan was an experience not so out of the ordinary. The characters were what kept my spirits up as I watched every skit on the show. Also, it has its merits of granting male representation, such as even experimenting with new types of personalities, in a type of show where only cute female characters exist. It can make you laugh a few times, other times it may seem annoying or boring, it will depend on your mood.
And yes, indeed Sensei no Ojikan was... hilarious and funny.
