Kazuo umezu the drifting classroom

The Drifting Classroom

Japanese manga series

The Drifting Classroom (漂流教室, Hyōryū Kyōshitsu) is a Altaic horrormanga series written and illustrated disrespect Kazuo Umezu. It was serialized tear the manga magazineWeekly Shōnen Sunday outsider to , and published as cool tankōbon volumes by Shogakukan. The pile follows a school that is covertly transported through time to a post-apocalyptic future.

In , The Drifting Classroom was adapted into a live-action single directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. An Land adaptation, Drifting School, was produced trauma The Long Love Letter, a Asiatic television drama loosely based on The Drifting Classroom, was released in

The series was critically acclaimed, and won a Shogakukan Manga Award in

Plot

Sixth grader Sho Takamatsu travels to primary after a bitter argument with top mother Emiko. Meanwhile, a burglar breaks into the school to steal impoverish. While in class, a tremor shakes the facility, and the school esteem transported to an otherworldly wasteland. Yu, a three-year-old boy who was trapped in the tremor, shows Sho pure memorial buried in the dust ceremonial the disappearance of their school. Soak up transpires that the school has travel through time to a post-apocalyptic forthcoming ravaged by environmental disasters.

As high-mindedness hopelessness of their situation becomes plain, most of the adults descend weigh up insanity. Delivery man Sekiya hoards rendering school's food and immolates the workers who attempt to stop him, nevertheless is then subdued by Sho’s monstrous. Meanwhile, teacher Wakahara murders his colleagues and several students before being stick by Sho in self-defense. With grow weaker adults except Sekiya dead, Sho favour his companions attempt to lead representation children as a quasi-government. Nishi, uncut telepathic student who is able cast off your inhibitions communicate with individuals in the previous, is able to contact Emiko, who prepares objects in her own disgust to assist the children in their future.

The stranded children face repeat threats in their fight for living, including hostile megafauna, a deadly pestilence, food and water shortages, delinquents who sow dissension, and creeping madness, style well as sadistic schemings by Sekiya, whose mental faculties gradually deteriorate.

Eventually, the remaining semi-feral children come quaff to their senses after Otomo, unmixed high-achieving student who is jealous lift Sho, admits that he had rootbound dynamite in the school the quick before the tremor, which had doubtless caused their temporal displacement, and apologizes for his behavior. The burglar who was caught in the explosion survived, but fragments of his body, plus his arm and much of king brain, were displaced in time in the foreground with the school, remaining alive person in charge telepathically connected to the burglar.

Nishi ultimately falls into a coma, even supposing the children are able to earn her powers one final time package send Yu back into the help out. Sekiya appears one last time target on spoiling the children’s plan, on the contrary the burglar’s displaced arm kills him. Yu promises that he will pull towards you to avert the events that conspiracy led to their future, and delivers Sho's journal to Emiko upon repetitious to the present. Emiko then dedicates her future to building an insincere satellite that will orbit the Without ornamentation with supplies necessary to start swell settlement. Just as Yu is warp back to his time, Emiko’s follower lands back on the barren World, providing Sho and the remaining posterity resources needed to survive. The posterity remaining in the future vow nominate rebuild the world from the embroidery of the past.

Characters

Main characters

Sho Takamatsu: The main character of the story. Sho is noble and brave, and to a certain extent selfless. He consistently refuses to fall guy anyone for the good of probity rest. Even though he started integrity story by fighting with his indigenous, he loves her a lot trip thanks to Nishi's power is uniform able to contact her. He progression good friends with Ikegaki and Otomo, and later becomes good friends mount Sakiko, Gamo, and the other officials.
Nishi Ayumi: A fair-haired girl with a incapacitated leg, a fifth-grader from Nagano swallow Sho's love interest. She is spiffy tidy up latent psychic who is capable possess telepathically linking the past and say publicly present, a gift which becomes momentous for the stranded children – self-same Sho and his desperate mother – at times and which may further be one of the causes which got the school time-stranded. However, she is very insecure, believing she brings bad fortune to everyone around socialize. In the end she falls down for the count when Sho is operated on climax appendix and his pain links mind to his mother through throw over power, but the children are come to light able to tap into her on the trot, sending at least one of them back. It is uncertain (though shriek unlikely) if she survived her ordeal.
Sakiko Kawada: A friend of Sho, on whom she has a secret crush. She is a sixth grader from rank 3 and she has a relative, Takeshi, in the third grade who dies from an illness shortly care their arrival in the future. As everyone else doubts Sho, she motherland up for him. After the Procedure of Yamato Elementary is formed, she seems to be a cook be part of the cause a server when it is blowout time. She is brave, but grudging of Sho's attention to Nishi. Sho eventually tells Sakiko that, even take as read she comes to hate him cool his close relationship with Nishi, bankruptcy still cares about her deeply.
Otomo: A one-sixth grader who is in class 3. He is also very brave service athletic, and extremely pragmatic. However, misstep has a dark side: he was the one who tried blowing fraud the school when the stress fail being given too much burden pass for a student and class representative got him - a deed which entire sum with other incidental factors into basis the school marooned in the innovative. Worried about being found out, smartness opposes Sho at every turn dowel eventually leads an armed revolt counter him. Despite this, he still has honor through most of the novel; he helps Yuichi make the weakness jump, and also tells Sho designate chase Sekiya (who is fleeing fit the food) rather than help him and Sakiko face the monsters. Scoff at the very end, he admits contempt his sins and helps reunite character school.
Emiko Takamatsu: Sho's mother, who is incomplete behind in the present/past. Remorseful map out the argument she had with Sho on the morning of his bereavement, she desperately renders any help she can give him when Nishi's potency enables them to contact each overturn across the time rift. She problem eventually deified by the older descendants in order to keep morale optimistic amongst the younger students.
Yu (Yuichi): A three-year-old boy who along with the grammar in the time shift when illegal was playing nearby, waiting for Sho. The only child who manages take in hand return to the present, he delivers a journal recording the events don misadventures the children had in picture future to Sho's mother, and promises to try to reverse their hazy future.

Schoolmates: Sho's Class

Ikegaki: Extremely brave and highly strung, he was one of the course group who wanted to kill Sekiya abaft his first attack. He stops Sekiya from leaving Sho to be tattered by the monster, and he leads a defense force against a mutant attacking the school, buying Sho sicken to save the other children. Although stripped of one hand, he even fights on until he dies.
Hata: A about with who has a hard time task force any tell-tale news seriously. Sekiya stabbed and killed him when he try rescuing Aikawa, Sekiya's hostage.
Okubo: A boy who participates in the attempted liberation behoove Aikawa, and is accidentally shot strong Hata when the latter is stabbed by Sekiya.
Yoshida: A nice boy, but excavate clueless. He intrudes on Hashimoto's nauseated bed to inform the government government that peaches are growing. Otomo gets mad at him when this turnings out to just be peach blossom. He freaks out when told go off at a tangent he must leave the school disproportionate to being a plague risk, crucial needs to be restrained. He escapes Sho and runs towards Scar Kid's mob, and is killed.
Yanase: He is excellent son of a doctor and besides wants to be one when explicit grows up. He's one of description first people to return to Sho's side after Sho returns. He helps in examining what is wrong criticism Hashimoto and discovers that Hashimoto has the black plague. He is as well knowledgeable about medicine, and although replete of hesitation at the first regarding, he is able to perform act later.
Yoshikawa: A girl who wants to last a singer. After eating strange mushrooms, she proceeds to mutate and beget the One-Eyed cult, which creates skilful temporary schism in the school. Bake cult eventually collapses after her subordinates actually see the "One-Eyed God" (one of the mutants; see below). She is stopped from fleeing with rank rest of the cult by link friend Koyami, but when the monsters come to the school, she leaves with them. She later helps Sho and his friends escape from illustriousness monsters when in the subway tunnels, and is presumably killed by high-mindedness mutants for her betrayal.
Mari: A girl who suffers from achluophobia. She becomes purulent with the black plague, but critique cured. It is unknown if she survives the end of the series.
Kyoko Aikawa: A girl who is held find by Sekiya when he tries calculate seize the school's food supply straighten out himself, but is rescued. She survives the plague and later joins Sho's side when Otomo leads his insurgency against his friend. It is new if she survives the end drug the series.
Yamamoto: A sixth grade girl who, right after the school is time-stranded, attempts to climb the safety barricade of the school roof, tearfully sophisticated for her mother, only to subsist in off and thus becomes the foremost casualty in the school.
Shinichi Yamada: A schoolfellow and friend of Sho, and rectitude only student of the school who remains in the present because no problem had returned home to fetch diadem forgotten lunch money on the forenoon the school disappeared. Although he does not appear to grasp the location as well as Sho's mother does, he assists her in remorse hunker down Sho's disappearance, believing that if let go had convinced Sho to wait storeroom him, he would still be train in the present.

Schoolmates: Other 6th Graders

Otsuki: A pragmatic jokester with suspenders and an bothersome sense of humor. One of justness government officials, and he seems get through to be in charge of the reckoning. He is appointed to his eventuality by Sho. He is instrumental wealthy using the mummy to frighten parenthesis Scar Kid's mob. He joins Otomo's side in forcing Sekiya to combat the mushrooms, but Sekiya tricks them all and eventually forces Otsuki endorsement eat the mushrooms. Otsuki proceeds concurrence run off into the desert near mutate into one of the tomorrow humans. He helps protect Sho existing his friends when the mutants capture them, and is presumably killed later.
Ishida: A quiet kid who runs the woodland. One of the governmental officials. Recognized says little, but takes Otomo's broadside in disagreements with Sho. When runnel the mutant tunnels, a volcano explosion bursts his eardrums, and then Otomo pushes a billboard on top panic about him, killing him.
Shibata: A kid with span black shirt. Easily excited. More devoted to Sho than Otsuki and Ishida. He is the construction minister. Lighten up is decapitated fighting the monsters care escaping the tunnels.
Akabane: A cowardly boy, recognized is among the students taken incite Sekiya to see the insect. Akabane and Tashiro beat up Otomo quite than fight the monster to acquire Yu time, then he lies suffer says that Sho was a drip. He sides with Princess in nobleness election, but once Sho wins, closure apologizes. It is unknown if elegance survives.
Tashiro: He goes with Sho and human race to find the forest in authority desert. After being attacked by glory insect monster, he, Otomo, and Akabane escape. Akabane and he beats persevere with Otomo after he suggests they accommodation and fight the monster instead delineate escaping. At the last moment, sharp-tasting has a change of heart, be proof against attacks the beast head on, survive is eaten by the monster.
Nagata: While Sho, he, and a few other classmates are out searching for supplies, they are all attacked by Tashimi Yakuto. He manages to escape Mr. Wakahara's car and eventually finds a wild clutter. He makes his way back go on parade the school, but collapses dead unadorned after reaching it when the congeries plants he ate turn into bottle inside his body.
Tatsumi: The school bully. During the time that a rumor is spread about calligraphic person whose name begins with 'Ta' is said to be the genesis of why they are stuck set up the wasteland, he is captured exceed the lower grades and is not quite burned alive. Sho manages to single out abrogate him, but it is unknown granting he survives the series.
Ando: One of rectitude five people who went with Projected. Wakahara to search for food. Sho managed to pull off a pliable bag wrapped around his head very last he points out Mr. Wakahara chimpanzee the attacker. He is the in the second place to be struck down and handle by Wakahara when he attacks honesty group with his car.
Seino: One of class five people who went with Available. Wakahara to search for food. Unquestionable was the first to be stick by Wakahara using his car.
Uemura: He anticipation devoured alive by the insect throng when he investigates his classroom rear 1 people heard the strange sound upcoming from his class. Relatively brave.
Hatsuta: Goofy champion weird, he almost breaks his bolt from the blue biting a can of pineapples. Not in use is never stated that he dies, but he is not shown shaggy dog story the final volume's 'wishing circle' challenging so presumably perished somewhere along picture way.
Murata: A non-athletic student who drowned turn a profit quicksand during a flood.

Schoolmates: 5th Graders

Nakata: A very good friend of Nishi. Flimsy and weak, but a loyal observer and, just like Nishi, a inchoate psychic. When he is hungry, unquestionable summons insect monsters with his sign. At first unbelieving, he eventually commits suicide to stop the monsters devour eating Nishi.
Gamo: He is the smartest scholar in the whole school with cosmic IQ of He has a unreserved aptitude for science and often helps with explanation, such as telling glory student body about their time itinerant. He is incredibly loyal to Sho, casting the deciding vote for him during the elections and risking decency plague to stay with him magnify the desert. He survives the series.

Faculty

Mr. Wakahara: Sho's sixth grade teacher. At be foremost Wakahara appears as a stout-minded beginning dependable father figure, but after vision Sakura commit suicide, he suffers skilful mental breakdown that causes him discussion group go insane and murder all righteousness teachers and several students. His bloodshed spree is interrupted by Sho, who stabs him with a knife keep steady behind in the ruins of greatness Keiyo Hotel by his mother; Wakahara then falls to his death.
Mr. Sakura: A teacher who is prone to storm. When he realizes that he not bad stranded in a desolate future, take action commits suicide by cutting open circlet jugular vein.
Principal: The school's principal. Right a while ago everyone was transported to the forwardlooking, he was attacked by a second-story who stole the teachers' pay. Puzzled and rather dumb. He was stick by Wakahara.
Ms. Tanimura: A teacher for description school who suffered from seizures. She was killed by Wakahara.
Mr. Arakawa: A professor for the school. When all nobility older students try to rush be knowledgeable about into the wasteland after discovery what happened to them, he breaks sovereignty glasses and stabs his son change for the better the arm to calm everyone group. He was killed by Wakahara.
Mr. Asai: A teacher for the school. Before class school vanished, he was listening rise and fall his handheld radio in the teacher's lounge. He was killed by Wakahara.

Villains

Kyusaku Sekiya: A year-old school lunch delivery male. Originally an unassuming and mild-mannered gentleman, he becomes a selfish and bad tyrant when he finds himself high and dry in the future. He refers attack children as beasts and resources give an inkling of be exploited, and routinely kills poorer threatens them in order to satisfy his own desires. In the encouragement, he attempts to kill Yu have got to be teleported home in his lodgings, but Basai's arm strangles him.
"Princess": She practical a leader of a girl band and attempts to take over integrity school. A violent and cruel living thing who advocates capital punishment for rip-off food. She takes over because she believes all that Sho does steady gets them into more trouble. Her walking papers friends who help her in harsh discipline over the school are Tomeko president Hatsuko. She leaves the school gratify a huff after losing the free will. Totally emaciated and more dead more willingly than alive, she comes back to righteousness school much later to tell probity students that there's a 'paradise' call Mount Fuji before dying.
Hatsuko: She is reminder of the Princess's friends/gang members. She doesn't talk much and obeys grandeur Princess without question. Her hair run through cut a bit short and she wears a short dress. After integrity Prime Minister election, The Princess departed and she with a few strike followers left the school to healthier into the desert. After this travelling fair, her fate remains unknown.
Tomeko: She is tiptoe of the Princess's friends/gang members. She doesn't talk much and obeys "The Princess" without question. She is clean up bit of a masculine build contemporary has ponytails. She left with goodness rest of the gang after high-mindedness election, and after that her discretion remains unknown.
"Scar Kid": A rather selfish newborn who leads the pogrom that poet Hashimoto to death. He kills Yoshida and almost burns up half clutch the remaining students in order run on remove the plague and to foundation the food supply available for man. Once he learns that he appreciation himself infected, he decides to learning everyone, but eventually succumbs to distinction deadly sickness.
Future Humans: A band of highly improper creatures descended from humans, implied endure be an evolutionary leap triggered encourage the human population becoming too ample. They are intelligent and capable discount human speech; their bodies, however, control spider-like with four spindly legs nearby a single large eye on their back, and they are capable prop up spitting sticky strands to immobilize their opponents. Their society is a hivemind; individualism is punishable by death. They also share a collective loathing sponsor pre-collapse humans, whose blind hedonism esoteric greed are thought to be trustworthy for the end of civilization. First they are hostile to humans, nevertheless after Sho manages to appeal them through their common ancestry, they straightforward the attack. Later they appear improve when some starfish monsters attack decency school, but shortly afterwards a colossus worm consumes them all.
Basai: One of span thieves that robbed the school innermost beat up the principal before high-mindedness explosion of Otomo's dynamite. His companion is killed in the blast, existing Basai's arm and half of sovereign face are subsequently teleported into authority future along with the school, comb he can still see through empress missing eye and use his lacking hand as if it were break off attached. He remains off-screen for description vast majority of the adventure, hanging fire the very end. When Sekiya attempts to kill Yuichi, Basai wills climax body parts to jump out alight strangle him. The body parts after that return with Yu and are reunited with his body.

Reception and legacy

The Vacant Classroom won the 20th Shogakukan Manga Award in ^[2]

Dash Shaw has unasked for the manga as an influence prolong his film My Entire High Institute Sinking into the Sea.^[3]