High School! Kimengumi – Episode 1

Content Warning: Photosensitive imagery, alcoholism as comedy; transphobia

What’s it about? When five students with very unique quirks and personalities get together, trouble ensues at Ichio Junior High, where Rei, Go, Kiyoshi, Jin, and Dai have gained a reputation as a troublesome quintet…

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Episode 1 introduces a whole lot of students very quickly in a veritable hurricane of jest, jabs, wisecracks, japes, gags, wordplay, pulled faces, practical jokes, and blink-and-you’ll-miss ribs as Kawa Yui (this order specifically for the linguistic joke) joins the class of the troublesome Kimengumi, a group of five boys with some of the most absurd personalities. Their leader, Rei, is a weirdo plain and simple; member number two, Go, is an occasional drunk and despite being in junior high, brings a bottle of liquor to school for lunch; member number three, Kiyoshi, is an absolute pervert; member number four, Jin, is always hungry and has the greed they talk about even in the Japanese iteration of the Bible; then there’s member number five Dai who…is playing on the very transphobic and homophobic “okama” trope, is noticeably weaker, and cries a lot.

Oh boy.

This is the backbone of daily life for Yui at her new school, and immediately what becomes clear is that these antics are a daily occurrence sure to make life interesting.

It’s fascinating to review Kimengumi as a show clearly set now that feels, and looks, like it’s a blast from the past—and granted, it is. This takes from a manga during the bubble economy that had an anime set during the bubble economy as well. That lends a vintage feel to the comedy that should, by all means, bring with it a certain nostalgia for an age of anime and manga that I missed by cause of my birth.

Instead, I’m just left feeling like climbing back in bed.

This series, at times, feels like it wants to be 2020s humor but honestly, it primarily remains very locked in time. It’s this curious mishmash of modernity with a slapstick comedy that I think I might have found funny once, but at 33, makes me feel the kind of autistic overwhelm they talk about in the DSM-5. It’s such a frenetic premiere that I almost felt like I needed to watch it twice, but thankfully, I think I took in enough of the incredibly huge cast of characters (all with different hair colors and behaviors, thankfully) to remember who was who. Still, that wasn’t enough to endear me to any character, and with the hot mess of uncomfortable tropes (a child alcoholic and a character who’s sole purpose is “HE’S LIKE A GIRL, ISN’T THAT FUNNY?!) I found it hard to get a grip on this series.

Plus, I have to admit, I wonder what the logic is in adapting such an older series that really feels out of place even in today’s frequently horned-up anime market. Is it simply some unknown right time? Is there some esoteric anniversary I can’t seem to find? I don’t know, but what I can say is this is an odd duck of an adaptation that left me with both eyebrows raised at its existence. 

Comedy really is subjective and while High School! Kimengumi isn’t necessarily offensive or unfunny, it’s just not necessarily my type of humor anymore. I wish I could say something like, “I can’t help but feel drawn to the antics–and modern references–of the titular Kimengumi boys” but then I’d be flat out lying because in truth, this premiere was incredibly overwhelming and I can’t remember anyone’s names except the main character being a pun on “kawaii” and the student who looks at gravure magazines to gain super-powered vision. If that’s all I’m taking away from this, then this is something of a failed premiere that is memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Also, I didn’t laugh once, and I laugh at a lot of very silly things, but this didn’t crack my affect at all. If anything, I just felt increasingly overwhelmed by the EVERYTHING on screen. In the end, I think that this show isn’t for me but that doesn’t mean it’s bad for others: it’s just that this isn’t my type of comedy. Much like Ranma ½, I’m unimpressed by something that I sense people really treasure as retro media but I find so jarring to engage with in 2026. In truth, I’d rather invest my time in other new series this season.