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Dragon Sakura
2005 - 2021 7.6 (39 votes) 2 Seasons
Official Website
Genres
Drama Comedy
Networks
TBS

Dragon Sakura (ドラゴン桜)

Overview

A struggling lawyer, Kenji Sakuragi, takes a position at private school Tatsuyama Gakuen to pay off his debts. Kenji decides to try to turn this hopeless school into one of the elite institutions in Japan to help rejuvenate his career. His barometer of success will be to get five of his students admitted to the prestigious Tokyo University the following year. But rather than cramming them with lots of general information, his down-to-earth class concentrates on unknown techniques for passing the entrance examination and how to live a good life in these turbulent times. His refreshing outlook and strategy may just be what is needed to turn around the future prospects of himself and his students and teach the rest of us a thing or two as well!

Key Crew

Producer: Iida Kazutaka

Top Cast

Hiroshi Abe
Hiroshi Abe

Kenji Sakuragi

Masami Nagasawa
Masami Nagasawa

Naomi Mizuno

Sara Minami
Sara Minami

Nao Hayase

Kaito Takahashi
Kaito Takahashi

Akira Seto

Yurina Hirate
Yurina Hirate

Kaede Iwasaki

Seishirou Katou
Seishirou Katou

Kouichirou Amano

Ouji Suzuka
Ouji Suzuka

Ryou Fuji

Sara Shida
Sara Shida

Mari Kousugi

Seasons

Season 1 poster
Season 1 (2005)

Sakuragi Kenji is a destitute lawyer and one-time member of a motorcycle gang trying to guide failing high school students with an average score of 36 into Japan's most prestigious educational institution, Tokyo University (Toudai). For no other reason than Sakuragi's personal ambition, he has advertised his intention to produce 5 successful Toudai applicants from the students of a nearly bankrupt failure of school. In addition to revealing essential test-taking techniques for everyone who wants to know how to get into Toudai, "Dragon Zakura" will also teach the essentials of living one's life.

11 episodes

Season 2 poster
Season 2 (2021)

A few years ago, a group of struggling students at a low-ranked high school made it into Japan’s top college, Tokyo University, thanks to Kenji Sakuragi, a down-on-his-luck lawyer-turned-teacher. But since he left, the school has been on a downward spiral. Now they’ve wooed him back, and he’s determined to turn things around again – this time with the motto: “Times are tough! So get a move on!” Students are overwhelmed with choices and desperate for something to hold onto. With his profound belief in their ability, Kenji offers a ray of hope.

10 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: Episode 1
2021-04-25

Lawyer Kenji Sakuragi rocketed to fame after taking a group of students from low-ranked Ryuzan High and getting them accepted to prestigious Tokyo University. Since then, he’s had a successful career running his own law practice specializing in turning around failing schools. Now he’s been asked to step in and rescue Tatsumi Gakuen, which is on the verge of closing its doors. Together with Naomi Mizuno, a fellow lawyer and former student of his, Sakuragi pays a visit to the school and meets its anxious and troubled students.

Runtime: 68 min
Episode 2: Episode 2
2021-05-02

Kenji and Naomi launch a college prep class to help students get into Tokyo University. But controversy erupts when the director of the high school opposes both the special class and Kenji’s unorthodox methods! Meanwhile, after Kenji catches her shoplifting, Kaeda, the star of the school badminton team, loses her confidence right before a major tournament, jeopardizing her chances of getting into an elite university. Can Kenji lift her out of her slump?

Runtime: 59 min
Episode 3: Episode 3
2021-05-09

When his college prep class fails a middle school level practice test, Kenji turns to social media to help them improve their scores. Meanwhile, school director Kumiko, who has promised to resign if five of Kenji’s students get into Tokyo University, is putting together her own college prep class full of Tatsumi Gakuen’s brightest students. In three weeks’ time, the two rival prep classes will compete to decide which class gets cancelled. Can the underdogs prevail?

Runtime: 46 min
Episode 4: Episode 4
2021-05-16

Akira, a member of Kenji’s prep class, hasn’t come to school for three days, and his classmates are getting worried. Kenji tells them to focus on their studies and he shows them an app to help improve their test scores. After school, Akira’s classmates drop in at the ramen restaurant that he runs with his older sister, Rei, but Akira refuses to tell them what’s wrong. Later, Kenji and Naomi find out that Akira and Rei are being harassed by loan sharks…

Runtime: 46 min
Episode 5: Episode 5
2021-05-23

School director Kumiko proposes a rematch between Kenji’s Tokyo University prep class and her new “top-tier university” prep class, which includes Ryo, the best student in the entire grade. The format will be a standardized test covering Japanese, mathematics, and English, and the class with the lowest scores will be abolished. With two weeks left to prepare, Kenji introduces his class to a new game-based study method. Meanwhile, he finally finds the class’s critical fifth member!

Runtime: 46 min
Episode 6: Episode 6
2021-05-30

Kenji manages to convince high achievers Mari and Ryo to join his five regular prep class members on an intensive 3-day/2-night study camp. The students learn about how proper diet, regular exercise, and a good daily routine can boost their academic performance. Meanwhile, Mari and Ryo’s presence has an unexpected effect on. Meanwhile, Mari and Ryo’s presence has an unexpected effect on the other five students. But just when it seems the students are making good progress toward achieving their goal, Kenji makes a surprise announcement...

Runtime: 46 min
Episode 7: Episode 7
2021-06-06

Kenji’s students sign up to take Tokyo University’s mock entrance exam. If they don’t score high enough to pass, however, they’ll be forced to quit his prep class. But when it becomes clear that most of them are unprepared, a sense of panic spreads among the seven students. Finally, the day of the exam arrives, but will the pressure be too much for them?

Runtime: 46 min
Episode 8: Episode 8
2021-06-13

Through an email, Kenji learns of a plan to put the school up for sale if five of his students pass the exam to enter Tokyo University. Meanwhile, he introduces a new study method tailored to each student that strategically focuses on the subjects at which they’re strongest. But Kaede is finding it increasingly hard to balance the prep class with the demands of her badminton training.

Runtime: 46 min
Episode 9: Episode 9
2021-06-20

The countdown to the university entrance exam begins. With help from a group of subject specialist teachers, the prep class makes a final push toward the finish line. Then, as Kenji hands out the exam applications, he gives his students one final pep talk. At last, the fateful day arrives and the students head to the test center together—but will they crack under the pressure? Meanwhile, their beloved school is on the verge of being sold, and Naomi must use all her lawyerly wiles to try to stop it. Can she succeed?

Runtime: 58 min
Episode 10: Episode 10
2021-06-27

With the second and final entrance exam approaching, the situation is looking increasingly bleak to Kenji. He discovers the vice-principal and others he thought were his allies are in fact working to sell the school. But Kumiko, the director, begs him to pull off a miracle “for the students’ sake.” Meanwhile, the prep class students pore over old exam questions right up until the last minute. Kenji still has one last trick up his sleeve. Can he stage a dramatic comeback and save the school?

Runtime: 58 min

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