Botchan (1980) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language

1980 · 70 mins · Japanese

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Directed by

Yoshio Takeuchi

Starring

Gorô Naya, Yasuo Yamada, Masako Nozawa, Ichiro Nagai, Joji Yanami, Isamu Tanonaka

Botchan, a new teacher, is thrust into a village school with prank‑playing students and a junk‑selling landlord. He suspects his sole ally Hotta of sabotage, yet a school meeting imposes a mild penalty for misbehavior. When evidence of the dean’s corruption emerges, Botchan and Hotta unite to expose it. Adapted from Natsume Sōseki’s 1906 bestseller.