Nobuko

Shimizu's "Nobuko" evolves into something more interesting than the "fish-out-of-water school-teacher" affair that it first appears to be; and aside from an abrupt male appearance around minute 56 and another at the very end, the film boasts an all-female cast, which is very rare in pre-exploitation-era Japanese cinema. Some of the "lessons learned" moments near the ending are a little blunt in preaching a "compassionate disciplinarian" message.

Trust in Hiroshi Shimizu to deliver a very Japanese and individual film. Here taking us to girl's school as we follow a fresh teacher, a naughty student and the dilemmas their conflict cause. Mieko Takamine as the young teacher grows with the role as her on-screen character grows. The stronger she gets, the stronger her moments gets. Mitsuko Miura as the troublemaker works perfectly as the annoyance. The other characters are not that strong though, which is probable the films main weakness.