Sentai School

Sentai School: L'École des Héros; literally The Hero School.

"Bad is good!"

"Sentai School, no teacher's strike, no holydays, no vacations. Because in Sentai School Super Heroes are in training, real old school heroes. So if you wanna come, you'd better have one hell of a resume and an introduction letter, and beware if you're dead last."

Sentai School was one of the very first manfra (French Animesque comics) edited by Semic Manga and then by Kami between 2003 and 2008.It was written by Philippe Cardona and Florence Torta, and drawn by Philippe Cardona. It debuted as a doujinshi before it was published in Coyote, a French anime magazine.

It's about a Japanese Super-Hero School where the students/ heroes are sentai or shonen. At first a boys school, it becomes coeducational in volume 2, introducing magical girls or Action Girl. The story is an Affectionate Parody of manga, especially sentai and others well known in France. Nearly every character is a spoof of famous manga characters: For instance, Oscar sensei the costume teacher looks like the real Oscar, Rose of Versailles heroine. There are two poor and starved children, named Remi and Sarah, that spoof heroes from Sans Famille and A Little Princess animated series among others. Moreover, savvy readers will notice Shout Outs to monsters that look like Doraemon or Mike from Monsters, Inc., and bit players like Maetel from Galaxy Express 999 in an airport. Characters page is on its way.

The main characters are a Five-Man Band:

  • Ken Eraclor: The Hero and coldest one. He hides the fact that he's an unfinished Artificial Human and lives alone with his Robot Dog, Nonos 2 ("Bony 2"), since his builder abandoned him. He's very dense, never smiles, and understands things verbatim.He's fascinated by mysteries and their solving, and explain solutions while wearing typical Detective Conan glasses.The problem is, Ken is always wrong.A good reason could be that he mistake fairy tales books with method ones.
  • Hongo Wing: The dark and badass guy. He loses his temper very quickly and wears his collars up.
  • Duke: ( Only One Name ) Spoof of Duke Fleed from UFO Robo Grendizer and resembles him physically. The cool guy, he plays the guitar and has a cute pet, Chibi Goldo ("Chibi Grendi", a spoof of Grendizer).
  • Toa Girara: The fat guy, Big Eater and accomplished cook. He's insignificant to his schoolmates til he becomes rich in volume 4. His name is like "Yu" (pronounce You) in french ("toi"). So each time somebody says "you", he answers "Me?"
  • Keiji Jasper: The effeminate and cute guy. Very gentle,loves animals,real and stuffed, cartoons for children , can do Puppy Dog Eyes and wears a pink jacket. That cute side hides a evil personality called dark Keiji, he is always in a bad mood and dresses in black.

Also includes :

  • Shinobi Jasper: Keiji's little sister, better known as Bibi. She's so shy that she doesn't speak loud enough to be heard, except on stage, when she's angry, or after the last volume when her trauma definitely ends. Ironically, she has a Berserk Button, and can show extraordinary strength This is mainly when a girl is too close to Hongo, whom Bibi secretly loves (he never notices until the last volume).
  • Tofu Leformidable ("Marvellous"). An extremely vain and wealthy ex-singer,actor and model. Loved by every girl in school but he only loves Bibi and she can't stand him. He returns to his boy band Jambon Ruban. ("Ham Ribbon")in the last volume.
  • Koji Alcor: Spoof of Kouji Kabuto from Anime/Mazinger saga, "Alcor" is his name in France. In that country where UFO Robo Grendizer was the only broadcast of the series (and very first anime) Alcor is not the Mazinger series hero, but the Grendizer Lancer. After French fandom discover the truth, this was parodied: Koji Alcor spend his time saying he can do everything better than everyone...except Duke. He also have a pet called Chibi Zinger. Raised on a farm and hates to be reminded of it.
  • Ultra Sama: the Headmaster, spoof of Ultraman.
  • Stratequerre: Spoof of King Vega UFO Robo Grendizer Big Bad, that is called "Strateguerre" ("strategy" and "guerre", war)in French version. Parodied with "Equerre" (set square). Headmaster of the Villain's School opposite the Sentai School, and Duke's uncle.
  • Viper Stratequerre: His daughter, arrived late (volume 4). A brat that pretends to be nice just to put her dad on edge. So she's in Sentai School instead of Villain School, and is Bibi's close friend.
  • Guy Le Cobra: Spoof of Space Adventure Cobra and Guy, High School Kimengumi rebel. He has a rebellious way of life and took Ken as his master.
  • Mr Spectreman: Spoof of Spectreman. Head Teacher.
  • Miss Gege: Spoof of Magical Princess Minky Momo,(Gigi in french) with nerd glasses. The counselor, that can transform like the real Momo.
  • Kenshiro of Otaku: The janitor, spoof Kenshiro of Hokuto in Fist of the North Star.
  • Matt Ban: Spoof of Batman, speaks in a strange way (all sentences, even yells, begin with "Je de" ("I of").) Came from America, wanted to open a Hero School for comics guys but failed. Since, lives secretly on campus and appears as a frequent Cameo.
  • The Freezer Gang: Band of 19th-century pupils heroes, in a school that was before under Sentai School. Brought back to life after being frozen. Spoof of Older Than Radio heroes such as Zorro, Davy Crockett, The Phantom, Sinbad, Robin Hood and Prince Valiant.
Tropes used in Sentai School include:
  • Academy of Adventure: According to Hongo, "This school would make anyone go crazy."
  • A Day in the Limelight: on the Breakfeast Club principle, six secondary characters (Koji, Guy, Viper, Tofu, Jayx and Lydia) use detention time to spy on a teacher, and hope to be soon as popular as the official Five-Man Band for it.
  • Affectionate Parody: The whole plot. Also, some fictions in particular in some chapters. For instance, a journey to Toa's uncle place. His name is Charles Ringalls.
  • Almost Kiss: Bibi and Hongo, on a stage in gender-bended Snow White ending. What a pity G.I. Joes land up at the wrong moment. Again in the last volume, with a under influence Hongo. He wakes up right before the act and is "kidnapped" by his brother and father, while Bibi is still waiting with eyes closed.
  • Anthology Comic:The last book.It was the same story all along but only first and last chapters were drawn by the original artist, Phillipe Cardona.All others were by differents artists (including co-scenarist Florence Torta)
  • Arch Enemy: Stratequerre and Ultra-sama are, since nursery days. Doctor Poulpy (Spoof of Doctor Octopus, of course) is also one for Peter Naraignee.
  • Badass Cape: There's a class for it. Actually, there's even Badassness classes.
  • Bad Job, Worse Uniform: After realised that Bibi just found a job, Viper imagine what it can be and the uniforms that goes with are worse and worse: a crab mascot for a restaurant, a Meido uniform for a bar, a sexy cosplay or a bunny outfit for a nightclub.
  • Ballroom Blitz
  • Beach Episode: Chapter "Sea, Sentai and Sun" in book 3, which is doubles as a Battle Royale parody.
  • Berserk Button:
    • Bibi: A girl touching Hongo in a romantic way, or anybody hitting him.
    • Keiji: Anybody touching his sister (romantically or not).
    • Hongo: Any comment about his collar.
    • Koji: Being reminded of his farming past.
  • Bishonen:Duke (afraid of girls) and Tofu (Ladykiller)
  • Blondes Are Evil: The psychotic jealous FBI agent Debbie Breakfoot ("Annoying"). No one else has the right to touch her partner Angus Winch.
  • Card-Carrying Villain: Stratequerre (He does have a card he often gives.)
  • Cast Calculus:
  • Catch Phrase: Not only a given, but also a exam subject!
    • Ken:
      • "Myxomatose and Wooden pipe!" : His Battle Cry.
      • "Who on earth are you?" : To everybody, all the time, including close friends.
      • "And yet my reasoning was without flaws." : What Ken say after his mystery-explaining reasoning was proven totally wrong. As in, every time.
    • Toa - "Chief's pizza and broccoli!" : His Battle Cry, from Samurai Pizza Cats.
    • Stratequerre - "Bad is good" (literally and in English in text).
    • Viper - "Good is not so bad".
    • Matt Ban - "Je de" ("I of") , who learned foreign languages badly.
    • Guy L'Cobra - "I'm rebel"
    • Koji Alcor
      • "I'm better at X-ing!"/"I can do X better than you!" : When his competitive side is roused. As in, every time.
      • "I'M NOT A FARM BOY!!!!!!!!" : Usually following a (more or less apropriate) Phrase Catcher.
  • Character Development : Most of main characters: Toa after he found fortune, Duke when his cousin regularly put him on edge after her arrival, Viper who do nothing but bother people starts helps her best friend in exhange of nothing, Hongo when he realize Bibi feel something for him and the most: Bibi, after she's able to speak out loud and loose shyness.
  • Christmas Episode: The last book was mostly one.
  • Clingy Jealous Girl: Debbie Breakfoot. She say every other girls that tried to take Angus away from her are in graves by now. Bibi towards Hongo as well.
  • Color Coded for Your Convenience: Subverted. Ken is The Hero, but wears blue, while red is for Big Guy Toa. And Pink is for effeminate guy (Keiji), not for a regular chick. The girls, Bibi and Viper, have green and white jackets. Though he's in the Five-Man Band, Hongo wear silver, the Sixth Ranger color.
  • Cooking Duel:Between Toa and Takoyaki.
  • Cousin Oliver: And actuals cousins at that!
    • Viper, for Duke.
    • Takoyaki Lemagnifique("The Magnificient"), the friendly millionaire, for Tofu.
    • Glups (spoof Guts from Berserk), Keiji's cousin.
    • Kenshiro has two cousins (Jojo and Shinshiro, the Villain's School Janitor), and an extended family.
    • Harlock-sensei, badassery teacher, and Dr Blackjack, the school nurse, are cousins as well....
    • Hongo complains he only has a big brother, Onizoku Wing)
  • Deadpan Snarker: Hongo and Viper
  • Distracted by the Sexy: Hongo, when Bibi passes by in her ballroom dress.
  • Estrogen Brigade: An in-Universe exemple. Apart from Bibi (caring only for Hongo), Lydia (caring for Jayx) and Viper (caring for herself), all school girls chase after Tofu, or Duke, or the 'Villain Psychology' teacher, all the freaking time. Turned Up to Eleven in the final book with Tofu's Boys Band.
  • Evil Counterpart: Dark Keiji.
  • Evil Twin: Debbie, for Bibi.
    • Also subverted:
      • Billy Boy ("Willy Boy", Koya No Shonen Isamu's French name) the modest farmboy is Koji's Good Twin.
      • Takoyaki, shares his cousin Tofu's good looks and taste for dramatic entrances but is polite, generous with his money, and an all-around Nice Guy.
      • Angus Winch, the FBI american agent whose design is litteraly a blond Hongo with a sunny personality, with a constant smile to contrast with Hongo's Perpetual Frowner.
  • Face Palm: Mostly from Hongo, Viper and the teachers, when confronted with the antics of the group and/or the insane logic behind it.
  • Fingerless Gloves: They're part of the uniform. Rule of Cool, anyone?
  • Forceful Kiss: Viper decide to kiss the very first good guy in front of her father to bother him - and it's Hongo. She escape a death-by-Bibi because she quickly explains to have chosen the first one in sight - she does not even know his name.
  • Four-Fingered Hands
  • Haunted House: The Vacation chapter "Resident Sentai". They decide to recycle it on an amusement ride with true zombies inside at the end. And Koji met a quite friendly version of the Predator. With cookies.
  • Hands Play in Theater: Hongo under Viper's influence takes Bibi to a theater. She mumbles her wish for a horror film, but he picks a romantic one.Viper makes him put his arm around Bibi, but in a subversion, she faints from excessive bliss.
  • High School Dance: The "Ballroom Sentai" chapter.
  • Human Popsicle: The Freezer Gang.
  • I Love You Because I Can't Control You: Tofu, towards Bibi.
  • Identical Stranger: Angus Winch is a fair-haired Hongo, and Billy Boy an american Koji.
  • Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: All titles contain the word "Sentai".
  • It Runs in The Family: The Stratequerre family: Villains since 25 generations.
  • Lampshade Hanging: Frequent.
    • When a bunch of fangirls suddently appears behind a hot teacher or student:

There were so many girls in that class? Where are they from?

But, how old are you?"

    • A ring appears for a Ultra Sama and Stratequerre fight:

How did that get here???

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