Kôji Kumeta's comedy about gloomy teacher inspired 3 TV series, video spinoffs

This year's 15th issue of Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine is announcing on Wednesday that Kôji Kumeta will end his Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei within nine more chapters. Barring any delays or skipped weeks, the manga will end in May.

The high school comedy centers around a pathologically depressed teacher who somehow finds the will to deal with a class of oddball students. Kumeta launched the manga in Weekly Shōnen Magazine in 2005, and Kodansha published the 28th compiled book volume last month. Del Rey began publishing the manga in North America in 2009, and Kodansha Comics will release the 14th volume next month, after taking over Del Rey's titles.

The manga inspired three television anime series and several original video releases. Media Blasters had licensed the first series in North America.

[Via Manga News]