During the Heisei era, due to the government's incompetence and Western interference, the nation's economy had fallen into stagnation. Coupled with several stock market crashes, ordinary people could no longer see any hope of turning their lives around through hard work.
With no money in hand and overwhelming financial pressure, people gradually abandoned self-improvement. Worse still, under immense employment pressure, some retreated into their homes and their own little worlds, becoming what people called otaku.
Surrounded by discriminatory looks and mocking words, otaku became even more afraid to leave their homes. Thus, the name Heisei Otaku spread ever further.
At this time, the elderly began to nostalgically recall the spirit of the Showa era. Back then, although there was plenty of male chauvinism, men always looked spirited and confident wherever they went, as if everything were under their control. Those were real men...
After all, when you had money in your hands, there was nothing to panic about!
Against this backdrop, the saying "Showa produced good men; Heisei produced nothing but otaku" became increasingly widespread, leading people to revere the spirit of the Showa era.
So Teacher Matsuzaki's explanation seemed perfectly reasonable.
Showa men—there had been countless of them who started working out in nothing but a fundoshi in the dead of winter. What was wrong with him and his students going shirtless to experience the Showa spirit? Huh? What was wrong with it!?
Of course, that was only if one ignored the fact that those Showa men were not asleep when people watched them exercise.
And one also had to ignore the pile of uniforms stained with vomit.
Finally, one had to ignore the floor full of liquor bottles that had been there when they were found. If all that was ignored, then yes, there was nothing wrong with