A teenage boy takes a road trip and learns a lot about himself along the way in this youth-oriented drama. Daisuke Kawashima is a 15-year-old boy who is eager to see the world and find adventure outside his hometown. When he reads of a tree on an island off the Southern coast of Japan that's over 7,000 years old, Daisuke is so impressed that he decides he wants to see the tree for himself; without telling his parents, he packs his bags and hits the road, catching a ride to Osaka with Sumire, a female truck driver who lets him stay with her and her two kids. Daisuke strikes up a friendship with Sumire's shy son Noboru, but the call of the open road gets stuck in his ear again, and before long Daisuke is en route to Yakushima Island, home of the remarkable tree, where he is befriended by a girl who encourages him to live out his dreams to the fullest. As the title suggests, Jugosai: Gakko IV is the fourth film in the series which began with Gakko in 1993.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide