Sawako Yamanaka

Sawako Yamanaka is the music teacher of the Sakuragaoka High School and one of its alumni. During her high school career, she was a member of the Light Music Club and founded the rockband Death Devil with her friends Norimi Kawaguchi, Della and Jane, where she was a guitarist also the main vocalist of the band.

She eventually becomes the adviser of the two new generations of the Light Music Club under the leaderships of Ritsu Tainaka and Azusa Nakano, respectively. Additionally, she worked as the homeroom teacher of Class 3-2 during the senior year of the original four members of HTT.

Her voice actors are Asami Sanada (Japanese) and Karen Strassman (English).

Character
An alumna of the school and a former member of the Light Music Club, she does not want people to find out that she was formerly a member of the speed metal band Death Devil since she fears it would destroy her gentle image. She tries to cover her past by being mild and gentle towards her coworkers and especially to students.

Though she has a mature and gentle demeanor for the generality, Sawako (affectionately addressed as "Sawa-chan" or "Sawa-chan- the sensei" by both Ritsu Tainaka and Yui Hirasawa) displays a totally different, completely authentic character when she is alone with the light music club or really angered. In reality, she is wild, lazy and quite an irresponsible teacher who enjoys dressing up the light music club in (sometimes embarrassing) cosplay costumes like French maid uniforms, much to the dislike of Mio Akiyama and Azusa Nakano.

She names the club band "Ho-kago Tea Time" after the members take too long deciding on a name themselves. She once momentarily pitches in for Yui with her Epiphone "1958" Korina Flying V electric guitar (anime only).

She becomes the girls' homeroom teacher in their third year, and puts Nodoka Manabe and all the band members (except Azusa as she is a grade lower) in the same class so she does not have to remember too many new names.

After all the senior members of "Ho-kago Tea Time" graduate, she becomes the adviser of the newly formed Light Music Club under Azusa's leadership, and renames the band "Wakaba Girls", being that all the members are beginners (with the exception of Azusa).

Fashion
With her eccentricity comes an uncanny sense for fashion, and an absurdly large wardrobe to accompany it; she frequently dresses up the band members, sometimes against their will, so she can see just how adorable (and sometimes... "atractive") they are in the costumes she makes for them.

Its fairly likely that Sawako designed or provided the costumes the band members wore for the recordings.

Appearance
Sawako has long, straight brown hair with two long bangs reaching down to her chest. Her attire consists of a light yellow dress, complete with a black belt, a light green shirt underneath and a pair of white heels. She also wears a red pendant and rounded glasses.