GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka

First of all I will start off with the anime series. No, this doesn't have giant fighting robots. It doesn't have talking animals so cute that it makes you squeal. It doesn't have many of the things that people have come to associate with anime (except for a decent dose of panty shots and such), but what it has, it has a lot of. I was still willing to take a chance with this one. I'm definitely glad I did. I love feel good comedy. And I love anime. So when I watched combination of those two things so awesome, I was hooked. I also love tough characters with golden hearts, and Eikichi Onizuka is a perfect example of that sort of character. The anime is based off the manga series of the same name, which I haven't personally read yet. But look forward to getting the chance. So likely most of the stories in the anime were written by Tohru Fujisawa, the writer of the manga.

A former juvenile delinquent (and certified 22 year old virgin) who decides that he wants to be a teacher because it would be a great way to meet teenage girls. Fortunately, he unwittingly impresses the director of the prestigious Holy Forest Academy, and by a miracle he gets a job. Unfourtunately he is shoved in with a bunch of 14-15 year old kids who are sworn never to trust a teacher, and will stop at nothing to get them fired. Onizuka soon realizes that he can do a lot for these children... but he will have to survive them first.

Throughout the series he has to struggle to keep his job, and at the same time get through to the very same kids who are trying to destroy him. One by One, you get to see him change the lives of these children, and the anime shows that not everything in life is black and white. The children are real kids with real problems, some like the ones that go unspoken, but do happen. Like the boy who has a mother complex because his mother was 13 and alone when she had him. And the boy who gets beaten up by a group of girls. In short... it's a pretty screwed up group of kids. He also has a certain assistant principal who wants to get rid of him as well. It's very well written, and the characters are both likable and unlikeable at the same time. They have real depth.

Also in the series is the other new teacher at Onizuka's school, Azusa Fuyutsuki, who essentially serves as Onizuka's friend and possible love interest. The show is also extremely funny. It's not so much the overly zany humour that most comedy animes have, it's more of a clever and witty sort of humour. A humour that people can understand on a personal level. Every episode offers you something new, and the time will fly be. I was very upset when I reached the end of the series. Not many animated shows can be called inspiring, but this is definitely one of them. The animation is pretty basic, nothing really to rave about there. No complaints from me though, there's nothing wrong with it. I will make note of the music used in the series. I really like it. That's what I will say about it. The opening theme is one of my favourite anime themes around.

So in closing, this is a fantastic anime, albeit a little different than you may expect. I would gladly recommend it to anyone. Although I will note that from what I've heard of the English dub, to be blunt, is not good. The voice of Onizuka didn't do an awful job, but for the most part the voice acting is not as well suited for the characters. They basically took the most basic aspect of the characters and gave them the most stereotyped voices I could imagine. For example, the character of Yoshito Kikuchi has been given a high class, snot nosed voice that just pains me, to be honest. Let me put it this way, In the Japanese version they sounded like a bunch of teenagers, in the dub they sounded like a bunch of voice actors. So my opinion would be to get the DVDs and watch them in the original language with subtitles, but to each their own. Keep in mind, my opinion on dubs is pretty biased, as I usually dislike them. Although for the most part, I am not against the voices, more against the fact that a lot of the dialog gets changed, and it doesn't always seem necessary.

Now for the live action series. I'll put that here since this page seems to be for both series. I was lucky enough to find a subtitle version of this. Since I was a huge fan of the anime I was more than happy to watch it. And I was happy to find that it was a very funny series. Takashi Sorimachi did a perfect job as Onizuka and the story lines were pretty good. Some of story lines were very different to the ones in the anime. Most of the characters from the anime remain the same, although some of them have been combined to save time, as there was only 12 episodes of this series. All the acting was pretty good and it was overall a pretty good series. It's a fun series with a lot of hilarious ideas that come together really well. This series has more of an emphasis on the relationship between Onizuka and Fuyutsuki than the anime did. Yes, I have no shame in admitting that I love romance, so I enjoyed this aspect of the series. So I would definitely recommend watching this if you are able to.

This TV-series was based on a very popular anime and manga series in Japan. I've been learning Japanese for two years now and I'm not very interested in anime because you'd think there'd be robots or something, but not at all. Eikichi Onizuka was a trouble maker in his school days, he was in a biker gang (Japanese bikers aren't at all like the stereotypical American bikers) and was always getting into fights. (The prequel to GTO featuring Onizuka in his youth is called "Bad Company") Onizuka got kicked out of school and ever since, he's realized how awesome school was. He just wished that he hadn't been kicked out and he's always wanted to become a teacher. One day he finally gets his chance at a private school because the head of the school is a very nice lady who believes in Onizuka. He's appointed to teach for the infamous class 2-4, a class so bad that's been going through teachers very quickly. Onizuka wins them over and shows he's more than just a teacher. He's a great teacher and a great person. This series is SO funny. I loved the anime and I love this show. It's out with subtitles and I suggest you look into finding some copies, if you ever watch any anime or any Japanese show, I suggest you watch this. If this was shown in America I'm sure it would be EXTREMELY popular. The last episode of Great Teacher Onizuka (the live action series, not the anime) was the most viewed show in Japan. Onizuka is one class act and no matter who you are or what you're into, you just can't not like this show.

Unbelievably good series starring Takashi Sorimachi as Eikichi Onizuka, a guy who was a former biker gang leader became a teacher because he had no other job offers. His future wife Nanako Matsushima also stars in this series as Fuyutsuki Azusa an English teacher in the same school.

Students in his class are outcasts in one way or another, and in the beginning sees him as another teacher who only cares about rules and formalities and tries to kick him out. Actually, Onizuka is far more "out there" than any of the students, and starts to win their respect one by one.

Romance between Onizuka and Fuyutsuki starts to form, as Fuyutsuki begins to realize that Onozuka is a truly unpretentious character that she couldn't find amongst posers that she used to date. What's interesting is we're probably seeing a real life romance between them unfold before our eyes, as they will be married in real life 3 years later.

Takashi Sorimachi and Nanako Matsushima looks great in the beginning, but as the episodes wears on, you can see them getting tired, and it starts to affect, fun of watching the series. Also, the heroics of Onizuka starts to become cliché, as they starts to run out of fresh ideas.

Based on a comic GTO by Tooru Fujisawa, the series does good job translating the characters and episodes from the comic that inspired it.

Although not well known in the U.S., this is one gem of a TV series that's worth seeing.

I was sort of a sceptic when I first heard of this show. The manga series is highly entertaining and full of surprises I was wondering if the TV series can deliver the same punch. And Yes it did. Onizuka, the main character himself, is same kind of badass as he is in the manga, oh, the bilingual (English) version is available for those who are learning Japanese and vice versa.

I will have to say that the TV series is very original. I was hoping that it would follow the manga story line but it didn't, which is a good thing in my opinion, because after the 1st episode, I left my manga aside and I was able to cast away my expectations.

Everyone episode has a point, or moral value that which Onizuka was able to stir up in people's heart. A value in all of us once but long forgotten. But Onizuka, being contrary to societal norm, was able to prevail and bring people back to who they are, via, of course, unconventional means of course. I can not recommend this series enough. But if Japanese is not your first language and you are not fluent in Chinese characters, I then recommend the manga. Watch it, or read it, you won't be disappointed.

The story of a man who took seven years to graduate from a third year college with high aspirations of teaching is not only going to grab you, but it will literally steal you away for twelve hours as the characters endear themselves to you.

As a manga story, the characters are comical, to say the least. The lead, Onizuka Eikichi (masterfully played by Sorimachi Takashi), applies at Musashi Seirin Academy only to be rebuked by the Head Teacher Uchiyamada. After an altercation with students that result in Onizuka physically attacking the Head Teacher, does he impress the school's Chairman, Sakurai Akira (played by Shirakawa Yumi), enough to be hired on as the homeroom teacher of Year 2-Class 4 (considered to be the worst of the worst). On his first day he meets the "Madonna-sensei" of the Academy, Fuyutsuki Azusa (played wonderfully by Matsushima Nanako), and the romantic angle is set into place. A condition of his employment at the Academy is that he must carry with him at all times, a written letter of resignation, to be submitted should he cause trouble or break any rules.

The tightrope-without-a-net plot makes for some very interesting episodes. But as you watch each episode and gain an insight into Onizuka-sensei, you cannot help but smile, laugh, gasp, and live vicariously through him. Watch and bond as he wins over his class, one student at a time. This is a highly recommended series!

If you enjoyed this, check out "OverTime" with Sorimachi along with "Syomu ni" alum Esumi Makiko.