Alternative TitlesSynonyms: GTO Japanese: グレート・ティーチャー・オニヅカ
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 43
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Jun 30, 1999 to Sep 24, 2000
Duration:
25 min. per episode Rating:
R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 8.841 (scored by 32126 users)
Ranked: #172
Popularity: #49
Members: 50,103
Favorites: 3,248 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
Popular Tags
comedy drama school slice of life |
SynopsisOnizuka is a reformed biker gang leader who has his sights set on an honorable new ambition: to become the world's greatest teacher … for the purpose of meeting sexy high school girls. Okay, so he's mostly reformed.
However, strict administrators and a class of ruthless delinquents stand between Onizuka and his goal and they will use any means, however illegal or low, to drive the new teacher away. Perfect, because Onizuka's methods won't be found in any teaching manual; he cares about the difference between legal and illegal activities about as much as he cares for the age difference between himself and a high school girl.
So get ready for math that doesn't add up, language you'd be slapped for using, and biology that would make a grown man blush … unless of course, you're the Great Teacher Onizuka.
[Written by MAL Rewrite] |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Great Teacher Onizuka
Prequel: Shonan Junai Gumi
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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yusuke116
67 of 93 people found this review helpful
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43 of 43 episodes seen
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
I finished this series a while back but i was bored so i decided to write this..
What happens when you take a situation comedy, a schoolyard farce, and a stiff shot of hard-hitting commentary on modern youth and the issues facing the Japanese educational system, mix them together in one anime series, and shake vigorously? You get something wonderful, and that something is called GTO. The series tempers itself with a grounding in reality and addresses serious social issues, but by mixing raunchy humor with a bit of an edge, Onizuka's lovable-loser-with-attitude persona, and a collection of wild situations that any prime-time comedy would be proud to sport, GTO distinguishes itself as a creative, enjoyable, and very funny show.
At first, I wasn't quite sure what to make of GTO; the sexual themes come on pretty strong, and between Onizuka's skirt-chasing and torturing his students, this didn't look to be a series in very good taste. Actually, I was missing the point: GTO is less a schoolyard drama and more like a modern-day fairy tale about a very human knight in all-too tarnished armor, fighting against conformity and the "right" way to do things. Once I stopped taking it too seriously, I started having an absolutely grand time.
The characters are what make almost every good anime comedy work and GTO is no exception, featuring an unusually broad range of minor players. With everything from anime-standard biker-gang members to much more normal folks like Onizuka's used car dealer friend and an assortment of dysfunctional parental relationships, the characters run the gamut from broad stereotypes and hilarious anime favorites to surprisingly realistic everyday folk. What stands out in particular, though, are the kids that Onizuka has to deal with--far from the stereotypical blushing anime schoolgirls, the majority of these normal-seeming kids are world-wise and have a vicious streak that can be downright scary, particularly since their tactics are rarely as simple as mere violence. Aside from being a sadly accurate reflection of modern Japan, it does make for an interesting change of pace, as does Onizuka's less than conventional methods of dealing with them.
This eclectic collection allows for plenty of humorous situations while also providing the serious ones that give the series its emotional heart. At the center of all of them, however, is none other than the Great Teacher himself, and Onizuka Eikichi is, more than anything, what makes GTO as much fun as it is.
Onizuka at first may look like a simple skirt chaser, but there's oh-so-much-more to him than your average skirt-chasing creep, even though the TV version has less character development than in the comics. On one hand, his main interest in teaching seems to be the (female) students (and fellow teachers, for that matter), and he's certainly got a wandering eye, summed up in a hilarious scene early on where he surveys a schoolyard filled entirely with high school girls--the pan was captioned with "There are boys, but he only sees the girls." On the other, he's a hard-driving Karate champ badass with plenty of biker gang leader attitude to back it up. In between, he's an emotionally fragile loser with no life, less social skills, a good heart, and an honest desire to give kids a better educational experience than he had.
If you put it all together, you get a dirty-minded punk who's not too bright, but can't help being a good guy from time to time, and more importantly he's one heckuva funny guy to watch. The most memorable (and funny) moments in the series revolve around Onizuka's unending capacity to absolutely freak out--aside from a variety of near breakdowns we're treated to sudden interjections of Onizuka's flights of fancy, usually offset immediately afterwards by harsh reality. He also seems to get that his interest in the students isn't exactly a good thing (but amusingly hard to resist), and his violent outbursts and "unorthodox" (read: "Suplex!") methods aren't something he's necessarily proud of later--he just gets carried away from time to time, and violence is the only way he knows how to solve things. Fortunately for him, his unique style is just what some of the kids he meets up with need, and his determination, street-earned wisdom, and bottomless idiocy are enough to make it work.
Although things settle into more situation-comedy territory once the series is well underway, the early plot of GTO looks like a classic--a teacher who really isn't comes into the "tough class" and busts some heads, whipping the students into shape and earning their respect in the process. But unlike the action movies that make the rounds on late-night cable, GTO brings together wacky anime-style sensibilities, an edgy sense of humor, and enough meaningful drama and social commentary to keep things plenty interesting in one confidently directed episode after another. The more dramatic scenes are sometimes a little on the stereotypical side, but were still well handled and at times surprisingly powerful, and more importantly the series never seems to take itself too seriously--it's all one big romp in the end. Perhaps most impressive of all was how comfortably the series flowed; the episodes effortlessly weave between drama and outright slapstick, and each has a lively pace that keeps you wanting more but never feels the least bit hurried.
GTO was not without flaws, though even the worst of them was only minor for me. My biggest problem was with the dub, but I'll cover that later. More generally, I was bothered by some of the art; the series is stylistically similar to adult male-targeted "businessman" manga (artists like Ikegami Ryoichi), which was most noticeable in Onizuka's frequently exaggerated facial expressions. I personally find that particular style of exaggeration unpleasant to look at more than funny, but in this case the situations were good enough that I was more than willing to forgive once I got used to it, and I wasn't even noticing after a half dozen episodes.
The only other fundamental complaint that comes to mind is with some of the rather dirty-minded subject material; those sensitive to that sort of thing, particularly as it relates to student-teacher relationships, might not be able to see past it. The first two-part episode in particular featured several scenes that seemed to pander to the male portion of the audience that thinks the same way as Onizuka does, but it didn't really bother me. In fact, that was probably the best way to establish his character (and to snag a TV audience), and as long as you don't take it seriously it should all be very funny (Akemi, to offer one female viewpoint, didn't find it offensive at all). In any case the rest of the series isn't all like that, though it doesn't lose its edge either, and it's all tempered by dealing with some real (and often related) social issues.
The artistic style is, as I mentioned, in the same general vein as a lot of other manga series aimed at older males. This means that the characters tend more toward realistic faces and proportions, although in this case the influence is mostly visible in the exaggerated facial expressions. Even so, there is still a wide variety of character looks, made even more impressive by the fact that they all look, more or less, Japanese. Even Onizuka's blonde hair is pointed out as being dyed, and is a distinctive part of his rebel character. The backgrounds tend to be rather bland, but if anything that puts more focus on the antics of the characters. The animation, at least, is smooth enough, and the character animation was extremely expressive, not to mention very funny.
The background music consists of a variety of amusing mood-enhancing tunes, and the intro and end themes were decent modern selections. The first season's intro animation, by the way, is the most artistically creative part of the production--an edgy, hard-edged, black and white montage of scenes capturing Onizuka's bad-boy persona.
Now for the one thing that made or broke GTO: The acting. Let's start with the Japanese, which is, in a word, perfect. The casting and acting in the variety of bit players is funny, but Takagi Wataru truly put the Great in GTO. Covering everything from mildly dramatic to ultra-stud to bad boy to blubbering idiot to near-breakdown hysterics, the quality with which every single facet of Onizuka's personality is portrayed was absolutely brilliant. I rarely heap praise that freely, but Takagi's performance alone was worth the price of admission. The subtitles, incidentally, were translated quite accurately, though the English is a bit stiff and does a poor job of capturing just how rough Onizuka's dialogue is.
The dub is an entirely different matter. Serious creative liberties were taken with the translation, which I was willing to forgive since the dialogue was fairly witty and had some modern flair, although much of it also seemed to be noticeably more gross. More importantly, though, David Lucas's take on Onizuka just wasn't great. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but his range wasn't particularly broad, so much of the humor in the series was based on his antics, and Onizuka's Japanese voice was so good, that anything less than a truly amazing performance would have felt like a major letdown. Slightly choppy directing may have also contributed to this.
I'm an established sub fan, so maybe I'm being too harsh on the dub, but what I found particularly interesting was how much less funny the English version was. Part of it was the acting, a little bit was due to choppy writing, a little more came from the fact that the background music and sound effects were quieter in relation to the dialogue, which drained some of the mood out of several scenes, but more than anything the English version just felt more... embarrassing. Maybe it's just in my head, but it seemed to me that the combination of less broad acting, less noticeable music, and somewhat more crude dialogue gave the whole production a less silly feel, which in turn made Onizuka's behavior less funny and more distasteful. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but at least I'm confident in saying that the Japanese version is much funnier than the dub.
All in all, GTO is not a wildly original series, but like some of the best modern anime it takes tried and true concepts, gives them a good, hard shake, and shoots in a stiff dose of fresh, funny attitude to create a thoroughly enjoyable show. It's definitely not appropriate for younger viewers, and it's going to appeal more to the older male fans, but if you give GTO a chance, almost anyone who enjoys some mature (and relatively intelligent) but silly fun with should have a grand time. Personally, I can't get enough.
read more
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amaity
105 of 147 people found this review helpful
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43 of 43 episodes seen
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
I was a little skeptical at first about this anime. I usually avoid the comedy/slice-of-life genre, but this anime came highly recommended by an old friend and boy am I glad I listened to him. GTO has to be one of the most well made anime package of its time.
The story is somewhat cliche: troublesome high school students with peculiar skills or traits trying to rid a teacher who's trying hard to to teach them a lesson in life. However, there are some very clever surprises and plot devices to keep the viewer poised for more. My only complaint is the rather hashed season finale (Ep. 42 and 43), but that was to be expected since those are the only two episodes that didn't diligently follow the manga.
The animation is adequate for its time, but that isn't the reason why you should watch this.
Both the opening and ending soundtrack for the series is great. Although, neither are as good as the GTO Live Action theme, "Poison".
The reason why you should watch this is simple: Onizuka Ekikichi, 22 years, virgin. This anime is all about character, rather a character. Truly GTO is ineffable in that sense. Watch the first episode and tell me if you're not immediately enamored by Onizuka and his ridiculous ways.
While there is a certain moral message to the anime, watch it for the sheer fun value. It will make you laugh, that's for certain, perhaps it might even make you cry. The live action series, I'm not ashamed to say did make my eyes wet.
The live action series (12 episodes) is quite good as well but there are certain things one can have liberty with in an anime that is not possible in live action.
Overall, I highly recommend GTO. Not just the anime but the entire franchise, manga, live action TV series and the movie.
Great Teacher Onizuka Banzai! read more
Recommendations
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Golden Boy and GTO have similar humor and style. When I watched GTO I kept thinking about how it reminded me of Golden Boy. Both of these animes deal with comical perverted guys who you just can't help but love.
The same humor and style. Main characters: Eikichi and Kintaro are very similar.
GTO and Golden Boy are extremely similar in style and humor - both feature honest and hardworking leads who will go to great lengths to make a difference in another person's life. And both are prone to trouble, especially when women are involved.
The two shows have their differences though - they're similar enough that I'm absolutely sure anyone who enjoys one should watch the other, but not so similar that either feels like a ripoff.
Very similiar main lead, art style and humor.
The humor is pretty much the same and Onizuka and Kintaro are both somehow obsessed with women.
Onizuka Eikichi from GTO and Oe Kintaro from Golden Boy are very similar characters. That goes for their personalities and even applies to things such as the facial expressions they make. They are both perverted guys who act goofy most of the time but when it comes down to it, they always deliver and save the day.
The art and animation style for the these series are also very similar and the same goes for the style of the voice actors.
Story-wise, Golden Boy is very episodic. Each episode is about a completely different scenario while in GTO the story is ongoing from beginning to end. Of course this makes sense seeing as how Golden Boy is a 6 episode OVA while GTO is a 43 episode series.
Overall, it is impossible to watch both titles and not see the similarities as they apply to the characters, the art and animation, and the style of humor.
Consider both titles under the category of "must watch".
There both funny as hell!!!
Both of the protagonists are very similar, and both have their own ways of solving problems that they have. Golden Boy is very cerebral and plays dumb under the mask of a pervert, while actually solving problems and 'studying'. Onizuka uses a certain amount of wit, but also relies on his past experience as a biker and gang leader to gain respect from his students, who rebel against him. Both have great comedy moments, but also touch on serious topics, although more so in GTO.
Both Golden Boy and Great Teacher Onizuka have the same kind of warm animation style and they both feature humorous male leads who frequently have all sorts of escapades involving women. If you liked Golden Boy's sort of humour, you will find more of it from GTO.
Additionally, if you liked Golden Boy but wish to see something with a more solid plot, this is a good candidate.
Golden Boy and Great Teacher Onizuka has a similar style and humour and the main guys is just so similar in every way and yeah they make the same facial expressions lol...
Both of the series involve a pervy protagonist who happens to get himself in loads of trouble but always gets away learning something or teaching something to someone else. Both protagonist make the most ridiculous faces that add to the charm of the series. If you like the brand of humor that Onizuka has, then golden boy is a great companion to the type of humor. Both are very inspiring and have a great spirit that make them a great watch. Sadly the series is a bit short but very worthy of a try.
Slice of life, ~18-25 age group of main characters, male lead characters, mature themes, both have a lot of comedy, and voluptuous females.
It's not like the series are similar in plot, but the sense of humour is analogous. Since Golden Boy is only an OVA, you won't waste much time if you happen to don't like it at all. While Onizuka Eikichi is actually a dumb ass (which is fine with me), Kintaro Oe is rather an intriguing character and one doesn't exactly know which on he is - a smart genius or a dumb ass as well. If you liked GTO, you might try to watch Golden Boy.
Golden Boy and Great Teacher Onizuka are very similar in the sense of humour - it's gags and jokes are often crude and perverse but very enjoyable and quite funny at the same time. Even in the main characters you can find similarities - they both are misunderstood by people around them at first, they are often found stupid or insane by others, they have fatal weakness against cute girls and they do a lot of silly things every episode... And their face-expressions are just too crazy not to laugh at them.
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Ooo...k.. Do NOT expect it to be GTO! It's a comedy with an interesting story. The ideea is basicaly the same: a teacher with a controvertial story in their lives (Onizuka ex-biker, Gokusen relations with yakuza). This is considered the female version of GTO. It's a MUST if you saw GTO but it's not GTO by a long shot.
Both of these shows follow the same formula, featuring a rough-around-the-edges new teacher reaching out to problem students who eat normal teachers for breakfast. GTO is the funnier of the two by a long shot, but they're both quite good.
Both of these anime portray a teacher in a leading role, with GTO having a male lead while Gokusen having a female lead. Both are focused on how the teacher solves the problems that the students may have, though the problems you see in Gokusen may be a little more "tame", i.e. a tad bit less serious and realistic, than the ones dealt with in GTO.
Both are stories about a teacher who is really bad ass who becomes a teacher for a JD class. GTO is much more perverted then Gokusen, and the main character is a guy (obviously). Gokusen's main character is a girl.
Almost the same art. Both main characters were gang members and want to be a teacher.
Both animes feature a gangster backed wanna be teacher,who actually succeeds to overcome the disorganized students and teach them some respect. Where GTO has male, Gokusen goes with a female teacher.
Teachers, gangsters, life. Makes for a great anime.
Teachers who are members of a gang that wanted to change their life for good, they help those stubborn teenager students who are going to the wrong path & lead them to the right path.
Both series have the troubled class and unorthodox teacher theme.
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Opening Theme#1: "Driver's High" by L'Arc~en~Ciel (eps 01-16)
#2: "Hitori no Yoru" by Porno Graffiti (eps 17-43)
Ending Theme#1: "Last Piece" by Kirari (eps. 01-16)
#2: "Shizuku" by Okuda, Miwaku (eps. 17-33)
#3: "Cherished Memories" by Hong Kong Knife (eps. 34-42)
#4: "Driver's High" by L'Arc~en~Ciel (ep. 43)
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