Animation:
It struck me at first how dated the animation looks but one gets used to after awhile. Expect saturated colors and gritty, thick strokes throughout. Detail is only fair in general and effects are rather lacking compared to today's high-production works. The characters are also drawn differently than what I'm used to, especially Onizuka when he does his crazy monkey-like face.
This show has plenty of action, fittingly for a seemingly indestructible veteran of a biker gang. Expect a fair amount of fighting from this black belt, along with unrealistic proportions of blood gushing out. The show also has plenty of ecchi, very few shows are willing to start with an upskirt in the very first frame, but this gutsy first frame set the tone for the rest of the show in style.
Sound:
The OP/EDs were fair but didn't catch my attention. The BGM was fair most of the time but definitely grows on you through this fairly long work. As for voice acting, there are some notables in the cast including veteran Kotono Mitsuishi and Ayako Kawasumi (Saber anyone?). All the cast did a very good job (especially the vice principal).
Story:
The majority of the series follows Onizuka as he gains the trust of his class, which had previously been psychologically wounded by a former teacher. At first, everyone doesn't trust him and does everything in their power to get rid of him. However, his bike-gang experience and pure guts show that he will do anything to win over his students' trust. Be it family problems or relationships, his teachings go well beyond the textbook.
The show follows Onizuka through his "trials" as students successively attempt plots to either embarrass Onizuka or get him fired. This is a perspective that I have yet to see another show pull off successfully. Expect a very enjoyable amount of tension as well as an equal amount of humorous situations. The show builds to a huge final climax that is resolved in a very fitting manner. Overall, the show gives off a very warm and positive feeling, as if telling us to still have faith in humanity.
Character:
There are a lot of characters in GTO with very different personalities, and each one has some story to tell and some conflict to have resolved. Thus expect a lot of character development as Onizuka does his magic. I really liked how they were able to explicate so many characters without the viewer getting lost in it all. The only thing that isn't believable is Onizuka himself and his superman-like ability to survive seemingly any injury, be it jumping off a building or being hit in the head with a bat.
What is also particularly well done is the sense of group. There are many cliques within the class and the show masterfully mixes individual development with that of the group. In addition, there are also romantic developments between certain characters as well- this was particularly enjoyable for me.
Value:
Despite being quite long, I've re-watched this show multiple times and it's still great. It's a touching story with bits of hilarity and true to life ideas mixed in. This is storytelling and character development at its best. If you can live with the ecchi and naughty camera angles, this is definitely one show you shouldn't miss.
