However, I was soon to see there is much more behind this dramatically idiotic attitude. There is pain and strong willpower mixed with over-the-top optimism, teenage saltiness, and a genuine desire to make the world a better place...all of these parading through Onizuka's total lack of social etiquette and education.
Unfortunately, GTO won me over only to lose me again as a fan.
For me, this show should have never gone past episode 19 or to be more precise, never last more than 21 episodes. 19 out of 43 episodes made me laugh sincerely and root for the gangster desperately trying to turn teacher. It appeared he was going to tackle the deepest secrets and fears of each of his class members and make them see life in a different, positive way, using his rugged "educational approach". In the process, characters were evolving and unfolding their stories in an honest and fun way. This was a solid 10 anime. The additional two episodes were at least as good, but unfortunately came too late.
Going forward with the series, something broke - characters lost their sharpness and the stories looked like Naruto fillers and Fairy Tail episodes at the same time...if that’s even possible. The anime became so weak and hard to bear, I watched it on double speed, just to try and find some worthy moment. Unfortunately, it was a downward spiral.
I will only give few hints and avoid spoilers - repetitiveness, inconsistency in character behaviour, forced drama, uncalled matchmaking, and a school trip to Okinawa’s beaches preceded by a swimsuit hunt. Worst part is, the last worthy story was "suffocating" in episode 42 and 43 right after all the mess, rendering this last effort more or less useless.
At the end, I am not sorry for watching. At least now I know who was the inspiration behind Gintoki Sakata, as his antics and even some of his usual movements and facial expressions, were easy to recognise in Onizuka, his predecessor.
