Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO) - Review

(Image credit to aya90 on deviantART for the great vector.)

Duration: 43 Episodes (24 mins each excluding pilot)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Slice of Life, School Life

Honestly, what does one think of when the letters GTO come up? Considering my heavy interest in car culture, the image of the famous Pontiac GTO from the 60s and 70s comes to mind. For most others' it's the recently (sure 2004 is still recent in my mind) bastardized Pontiac *cough* Holden *cough* GTO. Regardless, we probably think of the car. Nowadays, whenever the GTO acronym is brought up, it's all about Onizuka Eikichi. Who is he you ask? He's aspiring to be the Greatest Teacher ever--Great Teacher Onizuka.

Story

Onizuka is a ex-bike gang leader who has the weirdest and perhaps loftiest goal for someone like him--to be a great teacher. After a short yet eventful two weeks of intern student teaching at a high school, he gets a job teaching a private school where he is assigned to a notorious 'problem' class which has caused previous teachers to quit. Throughout the series, Onizuka incorporates very unorthodox and unconventional methods of winning over the delinquent class with the belief that there is more to learn than what is contained in a textbook.

The story progresses in a very steady fashion in which he slowly gains the trust of his students through various student particular arcs. Some last over several episodes and kept me entertained fully. In retrospect I really never felt there was any particular point in the series where the episodes started to lag.

Characters:

Honestly, aside from a numerous cast of minor characters, you only need to know about Onizuka. Again, a former member of the Onibaku gang, he's an instant badass character who aspires to be a great teacher for today's youth. Initially going into education in hopes of finding a romantic relationship with the young girls/teachers at the school, he becomes a figurehead of justice in a currently troubling Japanese school system. He's not that smart, dirty-minded, and outrageous at times, but a very moral and upstanding person who is purely funny as hell.

Despite not mentioning the other characters on the show, it does have a strong cast. In an attempt to be spoiler-free as possible in this review, There will be some favorites and those you wished to be developed stronger, but it is a fun cast that you'll get to know well before you start looking for more Onizuka sightings.

Voice Acting/Sound

For the most part, the soundtrack of the show is nothing spectacular aside from the first opening theme 'Driver's High' by L'Arc~en~Ciel and second ending 'Shizuku' by Okuda Miwaku. The background music is suitable for its various scenes; uplifting music for funny scenes and dramatic music for action and melancholic scenes. The music fits, but nothing too special as far as I remember.

I originally watched the subbed version of the series, but managed to catch a few clips of the dubbed version and have to say that although I have a preference for the sub, the dub is not bad at all. Takagi Wataru's (Japanese) voice over for Onizuka is absolutely perfect; he solely puts the Great in GTO. I can't possibly praise this guy's work on the series. (Note: I actually noticed that he voices Tobi on Naruto Shippuden too. I can recognize that pervy man's voice anywhere. Great.)

Loved:
Onizuka's Faces: It was probably what kept me really intrigued every episode. Onizuka makes numerous facial expressions that are just hilarious to watch and makes you wonder how he gets his face in those ways. It really makes him an extremely cool and exciting character as a whole. In addition to his faces you'll constantly be seeing him smoking which further makes him cool as it depicts him as a somewhat calm and collected character. I admit, smoking is cool. Anybody who is familiar with Solid Snake from the Metal Gear series would have to agree.

Toyota Cresta: Yes. The car exists and will forever live as GTO's best ongoing gag.

Real-life Application: I haven't been in middle school/high school for several years now but I can attest that those years were the most trying years in my life. Various issues in the classroom regarding drugs, sex, bullying, and the bond between teacher and student are very precarious for adolescents during these years. Onizuka's approaches some of these issues in a very direct manner and if an aspiring teacher were to watch this series, he or she would be able to draw some characteristics of a model teacher. I found it to be very inspiring and touching at times.

Hated:
The Ending: Quite possibly the only damper to this series was the ending. It felt a little rushed and did not serve the series justice; it left too many questions unanswered and seemed like there was something missing that the writer's wanted to include but just ended up taking out. The series could have been extended a few more episodes to give better closure for fans. Then again, hardcore Onizuka fans will seek out the manga for the continuation of the series and the new adventures for Onizuka. Personally I just didn't want it to end. It's usually how I feel with most slice-of-life anime, they have the luxury of being able to run forever. Then again, it might as well have ended on a high note than fizzle out in mediocrity.

The Lowdown: The premise for the show seems extremely random and perhaps a tad cliche, but its plot excels and captivates in many ways. You'll laugh, maybe cry, and give several nods 'yes' to this anime.

Notes: Watched entire 43 episode series from beginning to end (Anime-4ever fansub) and bits and pieces of the English dub.