Episodes: 43
Rating: Teen
Genre: Shonen, Drama, Comedy
Introduction
Great Teacher Onizuka is an anime about well, a teacher (Onizuka) (who is 22 years old) who seeks to be the best teacher out there. He’s a bōsōzoku member (a Japanese gang type thing that likes to modify cars) and is as close to a thug as you could imagine.
There is a lot more to the story, but it centers on a class full of delinquents who drove several other teachers insane. Onizuka being the glorious thug type guy seems like the perfect disposable teacher and is hired to take care of them. The only problem, of course, is that Onizuka doesn’t give up so easily.
Review
GTO is one of the better shows that exist in Japan for lots of reasons. The main reason being that it lacks most stereotypical anime clichés and is completely devoid of any moe type characters and instead focuses purely on the dramatically plot. There are a lot of character advancement going on in this anime and it happens perfectly with action filled scenes and great humor.
Actually, to be honest, GTO is one of my absolute favorite shows. It could stand above other anime based solely on how awesome Onizuka is as a teacher. His ideals, ability to teach, and physical badassery add together for an entertaining experience unlike any others.
Some anime, like Nadesico, really get me going when they end. GTO is one of these where I just feel sad and disappointed when there are no more episodes to watch. I will often go back and rewatch GTO to experience everything all over again.
With all of the praise, I might as well go over what the anime is actually about. Onizuka wants to be the greatest teacher out there. He’s also kind of like a gang member (but doesn’t have the hilarious curl roll) so this goal is obviously more difficult for him then being a guy riding around on a motorcycle beating people up.
His first adventure involves him being part of a public school full of punks. Throughout a quick adventure involving an attempted blackmail of him, he changes the attitude of everyone through his gang skills. The next day they’re doing all of their chores and paying attention in class.
He’s then picked up by a private school (since he missed getting his license) and assigned to a classful of intelligent students who ruin every teacher they get. The rest of the anime focuses on this and how he wins over the entire class.
Actually, know what, I’m not even worthy to review this anime. That’s how good it is, to be honest; I probably shouldn’t even write a single word about it. However, I will just say go watch it.
Rating
Score: 9.5/10 (Amazing)
Pros:
- Enjoyable story full of drama and passion.
- Lack of the majority of anime clichés and unique storyline.
- Onizuka being completely badass.
Cons:
- May not be for everyone, since it doesn’t involve robots or some kind of stupid moe plotline.
- The ending and most of the series doesn’t follow the manga’s which is much better.
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