The first anime series and manga series I went into blind was GTO. The premise of a formers gang member turned teacher was too funny to pass up, and I did not regret it one bit. GTO stands for Great Teacher Onizuka, for those not in the know. Onizuka was a member of the Pure love Gang of Shonan, but as he grew up, (physically) he decided to become a teacher. As you can guess, it's full of wacky hijinks and fun. That is, til the author realized he would never have a series as good as GTO, so he wrote a mediocre side story, and is currently writing an awful sequel, but more on that later, shall we?
The logical starting point for GTO is Young GTO or Shonan Junai Gumi. Onizuka and his best friend Ryuji Danma form the unbeatable Devil Bomb combo. They're too idiots who go around getting in fights and always kicking ass. They're dumb as hell, but they're both ridiculously strong, especially Onizuka. The two of them unsuccessfully attempt to hide their gang habits in a chance to pick up chicks. The story basically endlessly repeats itself in an endless cycle: A new guy starts shit, Onizuka and/ or Ryuji, they get their shit kicked in, Onizuka gets revenge. Sometimes they becomes friends with the defeated, or at least less hostile to on another, but the new characters add little. The only real long term change is Ryuji gets a girlfriend named Nagisa, and moves in with her, until her parents find out, then they have to sneak around to see one another. Onizuka never does, and this is where plenty of the humor comes from. Onizuka is a bad ass and pretty handsome, but he's an idiot and unlucky. The series is hilarious, and does feature some really cool fight scenes. Only a hand full of characters carry over to GTO: Onizuka (DUH) Ryuji, Nagisa and Saejima, a classmate and formal rival.
GTO takes place a few years after Shonan Junai Gumi. Onizuka has graduated from a third rate college, and now attempts to be a teacher with little luck. His attitude, gangster style, and unrealistic expectations keep him from employment, but he finally gets a job at a public school full of troubled students. They harrass him and fake sexual harassment charges, so he gets his gang friends to kick their asses. Expecting to get fired the next day, Onizuka trudges into class the next day fearing the worst, but is commended by the principal for turning the problem students around. They want to hire him full time! Too bad he forgets to take the teacher exam, and despairs. Lucky for him, private schools will hire you without the exam certificate. Onizuka applies at Holy Forrest Academy, and after German suplexing the principal and charming the chair woman, he gets hired to fix the problem class, and live on campus.
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| Some members of the problem class (No they don't have downs) |
Onizuka's first problem is a student tries killing himself due to bullying, so he saves him by jumping off a building and destroying the principals car. He then gets revenge of the bullies, one of whom's mother is the head of the PTA. Onizuka is almost fired, but saved by evidence from a student. The series follows it's own cycle, A student or teacher gets Onizuka into trouble ( Photoshopped pictures, money scandals, etc), Onizuka almost gets fired, and Onizuka overcomes the ordeal, winning over students. The main student though who is seemingly behind everything is a girl named Miyabi Aizawa. She lied about being raped by a teacher whom they were all friends with, when in reality she was jealous he had a fiance. The teacher was beaten, fired, and had his fiance left him after this incident. This is complicated by a new headmistress who has it out for Onizuka, and sicks her attack dogs on him, one of whom gives Onizuka a brain injury. Onizuka is legally dead before reviving to save the headmistress from the burning building. The series ends with the students creating a tribute to Onizuka at the school fair.
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| Don't worry, half this cast isn't relevant halfway through. |
GTO Shonan 14 days is a side story, it takes place during one of Onizuka's hospital stays. He heads off to his home ground on Shonan Beach to lay low, but of course gets caught up helping abused children fight their abusers. The series isn't bad, but it retreads the same ground as GTO with less memorable characters. The girls are cute, and a few GTO characters make cameos, but it doesn't add anything.
After the success of GTO Shonan 14 days, what else could be done but make a sequel to GTO? In comes Paradise lost, a terrible blight on the Onizuka chronology. Onizuka is back at Holy Forrest, and Principal Uchiyamada once again hates him. Onizuka is still getting screwed over by the school, and is put in charge of a class of idols (models, actors, writers, etc). Despite taking place at the same location as the original only fellow teacher Fuyutsuki and Uchiyamada make a cameo in the first chapter. None of his formers student stop by, though I bet they will if the ratings dip. The problem I have with this is that Onizuka proved himself worthy of teaching at Holy Forrest, that he was a good teacher and man. Paradise lost does away with this, and we're back at where he was at the beginning of GTO. I get that he wouldn't have much development with his old class, but that just shows how worthless this sequel is. And a class of idols, really ? So far Onizuka is just going around in a wrestling mask pulling pranks against students who hate him. I hate this series so much.
GTO was of course adapted into an anime series. It covers roughly half of the manga, but the end is different. Miyabi is such a bitch because her friend was knocked up by a teacher who abandoned her, then killed herself. The teacher is found stabbed, and Miyazawa is the prime suspect, but of course it was someone else. Fuyutsuki also confesses to Onizuka, whereas she only admits it to herself in the manga. There's five Shonan Junai Gumi OVAs as well that adapt the first few volumes of the manga. I think they were made later in the manga's life because Onizuka looks like Ginji Amano of Getbackers fame, a look he only had in later volumes. There's a live action GTO series, movies, and spin offs, but I have yet to watch them. Someday I will and update this blog reflecting that. Now here's some scores!
GTO Manga-10/10
GTO Anime- 9/10
Shonan junai Gumi-9/10
Shonan junai Gumi OVA- 7/10
GTO Shonan 14 Days-6/10
GTO Paradise Lost- 0/10
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