REVIEW - GREAT TEACHER ONIZUKA

Story & Characters

"Onizuka Ekichi, nijuu-ni sai. Yoroshiku!" This enthusiastic line is the perfect introduction for the main character of this catchy series: Onizuka Ekichi, 22 years old, ex-biker and delinquent and with his mind set on a single goal: to become the greatest teacher in Japan!

'Great Teacher Onizuka' is an intricate story full of action, humour, drama and real-life situations which will have you enthralled. In his quest to become the greatest teacher ever, Onizuka runs into some sort of trouble at any turn: an uncooperative class [to say the least], a vice-principal itching to have him fired, a mysterious plot which exposes a side of himself hidden so well that not even Onizuka himself was aware of it - and this is just the beginning of things!

The story is complex, well-paced and by no means redundant. Although some circumstances and events seem slightly surreal, GTO still offers an accurate portrayal of nowadays education in Japanese school with its ups and downs. Both students and teachers struggle to keep on top of things as life puts them in the most unusual circumstances. Most of the leading and secondary characters are given detailed backgrounds (some further expanded in the manga) and an in-depth characterization to better justify their actions and beliefs.

Rating: 9 (good)

Art

Both intros are a stylish mixture of classic and slightly abstract art, supported by matching theme songs ("Driver's High" by L'Arc~en~Ciel and "Hitori No Yoru" by Porno Graffiti). The animation for the outros is also decent, even though not all four ending songs portray the mood of the series well enough.

Despite the fact that GTO is quite an old series, its graphics and animations are still of a reasonable quality. Character and background art does not stand out through originality or level of details; however, this aspect can be overlooked, as the main focus of the series is undeniably the story.

Rating: 6 (average)

Sound

Voice actors are chosen well in accordance to the personality and background of the character they portray. First and foremost, Onizuka Ekichi's voice actor, Wataru Takagi (known for voicing important characters in several other prominent series, like Detective Conan, Excel Saga and One Piece) is the one seyuu that truly makes the series shine. Takagi's acting is flawless in depicting Onizuka's quickly-paced mood swings, going with astounding ease through a wide range of registers, sometimes in the blink of an eye. Other notable seyuus are Kotono Mitsuishi (for Kanzaki Urumi), Orikasa Fumiko (for Fuyutsuki Azusa; also known for the more recent part of Kuchiki Rukia in the Bleach series) and Megumi Ogata (for Julia Murai; also known for voicing Shinji Ikari in Neon Genesis Evangelion and Sailor Uranus in Sailor Moon).

As I've already gone through the intro and outro tracks, I will now focus on the background music. Although none of them particularly stands out, the background tracks still manage to emphasizing the mood of each important scene - up to a point, anyway.

Rating: 8 (above average)

Presentation

There may be viewers who would feel offended by certain explicit situations depicted in this anime (like Onizuka peeping at the panties of high school girls, for instance). There may be other viewers who would dismiss this show as being either too childish, too fast-paced or downright stupid. But in my humble view, Great Teacher Onizuka is an excellent piece due to its outrageous, but brilliant humor (sometimes I found myself laughing so hard I had to pause the episode and take a break before I could go on watching), its excellent acting and, last but not least, its intricate plot. Watch the series if you have the chance. You won't regret it.

Rating: 9 (good)

Final Verdict: 8.33 (good)