Anime of the Week: Great Teacher Onizuka

GTO___Great_Teacher_Onizuka_by_ErMungo

GTO___Great_Teacher_Onizuka_by_ErMungoGreat Teacher Onizuka is one of those shows where you come in not really expecting much. The synopsis sounded intriguing and hilarious but it had been done before. A reformed Yakuza wanting to accomplish his dream of being the greatest teacher ever… for the hot high school girls. Kind of cliche sounding but I was still interested none-the-less. After finishing all 43 episodes of the series; I got way more out of this anime than I was expecting. The synopsis may seem cliche but it’s the journey, stories, and development of each character that makes this one of the best shows I have ever seen.

Twenty two year old Eikichi Onizuka has always had the dream of becoming the greatest teacher… ever. It’s not easy to pursue a teaching career when you’re an ex gang member with a criminal track record. This doesn’t stop Onizuka though, after all, being a teacher is incredibly important to him. How else will he be able to pick up young, high school girls? Yup… Onizuka’s main reason for becoming a teacher (at least in the beginning of the series) is to pick up chicks. When Onizuka gets his first chance at teaching, he is assigned the worst class in the entire school. The kids in the class are mean, disobedient, and have chased away many teachers in the past. Because of Onizuka’s Yakuza past; his experiences made him more tolerable to the classes bullying tactics. Onizuka later learns that the kids in his class all have underlying problems in their personal lives. After finding this out, Onizuka tries to help each student in his class in his own way while learning lessons for himself.

What makes Great Teacher Onizuka unique is the character development. In each episode, you learn a little bit more about the students and Onizuka himself. Onizuka tackles the students problems with suicide, bullying, and parents but he does it in a way that you wouldn’t expect. Even though this is a slice-of-life anime; each episode has plenty of comedy that will keep you laughing and enjoying the series. From first glance, you may think this anime sounds a little bit silly or cliche but once you give it a try you will be happy to realize you’ve experienced a special treat.

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