GTO Highly recommended

Publisher
Tokyopop
Writer
Tohru Fujisawa
Artist
Tohru Fujisawa
Country of origin
Japan
Length
22
Year
2002

GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka vol 1-6

By otaku_kei
12th Dec 04

Eikichi Onizuka, 22 years old, 2nd Dan in Karate, an ex-biker and possibly the least likely candidate for being a teacher! Onizuka dreams of a high-paying job, a beautiful home and a bevy of buxom babes at his beck and call, but after months of fruitless job-hunting a despondent Onizuka is on the verge of giving up. A chance encounter with a distraught high-school girl and her illicit teacher lover inspires the down on his luck biker to change his life’s direction and try to become the Greatest Teacher Ever! (And if he can score with some cute high-school chicks all the better!)

The GTO phenomena has been a major force in Japanese pop culture in recent years with this long running manga spawning anime adaptations, live-action TV series and a whole range of merchandise, and given its irreverent attitude towards traditional authority figures as well as the classic tale of bad boy makes good it is easy to see why this series has struck a chord. Onizuka is equal parts crude, lecherous thug and yet endearing and inspirational, an intriguing dichotomy of character but really helps to draw the reader into this absurd set-up. So if you like a healthy dose (possible overdose) of fanservice, violence and the type of language that would make a sailor blush then this series could be for you.

Yet this series is not just about the violent, lecherous lead, and his attempts to better himself to become the Greatest Teacher in Japan. This title stands also as a critique as well as romanticised answer to the problems that afflict the growing dissatisfaction with the schooling system of Japan. Onizuka maybe uncouth but at least he understands the kids he is trying to teach, unlike so many of the other teachers who merely fear or despise their young charges. This connection with his pupils leads Onizuka, and his unorthodox teaching methods, to a level of success in the classroom.

But whilst the characters in this series are so far enjoyable and amusing, almost all of them come across as caricatures – the bad boy made good, the lecherous older teacher whose home-life is falling apart, the sweet and earnest student-teacher, all have been seen before. Yet this is early days so these characters are not yet pigeon holed. The bigger problem lies with the kids. Perhaps the author is parodying the alarmist depiction of Japanese school kids as murderous whores by making them so degraded and blood-thirsty, but the mere idea that so many of the heinous crimes committed by the kids in this series truly does stretch the suspension of disbelief to breaking point.

This series so far has me hooked, the characters have been left room to develop, the action and comedy comes thick and fast, and it’s interesting to see how these conspiracies against Onizuka come together and then fall apart when faced with his devious tricks or just plain indifference. The protagonist may be an emotionally stunted, socially retarded buffoon and yet remains one of the most memorable characters in recent years. This series has the potential to develop and become a true classic, or slip into a rut never to be retrieved. I hope for the former, but am prepared for the latter. Come on Onizuka prove us all wrong about your talents!

8/10

-- otaku_kei 12th Dec 04