| | Alternate title : GTO
Studio : Pierrot
Licenced by : TOKYOPOP
Length : 43 Episodes
Year : 1999
Genre : Life - Drama - Comedy
Synopsis :
Ekikichi Onizuka and his best friend Ryuji were infamous biker gang members until they decided to head to Tokyo for a new life. His friend Ryuji manages to study and become the manager of a store while Onizuka strives to become a teacher.
A former delinquent with a violent past trying to become a teacher? Watch the hilarious adventures that happen when Onizuka gets the worst classes to teach and his obession with innocent high school girls!
The main story follows Onizuka as he tries to get a new job as a full time teacher after his teaching assistant job in the movie (episode 1). He always seems to be stuck with the worst classes to reform.
Added : 2005-10-30
Synopsis by : Kaiser
Last update : 2009-05-25
Last update details : Seiyuu modified
Score : 9.38 Ranked #3 by users
Number of reviews : 125
Link(s) :
Official #1 : Official GTO Website (French)
Official #2 : Pierrot's GTO Website (Japanese)
Official #3 : Sony Music's GTO CD Website (Japanese)
A-Source #1 : In-Depth Review
Other #1 : A Great Teacher Onizuka Fansite (English)
Song(s) :
Opening #1 : L'Arc~en~Ciel - Driver's High
Opening #2 : Porno Graffiti - Hitori no Yoru / Lonely Night
Ending #1 : Kirari - Last Piece
Ending #2 : Miwaku Okuda - Shizuku / Drip
Ending #3 : Hong Kong Knife - Cherished Memories
Ending #4 : L'Arc~en~Ciel - Driver's High
Hits : 104317
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Posted by : kengvi
Posted on : 2008-10-04 
GTO is one of the most popular Japanese anime series of recent memory on the school-life story of a super-human and unrealistic teacher. After spending almost 6 months (tediously) watching all 43 episodes, I rate this anime as average in all aspects except for the main charactor, Mr. GTO.
Mr. Onizuka (GTO) character is the blood, skin and bone of this anime. His wildness, craziness, stupidity and unrealistic superhuman nature are what this anime is all about. The first 2/3 of the episodes were quite predictable and a bit boring. It always starts with nasty students planning and trying to kick Onizuka out of school, who later change into a Onizuka follower. The plots involved were repetitive until it became very predictable. The most exciting part starts just when Kanzaki Urumi the student with an IQ of 200, appears on the scene. Besides Onizuka and Urumi, the other charactors were poorly written and very predictable.
The animation, drawing and coloring was also very poor. The background music was also poor. However, GTO had some excellent songs for the opening and ending credits.
For anime focusing on life at school and teachers, I think the works of Masanori Morita (Rokudenashi Blues, and Rookies) are much much better.
I give 6 out of 10 for GTO. Good anime, but not great.
Posted by : miestersean 
Posted on : 2008-08-03
Plot/story: The plot is based on students' struggles with overcoming emotional insecurities, and instead of advancing a continuous storyline, it uses a series of mini-arcs that use a repeating conflict/resolution structure to develop individual characters one at a time. This format stagnates but it is the characters that carry the series, not the plot. Similarly, the characters make the handful of fillers, mostly found in the middle of the series, tolerable. The school/class setting is used tastefully, with much of the show taking place outside of the school entirely to keep the surroundings fresh.
Dialogue: The conversations flow smoothly and each of the characters has unique phrasing and diction in his or her speech. The standout speaker is the main character Onizuka, who is preachy when giving advice but refreshingly brash and irreverent otherwise; he's a fresh breath of air.
Characters: The aforementioned Onizuka is a fascinating lead with a curious split-personality: he is selfish and perverted but also caring and mature. The supporting characters are likeable and are dynamic, each with his or her own significant, though exaggerated, transformation. Impressively, all of the characters in the show adapt to each other's presence when interacting and act as real people would.
Voice acting: Onizuka again shines, brimming with attitude and range in his delivery, even in reading intermission title card phrases. The other characters are also strongly voiced with feeling in various moods that range from relaxed to frantic, bringing their personalities to life.
Music/sound: The two OPs are catchy driving rock, the first metallic and energetic and the second more melodic and hook-based. The three EDs, however, are weaker, the first two standard ballads and the third forgettable rock. The in-show BGM is cheaply made and distracting but it manages to add to the different atmospheres of the episodes.
Animation/Art: The background imagery focuses on realism more than beauty and looks polished but unassuming. The characters are thinly-drawn and look flat but they have appealing designs and natural body movements and postures. A unique feature is the clothes: Onizuka has a different outfit on for each episode, and the t-shirts characters wear when not in school uniforms have stylish designs. On the other hand, a negative is the overly crude facial distortions used in the beginning episodes, but these improve drastically after the first ten episodes.
Enjoyment: The show does best in its climactic scenes that are packed with action, suspense, and emotion, but it is a bit shallow and predictable compared to heavier-hitting series. Still, there is a wholesome vitality that pervades the scenes -- all of the characters are ultimately sincere and good-willed. However, the cyclical nature of the plot causes the series to lose momentum between arcs, though this resolves once the viewer gets immersed in the next character. A great aspect is the frequent humor, which is top quality and plays well off of the characters' quirks and even elements of popular culture.
Overall: This series is recommended for those who enjoy semi-mature humor, drama, action, and character-driven story lines. Everyone should find something to like here and have a good time watching all the way through.
Score: 8/10
Posted by : Tearjerker
Posted on : 2008-07-31 
How do you start a review on such a great title as GTO?
I could be at it for ages and still have plenty to say about such an excellent anime.
First off, as many have mentionned before me, it doesn't take a genius to take one quick look and tell that Great Teacher Onizuka is one of the older animes out there. For a newer generation of anime fans, this might constitute a fundamental flaw, and might give you a bad first impression, but all it takes is one complete viewing of the first episode to move past such shallow premise and comprehend that GTO is much more that meets the eye.
Plotwise, the anime is fairly simple, but what makes it expand powerfully into a myriad of colors is the charisma of the characters every episode brings in.
For example, Onizuka himself is a personality few will be able to forget. His energetic voice acting as well as his elaborate faces and antics make every single movement he makes extremely appealing and hysterically hilarious and all together enjoyable.
This goes without mentioning the colorful blend of other characters in the anime that compose the mighty palette and great strength of GTO.
The music is also a key element in making GTO exciting and fun. Most will remember the energetic theme song strung together by L'Arc-En-Ciel to match the anime's mood perfectly.
Although I will not go into details, some have considered the ending to be upsetting, but if one thinks about the main character's goal and personality, it couldn't make more sense. Nonetheless, those who wish for a more satisfying conclusion will find plenty of relief in the manga, which I have also read and found to be just as good as the anime, with a story extending even further than the forty-some episodes.
All in all, Great Teacher Onizuka was an instant classic and it's no surprise that it remains among the top faves here in Anime-Source.
Posted by : sheepcong
Posted on : 2008-07-06
This is one of my favorite animes. I got hooked on it because of the manga. The show is a lot like the manga; the story is almost the same. It is really funny. This is a show that will hook you. The characters are great. They are all funny and there are so many of them that you will probably find one that relates to you in one way or another.
Story (10/10) - I have to say it never really disappoints, as it has so much character development and back story for tons and tons of characters. It's hard to find a story you won't like in this 42 episode anime.
Characters (10/10)- Some of the best. Definitely Onizuka has to be one of my all time favorites in anime badasses. The rest of the cast is good, too; you will find at least one (if not all) that you will like in this one.
Music 9/10 - It was okay for the most part - a lot better then some animes I've seen. It fits the mood of the series and was really enjoyable to listen to.
Overall (10/10) - Overall GTO does not disappoint. It's really rare for an anime this GREAT to come about. The only downfall in watching the series is that you will be begging for more when it's over and will love every minute while you're still watching it. Enjoyable from start to finish.
Posted by : marxmann05
Posted on : 2008-04-22
Ah... Great Teacher Onizuka, what lots of people think of as the number 1 comedy anime of the 1990s.... or at least thats what I think. Personally, this is one of my favorite anime, not only is it light hearted and hilarious but it have some lessons to teach us too... although I can't seem to remember most of them, anyway on to the review!
Animation/Graphics:
Its really unfair to judge a classic anime by graphics since we all know that GTO's visual style was outdated about a decade ago. But if you ask me, it is still decent to watch, its not like you're going to get cancer from watching it or anything. Since it would also be unfair to give the graphics a perfect score, I just wouldn't give the visual any score, but if I do have to, its going to be between 7 and 8. However, one thing that you would never forget from the animation and visual is onizuka's varying ugly faces. Its just so funny that after years of not seeing the anime you can still see onizuka's ugly face clearly in your mind just by the mentioning of GTO.
Sounds/music/sfx: 9/10
The songs used in GTO are great and not tiring, and they actually carry the feel of the show. I usually don't watch the ending credits of anime but because of the ending songs, I can stand to watch it. The sound effects used are just like any other anime. English Voice actors are same as always, meaning sometimes good sometimes bad and sometimes you just have to do Japanese dub and English sub.
Character: 9/10
I'd say that character development in GTO is good to the level that you become familiar with the characters and feel for them. Over the series we see the characters slowly developing until at the end of the series they have grown or changed in some ways. Each character has his or her thing going on, of course we still get the usual cliche like the mischievous group of boys, the clumsy and slow but big boobed girl, the nerdy guy, etc. etc. etc. The only thing I have against the characters is that apart from Onizuka's favorite students and the antagonist girls, we don't know any other face or name from their class, I mean they could have made it like school rumble where even the minor characters are known at least by face. But I guess that just complicate things. Anyway apart from that, the characters in GTO are usually either lively or problematic.
Plot:
The anime revolves around the newly appointed teacher and self proclaimed Great-Teacher-Onizuka. We follow him as he help and teach his students about life lessons. And his ultimate purpose in the school is to stop the harassments of teachers by a delinquent class. And he does so, one by one he gets the students to side him. But there is always that one person who wouldn't budge.
If you ask me, GTO doesn't really have any real plot, I mean it does have a big major plot but if you watch it episode by episode, that doesn't seem to come out until the last few episodes. What I mean is that, for most of the episodes, you can just watch them individually without wondering what happened last episode, but there are some of them. It doesn't get old, unless you keep watching it straight in a row. I've seen the show 3 times already with an interval of at least 2 years, and i think the fourth one is coming this summer.
Overall: 10/10
If you love comedy, and you enjoy life or at least would like to enjoy life, then you can handle the drama brought by this great anime. Despite the years, I have yet to find another comedy-life/drama anime that surpasses GTO. So bottom line is, just watch it and enjoy. Don't let the year fool you.
Posted by : Molenir
Posted on : 2008-04-21 
Great Teacher Onizuka is an interesting show. On the one hand its got a lot of humor, as the main character acts in ways that are just so extreme as to cause laughs. However he is not a great teacher, but rather a horrible one that manages to effect positive change in the lives of many of his students.
The artwork is very old school, though considering this show was made in 99, is understandable. The animation, the music neither are particularly outstanding, though I admit I rather enjoyed the first OP. The plot is the main problem, as there really isn't a plot to speak of. Each episode Moronizuka has a problem that he solves despite, or because of his stupidity. Either that or because some friend of his who has been impressed by his single-minded devotion and open heart intervenes to save him.
The biggest problem I had when watching this is due to this in fact. I couldn't help but wonder as I watched this show, how it is that Onizuka managed to even get into college, much less get a degree. Considering how stupid he really is. If they had made his character just a bit more intelligent, at least believably intelligent, then for me this show would have been much better. On the one hand I can see why so many people rank it so highly, but for me it just didn't resonate. Perhaps because there were many small details that irritated me as I watched it. Things like a teacher flirting with his students. While these were some of the things that made the show funny and watchable, they were to me some of the things that I found most disconcerting.
Overall I recommend the show. Its an anime classic that everyone should watch, at least once. Even if after seeing it, you may not ever want to watch it again.
Posted by : Kitsilver
Posted on : 2008-04-06
GTO is not one of my favorites.
I give it points for originality -- Onizuka is certainly unique -- and comedy. Some episodes are meaningful and a few characters memorable.
But I can't forgive the art and perverted nature of Onizuka. Older art styles generally don't appeal to me, but Onizuka is just ugly. His lecherous and perverted character is annoying; I mean how many times does he get in trouble because he did/thought something gross? Sexual humor gets old when it's done again...and again...and again.
Onizuka is a good guy at heart and helps his students in his own unique way. That's what I like about this show, how he helps his students as a guide, a friend, instead of an authoritative figure. The students can relate to him and grow because of it.
I can see why GTO gets such high marks, but I can't get over the art and perverted humor. 43 episodes tends to drag too, compared to a tighter 26 episode anime. So I give Great Teacher Onizuka a 5/10.
Posted by : Odin_The_God
Posted on : 2008-03-06
GTO...
Not only funny but the plot has meanings too... Each episode through the events that happen in it gives a special meaning to what teachers and students feel, how they get along and eventually how students grow up through those events... It is all about a teacher without knowledge on Maths and Physics, but knows a lot about real life... He knows how to treat his students and make them enjoy even the most boring day at school...
It didn't make me laugh a lot but it did make me think a lot...
That is why it deserves a 10/10...
Wish there was more...
Posted by : jayou521
Posted on : 2008-01-22
GTO is one of the funniest and most touching anime I've ever seen, as well as one of my favorites.
Onizuka Eikichi is one of my favorite anime characters. He may be a pervert, but he has a big heart and it shows in every episode as he shows his students how to enjoy school again (even though they are all trying to bring him down). We get to know a lot about the students in his class over the course of the anime. As each of their problems are solved, there is a visible change in their attitude. There are just enough episodes for us to get to know and care about all of them. The only thing that felt out of place was the ending, but I'll get back to that later.
The music which is played matches the scene greatly and definitely helps a lot. Onizukas' theme is one of my favorite anime songs. Every time I hear it, I can't help but smile.
The animation is pretty good, considering it was made in 1999. I especially liked all the funny faces Onizuka makes.
It's a shame that it had to end the way it did, but the anime ended before the manga did, so I can forgive them. There is nothing better to do than watch it again since you will be wanting more. That is why Great Teacher Onizuka deserves a 10/10 and its spot as one of my top 5 anime
Posted by : Terentius
Posted on : 2007-11-05
After nearly a year since I last saw this, it's about time I finally write something about one of my all-time favourite shows: GTO.
Story (9/10) - I first heard about this show after coming across the Tokyopop Manga and after 26 volumes, I was eager to see how the anime compared. With the exception at the end (otherwise it would've been a 10/10) the anime is faithful to the Manga. Again with any animated adaptation, some killer gags were left out, but the essence of the jokes and humour was there.
Art (10/10) - This is one area I was thoroughly impressed with. GTO is a visually driven story and the anime had to be top-notch. It was! The Onizuka's trademark facial expressions from the manga always got a laugh from me and it was great to see that it was faithfully preserved here. It's hard to imagine it's nearly 8 years old, but the quality has and will stand the test of time.
Characters (10/10)- Some of the most original. What you might consider to be real villains are really very human characters and after finding more about their backgrounds, you eventually understand why they are what they are. Of course, nothing can compare to a manga's effort in character juxtaposition, but this comes as close as it can get.
Voice Acting (Jap 10/10) (Eng 8/10) - I felt that the acting by the main actors was great, but was 'partially' let down in a way by efforts of some of the peripheral characters. Bear in mind that this is the only fault I found with it. The english VA's efforts were noble, but could anyone really replace the original Onizuka??
Music (10/10) - Enjoyable trademark themes here. The opening credits were great. Onizuka's theme always got my neck hairs on end. I could say it's almost as characteristic as the Imperial March for Darth Vader.
Overall (9/10) - All I can say is that after 43 episodes, I was saddened to see the end of one of anime's greatest shows. Apart from the gripes above, I was just DYING to give this my first 10 star rating. For that, truly something special must have happened. This is as close it comes. However, if someone were to ask me for the most balanced recommendation I can think up of, I'd say watch this. There can be no higher praise than that from a cynic like me.
Posted by : GodOfDeath6000
Posted on : 2007-10-21
GTO is definitely one of my favorite animes of all time. Eikichi Onizuka funny, powerful, and can change people with his retarded schemes. This anime is guaranteed to make you laugh. I found watching the development of the characters very enjoyable.
The ending was a bit disappointing, but after a bit of reading I realized it was because the manga hadn't finished by the time the anime did so I guess they made it up on the spot.
I must say, although it's a bit off-topic, the manga was great.
I think the art was very unique, especially with the many over-dramatizations of Onizuka's face. It was a bit hard to get used to at first, but it really does grow on you.
As for music, I don't really pay much attention to it. However, I enjoyed both the openings while not really caring much for the endings.
This anime is just uniquely awesome.
Posted by : mangafan400
Posted on : 2007-08-04
Let me think...I give GTO's story a Nine, because it was very good. The Story and the characteristics fit very well with each other. Sometimes the Story doesn't seem to go on, and you get some episodes that didn't have anything to do with the Story. In other animes you would leave these episodes out, as they have nothing to do with the story, but in the case of GTO, there is so much humor in each episode that you never get bored. This is the reason, why I give it a nine for the story.
I give it a 7 for Music, because I didn't like the music very much in GTO. So I can't really tell, whether the music fits with the story or not because I always skipped it. For Art I give it a ten because the characters were brilliantly drawn. You must know! The anime was made in 1999. For that time it was brilliant. I was totally fascinated, so I give it for art a 10.
It's obvious that I really enjoyed the anime. In this Anime you cried about the sad story or you laughed about funny things or thought about the things, that someone said in this anime. So there many kind of feelings, when you watch GTO. It's sad that the anime only has 43 eps. The manga has 200 lessons!! Of course I read the manga. After I saw the anime I really, really wanted to know what happened next.
In my opinion the end was very bad. The story actually goes on , but the anime stopped at ep 43, so they had to find a separate ending from the actual ending of GTO (the ending in the manga).
Overall, GTO should be watched by everybody. It's a little bit ecchi but it is mixed with a lot of fun, so that you don't really see the perverted things.
Posted by : Yoko-Karama
Posted on : 2007-06-08
Excuse me while I wax poetic on one of if not the best anime I have ever watched. All depends on the day you ask me.
Anyway GTO is a spin off on the Shonan Junai Gumi. Both in manga and anime. It focuses on Eikichi Onizuka. One of the two main characters of the former show/manga. Biker Gang members, they prided themselves in being the strongest and toughest duo in which ever area they resided. Now older, and needing to survive growing up. they move to Tokyo to become adults. Eikichi Onizuka is still a juvenile and delinquent at heart so this is where the fun begins.
Wanting to become a high school teacher for the hopes of landing a 15 year old wife when he 40 is his determination. I can't argue with his logic no matter how hard I try XD . However being a past delinquent doesn't make it easy. He is given a tough class of emo kids and the job of turning them around. Can he do it? And what methods will he use? Mentoring maybe? ha ha ha!!! Your gonna have to see for yourself!
Story 10/10- Unique and thought provoking. Ending kinda was a let down, but it was a constant climb from episode to episode so I'll give a pass.
Characters 10/10- Characters are usually the last thing I review but there are just so many good characters who each evolve and have realizations throughout the story. Each with their little spot in the light. Of course Onizuka, I wish he would have been my teacher. Bottle rocket class FTW!!! The power of Onizuka through his awkward methods to teach his students not only whats in the books (not so much, he sucks at that XD) but life lessons and how they can improve themselves. At the end of the episode(maybe during) you maybe look and see what you yourself can improve, thats the marks of a good character.
Sound 13/10- I am mainly gonna talk about the english dub. Very few animes surpass their original Japanese voice actors. This one does. The dub is that good. For an Otaku (not saying I am one, maybe borderline, only if you pressure me though) to say that he rather watch the dub than the original is sacrilege. His peers would simply call him Baaakaaa. Not in this case. I could get philosophical and go into "if a tree falls in a forest will it make some noise" but I wont. Great dub! simple as that. Compared with the trash they import, and the horrible Haruhi dub.. how many animes can you say accomplish this? Less than 10, in my mind Full metal Alchemist, Trigun, Inuyasha(best dub ever).. thats probably it. Watch the dub... you cant go wrong.
Music 10/10- Good choices, all fit the anime, I have all of them. Nuff said!
Art 9/10- I purposely up-ed the Sound cause I knew I couldn't give a perfect for the art. Although still good only a little sub par for todays standards(8 years later). It's not claymore good, or even Lucky Star good, but it was good then and still watchable now. Onizuka's faces and head bands, Genius! Also not many static images. I hate static images where they just scroll. I could have given it a 10 on that alone.
It is not ranked in the top 5 for nothing. I went out and got the box set to support, and maybe if they get enough hints they will do a remake or continuation ala Kannon. Never know!
Posted by : chueisha
Posted on : 2007-06-02
Story/Plot – 5/5
Characters – 3/5
Art – 4/5
Music (OP/ED) – 4/5
Enjoyment – 5/5
Overall – 4.2/5
Story/Plot: I haven’t read the summary nor read the manga, so the anime is very new to me. But overall Great Teacher Onizuka’s plot is very humor and enjoyable. I cried and laughed while watching through the anime so you can guess the kind of genre. The story developed in a unique way and although I can easily predicted what will happen in the series, it surprisingly doesn’t make me bore. The plot is very simple and all, but very creative. ^__^ I give this a perfect score.
Characters: I might be wrong for the score 3/5. But the characters are quite complicated to what I have watched. It is Onizuka’s personality, but very easy to understand there are certain people I can’t understand what their personality is even when I finish watching the anime. I mean, I might think this person is evil but the way they act is sometime very different.. But I think the characters are fine the way it is.
Art: To mention that this anime was made in the year of 1998-1999, the art is of course not modern type of art. But if compare this to other anime in the same year, my rate should be reasonable. The way it is drawn is very professional and shounen-like. For a shoujo-lover like me, the art doesn’t appeal much. Although it might not appeal to me, but if I have to rate it, I would rate it high but not perfect. It’s simple really, in those kind of time, when you just randomly pick one anime, rarely any of them would be clearly as drawn as this..
Music: I adore the Opening and Ending Themes. The first Opening theme was very exciting and ‘rocky’, when the first Ending theme was smooth and very nice. “Why didn’t I rate this perfect if I adore all of the songs??? Well the reason is because the first two themes were perfect, but the second themes and so on just lacked some impressions. As I have mention, the first Opening theme was very loud and rocky, giving me a good impression for the starting of the anime. As for the first Ending theme, it was soft and smooth, a great impression in the end of the anime. Coming to second Opening theme, I lost interest then, I can’t really describe it but it doesn’t suit my taste. Because of the lost interest in second Opening theme, I don’t recall paying any attention to the ending theme.
Enjoyment: I like the comedy and the humor in this anime ^o^. I don’t think any of the humors in the anime are any offensive, but the way the story goes on, it’s just a bit.. Super-natural o_O. I don’t think anybody can be as strong as Onizuka. Of course, with the fact that this anime is completely fictional, it explained it all. Still, it’s kind of funny seeing a person who can be as strong as to crash a car…
The first episode did not let me down; I enjoy watching the exciting very first episode and got hooked. I became Great teacher Onizuka’s otaku and watch every episode every day, of course there was some time I have to stop watching it, but when I get a free time on my computer I would surely watch the anime. I recommend this anime for anybody who is very bored and is in need of humor or laughter to cheer him up.
Posted by : kovich87
Posted on : 2007-05-18
This is one of my favorite animes. I got hooked on it because of the manga. The show is a lot like the manga, the story is almost the same. It is really funny. This is a show that will hook you. The characters are great, they are all funny and there are so many of them that you will probably find one that relates to you in one way or another.
The art was ok. There were animes that had much better art at the time this was made. The animation was pretty good. Sometimes you will see distortions in the faces.
I thought that the sound was good. I love the 1st opening theme and the voice actors were amazing.
Overall I give GTO a 9.5. I would have given it a 10 but i do wish the animation could have been a bit better. I recommend this show to everyone.
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