With all the new anime being released, it’s nice to step away and return to the classics. I recently finished the first episode of GTO and was pleasantly surprised. I remember a few years ago when I tried to pick up this series but couldn’t stand the art. It’s weird how your taste can completely change over time.
TEACHER BANZAI!
The story centers around Eikichi Onizuka, a 22-year old, ex-gang member who strives to become a great teacher through practically any means necessary. All the way from torturing his own students in order to get their attention. GTO brings up the topic of the borderline between students and teachers and the need to break down that wall. (With a sledgehammer if necessary…)
Onizuka is definitely…what I wasn’t expecting. Which is both good and bad. He’s wonderfully flawed in many ways (which is a good thing) and his determination and methods of getting his points across are entertaining as heck. While I couldn’t stand how utterly perverted he was, I’ll admit that I did chuckle at a couple scenes here and there. (Teacher banzai!)
The first episode definitely had me hooked. This goes to show that age doesn’t always deter from a well-written tale. While the 45 minute long episode made me fearful of what was to come, I was happy to find the episodes after are all in the normal 23-minute long time frame. I’ve never been a fan of long episodes because I find it harder to stay interested. But even with 45 minutes, GTO had me interested till the very end.
I also LOOOOOOOOOVEEED the twist in the first episode with the class he got! I should’ve seen it coming, but it actually took me pleasantly by surprise. It was great.
So right off the bat, the first episode was enough to keep me interested. Onizuka seems to be a memorable, fun character and I’m a sucker for delinquent anime. The only flaw I’m finding is all the suggestive dialogue. While the fan service isn’t bad, (especially since the art is old fashioned) it’s the mature themes that come into play that can make you feel rather…awkward.
Other than that, I’m hoping to finish GTO to the end and hopefully write a review some day.
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