Great Teacher Onizuka (1999–2000) User Reviews

The Greatest Anime!

[deepakputhraya · 10/10 · 23 April 2012]

Great Teacher Onizuka is by far one of the best anime I have come across. It has every thing that you would look for in a anime- comedy, action, romance and drama. The opening and closing songs of the anime are one of my favorites.

The anime is about a guy called Onizuka who is portrayed as a 'pervert'. He earns his teaching degree, just barely, at a second-rate college. He is hired as a long-shot teacher by a privately operated school, to tame a class that has driven one teacher to a mysterious death, another to nervous breakdown, and one other to joining a cult. He embarks on a mission of self-discovery by breaking through to each student one-by-one, and helping each student to overcome their problems and learn to genuinely enjoy life, using his own brand of philosophy.

When I came across this anime, I decided to watch it for two reasons 1) It wasn't about some ninjas running on water or humans talking to ghosts 2) It was supposed to be perverted :p Every episode, I laughed and laughed till my stomach hurt and my friends wondered if anything was wrong with me! I realized that the anime was not about perverted jokes but about things beyond that. It was about life.

Onizuka takes us on a journey where we learn the importance of life, the important things that we need to have and the way we need to lead our life, in his perverted yet adventurous style! Its a journey that we must admire, a journey that you'll not regret, a journey of laughter is what GTO is all about.

The Greatest teacher- Eikichi Onizuka(22 years old and virgin) is awaiting to give you life lessons, so take the lessons that you'll never forget!

9.5/10

I just read the stupidest review in here

[paudelhimanshu · 10/10 · 11 September 2020]

A guy here compared gto with assassination classroom. I haven't watched it but I know the basic story line of it. Just the fact that he compares these two shows is stupid. He missed the main point of the show i.e. Comedy/Slice of life or something like that. This show is about enjoying the present. Ac tries being emotional and all which is a typical type of high school anime but this is a lot different than that.

Unlike other High School Anime.

[emasterslake · 8/10 · 11 October 2006]

GTO is short for Great Teacher Onisuka. Onisuka is an ex biker who has a long list of police records on himself. He's determine to become a great teacher.

the only reason why is so he can check out all the High School Girls. He's a pervert who like looking up girls skirts when they least expected and likes pornography.

But as he does his job as a teacher, he finds that helping students is a good thing to do as a teacher. He makes the impossible, possible and he doesn't do stuff you'd find in a regular teacher. Onizuku knows he'll become well known as the best teacher of Japan.

It's a cool series. I recommend it to those who want more mature Anime or for Student Teachers who want to find a series they can get advice from.

I also recommend reading the manga series too. Because it's like seeing an extended version of GTO with plot holes not included or changed in the anime.

It's rated 16 and up for Language, Brief Nudity, Drugs, some violence, and mild humor.

G.T.O, indeed.

[Luiselclapperloader · 8/10 · 22 August 2020]

I saw this pop up on the top 250 TV list and gave it a go completely blind. It might take some getting used to, but by the time i finished it i felt it was worth it. This is a fresh, easy going and somewhat bold for today's age but ultimately lighthearted school comedy that instead of focusing on students it highlights this unorthodox, unkempt and somewhat infantile but ultimately persistent guy.

While at first i found him to be kind of unbelievable, by the end of the day he won me over. He can be pervy, lazy and juvenile beyond belief at times but then lazer-point focused with his peers and with a "head on his shoulders" attitude. He uses his streetsmart ways to teach those who wrong him a lesson, which is the show's beating heart. He's somewhat uncaring but it comes across as a big brother'ish, you know? Fueled by his teenage desire of women, making a mess where he sleeps at but ultimately with his head straight, treating his young folks equally and pushing them to achieve what they want. It becomes this big brother'ish i-wanna-look-up-to figure.

Even if for comedic effect it's something as childish as pulling a prank on a bratty girl that a shy kid doesn't get along with, between lines you learn something on forgiveness, solidarity, honesty, and heck, even sacrifice.

This day and age the animation is going to look dated, while that's something time itself won't deny, the characters shine through. As well as the show's emphasize on lewd pervyness could be horribly mistaken nowadays or labeled as "sexist" but it's the show's pervyness that touches on the teen sensibility, as well as focusing the least perfect side of Onizuka himself that ends up being countered by his larger than life determination.

The show also pokes fun at the school system and this battling with Onizuka's philosophy ends up making him look as both a big brother/someone you'd die to have as a teacher, period. It's about understanding the other ones and fighting this adult stubbornness that obstacle the learnings of life and making the young ones feel like they matter.

And it's quite something. It's gotta little bit of comedy, drama, life lessons. A lighthearted, fun, life reflecting old anime is sometimes what you need to make a difference.

Sorry for my English.

Fell in love

[pravjinas · 10/10 · 15 March 2021]

I wish there were more.

Hearth warming, funny, surprising, and clever

For everyone who has ever been a student or a teacher in sometime of their lives.

[nikebere · 10/10 · 26 May 2012]

It is like Dead Poets Society meets 青い春.

You need to know/accept three things before you watch the anime though.

1. Onizuka's body is invulnerable. He is basically a T-800 model Terminator.

2. It contains a lot of fan service. High school girl legs, breasts, even panties. And also lots of handsome guys with thick arms and perfect abs etc.

3. A 22 years old bachelor guy can have the humanism and the understanding of human psyche that can only be matched by of Toltstoy's.

I won't say it is the best anime I have ever seen, since I would have to elaborate why it is better than the others but I can say that it is the anime I love the most. It is the most extra-ordinary thing that this kind of material would come from Japan, but it may also be that there was no other way, that it would have only been made by a Japanese, by an extra-ordinary Japanese person, Fujisawa Tohru, 藤沢 とおる先生.

I think it's a contribution to culture/literature in a universal scale.

== spoiler ==

I think Urumi Kanzaki is the young and female version of Hannibal Lecter. As attractive and dangerous as he is.

== spoiler ==

absolutely astonishing

[shazoy · 10/10 · 23 March 2017]

this is definitely a must watch for any anime fan. this series is full of amazing life lessons and you can learn allot from it. the characters are enjoyable, you see them grow throughout the series into better people. the opening songs are great! this series is a masterpiece, what a shame their wasn't more episodes.if you are also trying to like anime again this series helped me with that problem i was so starstruck after watching this and have re-watched the series 5 times.

Tongue in cheek but touché

[amuru-81105 · 10/10 · 9 June 2021]

Just when you thought old was pah!

A true classic with many hidden truism about actual life.

Stick around till the end; you'll find yourself laughing hysterically one moment and feel righteous indignation well up the next, or tears brimming after that.

All in a day's work for GTO or Great Teacher Onizuka as he is called; blowing away the chaff and picking up only the grains of truth in bold, humorous and at times impish ways. Always quick to praise and support the down-trodden. Darn if I didn't pick up a nugget or two of his timeless wisdom!

Unreservedly superlative; simply one of the best storylines of all times, executed in a style all its own!

See it! That's an order!

Wish I had one great teacher onizuka in my class.

[pawansrivastav-26861 · 9/10 · 21 August 2020]

Onizuka, everybody's ideal teacher. GTO was a bumpy and fun ride. Beginning was good , fresh and relatable to some degree then the middle was a bit bland and it gets good towards the end . Ending was disappointing, though.

One of The Good High School Anime

[ianwagnerwatches · 7/10 · 2 February 2022]

"Great Teacher Onizuka" (1999) = 7.6

You know, the problem with watching anime from 10+ years ago is that the Japanese voice actors are usually pretty bad, and the english dub is often just as bad. In this case, the dub was better (the voice acting was slightly better, and the translation was far superior to that of the english subtitled version).

So, GTO: the Great Teacher Onizuka. He definitely earned his title-with 43 episodes; he took his time, but still, he earned it. GTO is a great feel good anime: there's not a lot of thought provocation, or complex plot lines, or brilliant narrative, just a really fun, simple format that worked for 43 whole episodes, and definitely could've kept going. The best way I could convey my feelings about this anime would be with a silent, ear-to-ear smile and a playful shrug. GTO is a tentatively lighthearted, positively jovial, and unrelentingly playful anime that will surely put a smile on your face.

Truly, one of the hidden classics.

[stelios-nicolaou-36210 · 10/10 · 24 January 2022]

Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO), is one of the greatest anime that one could see.

The animation might be a little rough around the edges since it was made in the early 2000's, but the whole show makes up for it 100%.

Without a doubt, the anime gives of a sense of harmony and peace on anyone who watches, and the carefree personality of Onizuka really helps anyone to relax and feel ready for the next day.

The show has one hidden trait. It teaches people so many message through its' fine art of storytelling, that in every episode, the watcher learns something about themselves.

I could go on for days. But if you truly want an anime that is realistic, but also optimistic in the humoristic sense of Onizuka, and which also makes you think about life and dream, then this is your anime.

Good anime but still a series bit overated.

[vishnumenon-62623 · 5/10 · 17 November 2021]

If u want my honest opinion, it is a good anime worth one time watch but still nowhere near "the best anime" category like everyone in the anime world claims.

The character Onizuka is a 13 year old hormonal guy's fantasy where he stays relevant even in his lameness and is very intriguing to women for some reason.

The worst character in the drama being the Onizuka's student's mother who always seems to be desperate to go out on a date wearing the most "flirty" clothes even to her child's school. Mind you, this is Japan we're talking about, what do think might happen to kid and his social life? And after all that his mom shamelessly takes Onizuka's side even in front of her own kid. Actually, I can understand, she secretly hates her own child for having him so young and honestly speaking I am not surprised why her husband dumped her. Even I would dump her myself if I were in his place. (The problem is not her dating but, the way her priorities line up).

Rest of the drama is unreal circumstances in a realistic space like a simple school premises and, that is precisely where the problem lies. A lot of over the top stuff could have been easily over looked had character and storylines a bit over the top. But, here it's just a delinquent being a school teacher so, th circumstances presented seems a bit unreal and sometimes repulsive to me.

But, there sure are some moments that u will cherish in the drama. Basically, it's not totally bad, it's good but doesn't live upto the hype tho.

Classic!

[tytushar-87734 · 8/10 · 28 September 2021]

This anime is nice. Its a comedy anime, and while watching this anime you will find yourself laughing at the main character as he is so funny. This anime is not only limited to comedy but it also tells us the story of the students and their relationship with teacher Onizuka, and how he solves the problems of students in a funny as well as wierd way. Skip the fillers though.

GOAT

[nairjai · 10/10 · 5 January 2021]

If i were to give a perfect 10 to only one anime, this would be it..

A gem by studio pierrot

[cjclouse · 9/10 · 16 November 2020]

One gem that was animated by the same studio who made Yu Yu Hakusho, Naruto, Bleach, fushigi yûgi, and many more that this studio has to offer, this is one Anime I recommend everyone to see.

A must watch series

[honeykosare · 10/10 · 9 April 2021]

Anyone even an alien too can enjoy it...😂......one of the best series to watch on adult life hood.

Best

[soumyodeep-93650 · 10/10 · 4 April 2020]

Relation Between Teacher And Student Is Complicated Yet So Well Explored in this Brilliant Piece of Art ... Thank You To the Creator

I rarely give 10s for anything, have seen 30+ anime, this one gets 10/10... epic

[way2smart · 10/10 · 24 June 2014]

Before you judge me on this flawless score and think that I have little taste in anime, let me tell you this. I have seen: FMA Brotherhood, Monster, Death Note, Code Geass (both seasons), Clannad, Clannad After Story, Psycho-Pass, Attack on Titan, Hajime no Ippo (all three seasons), Ergo Proxy, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Elfen Lied.... etc you name it. I would give Attack on Titan a 7/10, Death Note around 8/10, Psycho Pass 9/10 and yet I would give this 10/10. Why?

Just look at the character development, the humour, the great journey that unfolds. The opening song is great and catchy. The only let down is the animation quality. The drawings are a bit dated but GTO is a classic and we can forgive this minor flaw given that it is an old anime and one cannot expect the budget of Akira to be spent on every GTO episode.

Just because I gave this 10, doesn't mean its perfect. It just means its amongst the best I have seen. I will give away more 10s if a medium of entertainment deserves it. Perhaps I have a greater inclination towards the slice of life genre and being a little bit biased here.

Regardless, the protagonist of the show is one of the most memorable and fantastic characters to have graced the screen. There is something very likable about him although I can not pinpoint what it is. It is a multitude of things such as his empathy, humour, loyalty, nonchalant attitude etc. MOST of the characters in this anime are unique and have depth which is a rare accomplishment in the anime realm, even highly acclaimed anime fail to do this. Anko, Aizawa, Tomoko, Murai, Kikuchi, Kanzaki etc are all fascinating characters that have great depth and complexity, thereby adding to the awesomeness of the show. Look at how many names I have mentioned and there are more. It is an uncommon feat to have developed this many characters to a good level. Pound for pound in terms of character depth/development, GTO blows shows like Attack on Titan out of the water, this planet and the Solar System. If you have a keen eye and great appreciation for characters, you will know what I mean. On top of that, most of the characters are interlinked and we learn about their difficulties and how they cope and mature.

I am very objective when dissecting an anime or any creative piece of medium/work when finding its flaws. Apart from the GTO's drawings, I could not see any conspicuous flaws that could detract from the quality of the show.

Some of the most interesting characters in anime in general that have caught my eye are L from Death Note, Holo from Spice and Wolf, Son Goku from DB, Takamura from Hajime no Ippo etc. Onizuka easily ascends to the ranks of anime's greatest pantheon. This show is old and still packs a great punch. Such an enjoyable watch. I wish I had such a fun school teacher back in the days.

Do yourself a favour, give this one a go. I cannot guarantee that you will enjoy it as much as myself. However, I can guarantee that the characters are just on point, well developed and a major contributing factor for the success of this vintage anime. I can not eulogise this anime any more. It is a paragon within the slice of life genre. Final Verdict: 10/10.

Underrated but Amazing in every aspect.

[kind-29213 · 10/10 · 25 June 2022]

I love this show as seen some scenes of it and as 13y old student and watched it already 2-3 times.

And sometimes think of recommending this to my sister but I can't because she doesn't knows the difference of anime from K-Drama But I would still at least want my bud to watch this show for sure.

Bad, good, then bad again

[Nonomemes · 3/10 · 6 February 2022]

Not so much interesting for seinen, too much closet perv for shonen.

It is true that some morale is reached in every episode, however what is annoying to me is the quality of the charters: every time a good character is introduced you build up some hype but a few scene/episode afterwards the same person end up doing something very stupid, or perv.

This "exaggeration of the behavior" is for some episodes acceptable, but for most it is not.

Main exception is Murai, who is pretty real person, his mum and a few friends but this is not enough to save the whole series.

I left at 20-sh episode, where also the subjects started to be debatable (How to rise a mid-school student as an Idol? No no these are not really my things).

A Classic!

[CyrilMartin · 8/10 · 1 July 2021]

GTO has got it all comedy, romance, drama, bullying, delinquents... well you may think this is just another anime but I can assure you it's totally worth it and totally lives up to being a classic.

The story is about Onizuka Ekikichi, 22 years old and a bonafide virgin. He was one of the most feared gangsters in Tokyo before he decided to become the Greatest Teacher in the world. After a lot of hustling, he finally got to be the homeroom teacher of Class 3-4 of the prestigious Holy Forest Academy. Every character got a peculiar skill set that is used for both good and bad, the scenarios they come up with are too good. The story revolves around him and how he uses his delinquent gangsta tactics to overcome certain aspects of life in the most comedic way possible.

The first episode really clicks with everyone, the first episode has all the elements that are later gonna be used in other episodes, if you liked the first episode then I'll ask you to stick around the show no matter what coz of the life lessons you can learn. I'll outright say the story is cliche and they use the same formula, antagonist appears to seem legit unbeatable but Onizuka shows up at the perfect time with a dramatic entry and saves the day. The series deals with a wide array of topics some are way too serious and some are damn funny. I like how they deal with certain hard topics in a spectacular way possible and gives closure and solutions for all. The ending or the final arc seemed rushed but overall a good watch.

The animation is good for its time, the voice acting both in sub and dub is stupendous, characters were fun, the opening and ending songs were just too good, the comedic scenes were delivered perfectly. The anime works with any audience, since the ending seemed rushed I'll hop on the manga. Highly recommended!

The Greatest Anime/Manga Of All Time

[adamhorner-62015 · 10/10 · 16 February 2020]

It Is Probably The Funniest Anime/Manga Of All Time The Jokes Are Perfect And It Makes Onizuka Relatable It Is The First Anime That Actually Made Me Feel Bad For The Characters And Made Me Feel Like Im There Sadly It is Hard To Find In The UK But You Can Get A Region Free DVD On Ebay Not Sure If It's Still There But It's Worth It Because It So Good Go Out And Get It

The GTO Anime is by far better then the manga!

[Sabre_Wolf · 10/10 · 20 July 2014]

This was my first taste of Great Teacher Onizuka and I admit when I first heard of it, well I did have reservations until a friend told me of it. So I went to watch the anime and you know what....I didn't regret it at all.

This is the series that genuinely captures the spirit of what the manga was supposed to be about, everything was toned down to actual better effect and also all the over the top humor in the manga was out of place in a serious story.

I really grew to like Onizuka and other characters that were to be introduced because Eikichi is such a great character he can a pervert but he does use help his students, genuinely cares about them and is willing to go out of his way for them. Extreme measures are always a last resort but the guy can get excitable and is capable of admitting his own wrongs.

Also in the anime I felt he was portrayed many times better then the manga. Because in this Onizuka and others were much more human and much was toned down and it didn't exactly follow the manga (which over the top and rubbish to good effect). Also Onizuka in this does not have a invulnerable body he is capable of bleeding and being injured, not to mention he almost dies in one episode.

If you're looking for at least practically invulnerable look at the GTO manga with Onizuka walking away from something that should have killed him or left an invalid.

Because quite frankly the GTO manga is terribly overrated, mind you it did spawn this anime which actually is better because everyone felt closer in this anime and there was a genuine air of friendship. Also unlike the manga it did not have too many characters, too many characters added made the manga confusing as well as trashy.

Also side characters were not underdeveloped in fact it did not neglect good characters like Julia Murai and Tomoko Nomura for instance it gave them more stories and the toning down I thought the toning down of certain things was a good thing.

Also some side characters that appeared in the manga not being in it at all was actually a good thing because either they were poorly introduced, poorly developed, did not have a good storyline and/or served no real purpose. In fact I swear quite a few of them only had the purpose of adding more characters, in fact the anime writers did the right thing and gave existing characters more stories.

As Bruce Lee said it best "Less is More."

Also the anime has none of the galling HYPOCRISY of the manga! In fact the manga Onizuka was a total hypocrite, who did his share of wrongs in the manga and yet never took responsibility for them, some guy with the viewpoint of 'You should take responsibility for your actions', eh?. Fujisawa did an extremely poor job of portraying someone with 'his own conscience' in the manga.

I think of all the GTO stuff I think this is the best telling of the story because they gave existing more characters more story rather then adding pointless arcs and new characters like the manga did.

Also there were no plot holes in this anime at least none I could see but there was plenty in the manga particularly in the final story arc of the manga there were plot holes in prior story arcs but that one had the most.

If you want a GTO TV series stick with the anime and I hope they might decide to remake the GTO Anime that's if they had time for a live one. If they do I hope they do as good job with that one as they did with this anime which actually surpasses its poor and over rated manga which quite sadly did not do its predecessors Shonan Junan Gumi or Bad Company any real justice of any kind.

The Great Teacher Onizuka anime was much more Great Teacher Onizuka then anything else, as it kept the nice healthy mix of comedy and drama. It also had a much more lighter air save in the places where it is a drama.

Onizuka is far more human and funnier, not to mention more convincing as a teacher, then his manga or his 2012 Live Action depiction. The manga Onizuka was just an pathetic, hypocritical, out of control and egotistical maniac with no regard for people's safety or how his actions reflect on other people.

While Dr. Doug Ross from E.R. didn't always think things through on how his actions would reflect on his colleagues, he always got his comeuppance if the situation called for it and always took responsibility. There were times he was frustrated with what was going on. Also Dr. Ross did have genuine good intentions which unfortunately didn't always work out for the best.

The manga Onizuka on the other hand never really took responsibility and was completely irresponsible, no matter what Fujisawa says and tries to spin his actions and behavior (and his own bad story telling and structure) that's a fact.

Fujisawa did a crap job in presenting what he wanted and Onizuka in the manga was no teacher, in fact Onizuka didn't even bother to teach his subject matter in the manga. In fact Onizuka in the manga was barely if at all focused on teaching. Fujisawa contradicted himself constantly throughout the manga.

The second best is the original Live Action Adaptation which starred Takashi Sorimachi and Nanako Matsushima. If you want to find the best GTO go for the anime or the original live action not the awful manga with almost no story structure, poor stories and character development manga or the lame live remake.

Best of the best

[zayedabir · 10/10 · 15 March 2021]

I watched it in 2021 but still the anime is the best I've ever seen. The ending was so sad and touche. I wish they made another season just to end the anime happily but still soooo much satisfying.

Really good gangsta teacher anime

[Irishchatter · 8/10 · 2 September 2018]

I've heard so much about this because the brillant Steven Blum who voiced from Cowboy Bebop was on this so yeah, why not give this a watch? I really liked his character like seriously I would love if Onizuka was my teacher in school lol. It was funny how he beat up the delinquents after taking photos of him with that spoilt rich girl student (can't remember her name) whom he fancies, but ended up that she was along with the delinquents as well! After she did that, I honestly couldn't stand her throughout the series like Onizuka deserves a better woman then her lol!

Really good anime to watch if you want to see a gangsta teacher being the main character!