GTO

At first i thought that this is another try-to-be-fun manga , with panty-shots and stuff , but as the story develops it tends to get more "serious" .
The story is concentrated around Onizuka but , other people get center stage sometimes.
I liked the level of realism of the problems the people are faced in the series , and though Onizuka`s problem-solving is somewhat exaggarated , it`s only to ilustrate a point , and this manga does that in great fashion.
Story is fun stuff (maybe since i encounter this kinda story for the first time)
Art .. i`m no critist to judge art, but it was kewl for my taste
Characters are a bit stereotypical, but they interact well.
Overall , i`ll give it a 7.

I have never written a review for anything before, and I have a decent amount of anime/manga under my belt. But god damn, that is going to change right now. GTO is just calling for it.

As someone who's watched the anime first then the manga, I'd say both are equally as good and are must watch/reads. The only way either can get any better is if they were longer, because this series just keeps you craving for more. The anime has great voice acting and its overall ambiance does the manga justice.

Never have I laughed my ass off so hard before. Onizuka is outright hilarious, and ridiculously crude. However, the shits and giggles were only half of why this series is worth a perfect 10/10. Who knew that a perverted virgin former delinquent could possibly bring upon so many damn feels? Seriously, every saga of this series was incredibly touching and truly brought a new perspective in life to me. Onizuka's selflessness amazed me, as every time he would get himself stuck in a seemingly impossible situation, his trust and love for his students took priority. If teachers nowadays were not so bounded by the strict rules of compulsory education, maybe, just maybe an Onizuka would be brought to real life. Cause I'd die to attend his class.

The story has no set plot, with everything you need to know introduced in the first few chapters. Onizuka wants to be a teacher, and takes on a rather unconventional method of teaching, breaking all rules when applicable. The rest of the series is simply several sagas showing the ways Onizuka touches the hearts of his rebellious class, and provides new life purposes to each of them. The art is great but not amazing, however the facial expressions were on point. The character development was great as each saga provided a slice of life, and effectively showed student maturation at an acceptable pace. Enjoyment is guaranteed, infinite/10. You don't need to be a male teen to appreciate the crude humor, there's something that'll make anyone piss his/her pants. Overall, this manga is simply inspirational. I recommend watching the 1999 live action as well, and of course the anime. Enjoy!

SPOILER ALERT:
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Okay, I just wanted to throw in another character that really shined other than Onizuka. Urumi seriously is best girl. Her obsession with Onizuka is hilarious, from her plans to elope with him to flashing her private parts. Who would've expected feminine characteristics out of a mastermind genius who's hate for teachers was only paralleled by Aizawa. It really shows how much she loved him when she slit her wrists, and her saga was one of the most enjoyable ones along with Miyaki's. Go Kanzaki!!

I've hunted this manga for quite a while but there were always problems with the order. The translation was poorly done because it had a lot of spelling mistakes in it and failed to use proper use of the English language in some scenes.

That aside, this is by far the best manga I have ever read. I am stunned, the concept is so simple but so well thought out.

Well let’s start with a quick introduction to the story. Eikichi Onizuka is a 22 year old virgin and ex-gang leader of the dreaded motorcycle gang “Oni-Baku”. He’s a street punk with piercings and bleached hair, a graduate from a fifth rate university and was captain of his karate team. Not exactly what you would call teacher material. Despite all this Onizuka manages to convince the principal and gets a job as a teacher, he’s assigned to class 4 who are notorious for having driven every homeroom teacher to insanity. However Great Teacher Onizuka isn’t such a pushover and he’s determined to win them over one by one. Onizuka stumbles from one mishap to another, saving kids from jumping off rooftops, reuniting them with their parents, just making a difference. Though this all may seem very trivial, this is the most amusing story I have read.

Moving on to the art, the art is very detailed and nice to look at. It’s got that 90’s drawing style that I appreciate very much. However if it weren’t for the characters different personalities you’d have trouble telling them apart. Especially the girls all have somewhat the same face, and the only way you can tell them apart is by their hairstyle, which can be a bother sometimes. Overall there are quite some scenes were someone is standing on a rooftop looking over the city at dawn. It’s these scenes that really get you into the art. Of course there are the infamous many faces from Onizuka that are just hilarious and make up for a lot.

About the characters, I really like the characters. I’ve fallen in love with a few of them. But one thing bothers me.. They’re supposed to be 14 years old, yet they’re so darn evil. I remember being 14, I wouldn’t go as far to torture a teacher as they would, then again they have their reasons. Moving on to the character Eikichi Onizuka. Quite simply he’s one of the best characters ever created. He’s an inspiration, he’s cool, funny, stays true, and above all he’s human (though this can be debated). Onizuka is one of the most instantly likeable characters you will ever read about. If I were ever to sit down and have dinner with any character real or fictional, it would without a doubt be Eikichi Onizuka. Though I wouldn’t be willing to pick up the bill.

I cannot remember the last manga I enjoyed this dearly, I hold this manga close to heart and it is definitely one that I won’t be forgetting. Hell I’ll just say it, I’m an Onizuka fan, and you could be too. Take it from me, reach deep in those pockets and get this manga, you won’t regret it. And while reading you might even learn a thing or two from the greatest teacher in all of Japan, Great Teacher Onizuka.

When I started reading this manga, it was mainly for the comedy. I did not expect to be so "touched" by the story and yet Eikichi Onizuka pulls of another feat!

Story (8)

Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO) is a single story broken down into several arcs. Most arcs fit together neatly to form a neat and coherent story line. This seems to me to be the most effective method of narrating the story as if it was episodic the whole manga would have seemed messy.

Overall, the story is simple, but there is a constant undercurrent of mystery and drama running through the background. By setting out the story in this manner Fujisawa effectively regulates "the flow of suspense" allowing it to grow just enough to keep the reader going and not make the story boring.

The whole plot consists of unexpected turns and twists for a comedic effect. The main drama story line was easily predictable though but then, it’s a comedy so that doesn't matter too much (to me at least).

The manga fulfils its role as a comedy perfectly. Hilariously awkward scenes, a touch of crude humour and lots of fan service contribute to making a fantastic cocktail of entertaining comedy.

Art (9)

When I first started reading the art was what I found least attractive in the story. This was mainly because Onizuka doesn't really look like a shounen hero. Now having finished the manga, I appreciate this difference. Onizuka is not your ordinary hero and his artwork is what illustrates this difference very clearly.

Realistic artwork overall therefore: Fujisawa did not portray an ideal world; he drew ours, flaws and ugliness included. This artwork is perhaps what made the story most lifelike. Throughout the read, the characters look real enough to be people you might cross on the streets and this is something I appreciated a lot.

Character designs were perfect. Nothing to criticize there: all character designs fit their personalities (no exaggerations) very well enabling a nice and understandable story flow.

Character (8)

The heart of the story. All major characters were very well developed through their own arcs or several flashbacks showing how they ended up the way they are now. The characters were well rounded, having their own strengths and weaknesses which again contributed to the story's realistic setting.

As the story progresses the characters become more developed and improve a lot. Few characters are left without a back story.

Antagonists had proper motives for their acts (as well as a shounen manga bothers about that anyway) and did not simply appear out of the blue. All were properly connected to the story.

Enjoyment (9)

Setting aside the comedy, what I loved most in GTO was Onizuka's vision of a school. It is an idea which has deeply touched me for it is sweet, simple yet amazingly accurate. Not going to give any spoilers here so I'll avoid going on about this.

I am sure that this manga will be enjoyed by all thanks to its impressively well-balanced mixture of comedy, ecchi, drama and explosive action.

Dealing with bias
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As I may have been biased in this review I will add this manga's average score (from MAL) to my own average score to give a fair overall score. Please note that the Great Teacher Onizuka statistics are taken today (08.11.13).

Personal Score - 8.50/10
MAL Average Score - 8.95/10

Overall Score - 8.73 / 10 (rounded to 9)

This manga, I can safely say, needs to be on everyone's "must read" list. I've been recommended this manga by a friend, and I tried it out. This was a refreshing change of pace from other popular manga out there. Maybe it was the more realistic setting, or it could have been the great arcs in each plot development. Whatever it was, I fell in love with this manga.

To begin, let's start with the story. To be honest, I personally thought it was a bit slow in the beginning. The "teacher" portion of GTO doesn't actually happen until a bit later on. However, once Eikichi Onizuka, the star of the show, becomes a temporary teacher for the infamous Class 3-4 of Holy Forest Academy, things start picking up. Each situation in the beginning reveals more about Onizuka's way of dealing with things; no logic, just go with it. This philosophy keeps the plot going, and every situation is eventually resolved. Class 3-4 becomes nothing for the world's greatest teacher. The struggles and bonds portrayed in the story are downright inspiring and addictive to read about.

The art was not to my liking in the beginning. I can forgive that, though, because in this modern age, we have tools that could make art more better looking than the 90s. Still, the art style was really good. I was laughing so much at the hilarious faces Onizuka can make when he's in a pickle. The art also got better in quality, which shows me that Tohru Fujisawa really knows how to improve his skills. By the end of the manga, I felt that the art was nothing short of amazing for the early 2000s. To put it simply, the beginning art was a bit disappointing, but it picks up and looks really good later.

I love the characters portrayed in GTO. To be frank, I hate it when a manga uses a bunch of characters only once in the entire runthrough, because there could be more development with them. GTO does not disappoint, with nearly every character being important to the story. However, amidst the character roll call, only one stands above, and that is Eikichi Onizuka. He is the pinnacle of the "likable protagonist." Even with a violent temper and strength befitting Hercules, his set of morals and life lessons help him become the greatest teacher ever. The greatest thing about him is his view on everything. Even as a 22-year old adult, he still acts like a kid. Normally this would be frowned upon, but it helps him connect with Class 3-4 and outsiders, forming deep bonds with them as he helps solve their past problems. Whether it be suicide or massive destruction, bloodlust or trauma, Eikichi Onizuka is the man for the job. This side of him, along with the simple brain of his, makes Mr. Onizuka one of my favorite manga characters of all time.

Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed this manga. The beginning, to be honest, was a bit slow for me. I had to read through some number of pages before getting to the juicy tidbits of GTO. As I read, I got more and more sucked into the world of Class 3-4 and Onizuka. Even when I thought it couldn't get any better, it did. The second half of GTO was simply outstanding. The last two major story arcs were the highlights of the manga for me. This is just great to me, because the exciting stuff boils down in the end and not the beginning. If GTO had a graph describing its climactic moments from beginning to end, the line would rise and fall, each time getting higher and higher until the very end, settling down to a satisfying end. For the whole roller coaster rider known as Great Teacher Onizuka, I had a blast.

To recap, GTO is an amazing manga series that can be picked up by anyone interested enough. You have got to read it; it's hilarious, dramatic, heartwarming fun contained in 25 volumes. It's inspiring in many ways; the series deals with so many life lessons that you yourself could potentially use practically. Who knows what could happen; honestly, this review is my first, and I wrote it because GTO is simply too awesome and outstanding to be ignored. Who knows; by reading this manga, maybe you could get a few pointers from Great Teacher Onizuka himself.

This is one of those mangas that you will hear everyone praise as one of the greats, but do not be fooled by the masses. Its a stereotypical teacher drama with crude humor and a plot that repeats itself over and over. For example, student has a problem and dislikes the main character or one of the main characters friend. Student than is taught a lesson by main character through tough love, rinse and repeat. The art in many cases isn't as bad as people think, its just different and we all know people hate change. The boys don't look like girls instead they look like boys and all the girls practically look the same, so in essence it has a little realism instead of exaggerated facial features and body parts. But all these negatives aside its a good read just not great. The main character grows on you and you accept his actions as thoughtful and hilarious. You cheer him on till the very end and Onizuka may very well be one of the greatest charatcers in manga and anime history. That alone makes this a decent read. If you haven't read it, i suggest you do, just don't buy into the hype. Its good but not great, but by all means its better than most of the crap out there.

GTO (manga) 9/8/9/9/9

First things first. My "reviews" system is explained on a blog entry. Which can be found through my profile.
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✦Story✦
A very chaotic and grand story with many feels, silliness and thoughts. I watched the Anime maybe 10 years ago and if I remember correctly even re-watched it at some point, but I also remember a bit unsatisfying with how the Anime ended and thus once again if I remember correctly after finishing the Manga. The point where Anime ended didn't continue in the Manga, which is why I added the Manga initially to PTR.

Anyhow, back to story. It's great. A very interest approach to school setting with rather heavy focus on delinquents, bullying, family matters, growth of children that because of the issues, create another issues. And this Manga rather heavy on the whole aspect of bullying, violence and the mental issues characters have for various reasons. Also I absolutely adore how the teacher of this Manga reforms the kids, who himself was similar to. Even the whole purpose of Onizuka becoming the teacher was rather half-assed and indecent, but how the whole meaning of teacher, school, students and so on sprouted and changed afterwards was superb.

Probably only things I am rather disappointed about, which obviously aren't the focus of this Manga, is the lackluster blossoming of romance that goes nowhere and another reason would be a bit underwhelming end of the story.

A story about strong, stupid, straightforward ex-gang member becoming a rather wholesome story between students and teachers is rather nice.

✦Art✦
It's old Manga. So a lot of things feel rather messy and quite a few derp faces on characters. But other than that it had some amazing facial expressions, silliness and overall conveyance. Thus making the Art rather good by the end of the day.

✦Character✦
Lot of edgy teenagers and twisted adults. And the savior and reformer of all is a blond, perverted, stupid, straightforwards and violent ex-gang member. Not much else to say really... most characters really need time to grow into and see their whole drama blossoming and getting wrapped up as you read. I enjoyed characters a lot, even though there were absolutely abysmal annoying cu**s. Violent ones, smarty pants, extreme bullies, self-righteous pampered kids and rich pampered kids. But what made it enjoyable is the sweet revenge, growth and essentially self-destruction.

✦Enjoyment & Overall
I enjoyed the ride. Want some chaos, drama and by end of the day a wholesome story about students and teacher in a ugly world with ugly characters? Then this Manga delivers it.

+TOPFAV