Great Teacher Onizuka
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Eikichi Onizuka
Genre
Manga
Written byTooru Fujisawa
Published byKodansha
English publisher
ImprintShōnen Magazine Comics
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Magazine
DemographicShōnen
Original runJanuary 8, 1997 – February 13, 2002
Volumes25
Further information
Television drama
Directed by
  • Hiroshi Akabane
  • Satoru Nakajima
Written byKazuhiko Yukawa
Original network
Original run July 7, 1998 – September 22, 1998
Episodes12 + 1 special
Anime television series
Directed byNoriyuki Abe
Written byMasashi Sogo
Music byYusuke Honma
StudioPierrot
Licensed by
Original networkFuji TV
English network
Original run June 30, 1999 – September 24, 2000
Episodes43
Live-action film
Directed byMasayuki Suzuki
ReleasedDecember 1999
Runtime140 minutes
Television drama
Directed byImai Kazuhisa
Produced by
  • Kasai Hideyuki
  • Yamamoto Yoshihiko
Written byMasaki Fukuzawa
Music byHaneoka Kei
Original network
  • Fuji TV
  • Kansai TV
Original run July 3, 2012 – September 11, 2012
Episodes11 + 3 specials
Television drama
GTO In Taiwan
Directed byImai Kazuhisa
Written byJunpei Yamaoka
Music byHaneoka Kei
Original network
  • Fuji TV
  • Kansai TV
Original run March 22, 2014 – April 12, 2014
Episodes4
Television drama
Directed byKen Iizuka
Original network
  • Fuji TV
  • Kansai TV
Original run July 8, 2014 – September 16, 2014
Episodes11
Related

Great Teacher Onizuka, officially abbreviated as GTO, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tooru Fujisawa. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from January 1997 to February 2002, with its chapters collected in 25 tankōbon volumes. The story focuses on 22-year-old ex-bōsōzoku member Eikichi Onizuka, who becomes a teacher at a private middle school, Holy Forest Academy, in Tokyo, Japan. It is a continuation of Fujisawa's earlier manga series Shonan Junai Gumi and Bad Company, both of which focus on the life of Onizuka before becoming a teacher.

Due to the popularity of the manga, several adaptations of GTO were created, including a 12-episode Japanese television drama running from July to September 1998; a live-action film directed by Masayuki Suzuki and released in December 1999; and a 43-episode anime television series produced by Pierrot, which aired in Japan on Fuji TV from June 1999 to September 2000. A second live-action series aired in Japan during 2012, and two more in 2014.

A sequel manga series, titled GTO: 14 Days in Shonan, ran in Weekly Shōnen Magazine from June 2009 to September 2011. Another sequel, titled GTO: Paradise Lost, began in Weekly Young Magazine in April 2014. Both the anime and manga were licensed in North America by Tokyopop. The anime series was re-licensed by Discotek Media in 2012. The manga is licensed by Kodansha USA.

The manga has had over 50 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series in history. In 1998, Great Teacher Onizuka won the 22nd Kodansha Manga Award in the shōnen category.

Plot

Eikichi Onizuka is a 22-year-old ex-gang member and virgin. While peeping up girls' skirts at a local shopping mall, Onizuka meets a schoolgirl who agrees to go out on a date with him. Onizuka's attempt to sleep with her fails when her current "boyfriend", her teacher, shows up at the love hotel they are in and asks her to return to him. The teacher is old and ugly, but has sufficient influence over her that she leaps from a second-story window and lands in his arms.

Onizuka, upon seeing this display of a teacher's power over girls, decides to become a teacher himself. He earns his teaching degree, just barely, at a second-rate college. In his quest, he discovers two important things: he has a conscience and a sense of morality. This means taking advantage of impressionable schoolgirls is out of the question, but their unusually attractive mothers are a different matter. He enjoys teaching and, most of the time, he teaches life lessons rather than routine schoolwork. He hates the system of traditional education, especially when other teachers and administrators have grown ignorant and condescending to students and their needs. With these realizations, he sets out to become the greatest teacher ever, using his own unique brand of philosophy and the ability to do nearly anything when under enough pressure. He is hired as a long-shot teacher by a privately operated middle school in Kichijōji to tame a class that has driven one teacher to a mysterious death, another to a nervous breakdown, and one other to joining a cult. He embarks on a mission of self-discovery by reaching out to each student one by one and helping each student overcome their problems and learn to enjoy life. He uses methods that are unorthodox, illegal, and life-threatening, yet he manages to succeed in educating and opening up his students.

Production

When writing GTO, Fujisawa was influenced by the writing style of Kōhei Tsuka. The series was originally intended to run for 10 volumes; however, it was extended at the request of the publisher. Fujisawa began to run out of characters as a result. When faced with writing block he would write stories without Onizuka. Onizuka's first name, Eikichi, was taken from musician Eikichi Yazawa. When developing Onizuka's character for the series, Fujisawa sought to incorporate real character traits from Japanese gangs often referred to as "Yankees". Onizuka's look is modelled on such gang members and was not intended to convey an "American look". Onizuka acts tough and confident but is actually shy and lacking in confidence to follow through on some of his desires. He is a simple character that stands by his own reasoning and principles and has his own conscience. Fujisawa gave him the viewpoint that you should take responsibility for your actions, something he sees as important.

Onizuka's role in the school is to provide a bridge between the students and teachers. The character of Fuyutsuki reflects the point of view of the average teacher. Fujisawa highlights his own school experience where teachers were mostly focused only on a good performance record rather than the teaching itself. However, he was able to take an interest in mathematics because of the approach of his teacher. He used this experience to build the series.[3] Tatsuya Egawa has claimed that GTO plagiarized his debut manga, Be Free!.[4]

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Tooru Fujisawa, Great Teacher Onizuka was serialized in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine from January 8, 1997,[5] to February 13, 2002.[6] Kodansha collected its chapters in 25 tankōbon volumes, released from May 16, 1997,[7] to April 17, 2002.[8]

The series was licensed in English by Tokyopop and was one of Tokyopop's first releases in the "Authentic Manga" lineup of titles using the Japanese right-to-left reading style. In doing so the artwork remained unchanged from the original compared to previous publishing methods.[9][10] The 25 volumes were published between April 23, 2002,[1] and August 9, 2005.[11] Kodansha USA republished the series digitally on February 2, 2022.[12]

Sequels and spin-off

A side story series, titled GTO: 14 Days in Shonan, was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine from June 10, 2009,[13] to September 14, 2011.[14] A three-chapter spin-off, titled Black Diamond, was later published in Weekly Shōnen Magazine in November 2011.[15][16] A spin-off manga, titled GT-R, focused on Onizuka's friend Ryūji Danma, was published in Weekly Shōnen Magazine from June 27 to October 3, 2012.[17][18] Kodansha collected its chapters in a single tankōbon volume, released on November 16, 2012.[19]

A sequel, titled GTO: Paradise Lost, started in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Magazine on April 14, 2014.[20]

Anime

A 43-episode anime television series adaptation was produced by Studio Pierrot and directed by Noriyuki Abe, was broadcast on Fuji TV from June 30, 1999, to September 24, 2000.[21][22] Yoshiyuki Suga provided scripts, having also written scripts for the live-action adaptation.[23]

Tokyopop licensed the series for release in North America and released it across 10 DVDs between March 22, 2002, and September 16, 2003, and for American TV broadcast on Showtime's SHONext channel in 2004 and Comcast's Anime Selects on Demand network in 2006.[24][25] The series was re-released in a seven-disc box set by Discotek Media on September 24, 2013.[26][27] Crunchyroll began streaming the series in January 2015.[28]

Live-action

A 12-episode television drama adaptation was broadcast on Fuji TV from July 7 to September 22, 1998.[29] The series starred Takashi Sorimachi as Onizuka and had an average audience share of 28.5% with the final episode recording a rate of 35.7%. The final episode was the eighth-most-watched broadcast in the Kantō region during 1998.[30][31] Several changes were made for the live-action adaptation. For example, Fuyutsuki (Nanako Matsushima) is an eager teacher who supports Onizuka in the manga, whereas in the live-action adaptation she initially dislikes Onizuka and wants to leave teaching to become an Air Hostess.[23] A television special was broadcast on June 29, 1999.[32] This was followed by a theatrical movie in January 2000.[33] The film was successful at the box office grossing ¥1.32 billion, becoming the tenth-highest-grossing film of the year.[34] The movie was released in North America by Media Blasters, under their Tokyo Shock division,[35] on July 26, 2005.[36][37][38] A new version of the original drama, with the title character reprised by Sorimachi, is scheduled to air in 2024, as part of Fuji TV's 65th anniversary, under the title GTO Revival.[39][40]

During 2012, it was announced that a new live-action series would be broadcast in Japan. Produced by KTV and Media Mix Japan, the series ran from July 3, 2012, until September 11, 2012.[41] Originally, Jin Akanishi was to play the role of Onizuka; however, he was forced to withdraw by his management. Instead, Akira of Japanese band Exile was selected to play Onizuka.[42] An Autumn special was broadcast on October 2, 2012, followed by a New Year's special on January 2, 2013, and a Spring special on April 2, 2013.[43][44][45] On March 22, 2014, a 4-part mini-series aired in Taiwan, before being broadcast in Japan at a later date.[46][47] The mini-series places Onizuka in a Taiwanese school as part of a training program and is a joint Japan/Taiwan co production that contains both Japanese and Mandarin Chinese dialogue. The series has been announced for English subtitled release via the Crunchyroll streaming service.[48] A new series set in Japan aired from July to September 2014.[49]

Reception

By November 2007, the manga had over 50 million copies in circulation.[50] Great Teacher Onizuka won the 22nd Kodansha Manga Award for the shōnen category in 1998.[51]

In Manga: The Complete Guide, Jason Thompson refers to the series as "shameless, frequently sexist and totally hilarious". He praises the series for staying fresh through imagery, detailed art, and pop culture dialogue. Lastly, he states that the manga "approaches true social satire". He gave the series four stars out of four.[52] In The Dorama Encyclopedia, Jonathan Clements and Motoko Tamamuro note that television adaptation's subject and humorous approach was well received by the teenage audience.[23]

In The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917, Jonathan Clements and Helen McCarthy noted the use of computer cloud and water effects in the anime adaptation. While appreciating the advantages of the anime adaptation allowing for more violence, they call the first live-action adaptation the "quintessential GTO".[21] In 2008, Russian network 2x2 came under investigation by Rossvyazkomnadzor, the government watchdog, for allegedly promoting child pornography by broadcasting GTO.[53][54][55]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "GTO Volume 1". Tokyopop. Archived from the original on May 1, 2007. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  2. ↑ Toole, Michael (March 22, 2015). "Damn Yankiis - The Mike Toole Show". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  3. ↑ Interview with Fujisawa on the Tokyopop DVDs
  4. ↑ Sherman, Jennifer (June 2, 2017). "Golden Boy's Tatsuya Egawa Claims GTO Plagiarizes His Debut Manga". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 4, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  5. ↑ 週刊少年マガジン 1997年 表示号数2. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  6. ↑ 週刊少年マガジン 2002年 表示号数9. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  7. ↑ ＧＴＯ（１） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on August 22, 2013. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  8. ↑ ＧＴＯ（２５） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on August 22, 2013. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Tokyopop To Publish Manga in Japanese Format". ICv2. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  10. ↑ Macdonald, Christopher (January 29, 2002). "Tokyopop Commits to Unflopped Manga". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 17, 2007. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  11. ↑ "GTO Volume 25". Tokyopop. Archived from the original on May 1, 2007. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  12. ↑ Mateo, Alex (January 24, 2022). "Exclusive: Kodansha Comics Publishes Great Teacher Onizuka, GTO: 14 Days in Shonan Manga Digitally". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  13. ↑ 藤沢とおる「GTO」復活。マガジン28号から連載スタート. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. June 3, 2009. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  14. ↑ 「はじめの一歩」連載22周年、週マガでクオカード贈呈. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. September 14, 2011. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  15. ↑ Sherman, Jennifer (October 21, 2011). "3-Chapter GTO Short Story to Launch in November". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  16. ↑ 週マガでGTO番外編＆アニメ「君のいる町」の声優発表. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. November 2, 2011. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  17. ↑ 「GTO」の番外編「GT-R」マガジンで始動、主人公は龍二. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. June 27, 2012. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  18. ↑ Loveridge, Lynzee (September 24, 2012). "GTO Spinoff Manga GT-R Wraps in October". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  19. ↑ ＧＴ－Ｒ（１） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  20. ↑ 「GTO」新シリーズ開幕！「空手小公子」は14年の連載に幕. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. April 14, 2014. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  21. 1 2 Clements, Jonathan; McCarthy, Helen (2006). The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917 (Revised and Expanded ed.). Stone Bridge Press. pp. 253–254. ISBN 1-933330-10-4.
  22. ↑ GTO アニメ 詳細データ (in Japanese). Aniplex. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  23. 1 2 3 Clements, Jonathan; Tamamura, Motoko (November 2003). The Dorama Encyclopedia. Stone Bridge Press. pp. 105–106. ISBN 9781880656815.
  24. ↑ Beveridge, Chris (May 30, 2002). "GTO Vol. #01". Mania.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  25. ↑ Beveridge, Chris (September 15, 2003). "GTO Vol. #10". Mania.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  26. ↑ Loo, Egan (October 24, 2012). "Discotek Licenses GTO TV Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 24, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  27. ↑ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 24, 2013). "North American Anime, Manga Releases, September 22–28". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  28. ↑ Hamilton, Tiara (January 16, 2015). "Crunchyroll Offers Manga with Premium Membership, Adds GTO & Zatch Bell Anime, TomoToons". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  29. ↑ Clements, Jonathan; Tamamuro, Motoko (2003). The Dorama Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese TV Drama Since 1953. Stone Bridge Press. p. 105. ISBN 978-1-880656-81-5. Archived from the original on September 12, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  30. ↑ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (November 15, 2012). "New Live-Action GTO Gets New Years Special". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  31. ↑ 1998年 年間高世帯視聴率番組30（関東地区）. Video Research. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  32. ↑ "GTOドラマスペシャル". Nihon Eiga Broadcasting Corp. Archived from the original on May 23, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  33. ↑ ＧＴＯ（映画）. Nihon Eiga Broadcasting Corp. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  34. ↑ 一般社団法人日本映画製作者連盟 (in Japanese). Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan. Archived from the original on June 13, 2010. Retrieved May 13, 2008.
  35. ↑ "GTO Movie DVD (live)". AnimeNation. Archived from the original on November 4, 2005. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  36. ↑ Macdonald, Christopher (March 16, 2005). "Media Blasters Licenses GTO: The Movie". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  37. ↑ "GTO: The Movie". Mania.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2005. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  38. ↑ Mays, Jonathan (June 7, 2005). "GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  39. ↑ 反町隆史主演『GTO』26年ぶり復活 伝説の教師・鬼塚英吉再び「今このタイミングで復活することに意味がある」. Oricon News (in Japanese). September 15, 2023. Archived from the original on September 15, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  40. ↑ Pineda, Rafael (September 14, 2023). "Live-Action GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka) Series Gets New TV Special Next Spring". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 15, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  41. ↑ "GTO (2012年)". Fuji Television. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  42. ↑ Loo, Egan (May 5, 2011). "Exile's Akira Replaces Akanishi on GTO Remake". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
  43. ↑ GTO秋も鬼暴れスペシャル. Fuji Television. Archived from the original on March 20, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  44. ↑ GTO正月スペシャル！冬休みも熱血授業だ. Fuji Television. Archived from the original on October 24, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  45. ↑ GTO 完結編さらば鬼塚！卒業スペシャル. Fuji Television. Archived from the original on March 20, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  46. ↑ Loo, Egan (January 22, 2014). "EXILE's Akira Reprises GTO in Live-Action Taiwan Mini-Series". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  47. ↑ GTO：AKIRA主演の新シリーズを台湾で制作 日台で放送へ. Mantan Web (in Japanese). January 23, 2014. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  48. ↑ Loo, Egan (January 22, 2014). "Crunchyroll to Stream Champion Joe 2, Live-Action GTO Taiwan". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 23, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  49. ↑ Loo, Egan (March 13, 2014). "Live-Action GTO Show Returns in July After New Manga Debuts". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  50. ↑ 「金田一少年」、「神の雫」の原作者が株と家族の小説. Asahi Shimbun Digital (in Japanese). November 16, 2007. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  51. ↑ Joel Hahn. "Kodansha Manga Awards". Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  52. ↑ Thompson, Jason (October 9, 2007). Manga: The Complete Guide. New York, New York: Del Rey. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-345-48590-8. OCLC 85833345.
  53. ↑ "Россвязькомнадзор рассмотрит результаты экспертизы мультфильма "2х2"". RIA Novosti. November 27, 2008. Archived from the original on February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  54. ↑ Holdsworth, Nick (December 5, 2008). "'Teacher' scolds Russian network". Variety. Archived from the original on February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  55. ↑ Kozenko, Andrei (November 27, 2008). ""2Х2" проверяют не по-детски". Kommersant. Archived from the original on February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
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