After nearly 3 year since I last saw this, it's about time I finally write something about one of my all-time favourite shows: GTO.The Expressions/Thoughts :
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 position, but this comes as close as it can get.
Voice Acting (Jap 10/10) - 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.
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.
Information to interested viewers:
* Anime series of episodes : 43
* Manga chapters : -
* Author : -
* Genre : Life - Drama - Comedy
* Watch Online : Email to prishlc@hotmail.com for episode links
