Great Teacher Onizuka — First Look
Robert was in the mood to start a new series today, and after pouring over the shelves for awhile, we compromised and selected Great Teacher Onizuka. I think we’re both quite glad we did.
The opening animation is very interesting. Black and white with an interesting style. I was highly amused by the motorcycle revving as the sound for the toilet flushing. The song by l’Arc~en~Ciel was quite good, especially given that I’m not much of a fan of their sound. Hyde was remarkably on key, and had a slightly higher pitch to his voice which I think suited the music well.
It looks like Tokyopop cut out the eyecatches, unfortunately. Instead, there are lots of little breaks with black nothing, then back to the show. Also, it seems the first episode was perhaps a double-length episode, although there was no mention of such in the ANN Encyclopedia. It definitely lasted longer than 23 minutes, that’s for sure.
The art can be very, very ugly, particularly when Onizuka is in one of his naughty fantasies. However, it’s not ugly in a way that turns me off, rather it’s ugly in a way that makes me kind of roll my eyes and laugh. Onizuka’s seiyuu is a little problematic for me when he’s worked up, as I feel the voice goes a little too high. I didn’t like him as Rubeus in Sailor Moon all that well either. However, I think it will do well overall, particularly once I get used to it.
Very little of the first episode actually took place inside the classroom, so it’ll be interesting to see if that trend will continue. Nanako, who played a key role in the first episode, doesn’t seem to be credited as a major recurring character, so it looks like she was just used as a plot device to introduce us to Onizuka’s methods for handling situations more than anything else. Hopefully, we’ll learn why he decided to become a teacher (beyond teenage girls) as the story progresses.
Overall, a very humorous start to the series. There’s a pretty hefty dose of perviness prevalent throughout, but it almost feels as if that has an actual use rather than just fanservice. It’s Onizuka’s big weakness, after all.
I’m definitely looking forward to continuing with this series. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it, and it’s definitely started off on the right foot as well.
