AnimeSuki Forum - View Single Post - Licensed GTO-Great Teacher Onizuka Discussion

Sol Falling · 2009-06-10, 23:54

Holy shit a sequel? And I just found out about GTO via onemanga a couple weeks ago. Nice.

On GTO itself. Well, the most consistent message Onizuka always tried to send was 'don't be a victim'. The world doesn't give a shit what you've been through; blaming and hating people will tend to trap you in a "I'm not responsible for my own happiness" mentality, and that is a mistake. Ultimately nobody can help you if you don't help yourself. Not only is that simply an inevitable reality, it is also more satisfying.

As is perhaps clear from the fact that I bothered expositing the moral, I can agree with these general ideas. GTO wasn't mindblowing as if it introduced them to me in the first place, but it was a fairly lucid and well constructed expression of them. Even if I can't say GTO became my favourite manga, it has certainly left a lasting and meaningful impression.

On the characters. Everyone here seems to be rooting for OnizukaxUrumi, but I am ultimately more interested in the very subtle hints of interest from Kikuchi. There are *tons* of obstacles for this pairing, not the least of which seem to include Kikuchi's awareness of some of them, leading to little to no attempts to actually pursue her on his part. However, it is truly the path of overcoming these obstacles that compells me to find this couple interesting.

Urumi and Kikuchi's relationship can basically be summarized by their IQs. They are 200 to 180. Very close, but Urumi is in the end better, so that despite their unique capacity to relate to each other, so far as Kikuchi is defined by his intelligence, he will always be a bit stale or boring to her. They work very well as a team, have a stable friendship centered on their respect for each other's opinions, but ultimately are nothing more.

What makes Onizuka so interesting to Urumi is the fact that he is always unexpected; he is fun through his spontanaeity. There is also the fact that he was the only and became the first adult figure she could trust, but this matter is ultimately something that separates them (that Onizuka is an elder whose role is to guide her). Kikuchi, with his reserved demeaner and quantifying outlook, was the first to identify Onizuka as someone with the potential for that trust and unexpected happiness, but is also to Urumi himself entirely predictable. That's why, in order to become interesting to Urumi, Kikuchi has to step beyond the cool utilization (more like reliance) of his mental ability.

Anyway, I don't expect anything like Kikuchi winning over Urumi's crush on Onizuka in the manga itself. That I spent half of my intro post (edit: shit, quite a bit more than half, actually! >_<) talking about shipping is totally disproportionate. I just wanted to get it out there, though, that there is another side, and it's just as interesting.

Hey. You know it, GTO rocks! (let's go out on that good vibe.)

2009-06-10, 23:54	Link #93
Sol Falling Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Age: 35	Holy shit a sequel? And I just found out about GTO via onemanga a couple weeks ago. Nice. On GTO itself. Well, the most consistent message Onizuka always tried to send was 'don't be a victim'. The world doesn't give a shit what you've been through; blaming and hating people will tend to trap you in a "I'm not responsible for my own happiness" mentality, and that is a mistake. Ultimately nobody can help you if you don't help yourself. Not only is that simply an inevitable reality, it is also more satisfying. As is perhaps clear from the fact that I bothered expositing the moral, I can agree with these general ideas. GTO wasn't mindblowing as if it introduced them to me in the first place, but it was a fairly lucid and well constructed expression of them. Even if I can't say GTO became my favourite manga, it has certainly left a lasting and meaningful impression. On the characters. Everyone here seems to be rooting for OnizukaxUrumi, but I am ultimately more interested in the very subtle hints of interest from Kikuchi. There are tons of obstacles for this pairing, not the least of which seem to include Kikuchi's awareness of some of them, leading to little to no attempts to actually pursue her on his part. However, it is truly the path of overcoming these obstacles that compells me to find this couple interesting. Urumi and Kikuchi's relationship can basically be summarized by their IQs. They are 200 to 180. Very close, but Urumi is in the end better, so that despite their unique capacity to relate to each other, so far as Kikuchi is defined by his intelligence, he will always be a bit stale or boring to her. They work very well as a team, have a stable friendship centered on their respect for each other's opinions, but ultimately are nothing more. What makes Onizuka so interesting to Urumi is the fact that he is always unexpected; he is fun through his spontanaeity. There is also the fact that he was the only and became the first adult figure she could trust, but this matter is ultimately something that separates them (that Onizuka is an elder whose role is to guide her). Kikuchi, with his reserved demeaner and quantifying outlook, was the first to identify Onizuka as someone with the potential for that trust and unexpected happiness, but is also to Urumi himself entirely predictable. That's why, in order to become interesting to Urumi, Kikuchi has to step beyond the cool utilization (more like reliance) of his mental ability. Anyway, I don't expect anything like Kikuchi winning over Urumi's crush on Onizuka in the manga itself. That I spent half of my intro post (edit: shit, quite a bit more than half, actually! >_<) talking about shipping is totally disproportionate. I just wanted to get it out there, though, that there is another side, and it's just as interesting. Hey. You know it, GTO rocks! (let's go out on that good vibe.) Last edited by Sol Falling; 2009-06-11 at 02:07.