gto (1-21, sub)

invested a bit of time and watched episodes 12 thru 21 tonight. mixed bag. some episodes killed me with how unoriginal they were, but often the subsequent episodes would compensate.

for example, episode 12 began a mini-arc of three episodes in which 12 and 13 were abysmal, focusing on a completely stereotypical character: a top-tier university graduate who couldn't look at onizuka without exuding snobbery and elitism. meanwhile, he has no redeeming characteristics. he is cowardly and will not even help his stalkee when she drops her stuff, though he does talk greasily to her. he is maniacal and attacks onizuka to the point where he breaks his own computer because he suspects onizuka likes his stalkee. he decorates his walls with pictures of his stalkee and spies on her from his apartment window. he licks his tutee's foot to ingratiate himself with her politically powerful parents.

and yet episode 14 manages to pull it all together, somehow. while the character receives no redemption, his plans to boot onizuka from the school are soundly foiled, and in such a manner that it downplays his existence at all. phew. call it fixing a mistake or just the development of the plot; i was just glad that ended.

the best episodes of the batch focused on a distinctly more complex character - a problematic student who never shows up to class but allegedly has an iq of over 200. while the development of her storyline was entirely standard, as a character she was very well drawn, well acted, and surprisingly well written. the episodes involving her were the most enjoyable of the series.

she fell into another mini-arc that continued the somewhat monster-of-the-week formula of gto. onizuka doesn't really develop as a teacher, but different students or adults will 'get in his way,' and it'll be up to him to set them straight.

for a series so lauded for its humor, i cannot support this popularity so far. onizuka's humor ostensibly stems largely from the fact that he is a twenty-two-year-old guy who's never had any experience with women and is a complete pervert. however, this idea is subverted so often with his maturity that it's a complete nuisance when it does occur. it feels like the show undermines onizuka's self-control when it makes him this pathetic sex-crazed maniac. like, i understand how it's supposed to be funny, and it could have been were onizuka someone like, say, satou from nhk ni youkoso! - but he's not. he's a jacked black belt with good looks and complete courage in himself. he's almost too perfect, which wouldn't be a problem in itself, except the show tries to play off his 'flaws' and tries to make him too much of a vulnerable character. compare to kenshin, where the series is all about how indestructible kenshin is and how he finds his own limits.

we know he's invulnerable. putting him 'in jeopardy' just doesn't work. and trying to play 'faults' seems like a waste of time, knowing onizuka's own invulnerability.