It was announced on April 30th that "GTO," the drama that caused a social phenomenon starring actor Takashi Sorimachi, will be revived as a television series after 28 years. It will start on July 20th at 10 PM on Kansai TV and Fuji TV.
"GTO" is based on the manga of the same name by Tohru Fujisawa and is a school drama about Eikichi Onizuka, a former biker gang member turned teacher who tackles student and school problems head-on with his unconventional actions. The TV series, which aired in 1998, recorded high ratings, with an average household viewership of 28.5% in the Kanto region for all 12 episodes and 35.7% for the final episode (according to Video Research), becoming a landmark school drama of the Heisei era. In April 2024, it made a one-night-only comeback with the special drama "GTO Revival".
For this new "GTO," the staff who worked on the 1998 version, including lead actor Takashi Sorimachi, screenwriter Kazuhiko Yukawa, director Satoru Nakajima, and producer Kazuhisa Ando, have reunited. While carefully preserving the worldview and character of Eikichi Onizuka from that time, the new series will be produced as an updated drama that also incorporates elements of the Reiwa era.
The story is set at Seishin Academy, a private high school whose philosophy is "to cultivate future leaders." It depicts an educational environment where both teachers and students carry tablet devices, and information and evaluations of students and teachers are managed using digital data.
A "teacher feedback system" has been implemented where students anonymously rank their teachers, and if a teacher consistently receives low ratings, they are branded as "unfit to be a homeroom teacher." Everything is managed digitally, and communication between students and teachers is mainly done through tablet chats, reflecting a school culture that pursues efficiency and rationalization. Into this environment, where there is almost no room for people to honestly confront each other, 52-year-old Eikichi Onizuka is assigned as a homeroom teacher.
◇Comment from Takashi Sorimachi
When the one-off drama "GTO Revival" aired two years ago, I felt it was a very interesting work, but I also thought that a continuous drama series could offer a different approach. I felt that I could play a "stay-at-home Onizuka" that is closer to the 1998 version of Eikichi Onizuka, with my current abilities.
A 50-year-old Eikichi Onizuka is a character not depicted in the original manga. That's precisely why I think it will be a "new challenge" in terms of how he perceives the present era and what message he conveys to his students. I also want to create a work that will meet the expectations of those who watched "GTO" back then (in 1998).
When "GTO Revival" was airing, a friend sent me a photo of "three generations of a family glued to the TV." That scene was one of the major inspirations for creating this new drama series. I strongly felt that I wanted to deliver a drama that would make three generations of a family gather in front of the TV once again and look forward to Monday nights at 10 pm.
One of the themes of this work is "What is a Great Teacher?" This story will be about searching for the answer to that question, so I'm looking forward to embarking on this journey while having fun. I want to rewrite the records and memories of the 1998 version of "GTO," which is my representative work.
◇Comment from Toru Fujisawa
I'm looking forward to seeing how this TV drama, which is making a comeback after 28 years, will show a former delinquent teacher from the Showa era solving the problems of students in the Reiwa era.
◇Comment from producer Kotaro Nagatomi
GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka) is returning as a TV series after 28 years, starring Takashi Sorimachi!
Mr. Sorimachi's overwhelming passion and dedication to this project has brought together the original staff from the 1998 version, including screenwriter Kazuhiko Yukawa, director Satoru Nakajima, and executive producer Kazuhisa Ando. With the changing times and the various restrictions on visual expression, we have been on a long, uncertain journey trying to figure out how to revive "Eikichi Onizuka" in a TV series for the Reiwa era and make him beloved by viewers. However, with the supervision of the original author, Toru Fujisawa, we are truly delighted to be able to announce the production today. Let's create some great memories with "GTO" this summer!
