It was revealed on June 15th that actor Yuta Yamazaki will appear in the drama series "GTO" (Kansai TV/Fuji TV, Mondays at 10 PM), starring Takashi Sorimachi, which will begin airing on July 20th. He will reprise his role as Masaru Watanabe from the 1998 version of "GTO" (also starring Sorimachi) and the "GTO Revival" which will air in April 2024.
"GTO" is based on the manga of the same name by Toru Fujisawa. It is a school drama about Eikichi Onizuka, a former gang member turned teacher, who tackles student and school problems head-on with his unconventional actions. The 1998 TV series had an average viewership rating of 28.5% for all 12 episodes (according to Video Research, Kanto region), and the final episode had an average viewership rating of 35.7%. In April 2024, it made a one-night-only comeback with the special drama "GTO Revival".
This time, in addition to lead actor Sorimachi, the staff who worked on the 1998 version, including screenwriter Kazuhiko Yukawa, director Satoru Nakajima, and producer Kazuhisa Ando, have reunited. The new drama series will be an updated version that carefully inherits the worldview and character of Eikichi Onizuka from that time, while also incorporating elements of the Reiwa era.
Masaru Watanabe, played by Yamazaki, appears from the very beginning of the first episode of the 1998 version. He tries to extort money from Onizuka while he's playing at an arcade, but is defeated. Later, inspired by Onizuka's act of using a hammer to break down the wall separating the room of a student's estranged parents for the sake of their classmate Nanako Mizuki, he becomes one of Onizuka's first "friends." Despite his mischievous nature, he is also very loyal to his friends, and his lighthearted banter with Onizuka drives the story forward, making him a beloved character among viewers.
In "GTO Revival," he works at an izakaya (Japanese pub) alongside Kunio Murai, played by Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, and there's a scene where he reunites with Onizuka.
In this episode, Onizuka, who coincidentally reunites with Masaru, who works as a delivery driver, ends up taking the teacher recruitment exam for "Seishin Private Academy" through Masaru's introduction.
Yamazaki commented, "This time, we have director Nakajima (Satoru) and scriptwriter Yukawa (Kazuhiko), who created the original 'GTO' for our generation, and the 'GTO of that time' feel has been amplified even more than in 'GTO Revival,' and I'm having a great time on set with Sorimachi-san, saying things like, 'This is it!' When I come to this set, even though we've gotten older, Sorimachi-san is still Onizuka, and I become Masaru, and I think this will be a great work! There will be many surprises for fans of the previous work, so please enjoy it!"
