GTO Manga and Anime Differences Part 3 (Episodes 20-43, CH 68-200) + Opinion

Ruruka - CH 68-69

Probably unnecessary to mention, but there is a mini arc with a girl called Ruruka who does one of those spells/curses to try and get the guy she wants to fall in love with her, but of course she backfires and the guy she's going to end up with becomes Onizuka. So, there's some pretty funny and vulgar shenanigans revolving around her trying to dispel the "curse" but she just ends up making things worse for herself e.g. accidentally bumping into and kissing Onizuka lolll, it's pretty funny as a random side story, just goes to show Onizuka's destructive power even when he doesn't do anything loll.

Azusa's Teaching Dilemma - CH 70-71/EP 21-22

In the manga, when the girls threw water over her in the bathroom, Azusa went to the infirmary to clean herself up and talk about it with the infirmary teacher girl about the bullying she's been experiencing from students, and how she doesn't know if she can hold out anymore. I think one particular line that really hit me with Azusa's situation was when she said there's "forty of them but only one of me". It's true that teachers have a lot of power, but sometimes when you think about it like that from someone like Azusa's perspective, it's kind of crazy how much you have to endure, and I think the anime kinda missed out by omitting that. It is also shown that Onizuka was in the infirmary reading a magazine, so he heard everything without Azusa noticing. Also, when Azusa tried to pick herself up but then got sad and dejected over the girls ditching her class and the guys just wanting to play around, instead of reconsidering her teaching career on the roof, she was sitting down on the side of a building feeling really down. It was then that Onizuka told her that if she doesn't want to go to classes she doesn't like going to, she doesn't need to, she can just ditch them since teachers have the right to play hooky too lol. And honestly, I found that much more inspiring than what Onizuka said in the anime, which was just saying she shouldn't be depressed over such things otherwise she'll get depressed and become super fat. I think the manga lines really just helped Azusa to open her eyes to the idea that sometimes teachers need a break too, they can't always just force themselves to be positive when they're not, and they should be working because they enjoy being a teacher and not because they're attached to the idea of being a teacher imo. I guess the anime cut the part out where Onizuka and Azusa really did ditch school to go out and play and blow off steam because that's irresponsible of them, but yeah, it's not right, but I think it was needed. Especially when Azusa opened up to Onizuka when he drove her around on his motorbike, it was just so saddening to hear how Azusa spent all her personal time trying her best to understand her students, trying her best to know what they liked and their hobbies, trying her best to make classes enjoyable but educational, and yet no one would ever appreciate the amount of effort she put in, and even scorn her for trying her best to be likeable to them. This accompanied with the stress from students, fellow teachers and parents judging you all the time, it's really a job that's high stress with not much reward... I honestly found it really touching when Onizuka took her to a pond (blindfolded by the motorbike helmet) just so she could lie down on a boat, look at the clouds and just relax by flowing along with the water and not fighting against it (as she has always been doing when it comes to teaching). Lmaoo when the boat started sinking though hahhaha.

Well, technically since in the anime, they all ended up playing hooky from school (lol), not sure why they decided to change it and make it that Azusa went back to her hometown to find why she decided to teach again with all the drama and stuff, like, it wasn't bad, but at the same time, I think I prefer the manga because I think burnout is something that happens often for teachers and other professions alike, and you can't always just ditch school to go back to your hometown lol, but I just felt like realistically, what Azusa needed was a normal break rather than how dramatic it was in the anime (especially when it spanned 2 episodes!), so I liked the manga more, especially since it also enhances Onizuka and Azusa's relationship. I think the anime really downplays their relationship quite a bit, so it's saddening in that sense. However, I did enjoy the anime, it's just that I think the manga dealt with the topic better imo. I also think the manga flows better and makes things that happen make more sense? The anime rearranges some scenes (which is normal), but I think the way they did it just made things not really flow that well compared to the manga.

Kunio and his Mother - CH 72/EP 35

Legit took me a while to find this one (in anime form) because I was up to episode 21 and then boom! This mini arc was shoved to episode 35 to accommodate everything else lol. Tbh though, aside from some added scenes and Onizuka being there (he wasn't there in the manga), there really isn't much difference between the anime and manga, maybe aside from some stuff in the manga that's probably more explicit than the anime haha. I love that the anime added scenes though, especially the one with Onizuka being a stand-in groom for this weird family with crazy smiles lmaoo. It was so memorable when I watched it as a kid hahaha.

Love Letter to Kunio - CH 73-74/EP 20

I have no ideaaaaa why the anime decided to change the girl Kunio liked into that..weirdly fickle girl (that wasn't even cute), like dangggg the girl he thought wrote him the love letter is so much cooler and prettier in the manga! Like, I don't even feel like he had a reason for liking her besides the fact that she was cute. At least in the manga, the girl he liked shared her umbrella with him at the bus stop and she's not a ditz, oh and she never really got his hopes up either, but the anime girl did and that annoys me lol. Kuji mostly acts the same way in the manga and she did like him because he saved her back in the day, but I found it hilarious that he was so honest with Kuji that he liked "Fukada", and the love letter girl had the same last name but was a completely different girl lmaooo. So, really, I guess if you want the funny ending, then the manga is good, but if you want more of a romantic and bittersweet ending, then the anime is nice, I mean, seeing Kunio realise Kuji's feelings for him and chasing after her to not miss out on this love was quite heartwarming to see after all. They're both good and I enjoyed both renditions haha. I loved the aftermath in the manga CH 75, where Onizuka and them all laugh at him for mistaking which Fukada it was, and then Kuji coming to shout at him (with Onizuka drawing the love umbrella around them) hahahah. 

Miyabi's Scheme - CH 75-92/EP 29-33

Not much difference in the beginning aside from the anime rearranging the sequences of Onizuka having fun with the students e.g. diving into the pool - which was hilarious and I loved that the anime had this, but sad that they cut out the whole gang having fun together playing their version of paintball, because I think it really shows their personalities well, and it shows how long of a way Onizuka has come to saving these students. Oh wait, yeah the anime kicked out the scenes for the "true reason" as to why Sakurada/Sakurai (anime changed his name to prevent confusion with the chairwoman), instead of cross-dressing to relieve stress, Sakurada is more similar to Uchiyamada in being the most disgusting teachers in the academy. Miyabi caught Sakurada using eye equipment on trains to see through women's clothes and look at school girl's panties "to relieve stress" since he does it so often, and that's how he got blackmailed into doing her bidding. Omg, he records it all and even keeps tapes and pictures in his house with his wife and young son! Yeah, that's disgusting. The whole Fujiyoshi thing plays out pretty much the same, and aside from Sakurada trying to add oil to the fire by telling Azusa that Onizuka dragged him to a club with high school girls and threw around money that was enough for the camp, and giving her some of those high school girl panty recordings saying it was Onizuka', so that Azusa would spread it around the school, everything from losing the money to spending it is pretty faithfully done by the anime. I really liked how Azusa stood her ground against Sakurada and told him straight that she wouldn't believe Onizuka did all those things unless she has all the facts together and has actually seen him do it. In addition, Anko's motives for exposing Miyabi to Onizuka and showing him where Fujiyoshi was wasn't because she felt that Miyabi changed after Onizuka came, but because she couldn't agree with Miyabi's actions of using those girls (the sophomore girls in the school) to do the dirty work for her. Also, in the anime, Fujiyoshi worked as a traffic controller, but in the manga, he was delivering newspapers, which I find the latter to be much more realistic, mainly because I feel like it would be difficult for a high schooler to so quickly find a job like that haha.

In the manga, to raise money for Okinawa, Onizuka initially had to take care of human remains (from suicides on train tracks) and it was pretty morbidly funny, you can really see how terrifying of a job it is when even Onizuka gets scarred from it lol. It was due to Onizuka not being able to tolerate that job anymore that Kikuchi thought up of the idea of using the magnet in the wig to win at pachinko hahaha. Otherwise, everything plays out the same (aside from the usual rearranging of scenes)~ In the manga, it is much more clear cut what Kanzaki decided to do to get money for Onizuka, and to punish Miyabi and them, she literally sold their bodies to these guys and lured them into that trap. I can see why the anime changed it though, because those perverted guys literally paid to rape these "fresh high school girls" and Kanzaki planned that. Also, the girl that was forced to lie to Miyabi and lure her there ended up telling everything to Azusa when she overheard, so Azusa also went to the hotel to try and save them. Also, even though Miyabi is ungrateful and malicious as she always is, in the manga, she did give her bank book containing 4 million yen to Kanzaki and them to accumulate the rest of the money needed for the trip, so that she wouldn't owe Onizuka for saving her from those rapists. It was unneeded but it adds to her character I guess, even if she is irredeemable.  Anyway, although there are changes in the anime, I think it is mostly faithful to the story whilst cutting out the more disgusting and uncomfortable parts, which is understandable, so in that sense, I did like the anime more haha.

Tomoko's Debut - CH 92, 97/EP 27-28, 34

The anime seemed to have changed it up quite a bit tbh, it has the scenes but they kinda play out differently. In the manga, Tomoko's role as a waitress did end up getting cut because that lady didn't like her, and her manager does get pretty pissed off on her behalf, but instead of it being because it's interfering with his dream of marrying Tomoko the idol, he just feels like she's being wasted by these weird commercials she had been put in when he thought the jobs were better than that e.g. the radish and rice ball commercials. So, instead of Onizuka taking her to do those commercials, those were actually jobs her manager found for her, they just ended up being different from what he expected. However, Tomoko herself doesn't really change, she works hard to be liked and doesn't mind them. You can really see how the manager really restricts her from jobs that are "unfitting" for her when she just really wants to have fun and do what she can, she is 14 after all. But yeah, the manager's dream of marrying Tomoko is shown in the manga as well, but as usual rearranged by the anime lol, I just think the anime kinda underplays the manager's hopes in her as a person, since his reason for becoming her manager was because he saw her performance at that beauty contest and he really felt that she could make it as a number one idol. One thing the anime definitely omitted though is the confirmation that Tomoko is working hard for and because of Onizuka. She is shown to realise and understand that she is in love with Onizuka and is working hard so that she can become a beautiful and kind idol like Hazuki, and become a famous idol that will be a fitting bride for Onizuka, which is really sweet tbh.

Aside from that, Onizuka and them never helped manage Tomoko's career, and there was no special beauty contest that was rigged and took her to greater heights. Instead, she did reach greater heights through a legendary manager called Munakata that even invested in the company and became her chief manager. He used his skills and used Tomoko's sex appeal to get her known by the press and the world through photo shoots and "accidentally" publishing her address etc. In a sense, compared to Onizuka producing her, it is more realistic for another guy to actually be the one to do it lol. Otherwise both the anime and manga are okay haha, I think the anime kinda dragged a bit because of that contest though, but it was still enjoyable, because I think it's always nice to see Tomoko's innocence and sincerity reach her fans, and it's nice to see her get popular for who she is.

I'm not sure why the anime decided to change it, but episode 34 is basically chapter 97 of the manga rehashed into something completely different whilst using a similar event. In the anime, Saejima and Onizuka are fighting over gold whilst running from the yakuza with Tomoko and then it is revealed that everything was a prank (which kinda felt weird and out of place). I guess it's fine as a one off gag story that goes nowhere since it was pretty amusing and funny, however, when you see it in the manga, it was actually supposed to be something funny and meaningful. In the manga, Okinoshima (Tomoko's manager) is still sceptical about Munakata's antics and thinks that Munakata is going to sell Tomoko out to adult magazines, it is then he gets tricked into going to save Tomoko from Munakata when it was all recorded on celebrity cam with special effects etc that Okinoshima didn't even notice because he was so focused on trying to save her. Initially, I honestly wasn't too into his character, but seeing his passion for Tomoko and for being a manager that doesn't exploit his talents, I think it was really nice to see how he was willing to risk his life to save her from people trying to exploit her. I think it's important for Tomoko to have someone like him beside her because she's too trusting haha. but I honestly would have liked to see this in the anime as a proper continuation to Tomoko's story rather than the random story that was in that episode. So, for plot, definitely the manga is better, but the episode was still enjoyable I guess lol.

CH 93 just kinda tells of the aftermath and backstory of Sakurada/Sakurai which personally I don't care about loll, because he's just as disgusting regardless.

Azusa's Transformation Before Okinawa - CH 94/EP 36

They really dragged out this chapter huh? Lol, it is a pretty nice and heartwarming chapter to Azusa's budding love for Onizuka though. The anime added quite a few scenes but it did add to the hilarity of the whole thing so that was sweet loll. The only difference that is most noticeable would have to be that instead of Kadena-sensei being the friend that helped Azusa get a swimsuit and transform her, it was the infirmary teacher that's been there all along in the manga as her best friend. But, otherwise, pretty much the same. I like Azusa either way, but I really do think that the manga adds to her character much more to make this episode/chapter even more heartwarming. But yeah, I really liked seeing it in anime form, Azusa was really cute haha.

Okinawa - CH 95-107/EP 37-41

Although Onizuka ruins Uchiyamada's orientation either way, in the manga he ruins it by being chased by the police (thinking he was an illegal immigrant for catching that ferry and hiding in the bathroom because he had no money to pay for the fare lmao) and nearly using Uchiyamada as a hostage to get away hahaha. When it comes to the sunlight tattoos on the beach, Onizuka does draw the love umbrella (Kunio & Kujirakawa) on Kunio's back, and everyone teases him about it, so he says that he would preferred anyone else over the giantess. Then, Kujirakawa appears to smack him for saying that lol, he totally deserves it. Kinda sad that the anime cut this scene out since it shows that both Kunio and Kuji are still getting along in the background even if they aren't a couple.

When it comes to searching for the treasure, most of it is pretty much the same aside from minor details like another girl being dragged along with Kanzaki by Onizuka who thinks that Noboru and Anko found the treasure. One thing I would have liked the anime to show would be the scene with Noboru and Anko where they finally got out of the cave and came up to the church. In the anime, it seemed like Anko was going to confess to Noboru, which is pretty "efficient" of her lolll, but anyway, she gets interrupted by Onizuka who runs in picking up "treasure". In the manga, Anko and Noboru actually do have moments to themselves, where they talk about how beautiful the water/wind blowing through the holes in the rocks are because of the sounds it produces are like music. Although Anko doesn't apologise to Noboru, she thanks him, and acknowledges his "strength", whilst also being kinda tsundere saying that she'll be the same Anko once they get out of here haha. Anko isn't the greatest person ever, but I think this moment that got cut out was pretty important to their relationship, since it's obvious that her opinion of Noboru has changed, but seeing her so sincerely voice her appreciation of Noboru and actually "get along" with him for once was nice and sweet. Also, as with the typical "stranded cliche", they end up making a little fire and taking off their clothes to dry, Anko also helps Noboru wring out the water in his clothes because she's stronger than him lol. However, she ends up seeing some bugs whilst doing this and runs to him and accidentally pushes him down (with only their underwear on), and right at this moment, Kunio, Azusa and the rest of the class appear with the rescue boat and see their compromised positions, so they get teased haha. On the other hand, Onizuka, Kanzaki and the other girl are stuck on branches because Onizuka tried to jump over a waterfall lmaoo. Oh yeah, and after Kikuchi hears Noboru's description of that church with silver relics, Kikuchi tells his online friend that the treasure wasn't gold or anything like that, but a spiritual one (the music they heard). Tbh, I am kinda sad the anime decided to cut all that out because it does undermine the treasure journey part of it, and the additional progress of Noboru and Anko's relationship (especially since Noboru asked about her brother as well), but I do admit that the anime ending was pretty funny too haha. As usual, the manga has more story/plot, whereas the anime kinda aims more for the comedy effect over story, so they're both not bad, they just kinda prioritise different things.

As Anko slowly realises her feelings for Noboru (and Onizuka teases her every opportunity he gets), she is shown in the manga to be more kinder to Noboru by telling the others not to do anything to him, and she even let him sleep in the room instead of on the balcony. The anime does show a bit of this, but just a bit more toned down in terms of the extent imo. In addition, I think Onizuka's lines towards Anko about her feelings in the manga were better. In the anime, he talks to her about how if people who are not honest with their feelings because they're afraid of getting hurt aren't "qualified" for love, but in the manga, Onizuka talks about all the negatives about Noboru and says, "but despite all that, despite whatever shortcomings the kid has, you love him" and that no matter how many shortcomings he might have, her feelings won't change, and I think that was really sweet. Since a lot of the time, Anko seems to hate Yoshikawa because of how "weak" he is and stuff, but Onizuka kinda breaks all that by telling her that it doesn't matter even if he's the biggest weakling on earth, he's the one she likes. Also not sure why the anime made Onizuka tell the class to dress themselves in their swimwear for the test of courage game when they dressed normally in the manga lol. Another thing the anime cut out was Onizuka pairing Kunio up with the "shark teeth" Fukada hahahahaha. I also prefer how Anko gets embarrassed in the manga more, just because in the anime she's more violent lol. In the manga, Noboru offers to hold her hand since she's scared and their pinkies touched, but then she runs backwards and calls him a pervert lol, even Noboru laughs at her for being old fashioned and silly for being so concerned over holding hands (when not dating) haha. I'm sad that they didn't show that Azusa stayed in that rundown building pretending to be Sadako until 4am in the morning when everyone else left and partied without her because that was so mean but funny LOL. I think the manga was also nice to address the problem with Azusa's class of the girls hating on her, and I think Onizuka's advice was good, to be more herself and less as "Azusa the good teacher". However, I guess I can see why the anime cut it out lol, since Azusa decided to solve the problem by spritzing beer on them and then drinking together LOL, it's good that they bonded I guess.

Wakui Mayu CH 110-124

Miyabi has dyed her hair blue, probably the light Ayanami Rei kinda blue because Onizuka starts hugging her and wanting to change her hairstyle because he thinks she looks like Rei now lolll. Miyabi deems her friends as traitors since they went to the Okinawa trip and were happily talking to Kikuchi and them about the photos and the memories, so she is probably quite alone in that class now. Therefore, she's found another hidden classmate to deal with Onizuka, and this guy's name is Mayu. Mayu isn't in the anime, so not much to say about that aside from the fact that's he's a delinquent that loves to pick fights and ruthlessly throw people off roofs, and he also seems to treasure Miyabi the most out of everyone in class 4, since he said he wouldn't forgive anyone that hurts her, even if it's Kikuchi and them who were once their comrades. The most surprising thing though, is that Mayu is actually the chairwoman Sakurai's grandchild! It's probably the only time Sakurai has actually gotten mad at Onizuka (when he accidentally "hurt" Mayu), but she did apologise later so that's cool. She probably got Onizuka as a teacher because she wanted him to help Mayu all this time tbh. I think what I enjoyed the most about this arc was when Mayu called all these expelled students to trash the teachers and the vice-principal for ruining their lives, and for a moment I felt sad for them since a lot of the reasons they were expelled for were rather minor, but at the same time, when I thought about how Onizuka lives his life, it was hard to not see them as whining, so I'm glad Onizuka called them out. Yes, the schools were probably wrong, probably overly harsh, their parents sucked for leaving them etc, but in the end, the only one who is in control of their lives are themselves. Onizuka never had a good education, sure, a lot of things he's done, he's probably lucky for getting away with, but at the same time, the reason why he's so resilient and still standing today is because he never gives up no matter how stupid he may be, he always stands back up and does what he can without faltering. He was rejected from so many schools for being a teacher but he persevered, he was called trash by teachers but he still got some sort of education, the only ones who are stunting their growths are themselves who are hanging on to that part of their past, and I loved seeing Onizuka tell them that. I also loved when he won that arm wrestling contest against 100 of them and told them that they all owe him money, so that they'll work hard for that money and realise that education isn't all that there is to life. I'm kinda surprised at how inconclusive the arc feels with Mayu and Kikuchi disappearing to get some "revenge" or something though.

Aizawa Miyabi & Kanzaki Urumi CH125-142, 145

Although I'm not the biggest fan of Miyabi, when you think about it (manga-wise), a lot of the characters before they got help from Onizuka were pretty malicious and terrible, so it really makes me think, we have to give a chance to Miyabi as well, especially when everyone really likes the past her tbh. Everyone knows how kind, positive and nice she was back then that something really hurtful must have broke her that badly to become like this. I think one of the best things that the anime cut out was Miyabi running from home after finally personally witnessing her dad cheating, getting picked up by Onizuka, and him taking her back to Tomoko's place to live. Tomoko is such a sweet and gentle soul that thinks of Miyabi as her best friend and cherishes all the memories they shared together, especially when she was the one who showered Tomoko with positivity and helped her out in elementary school so much. Tomoko hugging Miyabi, with Miyabi contemplating how she thought it was really warm and how she had become such a terrible person was really saddening yet sweet.

I also really love the Kanzaki chapters because omgg, they're so nice. Seeing Onizuka help her break out of that jail of a home with a mum that only cares about earning money, and also self-righteously thinks that she's giving everything for her daughter when she barely talks to her was great. I loved their little "eloping" adventure, it was pretty cute to know that Kanzaki was actually serious about it tbh because you can really see how much of a saviour Onizuka is to her. Kanzaki and Miyabi's bantering was pretty cute until Miyabi took it way too far by exposing her secret to everyone though, she really is a spoiled child. I could see why Kanzaki would get out of control like that, Miyabi destroyed her last place of solace where Onizuka and her friends were just because of her pettiness, it's disgusting, and I don't think I can like Miyabi no matter how good of a person she supposedly was in the past, because right now, she is the worst. It's kinda like how I feel towards Uchiyamada, he's helped students as an educator but I don't think he can ever be redeemable with the amount of women he's traumatised and hurt by groping them on public transport. I really liked the ending to the leaking of the photos thing though, it really shows how much Kanzaki is capable of, but really, she's just an emotional 16 year old that cherishes her friends.

I'm surprised that Fujiyoshi is the one that likes Miyabi, but he's so innocent, it's cute. I love how she tries her best to be mean to him, and he would listen to her reckless demands and fulfil them to show that even if she's bitchy to him, he'll still do these things for her.

Uchiyamada's daughter, Yoshiko - CH 143, EP 24

The chapter about his daughter finally appears! It's so much more simpler and heartwarming in the manga though, because the anime is so exaggerated with Uchiyamada following Yoshiko and going crazy, getting naked etc lol. Whereas, in the manga, Onizuka really does only go to their place to eat dinner, and Uchiyamada gets to know how his daughter really feels about him through Onizuka showing him diary entries where Yoshiko made him Father's Day lunches etc. It's nice to know that even though he didn't notice, his wife and daughter does care about him.

The Rest of the Chapters

Okay, I stopped for the rest of the chapters because I realised that it's completely unrelated to the anime after Mayu appears tbh. Miyabi's story goes in two completely different directions in the anime and the manga, and I guess I can see why the anime changed it. The anime wouldn't have had the time episodes to really develop Miyabi's character, guilt and reasons for becoming what she was and the guilt over what she had done. It goes down pretty dramatically but basically *SPOILERS* in the anime, she hated teachers because a teacher betrayed one of her good friend's feelings and caused her to die, so she hated him. In the manga, Miyabi was the one who was "betrayed" by the teacher, she told all her good friends in the class that she had been raped by this teacher when she visited his house (since they got along and she really liked him and wanted to cook for him etc). Her classmates believed her and that's how the teacher bullying began. One of her classmates that really liked her ended up getting expelled for bashing the teacher up for it too. However, as Miyabi gets support from Fujiyoshi etc, she finally comes to terms with her thoughts and feelings and decides to suicide. She confesses that she actually lied this whole time, and that the teacher didn't rape her, he just showed her his fiancee and she couldn't handle it, so she spread that he raped her as like a malicious revenge. It eventually caused him to lose his career and fiancee, and she could never really admit to being a liar because of how much everyone supported her and believed in her story, so she wanted to suicide to end things. But of course, Onizuka and everyone stops her, and even Uchiyamada willingly uses his new Cresta as a landing to save her lol. Anyway, I can't say what was better since they're completely different back stories, but I guess I do prefer the manga, because you slowly follow the process of Miyabi's self-hate, how suicidal she is, how petty she is and how she just wants the whole world to hate her when they all refuse to because they're her friends. It's all rather convoluted and a bit unsatisfying but I think it presented the story better. Although, I do feel that the later chapters of GTO were rather clunky, especially with the last villain and stuff. But, I still really enjoyed the manga and would totally recommend it haha, 8/10! This is also the end of my comparison. I actually finished reading the manga a while ago but I didn't know what to write since the whole last bit wasn't in it, and I was still coming to terms for my feelings towards it haha, but yeah, it was a good ride!

Oh wait, I forgot to mention, EP 23 chain letter thing was an anime original, which was pretty stupid and funny, but I really liked it hahaha. Also, EP 25-26 about Kadena Nao is apparently from the prequel to GTO but I'm not too sure since I haven't read or watched the prequel.