Comics Talk 2

More Comics Talk from me, since I can't do anything else.

Manga I've Not Completely Read

GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka)

GTO is a funny manga from Toru Fujisawa. It details the story of Eikichi Onizuka, a former motorcycle gang member who decides to become the greatest teacher in Japan (and maybe the world!) After a few early tribulations he gets assigned to a junior high school class. It just turns out that this class is the most notortious in the school, reputed for turning teachers insane. Onizuka deals with the class in a very unorthodox manner... and somehow, thanks to his ways the class warms to him.

The main storyline is peppered with sidestories detailing the various tribulations of the supporting characters, which is just as interesting. The comedy is great and the situations that Onizuka gets himself in, hilarious.

The manga has finished in Japan after 20+ volumes. An anime adaptation followed, with a special ending made for the anime. Live action versions, in movie and TV series form, have also appeared.

Slam Dunk



There are many sports manga out there, but a basketball manga? Slam Dunk is the only one I know. You can see Takehiko Inoue's love for basketball in this series (Shohoku's starters - pictured above - are in some ways patterned after NBA players from the nineties) with detailed notes the rules of the game and how to play inside. In fact, I picked up a few pointers from this series.

The story centers on Hanamichi Sakuragi, a red-headed highschooler who has been rejected by a girl for the 50th time (much to his dismay.) Sakuragi is then smitten by a girl in his new highschool, Haruko Akagi. It turns out that Haruko's brother is the captain of the school's basketball team and Sakuragi joins. As the series progresses, he matures both as a player and as a person, as Sakuragi develops a love for basketball.

The humor in this series is pretty funny, and the basketball games themselves, which can be covered in five or more volumes, are exciting and full of suspense - even if you know the final result. One of the better mangas I've read.

The series has stopped at around 30 or so volumes, and a 110 episode anime has been made, as well as six episode length movies.

that's it for now... coming soon - mangas I want to see!