Presentation PA #61

GTO, Education and Individual Responsibility -- We would like to introduce you to GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka), an anime and manga series which is probably quite different from anything you’ve seen or read in the past. GTO is, of course, a popular anime and live-action TV series that became a superhit in Japan, but beneath the funny looks, it can offer us much deeper thoughts about “what” the education really is. As you know, compared to other industrial nations, Japan has this reputation of safe country, where most citizens are very civil and where the crime rate is quite low. I suppose Japanese people can be very proud of this. But, then, why is bullying taking place so often? Some students even bully their teachers! Due to today’s computer information age, some students have more technological knowledge than their own teachers, but does this mean they can bully their teachers? Since March 1948, Japanese Education Law, article #11, publicly prohibited any teacher to inflict corporal and physical punishment on students, but how about students? To be a teacher is quite hard (lots of responsibilities and hours of work) and it is really NOT a remunerative occupation (even in the USA). With such a low salary, why would anyone want to deal with nasty kids?

Then, meet Onizuka!! You’ll start feeling totally different and you’d wish you had a teacher like Onizuka who teaches us (in his own way) virtue, merit or even simple goodness. Why is it so difficult to be good and happy? Japan (as well as the USA) might be a country producing well-educated (academically speaking) people, but when those people have no virtue, they’re not complete as humans. Even if someone is not an elite, like Onizuka (who was a juvenile delinquent himself) life is more meaningful when someone has virtues. Human relationship between teachers and students is extremely important in order for young people to become decent and civil persons of society (This has to be universal, not just in Japan or in the USA). Outwardly, Onizuka looks like a punk, but he’s quite moral (especially in the TV version) and shows students how to be decent humans with basic values and common sense, and, most importantly, he teaches students to wipe their own butts (i.e. to be responsible for their actions and not blame others for their unhappiness)! He teaches the same concept to parents who tend to avoid their parental responsability and blame teachers. Bullying is a serious problem, and we all know that a lot of times, things become violent. I really feel that GTO’s creator, Mr. Tohru Fujisawa, wrote this story hoping that young people would become responsible citizens, with virtue and caring heart. Aside from this “philosophical” aspect, GTO is a funny & touching show! An English translation of the manga is available from Kodansha, so please meet Onizuka and I can guarantee that you will fall in love with this story!

Miyako Matsuda

The fact that there are so many anime and manga set in or around schools clearly shows the recent preoccupation of the Japanese with their education system. And we really should share their concern, because it is important and it appears to me that it is taken less and less seriously. Parents and teachers constantly throw at each other the responsibilities and the level of moral in our society is quickly falling, even the simple respect for others (I am horrified to sound so conservative, but it is a fact -- however it has NOTHING to do with religion or religious education, since the basic moral of our society was already present in ancient philosophies). Our streets are dirty because people constantly litter. They vandalize or fight with others without a second thought. They have no respect anymore for people, properties or laws. They don’t care for others’ feelings and life is just a sitcom deprived of meaning or direction. All that because our eduction system failed them. At least the Japanese have those anime and manga showing what a real educator should be (GTO), exploring the boundaries of human relationship without pretence (Kare Kano) or telling the tales of a wandering samurai who helps other to atone for his past mistakes (Rurouni Kenshin). Here, so-called educators are complaining that those anime and manga are violent and contain improper behaviors or relationships (usually we call that “sexuality”)! Some anime are violent or hentai, but it is our own fault since (as Yoda said) we find in stores only what we import... and sometimes violence or sexuality can be quite educative. Those so-called educators are completely missing the point (or maybe they are afraid because those anime are teaching a true and natural moral which has nothing to do with judeo-christian values!)...

This issue features a spotlight on Rurouni Kenshin (aka Samurai X, a Sony animation that just started to be released in North America by Media Blasters (TV series) and A.D. Vision (OVA series and movie)). We cover here the second season (the first was covered in PA#52) and the OVA series. Other spotlights features the synopses of Aura Battler Dunbine (Episodes # 1-28), Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO), and Kareshi Kanojo no Jijo (aka Kare Kano). It also offers short overviews of recent anime shows («Anime Stories» on Amazing Nurse Nanako and Angel Links), the usual «Anime World» articles (The Modern Japanese Music Database Part 5, «Hunting For Anime & Manga In Japan», conventions reports of AWA, Neko-Kon, Katsucon), Reviews (of the latest Anime videos, Manga, live-action movies and Model Kits), and the latest news! Enjoy!

NEXT ISSUE: Turn A Gundam! Detective Conan! Lots of anime stories and convention reports! Reserve your copy now!

Jane -- and have a nice summer vacation (for me it will be work, work, work)!

Claude J. Pelletier