MrRant 0 Report post Posted October 13, 2003 Showtime has reached an agreement with Tokyopop Inc. to bring Japan's wildly popular "GTO" animated series to American television. Starting in December, Showtime Next will air the 43-episode series. Based on the manga (comic book) by Tohru Fujisawa, the series follows Eikichi Onizuka, a 22-year-old ex-biker who has a change of heart and becomes a teacher. More specifically, he becomes Great Teacher Onizuka. He brings street smarts and a hair-trigger temper to his efforts to become a superior teacher, even if he sometimes rubs his colleagues and students the wrong way. " 'GTO's' comedic wit makes it the perfect fit for the SHO Next audience," said Steve Galloway, Tokyopop's executive director of development. "The dialogue is sharp, and the series is filled with characters and situations that a lot of people will relate to — whether familiar with anime or not." Tokyopop has already had success with the "GTO" series and DVD release. In Japan, the series spawned a blockbuster movie and its television finale is the most-watched in the nation's history. This will make Tokyopop's third television deal, with "Reign: The Conqueror" airing in Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block and "Rave Master" set to premiere on the cable network's Toonami block in 2004. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
