A Solid Conclusion

Finally, the last episode.

After Onizuka's termination from Seirin Institute, the school is bought out by the head of another school and is being torn down! It's up to both students and teachers of Seirin to protect the school that they cherish.

So as you can tell from the premise, the storyline is rather trite. Defending a school from being torn down by an evil corporation isn't the freshest story you would hear. Nevertheless, it works. There are a lot of problems regarding the antagonists of the show turning a new leaf in protecting the school (especially certain attempted rapists who got away scot-free), but you know what? I just couldn't care anymore. When I look back, I feel that it's fair to say the good of this show outweighs the bad, this episode included. Teshigawara aside, it was nice to see the other teachers who once criticized Onizuka finally acting like passionate teachers (thanks in part to Azusa spurring everyone into action by questioning why they wanted to be teachers in the first place). It feels like the kind of obligatory character development that would only arrive at the last episode, but whatever, it works for me. Even the head teacher, Hiroshi Uchiyamada, finally shows his awesome side and delivered an inspiring speech about the laws in Japan being broken.

Also awesome is the fact that the once timid literature teacher, Makoto Fujitomi (Baku Numata), finally speaks out for himself. Again, it felt like a "final episode" moment, but it's a nice moment. Meanwhile, Azusa finally approaches her dream of being an air-stewardess, but she still struggles in her decision to remain a teacher. I won't spoil too much, but the teacher who once didn't want to be anything but a teacher has a significant character development by the end of the episode. Being the final episode, there's also naturally some very romantic moments between her and Onizuka we've been waiting for sooooo long to see.

Overall, I think this final episode has a bigger focus on the supporting characters than Onizuka himself, which is appropriate, considering how the other teachers have a total lack of character development throughout the entire series, Azusa aside. It's more of a "wrap up" episode to tie all the loose ends, so it's not a very amazing episode. However, while I did want the series to go out with a bigger bang (like having each student Onizuka helped reflect on their experience or something), and while the last episode isn't as emotional or impactful as the previous ones, it's still a solid conclusion to the series that gives everyone proper closure - which is more than I could say for other drama series that leave it at an "ambiguous ending".

It's been one long lesson, and I'm glad I got to attend it. Great Teacher Onizuka (1998) - COMPLETE! Go check out the series, everyone. It's not a perfect drama, but it has a lot of heartfelt moments worth checking out. For me, I can't wait to watch the special and the movie!

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