Onizuka probably won't be able to repair that relationship, but maybe he can at least find a way to help Nanako cope. Also, despite being a pervert, as in Shonan Junai Gumi, Onizuka absolutely puts others first over his own desires.

While he is now in the director's good books for getting the class under control, Onizuka is sure to mess this up somehow. Also, as my favourite character, it's nice to see that Danma has been more prevalent than expected so far.

The other trainee teacher he has buddied up with seems an even bigger creep, and I'm sure that Nanako will end up being the worst of the worst of all the students in the class.

Some other interesting points here are that the boys somehow managed to graduate from a university, and just who are the suspicious men watching Onizuka?

It was also great to see Danma right from the start, and he seems to be doing somewhat better in life. What happens here with Onizuka losing his opportunity for a girlfriend to a short, bald, fat and aging professor provides him with the drive to make a change and become a teacher himself!

I have watched the anime before, and know that the manga has some significant differences. From my read of SJG, it was clear that Fujisawa had a lot more planned for the character, so it will be interesting to see what's in store.

It also seemed to miss that extra something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Upon finishing Touch and seeing some clips from the anime, the moving pictures and great music really do seem to help elevate it to another level, so the anime may be the best way to experience it.

On the other hand, I feel the baseball often gets in the way and at times dominates the story more than it should. This is the case with most stories that involve a sport or activity, and Touch does at least jump this hurdle better than something like Initial D, another manga I have read recently.

Even though the addition of the idol is abrupt at the end of the story, it serves as a viable romantic relationship for Tatsuya that at last forces him to confront his true feelings for Minami.

I know the anime and manga have different endings, but personally, I do like how the manga does it with the use of Satoko.

Hopefully, it works out for Tatsuya and Minami; Tatsuya's statement about only saying 'I love you' again in 10 years hints that he's still a little uneasy, but things seem promising for the happy couple. Importantly, they both realised they needed each other's mutual love and support.

Despite the tragic loss of Kazuya, we get to see everyone start to move on with their lives for their next adventures.

The final panel even shows that Meisei WON the whole tournament, which is the cherry on top of this wonderful story. I suppose with his relationship with Minami now clear, Tatsuya was able to fully focus on the competition.

Secondly, Kazuya weighs so heavily on everyone's mind that I think it would do them the world of good to branch out and go on their own journeys, at least for some time.

Despite this, and in contrast to many readers, I would like Tatsuya and Sakoto to end up together for various reasons. For one, since Kazuya left, Tatsuya and Minami have been happy to stay as friends, with the spectre of Kazuya clearly making any possibility of a romantic relationship awkward.

With this in mind, it will be interesting to see how the relationship between Tatsuya and Minami concludes. We also meet some of the members of the other Koushien teams, who try to intimidate Tatsuya, when they are probably simply scared of him.