Meru Nukumi Joins GTO Revival as New Heroine and Teacher
Nukumi steps into the role of Onizuka's new partner, a position previously held by Nanako Matsushima's Azusa Fuyutsuki in the 1998 series, signaling a deliberate generational handoff for the Reiwa-era revival.
Reporting from 1 sources: Anime Hack (anime.eiga.com).
Meru Nukumi has been cast as the new heroine in the upcoming "GTO" drama starring Takashi Sorimachi, set to premiere July 20 on Kantele and Fuji TV. She plays Mio Kashiwabara, the homeroom's assistant teacher and classical literature teacher, marking her first teacher role and her first Kantele drama appearance.
Meru Nukumi, known to fans as "Meruru" from her teen magazine and variety show work, will play Mio Kashiwabara, a capable but emotionally distant assistant teacher who initially clashes with Onizuka's methods. The character is written as a foil who questions her own resolve to face students, eventually growing into Onizuka's new partner. The role is a first for Nukumi in two ways: her debut on Kantele and her first time playing a teacher. She told the press she watched GTO reruns as a student and had imagined herself as a student, not a teacher. Lead actor Takashi Sorimachi, she said, remains "Mr. Onizuka" even off set, maintaining a gentle but boyish presence. The new series, a full sequel to the 1998 drama and the 2024 revival special, places a 52-year-old Onizuka in a data-driven high school called Seishin Gakuen.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Anime Hack (anime.eiga.com) 生見愛瑠、反町隆史主演「GTO」で教師役に初挑戦「生徒役通り越して先生役を演じるとは…」