Page 12

A thinker of the Edo period, Kinjiro Ninomiya is a well-known figure even among students who don't know much about history. The iconic statue of him that is a common fixture at Japanese schools shows him as a child, walking while reading a book and carrying firewood on his back. A self-taught man who came from poor peasant stock, he is a symbol of perseverance like Horatio Alger and a quite tempting target for youth.

Page 70

Contrary to popular belief Kawasaki Motorcycles are not made in nor named after the Kanagawa Prefecture city to the east of Shonan. Nevertheless, these bikes, along with those from Yamaha and Suzuki, are mainstays within the Japanese biker community where they are often modified for improved performance and to match the individual style of their owners.

Pages 71, 143

Gamers around the world know of the Resident Evil brand. Having sold more than 45 million units worldwide, it has become one of Capcom's flagship titles and is considered to have launched the "survival horror" genre of video games. However, while Capcom acknowledges Resident Evil'92s horror roots in the Japanese PR for the first game in the series, the game's title in Japan is instead BioHazard, which references a more science-fiction element that is evident as the threat unleashed upon Raccoon City is a fictional biological agent known as the T-virus and not some demonic eruption.

Page 89

While Onizuka's Hoichi the Headless might conjure up images of headless horsemen to some, he is actually alluding to the legend of Hoichi the Earless. According to legend, Hoichi, a blind minstrel, was haunted and kept hostage by ghouls until a monk covered his body with the Heart Sutra to keep him hidden from said ghosts. Unfortunately, Hoichi's ears were not covered by the pictographs and were torn off by the vengeful spirits.

Page 109

Monster Hunter, known in some circles as Mon-Hun, is the second of a pair of Capcom references in this first volume. While this role-playing game may not have achieved the level of success in North America as it has in Japan, more than a dozen editions have been produced since 2004 with more than 18,000,000 units sold.

Page 161

Manga is filled with characters named Gori. But the one that is referenced here is not from a comic at all. Dr. Gori, a pun on his simian form, is the villain from the 70's live-action science-fiction series Spectreman. Americans living in the south may remember that the series was broadcast in English in the late 70's through Ted Turner's cable SuperStation TBS.

Page 192

Kodansha Comics cult hit Cromartie High School has been considered to be the goofy cousin of GTO. A high school set comedy with urban fiction elements, Cromartie features an \'93only in comics\'94 ensemble cast which includes at least two sentient robots, a talking gorilla, a Freddy Mercury impersonator, a teen in a wreslter's mask, a costume-wearing stand-up comedy duo, a ventriloquist, and a variety of more conventional teenage delinquents.

Page 192

While anyone called The Destroyer might find himself at home among the cast of Cromartie High School, this is actually a reference to one of the most beloved American wrestlers to perform in Japan\'92s All Japan Pro Wrestling, Dick Beyer. A masked wrestler, he won multiple individual and tag-team belts in a number of wrestling circuits on both sides of the Pacific and was inducted into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005.

Page 11

The Minoterror: This is an obvious homage to the Greek mythological creature the Minotaur. A man-eating beast with the head of a bull and the body of a human, the monster was said to live on the island of Crete where he was eventually confined in a labyrinth. Onizuka’s version of the Minotaur is much more frightening as his cosplay features a horse’s head, cape, and stilts!

Page 50

\

King Bug: While bug catching, and particularly beetle collecting, is not a hobby that is exclusive to young Japanese males, the game MushiKing, also known as King of Beetles, is not so widely-known outside of Asia. Developed in 1998 by international game producers SEGA, MushiKing is a card-based arcade game that pits beetle versus beetle in a battle to determine the strongest bug! Gameplay is relatively simple, but the trading card element has turned this property into a huge franchise with more than 160 million cards sold, spinning off multiple anime series and a manga published by Shogakukan.

Page 51

Shochu: While Vertical does not endorse underage drinking, our over-21 staff has partaken in its share of this Japanese alcoholic beverage. Unlike sake (Japanese rice wine), shochu is distilled like vodka or brandy, and can be made from a number of ingredients, such as brown sugar, sweet potatoes or buckwheat. Shochu has a greater alcohol content than sake, so it would not be surprising if even large beetles would get a bit intoxicated by a spiked syrup.

Page 65

Katana: Pass by any anime convention and patrons are bound to find a sword merchant in the dealer’s room. The vast majority of those swords are for display purposes and while they look impressive are rarely sharpened or forged to be deadly weapons. In Japan, where there is a long tradition of sword making, owning a katana, also known as a nihonto, is now regulated by local authorities and are generally only made by craftsmen mainly for sport or ceremonial purposes. Because of that, it was very shocking to see a young person carrying such a weapon these days.

Page 126

Mirrorman: Seeing Mirrorman referenced in an underground website might not be uncommon, but that is not due to his connections to the Japanese live-action tokusatsu (special effects) action show of the same name. Nowadays “Mirroman” refers to Kazuhide Uekusa, an economist and news commentator who in 2004 was arrested on sex offense charges after being accused of peeping up a teenage girl’s skirt with a mirror.

Page 127

BAD: The lyrics to Michael Jackson’s 1987 hit song BAD can randomly be seen in the background from within Kei’s secret recording compound. Known for its dance-filled 18-minute long music video, BAD was Jackson’s seventh Billboard chart-topper and it continues to be a song of choice for thugs of all persuasions.

Pages 117-140

The KT Corps, Midnight Angels, the L-Club, etc.: These fast-car-driving, chopper-racing and big-chain-wearing former(?) ne’er-do-wells can all be seen in their youth within the pages of the first series in the GTO universe Toru Fujisawa’s GTO: The Early Years (known in Japan as Shonan Junai-gumi). Fans of the series can complete their collection by picking up volumes 11 through 15 from Vertical.

Page 187

Agar Noodles: Often consumed in summer as they are only served cold, these noodles called tokoroten are a refreshing light dish made from a seaweed-based jelly. Tokoroten is extremely low calorie and full of dietary fiber and were something of a diet fad not long ago. Most servings are seasoned with either soy sauce, vinegar, or chives.

Page 190

Psychometrer EIJI: Written by Tadashi Agi, creator of Vertical’s The Drops of God, and drawn by Masashi Asaki for Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine, this tale revolves around a teen not unlike Eikichi Onizuka who, despite having gang tendencies, uses his abilities for justice. However, while Onizuka decides to go into education, Eiji uses his unique ESP abilities to help a young policewoman solve the mystery behind a serial murder case. To the untrained eye, the designs for Eikichi and Eiji are quite similar. Coincidentally, the original editor for GTO was none other than Tadashi Agi.