Sanctuary (manga)
Encyclopedia
is manga
written by Sho Fumimura, and illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami
. It was serialized in Big Comic Superior
from 1990 to 1995, then released into 12 volumes by Shogakukan
. It was published as 46 comic books and collected as nine volumes in America by Viz Graphics
from 1995 to 1997. Sanctuary was a bestseller in Japan, and inspired a live action film.
gang, while Chiaki strived to become the youngest member of the Japanese Diet
. Being survivors of the Cambodian killing fields
, the two characters developed an unmatched aggression and survival instincts, helping them to achieve their common ultimate goal: making Japan their own sanctuary.
The story starts with Hojo as a minor mob boss and Asami as a political advisor. The plot first focuses on their rise to positions of greater power. Hojo's rise is decidedly quicker than Asami's, whose struggle to get to the top lasts the entire manga. Hojo is a Yakuza Don by book 2. The story then follows his attempts to gain control over the entire Yakuza while secretly paving the way for them to become a legitimate enterprise. Asami, meanwhile, must try to enter the Diet by forming his own party that represents the younger people of Japan. He is constantly opposed by the current Dietmen, who are aging politicians intent on holding onto power (often considered to be a thinly-veiled reference to the Liberal Democratic Party
).
By the end of the series, both Hojo and Asami succeeded in their ambitions. Hojo successfully united all of the major Yakuzas under his banner to extend the longevity of Yakuza (through educational reform) while Asami successfully became the youngest nominated politician to become Prime Minister of Japan. At the end of their journey, they returned to where it all began, Cambodia. Unfortunately, Asami died due to illness.
and live-action theatrical release. Both versions were released in North America by Viz Media
, who also distributes the manga.
Viz Media
's English release was translated by cultural anthropologist Matt Thorn
.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
written by Sho Fumimura, and illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami
Ryoichi Ikegami
is a manga artist. He was assistant to manga artist Shigeru Mizuki in 1966. In 2001, he won the Shogakukan Manga Award for general manga as the artist of Heat. He became a professor at Osaka University of Arts in 2005...
. It was serialized in Big Comic Superior
Big Comic Superior
is a semimonthly seinen manga magazine published since 1987-07-01 by Shogakukan in Japan. Its target audience is somewhere between the audience for Big Comic Original and Big Comic Spirits....
from 1990 to 1995, then released into 12 volumes by Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
. It was published as 46 comic books and collected as nine volumes in America by Viz Graphics
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
from 1995 to 1997. Sanctuary was a bestseller in Japan, and inspired a live action film.
Plot
Sanctuary is a political thriller and crime story that featured two childhood friends, Akira Hojo and Chiaki Asami, who are ruthlessly struggling to set a new paradigm of living in Japan. However, the two friends took radically different paths (playing Rock Paper Scissors to decide who does what): Akira chose the dark path and joined a YakuzaYakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
gang, while Chiaki strived to become the youngest member of the Japanese Diet
Diet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
. Being survivors of the Cambodian killing fields
The Killing Fields
The Killing Fields are a number of sites in Cambodia where large numbers of people were killed and buried by the Khmer Rouge regime, during its rule of the country from 1975 to 1979, immediately after the end of the Cambodian Civil War ....
, the two characters developed an unmatched aggression and survival instincts, helping them to achieve their common ultimate goal: making Japan their own sanctuary.
The story starts with Hojo as a minor mob boss and Asami as a political advisor. The plot first focuses on their rise to positions of greater power. Hojo's rise is decidedly quicker than Asami's, whose struggle to get to the top lasts the entire manga. Hojo is a Yakuza Don by book 2. The story then follows his attempts to gain control over the entire Yakuza while secretly paving the way for them to become a legitimate enterprise. Asami, meanwhile, must try to enter the Diet by forming his own party that represents the younger people of Japan. He is constantly opposed by the current Dietmen, who are aging politicians intent on holding onto power (often considered to be a thinly-veiled reference to the Liberal Democratic Party
Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)
The , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a centre-right political party in Japan. It is one of the most consistently successful political parties in the democratic world. The LDP ruled almost continuously for nearly 54 years from its founding in 1955 until its defeat in the 2009 election...
).
By the end of the series, both Hojo and Asami succeeded in their ambitions. Hojo successfully united all of the major Yakuzas under his banner to extend the longevity of Yakuza (through educational reform) while Asami successfully became the youngest nominated politician to become Prime Minister of Japan. At the end of their journey, they returned to where it all began, Cambodia. Unfortunately, Asami died due to illness.
Adaptations
Sanctuary was adapted in both a one-shot anime OVAOriginal video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
and live-action theatrical release. Both versions were released in North America by Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
, who also distributes the manga.
Characters
- Hojo Akira : don of the Sagara Alliance, Asami's childhood friend, he's heading towards domination over Japan's yakuza corporations. By the end of the story, he's running for the diet.
- Asami Chiaki : ambitious and strong-willed politician. He lived in Cambodia with Hojo's family in the 70's. His personal nemesis is Isaoka.
- Isaoka : an "old fox" with all the connections one can imagine at every economic, politic and illegal level possible. He served a prison sentence in Sugamo after WWII.
- Mr. Tokai : Hojo's former mentor, a through-and-through yakuza who serves his boss efficiently, with an unshakeable loyalty.
- Tashiro : young assistant of Hojo, who saved his new-born baby years ago. As Tokai, he would give his life for his boss.
- Ishihara Kyoko : Born in 1965 (vol.1 chap. 2) she's 27 at the time of the story. Went to Todaï. Deputy-chief in the district of Tokyo.
- Ozaki : subaltern of Ishihara, he knows Tokai very well, but he's a good policeman nonetheless.
Volumes
- Volume 1 (Japan): 1990-12-01
- Volume 2 (Japan): 1991-06-01
- Volume 3 (Japan): 1991-09-01
- Volume 4 (Japan): 1992-04-01
- Volume 5 (Japan): 1992-11-01
- Volume 6 (Japan): 1993-05-01
- Volume 7 (Japan): 1993-11-01
- Volume 8 (Japan): 1994-03-01
- Volume 9 (Japan): 1994-07-01
- Volume 10 (Japan): 1994-10-01
- Volume 11 (Japan): 1995-03-01
- Volume 12 (Japan): 1995-06-01
Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
's English release was translated by cultural anthropologist Matt Thorn
Matt Thorn
Matt Thorn is a cultural anthropologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Manga Production at Kyoto Seika University's Faculty of Manga in Japan. He is most well known in North America for his work dealing with shōjo manga. He has appeared at multiple anime conventions, including...
.