Loose Senki: Old Boy

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Alternative Titles

Japanese: ルーズ戦記オールドボーイ

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Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 8

Chapters: 79

Status: Finished

Published: 1996 to 1998

Genres: Action, Drama, Mystery

Theme: Psychological

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Manga Action

Authors: Caribu, Marley (Story), Minegishi, Shinmei (Art)

Statistics

Score: 7.26¹ (scored by 6,926 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #5348²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #1041

Members: 19,097

Favorites: 262

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Wikipedia

7.26

Ranked #5348Popularity #1041Members 19,097

MangaManga ActionCaribu, Marley (Story), Minegishi, Shinmei (Art)

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Volumes: /8

Chapters: /79

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Synopsis

Drugged and confused, Shinichi Gotou wakes up in a small room inside a private prison. Despite his pleadings, none of the guards will tell him who kidnapped him or why he is being held captive. As the days go by, his forced isolation slowly takes a toll on his sanity. He finds an outlet through training his mind and body for the day he will be able to wreak vengeance.

After 10 years, Shinichi is finally free. Once outside, he encounters a much changed world. His long imprisonment ripped him from society and kept him from having the normal life he desired. With nothing to lose, he begins his hunt for the one responsible. However, it seems that the person behind Shinichi's captivity is not done with him just yet, and thus begins a twisted game where only the winner survives.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

In 2003 Loose Senki: Old Boy was adapted into a film Old Boy by the Korean director Park Chan-wook, with many plot points completely altered. The film won the Examiner's Special Grand Prix at the 57th Cannes Film Festival in 2004. In 2013, a remake of the same name was directed by the American director Spike Lee, but received mixed critical reception.

The series was published in English by Dark Horse Comics from July 18, 2006 to October 16, 2007, and in Brazil by NovaSampa Editora from January 2013 to September 2014.

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Characters

Gotou, Shinichi

Main

Kakinuma, Takaaki

Main

Kyoko, Kurata

Supporting

Kyoko, Kataoka

Supporting

Hirose, Suzanne

Supporting

Eri

Supporting

Nambu

Supporting

Yamashiro

Supporting

Hirado

Supporting

Kawabe

Supporting

Reviews

Apr 13, 2013

steven90925

Recommended

A man finds himself imprisoned for a reason unknown to him for ten years before he is released. He keeps himself sane by acknowledging one logic of the situation - that he is still alive. With his past behind him and nothing to lose, his only goal is to find a man who has kept him imprisoned all this time.

The world of manga, much unlike its brother in the western culture (i.e. comics), is undoubtedly plagued with fictions that do no better than to establish a rather conventional story, a rather predictable set of characters, and art that is well refined but nothing reflective ... of the real world. With Oldboy, however, the rules of convention are left completely neglected. There is nothing enticing about Oldboy as a manga at the first glance. Characters are just people dressed in normal clothes and with no dramatic expression on their faces. Little amount of action takes place in relation to the whole manga. The setting mostly takes place in Tokyo - again, nothing extraordinary.

What makes this manga unique within its first chapter from other mangas is the concept behind the whole story. The idea of a man being imprisoned for ten years where he was well-fed, provided a room with full bathroom and TV, plus monthly haircut service, as part of the act of a vengeance is truly extraordinary. On top of that, this was done at an expense of 300 million yen (roughly = 3 million US dollars), all paid by the perpetrator. Could he not have sent an assailant after a person whom he clearly loathes and have him murdered? Or even tortured? Why imprison him at a place that have costed him 300 million yens to pay for... especially with the intent of releasing him some time later?

One of the unfortunate drawbacks of the manga is that it's too long. The motive behind the story is truly captivating and intriguing, but, even with all the fascinating characters, their development and interactions in between, it takes simply too long for the truth of it all to unravel. However, the sheer volume of the events that take place before the truth is revealed is not without purpose. All the events leading up to the final moment of truth do contribute to the ultimate impact of the motive behind the antagonist. There is an underlying theme in this manga that is as thought-provoking as it is melancholic. What is it that keeps us going in the world of superficial people, unfairly played games and the ultimate demise that is as forthcoming to all of us as a clock clicking towards the next minute? No one is safe from the imperfection that prevails in our world, and Kakinuma - the antagonist - in particular has a surprisingly heartfelt story to tell. Then, at the core of it all, is Gotou, a man who is honest and empathetic to the point of them being a flaw to his character.

Where this manga truly thrives is its subtle dramatization of the characters and the relationships they build throughout. Unlike the heroes and the bad guys of most conventional mangas, the characters here are not immune to the flaws of humanity: the greed and carelessness that comes with our self-preservative intents; the vulnerability to establishing meaningful relationships; and - among the most damaging quality of humanity - the ability and the sense of obligation to care. These characters are no different from people who we may encounter in our lives, and are as respectable, flawed, and despicable as our friends and foes alike are.

Oldboy is a manga of highly realistic characters that have found themselves within the grasp of an unbeatable nemesis to humanity. It is frustrating, dark, and depressing, but it is also touching and also surprisingly sympathetic. The underlying atmosphere of melancholy is haunting and well established through not only the story, but the never-exaggerated, subtle portrayal of characters and the settings. This truly is a triumph in both the world of manga and literature. 9/10.

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Mar 24, 2020

NosyMuggle

Mixed Feelings

Just to say: the Korean version of the movie is definitely better.

Old Boy is a manga that started with a great premise: a man was imprisoned for ten years by a mysterious person. He is then released and has to find out who did this to him and why.

It started really good. The ways he used to track the steps of the mysterious man were really innovative and cool. Nevertheless, while I was reading it, it seemed to me that the author started the story without an idea on how to end it, so he was just dragging the story ever further. It took 8 ...

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Mar 1, 2021

Curiouswanderer

Not Recommended

Preliminary (30/79 eps)

Yknow I really really wanted to like this old skool manga so much because I was looking for the damn movie everywhere and it wasn’t on Netflix and I heard a few anitubers talk about it. The opening were promising, with a man trying to find out why he was imprisoned by the mafia in an odd room and why he was set free? The man was actually treated nicely as well as the Mafia giving him 1000 yen. He then meets a girl from a noodle shop and the two hit off. That's where I began to lose interest in the story; I ...

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