is a manga written by

Sho Fumimura , known by the pen names and , is a Japanese manga writer. Making his debut in 1972, he first found success with the hardboiled detective manga series ''Doberman Deka'' (1975–1979) alongside illustrator Shinji Hiramatsu. He is best-known f ...

, and illustrated by

Ryoichi Ikegami is a Japanese manga artist that usually works as the illustrator in collaboration with a writer. He is best known for ''Crying Freeman'' (1986–1988), written by Kazuo Koike, and '' Heat'' (1999–2004), written by Buronson. The latter won the ...

. It was serialized in

Big Comic Superior is a semimonthly seinen manga magazine published since July 1, 1987 by Shogakukan in Japan. Its target audience is somewhere between the audience for ''Big Comic Original'' and ''Big Comic Spirits''. The magazine has published works by a numb ...

from 1990 to 1995, then released into 12 volumes by

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics ( manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the H ...

. 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 an

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

OVA , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

and a series of live-action films.

Plot

''Sanctuary'' is a story that featured two childhood friends, Akira Hojo and Chiaki Asami, who ruthlessly struggle to set a new paradigm of living in Japan. However, the two friends take radically different paths (playing

rock-paper-scissors Rock paper scissors (also known by other orderings of the three items, with "rock" sometimes being called "stone," or as Rochambeau, roshambo, or ro-sham-bo) is a hand game originating in China, usually played between two people, in which each p ...

to decide their roles): Akira chooses the dark path and joins a

Yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the ter ...

gang, while Chiaki strives to become the youngest member of the

Japanese Diet The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a parall ...

. As survivors of the Cambodian killing fields, the two characters develop 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 succeed in their ambitions. Hojo successfully unites all of the major Yakuzas under his banner to extend the longevity of Yakuza (through educational reform) while Asami successfully becomes the youngest nominated politician to become Prime Minister of Japan. At the end of their journey, they return to where it all began: Cambodia. Unfortunately, Asami dies due to illness.

Characters

; : :Portrayed by: Toshiya Nakasawa :Don of the . Asami's childhood friend, he is heading towards domination over Japan's Yakuza corporations. By the end of the story, Hojo runs for the Diet. ; : :Portrayed by: Hiroshi Abe :Ambitious and strong-willed politician. He lived in Cambodia with Hojo's family in the 1970s. Asami's personal nemesis is 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 Prison after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. ; : :Hojo's former mentor, a through-and-through Yakuza who serves his boss efficiently, with an unshakeable loyalty. ; : :Portrayed by: Toshihiko Sakakibara :Young assistant of Hojo, who saved his new-born baby years ago. As with Tokai, he would give his life for his boss. ; : :Portrayed by: Azusa Nakamura :Deputy-chief in the district of Tokyo. Born in 1965 (vol.1 chap. 2) she is 27 at the time of the story. Went to

Tokyo University , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

. Kyoko later falls for Hojo and the feelings are mutual. ; : :Portrayed by: Naomasa Musaka :Subaltern of Ishihara, he knows Tokai very well, but he's a good policeman nonetheless. ; :The Trade Minister of the U.S. who falls for Asami and becomes a loyal foreign ally. ;Yuki :Asami's lover, a university student. ; : Hojo's advisor in the Yakuza. ; :A Hong Kong Don who at first double crosses Hojo and Asami before later aiding them again. ; : A Don who owes Hojo his life. ;Ibuki : A Don from Kobe and ally of Hojo. ; :The son of an old school politician who is both a trouble maker and playboy. He does everything he can to avenge his father's death and joins forces with Asami. ; :Leader of the

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

n mafia.

Media

Manga

Viz Media's English release was translated by cultural anthropologist

Rachel Thorn Rachel Thorn (formerly Matt Thorn; born May 12, 1965) is a cultural anthropologist and an associate professor in the Department of Manga Production at Kyoto Seika University's Faculty of Manga in Japan. She is best known in North America for h ...

. It was nominated for the 1995

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that we ...

for Best American Edition of Foreign Material.

Volume list

Adaptations

''Sanctuary'' was adapted in both a one-shot anime

and live-action theatrical release. Both versions were released in North America by Viz Media.

References

External links

* * * * {{Big Comic Superior 1995 films 1996 anime OVAs Juvenile delinquency in fiction Political thriller anime and manga Ryoichi Ikegami Seinen manga Shogakukan franchises Shogakukan manga Viz Media manga Yoshiyuki Okamura