is a Japanese

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series written and illustrated by

Kaiji Kawaguchi is a Japanese manga artist. He is known for works such as ''The Silent Service'', ''Zipang (manga), Zipang'', ''A Spirit of the Sun'' and ''Kūbo Ibuki''. Generally, his stories involve Japan and examine the moral choices that people make in ext ...

. It was published in

Kodansha is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...

's ''

Weekly Morning is a weekly Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Kodansha. It debuted in 1982 as . The digital edition of the magazine is titled . In 2006 a spin-off magazine called was launched (formerly bimonthly), featuring stories like ''Saint ''� ...

manga magazine Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is used ...

from 1988 to 1996 and collected in 32 ''

tankōbon is the Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...

'' volumes. The series was adapted into an

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, 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 Japane ...

television special and

original video animation , 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 ...

(OVA) series by

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology Al ...

. The special and the first OVA were later spliced together and released in North America into a single volume by

Central Park Media Central Park Media, often abbreviated as CPM, was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York and was headquartered in the 250 West 57th Street building in Midtown Manhattan (on the corner of Central Park, hence ...

. In 1990, ''The Silent Service'' won the 14th

Kodansha Manga Award is an annual award for serialized manga published in the previous year, the event is sponsored by the publisher Kodansha. It is currently awarded in three categories: '' shōnen'', '' shōjo'', and general. The awards began in 1977, initially w ...

for the general manga category. It has over 25 million copies in circulation, making it one of the

best-selling manga series The following is a list of the best-selling Japanese manga series to date in terms of the number of collected ''tankōbon'' volumes sold. All series in this list have at least 20 million copies in circulation. This list is limited to Japanese ...

Plot

During the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

, the

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

jointly developed a

nuclear submarine A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor, but not necessarily nuclear-armed. Nuclear submarines have considerable performance advantages over "conventional" (typically diesel-electric) submarines. Nuclear propulsion, ...

with the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. On its maiden voyage, the captain of the submarine, Shiro Kaieda, declares the submarine to be an independent state, "Yamato". Kaieda attempts to attend a UN summit in order to be recognized as an independent nation. However, many forces such as the United States Navy and the Soviet Navy try to stop Kaieda and his crew from reaching

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Characters

; :He was captain of the diesel submarine "Yamanami". Later, he was selected as captain of the first Japanese nuclear submarine, "Seabat". During a test with the U.S. Navy, he orders his crews to fire a torpedo against the U.S. Navy submarines and sneaks away from the area. Later, Kaieda declares that his submarine is an independent state and he names his state "Yamato". ; :CO of the Japanese Diesel submarine "Tsunami". Friend and rival of Kaieda. Kaieda and Fukamachi graduated from the National Defense Academy of Japan in the same year. Fukamachi was a captain candidate for the new nuclear submarine "Seabat". He tries to figure out what Kaieda is up to. ; :Executive Officer of the "Yamato". He worked with Kaieda for 10 years. The two trust each other's abilities. ; :Navigation Officer of the submarine 'Yamato'. ; :Sonar Specialist of the "Yamato".

Media

Manga

''The Silent Service'' is written and illustrated by

. It was serialized in

's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''

'' from 1988 to 1996. Kodansha compiled its individual chapters into thirty-two ''

'' volumes, published from December 15, 1989 to June 19, 1996.

Anime

The manga was first adapted as an anime special by

, first launched on December 18, 1995 and later broadcast on TBS on March 3, 1996. A two-episode

(OVA) produced by Sunrise was released from September 25, 1997 to January 25, 1998. In North America,

's US Manga Corps dubbed the first two episodes, and released them on VHS on July 7, 1998. It was later released on DVD on January 9, 2001.

Video games

For PlayStation :''Silent Service'' Released by Kodansha, September 28, 2000. For Windows :''Silent Service'', released by SystemSoft Alpha, May 12, 2000. :''Silent Service 2'', released by SystemSoft Alpha, October 14, 2005.

Reception

''The Silent Service'' won the 14th

in the General manga category in 1990. The first 29 volumes sold over 22 million copies. It has sold over 25 million copies. Some international readers and viewers were uncomfortable with the storyline. There were many arguments among international critics that the series promoted the idea of

militarism Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mili ...

. The manga was discussed in 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 paralle ...

and was popular with the Self-Defense Force.

Legacy

''The Silent Service'' inspired the Korean movie '' Phantom: The Submarine'' released in 1999. Especially, the story behind how

Republic of Korea Navy The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN; ko, 대한민국 해군), also known as the ROK Navy or South Korean Navy, is the naval warfare service branch of the South Korean armed forces, responsible for naval and amphibious operations. The ROK Navy in ...

obtains

Sierra-class submarine The Sierra class, Soviet designations Project 945 ''Barrakuda'' and Project 945A ''Kondor'', (NATO reporting names Sierra I and Sierra II respectively), are series of nuclear-powered attack submarines intended for the Soviet Navy and currently i ...

and the scene where they use communication buoy cable against the

JMSDF , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

submarine.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Silent Service, The 1988 manga 1996 anime OVAs Alternate history anime Central Park Media Kaiji Kawaguchi Kodansha manga Military anime and manga Political thriller anime and manga Seinen manga Submarines in fiction Sunrise (company) Winner of Kodansha Manga Award (General)