Umizaru (Japanese: 海猿; lit. 'Sea Monkeys') is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Shūhō Satō. It was serialized by Shogakukan in Weekly Young Sunday from 1998 to 2001. Yōichi Komori is credited with the original idea for the series, and he also did the research to make the series more authentic.
The series focuses on Daisuke Senzaki, an officer in the Japan Coast Guard, and tells the stories of shipwreck rescues and other incidents where the coast guard plays a role. The plotlines in the series were drawn from incidents and accidents which actually happened while the manga was being written (similar to the "ripped from the headlines" tagline used by various Law & Order series).
The manga has been adapted into two NHK high-definition specials, four films, and one drama series.
Contents
Media
Adaptations
Title: 海猿
Title (romaji): Umizaru
Also known as: Umizaru Evolution / Sea Monkey
Format: Renzoku
Genre: Action, human drama, romance
Episodes: 11
Viewership ratings: 13.1
Broadcast network: Fuji TV
Broadcast period: July 5–September 13, 2005
Air time: Tuesday 21:00
Theme song: Ocean by B'z
Synopsis:
The plot centers around Daisuke Senzaki alongside 13 other Japan Coast Guard officers working to become rescue divers. It shows their intensive 50-day training course, an elite route that only 1% of officers successfully qualify for. The story details their challenging training, their relationships, and their subsequent careers following graduation.
Cast:
Ito Hideaki as Senzaki Daisuke
Kato Ai as Izawa Kanna
Nakamura Toru as Ikezawa Masaki
Sato Ryuta as Yoshioka Tetsuya
Sato Hitomi as Komori Chika
Suzuki Kazuma as Fuyushiba Kosuke
Natsuyagi Isao as Katsuda Kotaro
Iida Kisuke as Miike Kenji
Sakamoto Akira as Iwamatsu Daigo
Hirayama Usuke as Yamaji Takumi
Miyake Hiroki as Bessho Kenjiroh
Usuda Asami as Hoshino Rei
Ichiki Ami Ono Yui
Okunuki Kaoru Ono Eriko
Yoshimoto Miyoko as Ikezawa Naoko
Masuoka Toru as Tsuda Shinpei
Ibu Masato as Higo Daisaku
Tokito Saburo as Shimokawa Iwao
Sakamoto Makoto as Nagashima Kenta
Ito Atsushi (ep1)
Karina (ep1)
Aoki Munetaka (ep1)
Namioka Kazuki as Tokunaga Masaya (ep4)
Fuse Hiroshi
Suzuki Honoka
Tanaka Tetsushi
Yashiba Toshihiro
Abe Ryohei
Production Credits:
Screenwriter: Fukuda Yasushi
Producer: Sekiguchi Shizuo (関口静夫), Suzuki Shintaro (鈴木伸太郎), Hashimoto Hasumi (橋本芙美)
Director: Hasumi Eiichiro (羽住英一郎), Kobayashi Yoshinori, Usui Hirotsugu
Music: Sato Naoki