Shonan Junai Gumi is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tooru Fujisawa. It was published by Kodansha from October 1990 to October 1996, compiled in 31 volumes, and has been re-released in a deluxe edition of 15 volumes, from May to December 2005. Multiple adaptations were established during the series’ run, such as a five-episode animeOVA series released on VHS from 1994 to 1997, a Japanese television drama, and several live action movies. This is the manga that introduced the character Eikichi Onizuka, who would later star in the more popular sequel series Great Teacher Onizuka. The deluxe edition of the manga has been licensed for North America by Tokyopop, which retitled it GTO: The Early Years, although the editions retain Shonan Junai Gumi as a subtitle. The first volume was released in June 2006. The Tokyopop editions ended with volume 10. Publisher Vertical Inc continued and concluded the series in 2012.
Plot
The story of Shonan Junai Gumi deals with the Oni-Baku duo, consisting of Eikichi Onizuka and Ryuji Danma, and their quest to lose their virginity and reach maturity. They are widely feared bōsōzoku, and are known for their tenacity and viciousness in a fight. However, this lifestyle does not endear them to the opposite gender, so they decide to change their ways. However, this is easier said than done. As the story unfolds, we meet the Oni-Baku's wide range of friends and foes, and the crazy situations they all get into. The story begins as a gag manga, but more serious issues present themselves as it continues, eventually striking a balance similar to that of GTO.
Shonan Junai Gumi is written and illustrated by Tooru Fujisawa. The series was published in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine between October 10, 1990 and October 2, 1996. The manga was compiled into thirty-one tankōbon volumes published by Kodansha between March 14, 1991 and December 11, 1996. It has been re-released in a deluxe edition of 15 volumes, from May 12 to December 9, 2005. In North America, the series was licensed by Tokyopop in 2005. The version released by Tokyopop was the fifteen-volumes deluxe edition by Kodansha. The first volume was released on June 13, 2006, and the series was discontinued after volume 10, published on February 9, 2009. In May 2011, Vertical announced the license of the series. Vertical release started with volume 11, published on February 21, 2012, and volume 15 was published on October 30, 2012. In November 2013, the December issue of Akita Shoten's Monthly Shōnen Champion announced a sequel spin-off manga to Shonan Junai Gumi, entitled Shonan Seven, starting on January 6, 2014. The manga is written by Fujisawa and illustrated by Shinsuke Takahashi. The manga finished on July 6, 2019 and has been compiled into seventeen tankōbon volumes. The first volume was published on June 6, 2014 and the last on September 6, 2019.
An OVA series was produced by J.C. Staff. The series has never been released on DVD.
Episode list
Drama
A five-episode adaptation was made between 1995 and 1997, starring Naoki Miyashita as Onizuka and Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi as Ryuji. A live-action web drama adaptation starring Kanichiro as Onizuka and Daichi Kaneko as Ryuji was released on Amazon Prime Video in Japan on February 28, 2020.
