View source for Old Boy (manga)

{{Short description|Manga written by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox animanga/Header
| name            = Old Boy
| image           = Oldboymanga.jpg
| caption         = Cover to Vol. 1
| ja_kanji        = オールドボーイ―ルーズ戦記
| ja_romaji       = Ōrudo Bōi Rūzu Senki
<!-- | ja_romaji       = Old Boy: Loose Military History -->
| genre           = {{ubl|[[Action fiction|Action]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Aronson |first=Michael |title=Old Boy v1 |url=http://www.mangalife.com/reviews/OldBoyv1.htm |website=Manga Life |access-date=June 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081029122413/http://www.mangalife.com/reviews/OldBoyv1.htm |archive-date=October 29, 2008}}</ref>|[[Psychological thriller]]<ref name="remake">{{cite web |last=Loo|first=Egan|title=Steven Spielberg, Will Smith Discuss Remake of Oldboy (Updated) |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-11-07/steven-spielberg-will-smith-discuss-remake-of-oldboy |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=August 29, 2018 |date=November 7, 2008 |quote=Chan Wook-park adapted original film from Japanese psychological thriller manga}}</ref>}}
<!-- Genres should be based on what reliable sources list them as and not on personal interpretations. Limit of the three most relevant genres in accordance with [[MOS:A&M]]. -->
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Print
| type            = manga
| author          = [[Garon Tsuchiya]]
| illustrator     = [[Nobuaki Minegishi]]
| publisher       = [[Futabasha]]
| publisher_en    = {{English manga publisher|NA= [[Dark Horse Comics]]}}
| demographic     = ''[[Seinen manga|Seinen]]''
| imprint         = Action Comics
| magazine        = [[Manga Action]]
| first           = 1996
| last            = 1998
| volumes         = 8
| volume_list     = #Volumes
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Other
| title           = Live-action films
| content         = 
* ''[[Oldboy (2003 film)|Oldboy]]'' (2003)
* ''[[Zinda (film)|Zinda]]'' (2006)
* ''[[Oldboy (2013 film)|Oldboy]]'' (2013)

}}
{{Infobox animanga/Footer}}

{{nihongo|'''''Old Boy'''''|オールド・ボーイ|Ōrudo Bōi|lead=yes}} is a Japanese [[manga]] series written by [[Garon Tsuchiya]] and illustrated by [[Nobuaki Minegishi]]. The narrative follows the protagonist Shinichi Gotō, a man who, after a decade of incarceration in a private prison, is suddenly freed. After his release, Gotō must find his captors and discover the reason for his confinement.

''Old Boy'' was serialized in the [[Futabasha]] magazine ''[[Weekly Manga Action]]'' from 1996 to 1998, with a total of 79 chapters among eight collected volumes released during that time. The series was picked up for North American localization by [[Dark Horse Comics]] and released between 2006 and 2007. The manga was also adapted into an [[Oldboy (2003 film)|award-winning South Korean film]], directed by [[Park Chan-wook]] in 2003. In 2013, [[Spike Lee]] directed an [[Oldboy (2013 film)|American remake]] of the 2003 [[Park Chan-wook]] film.

==Plot==
Intoxicated and confused, 25-year-old Shinichi Gotō finds himself in a small room inside a private jail after being kidnapped and imprisoned during one fateful night for unknown reasons. 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 ten years of solitary confinement in a maximum security cell, with only a television for company, he is suddenly released. 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 mission to hunt down the identities of his captors and uncover the reason behind his imprisonment. However, it seems that the unidentified person behind Shinichi's captivity is not finished with him just yet, and thus begins a twisted game where only the winner survives.

===Characters===
;{{nihongo|Shinichi Gotō|五島 慎一|Gotō Shin'ichi}}
:The [[protagonist]] who was mysteriously captured and held hostage in solitary confinement for a decade.
;Takāki Kakinuma
:The villain, Gotō's 6th grade classmate who now seeks revenge for Gotō inadvertently shattering his sense of self-worth.
;Yukio Kusama
:A writer and Gotō and Kakinuma's 6th grade teacher.
;Eri
:A lady who became Gotō's girlfriend. She is actually a paid actress under hypnosis placed upon her by Kakinuma.
;Kyoko Kataoka
:Kakinuma's henchwoman.

==Media==

===Manga===
''Old Boy'' was serialized in the [[Futabasha]] magazine ''[[Weekly Manga Action]]'' from 1996 to 1998. A total of 79 chapters among eight ''[[tankōbon]]'' (collected volumes) were released in Japan from May 28, 1997, to October 28, 1998.<ref name="futabasha1">{{Cite book |title=株式会社双葉社 オールドボーイ 1(オールドボーイ) |year=1997 |isbn=4-575-82240-X |url=http://www.futabasha.co.jp/booksdb/book/bookview/4-575-82240-X.html |publisher=[[Futabasha]] |language=Japanese |access-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref><ref name="futabasha8">{{Cite book |title=株式会社双葉社 オールドボーイ 8(オールドボーイ) |year=1998 |isbn=4575823783 |url=http://www.futabasha.co.jp/booksdb/book/bookview/4-575-82378-3.html |publisher=Futabasha |language=Japanese |access-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref> Between June 19 and July 17, 2007, Futabasha re-released the entire series in five, larger volumes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=株式会社双葉社 書誌インデックス|url=http://www.futabasha.co.jp/booksdb/book/bookfind/?type=g&c=20000&word=%E3%82%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB%E3%83%89%E3%83%9C%E3%83%BC%E3%82%A4+%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BA%E3%82%BB%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AD%E3%83%96%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B3 |publisher=Futabasha |access-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref> In 2005, [[Dark Horse Comics]] bought the rights to make an English translation of the book for its customers worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 8, 2005 |title=News: Dark Horse Takes on Horror |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-10-08/dark-horse-takes-on-horror |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref> All eight volumes were released from July 5, 2006, to October 10, 2007.<ref name="darkhorse1">{{Cite web |title=Old Boy Vol. 1 TPB |url=http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/13-755/Old-Boy-Vol-1-TPB |work=[[Dark Horse Comics]] |access-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref><ref name="darkhorse8">{{Cite web |title=Old Boy Vol. 8 TPB |url=http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/14-388/Old-Boy-Volume-8 |work=Dark Horse Comics |access-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref>

====Volumes====
{{Graphic novel list/header
 | Language = Japanese
}}
{{Graphic novel list
 | VolumeNumber    = 1
 | OriginalRelDate = May 28, 1997<ref name="futabasha1"/>
 | OriginalISBN    = 4-575-82240-X
 | LicensedRelDate = July 5, 2006<ref name="darkhorse1"/>
 | LicensedISBN    = 1-59307-568-5
}}
{{Graphic novel list
 | VolumeNumber    = 2
 | OriginalRelDate = September 12, 1997<ref>{{Cite book |title=株式会社双葉社 オールドボーイ 2(オールドボーイ) |year=1997 |isbn=4575822744 |url=http://www.futabasha.co.jp/booksdb/book/bookview/4-575-82274-4.html |publisher=Futabasha |language=Japanese |access-date=May 15, 2011}}</ref>
 | OriginalISBN    = 4-575-82274-4
 | LicensedRelDate = October 4, 2006<ref>{{Cite web |title=Old Boy Vol. 2 TPB |url=http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/13-756/Old-Boy-Vol-2-TPB |work=Dark Horse Comics |access-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref>
 | LicensedISBN    = 1-59307-569-3
}}
{{Graphic novel list
 | VolumeNumber    = 3
 | OriginalRelDate = March 24, 1998<ref>{{Cite book |title=株式会社双葉社 オールドボーイ 3(オールドボーイ) |year=1998 |isbn=4575823201 |url=http://www.futabasha.co.jp/booksdb/book/bookview/4-575-82320-1.html |publisher=Futabasha |language=Japanese |access-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref>
 | OriginalISBN    = 4-575-82320-1
 | LicensedRelDate = December 4, 2006<ref>{{Cite web |title=Old Boy Vol. 3 TPB |url=http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/13-757/Old-Boy-Vol-3-TPB |work=Dark Horse Comics |access-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref>
 | LicensedISBN    = 1-59307-570-7
}}
{{Graphic novel list
 | VolumeNumber    = 4
 | OriginalRelDate = May 24, 1998<ref>{{Cite book |title=株式会社双葉社 オールドボーイ 4(オールドボーイ) |year=1998 |isbn=4575823325 |url=http://www.futabasha.co.jp/booksdb/book/bookview/4-575-82332-5.html |publisher=Futabasha |language=Japanese |access-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref>
 | OriginalISBN    = 4-575-82332-5
 | LicensedRelDate = February 7, 2007<ref>{{Cite web |title=Old Boy Vol. 4 TPB |url=http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/14-365/Old-Boy-Vol-4-TPB |work=Dark Horse Comics |access-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref>
 | LicensedISBN    = 1-59307-703-3
}}
{{Graphic novel list
 | VolumeNumber    = 5
 | OriginalRelDate = July 27, 1998<ref>{{Cite book |title=株式会社双葉社 オールドボーイ 5(オールドボーイ) |year=1998 |isbn=4575823538 |url=http://www.futabasha.co.jp/booksdb/book/bookview/4-575-82353-8.html |publisher=Futabasha |language=Japanese |access-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref>
 | OriginalISBN    = 4-575-82353-8
 | LicensedRelDate = April 4, 2007<ref>{{Cite web |title=Old Boy Vol. 5 TPB |url=http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/14-373/Old-Boy-Vol-5 |work=Dark Horse Comics |access-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref>
 | LicensedISBN    = 1-59307-714-9
}}
{{Graphic novel list
 | VolumeNumber    = 6
 | OriginalRelDate = August 28, 1998<ref>{{Cite book |title=株式会社双葉社 オールドボーイ 6(オールドボーイ) |year=1998 |isbn=4575823627 |url=http://www.futabasha.co.jp/booksdb/book/bookview/4-575-82362-7.html |publisher=Futabasha |language=Japanese |access-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref>
 | OriginalISBN    = 4-575-82362-7
 | LicensedRelDate = June 6, 2007<ref>{{Cite web |title=Old Boy Vol. 6 TPB |url=http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/14-386/Old-Boy-Vol-6 |work=Dark Horse Comics |access-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref>
 | LicensedISBN    = 1-59307-720-3
}}
{{Graphic novel list
 | VolumeNumber    = 7
 | OriginalRelDate = September 28, 1998<ref>{{Cite book |title=株式会社双葉社 オールドボーイ 7(オールドボーイ) |year=1998 |isbn=4575823694 |url=http://www.futabasha.co.jp/booksdb/book/bookview/4-575-82369-4.html |publisher=Futabasha |language=Japanese |access-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref>
 | OriginalISBN    = 4-575-82369-4
 | LicensedRelDate = August 1, 2007<ref>{{Cite web |title=Old Boy Vol. 7 TPB |url=http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/14-387/Old-Boy-Volume-7 |work=Dark Horse Comics |access-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref>
 | LicensedISBN    = 1-59307-721-1
}}
{{Graphic novel list
 | VolumeNumber    = 8
 | OriginalRelDate = October 28, 1998<ref name="futabasha8"/>
 | OriginalISBN    = 4-575-82378-3
 | LicensedRelDate = October 10, 2007<ref name="darkhorse8"/>
 | LicensedISBN    = 1-59307-722-X
}}
{{Graphic novel list/footer}}

===Films===
In 2003, it was adapted into the award-winning Korean film ''[[Oldboy (2003 film)|Oldboy]]'' by South Korean director [[Park Chan-wook]]. The film was a huge international success and went on to win various awards including the [[2004 Cannes Film Festival#Awards|Grand Prix of the Jury]] at the 57th [[Cannes Film Festival]] awards ceremony.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 23, 2004 |title=News: No Award for Innocence at Cannes |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2004-05-23/no-award-for-innocence-at-cannes |website=Anime News Network |access-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref>

In 2006, an Indian version titled ''[[Zinda (film)|Zinda]]'' and directed by [[Sanjay Gupta (director)|Sanjay Gupta]] received flak for being an unofficial, unauthorized remake.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://twitchfilm.com/2005/11/oldboy-makers-plan-vengeance-on-zinda.html <!--|old url=http://twitchfilm.net/archives/004169.html --> |title=올드보이 (Oldboy) Makers Plan Vengeance on 'Zinda' |work=TwitchFilm |date=November 16, 2005 |access-date=October 30, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204230453/http://twitchfilm.com/2005/11/oldboy-makers-plan-vengeance-on-zinda.html |archive-date=February 4, 2016 }}</ref>

A subsequent [[Oldboy (2013 film)|American film remake of the Korean film]] was directed by [[Spike Lee]] in 2013.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.slashfilm.com/spike-lee-confirmed-direct-oldboy/ |title=Spike Lee Confirmed to Direct 'Oldboy' |work=[[/Film]] |date=July 11, 2011 }}</ref>

==Reception==
In 2007, the ''Old Boy'' manga won an [[Eisner Award]] in the category of [[Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia|Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Japan]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-07-29/old-boy-wins-eisner-award |title=''Old Boy'' Wins Eisner Award |website=Anime News Network |date=July 29, 2007 |access-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref> Eduardo Chavez of Mania.com noted that "titles like ''Old Boy''... take their time to create a wonderful of paranoia and drama".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mania.com/old-boy-vol-03_article_82976.html |title=Old Boy Vol. #03 |last=Chavez |first=Eduardo M. |date=June 27, 2007 |work=Mania.com |publisher=[[Demand Media]] |access-date=January 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007035218/http://www.mania.com/old-boy-vol-03_article_82976.html |archive-date=October 7, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Anime News Network]]'s Carlo Santos praised the artwork, which "fits the tone of the series well" and the pacing of the story, but mentioned poorly developed characters.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/old-boy-gn-2 |title=Old Boy GN 2 - Review |author=Santos, Carlo |date=November 12, 2006 |website=Anime News Network |access-date=January 31, 2010 }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Anime and manga}}
* [http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/profile.php?sku=13-755 Page at Dark Horse Comics]
* {{Ann|manga|3987|Old Boy}}

{{Old Boy}}
{{Manga Action}}

[[Category:Old Boy| ]]
[[Category:Action anime and manga]]
[[Category:Dark Horse Comics titles]]
[[Category:Eisner Award winners]]
[[Category:Futabasha manga]]
[[Category:Manga adapted into films]]
[[Category:Psychological thriller anime and manga]]
[[Category:Anime and manga about revenge]]
[[Category:Seinen manga]]
[[Category:Suspense anime and manga]]