Sukeban Deka

 is a Japanese "shōjo" manga series written and illustrated by Shinji Wada and serialized in "Hana to Yume" from 1975 to 1982. "Sukeban Deka" has been adapted into three live-action television series, an original video animation (OVA) series, and three feature films, the last of which was released as "Yo-Yo Girl Cop" in 2006. It has also inspired three spin-off manga: , a short story collection published in 2004, and and , two ongoing series that premiered in "Monthly Princess" in 2021.
Plot.
A 16-year-old "sukeban" (delinquent schoolgirl) named Saki Asamiya is offered by the police to become an undercover detective to escape prison. She initially refuses, so the police blackmail her by offering to pardon her mother, who is on death row for killing her husband, eventually forcing her to accept. Put under the tutelage of officer Kyouichiro Jin, she is given a metal yo-yo that doubles as a weapon as well as a police badge, and is made to infiltrate high schools around Japan to investigate and stop criminal activities. Her first destination is her former school, Takanoha High School, where Saki's place has been taken by the three Mizuchi sisters and their ring of illegal activities.
Media.
Manga.
The creation of "Sukeban Deka" was the result of a misunderstanding between the author Shinji Wada and the editors at Hakusensha. Wada was developing a high school drama, but the publisher expected detective story starring a high school student. At an impasse, Wada decided to combine the two concepts. Wada first published a pilot chapter titled in the August 5, 1975 ( 15) issue of "Hana to Yume" magazine. Later, "Sukeban Deka" became a serial, starting in the January 5, 1976 ( 1) issue of the same magazine, released in 1975. Disappointed by the fact he could never end a complete serial before, Wada planned earlier in production a dramatic final scene in which the protagonist would die. The last chapter of this original planning was serialized in the December 20, 1977 ( 24) issue, and was followed by an epilogue in the January 20, 1978 ( 2) issue.
Following "Sukeban Deka"s conclusion, Wada started a new serial, , in the March 20, 1978 ( 6) issue of "Hana to Yume". However, after one year of serialization, the series was poor received by readers, and Wada stopped it to restart "Sukeban Deka". Wada dubbed it as "part 2", and "Sukeban Deka" resumed in the February 5, 1979 ( 3) issue, announced as a "new series". The manga ran regularly in "Hana to Yume" until its December 5, 1982 ( 24) issue.
Since the original serialization, "Sukeban Deka" has been printed in four different collected editions; the original twenty-two volume "tankōbon" publication started on April 20, 1976, and ended on April 25, 1983. Hakusensha released a six-volume "aizōban" edition between March 3, 1987, and April 29, 1987, and a twelve-volume "bunkoban" edition between March 23, 1995, and June 21, 1995. The last reprint was done by Media Factory, who published twelve collected volumes between August 23, 2004, and July 23, 2005.
Spin-offs.
Wada published two "Sukeban Deka" short stories, set in a parallel universe, in the October 1998 and May 1999 issues of Hakusensha's "Melody" magazine. He published two more installments in the March and April 2003 issues of Media Factory's "Monthly Comic Flapper" magazine. Media Factory later collected the chapters in a "tankōbon" volume titled , which they published under the MF Comics imprint on June 23, 2004.
In 2021, almost a decade after Wada's death, Akita Shoten launched two spin-off manga series in "Monthly Princess" magazine. The first, , is written and illustrated by Saori Muronaga. It premiered in the February 2021 issue of "Monthly Princess" on January 6, 2021. The second, , is written and illustrated by . It premiered in the March 2021 issue of the magazine on February 5, 2021.
Television series.
The television series, though technically one series made up of three seasons, are essentially self-contained and separate, aside from sharing the same basic themes and premise, and starring popular Japanese idol singers in the main roles, each one replacing the previous as the new Saki Asamiya, taking on her cover identity and yo-yo weapon.
"Sukeban Deka", the first series from 1985, starred Yuki Saito as the titular character Saki Asamiya. Saito's own song "Shiroi Honō" was used as the theme song. Actress Yasuko Endō played Ayumi Mizuchi. Lasting 24 episodes, the series adapted the first part of the manga and was relatively faithful to it, only changing minor points, though it deviated more towards its conclusion. Unlike the manga, where Saki died at the end of a late arc unrelated to the Mizuchi sisters, the series produced an early ending in which Saki seemingly died in a burning building along with her enemy Remi Mizuchi.
The popularity of the first series allowed it to be followed up by in November 1985. This sequel starred Yoko Minamino, as Saito chose not to return in order to focus in her singing career. In accordance, although the series did base most of its storylines in the second part of the manga, Minamino portrayed an original character named Yoko Godai, a mysterious girl from Kansai forced to wear iron masks for most of her childhood. Yoko was liberated from the mask by a police agent named Nishiwaki (Keizo Kanie) that offered her a place in the Sukeban Deka program, and she accepted in exchange for help to find her disappeared dad. In the process, Yoko would be given the name of her presumably dead predecessor, Saki Asamiya, and a similar yo-yo weapon.
"Sukeban Deka II" contained connections to the first series, as Hiroyuki Nagato returned periodically to his role as the Dark Director, while Nishiwaki was revealed to be a former coworker of Kyoichiro Jin. However, in a departure from both the first series and manga, where Saki worked alone most of the time, "Sukeban Deka II" added two sidekicks for the main character: Yukino Yajima (Akie Yoshizawa), the refined heiress of a rich family from Kyoto who was also a Japanese martial arts expert, and Kyoko "Marble Okyo" Nakamura (Haruko Sagara), a street-wise Osaka native who excelled at street fighting and the usage of marbles as weapons. Despite those changes, the series actually surpassed the first in popularity, lasting 42 episodes and bringing the possibility of a third installment.
After the closure of the second season, Toei conceived an independent spin-off named to air before "Sukeban Deka III". It would be based around ninjas, taking inspiration from Sho Kosugi's ninja cinema and Shinji Wada's own manga "Ninja Flight", as well as from "Star Wars". However, early into production it was decided to merge both "Ninpucho" and "III" into a single series. The result was the official third season, . Launched in October 1986, it starred Yui Asaka as another original character after Minamino declined to return. Yui Kazama, a country girl from Kyushu who was recruited by the Dark Director and given the role of the third Saki Asamiya.
In the story, Yui was sent to Tokyo to meet up with her long lost sisters, Yuka (Yuka Onishi) and Yuma (), and they inherited the family's ninja art in order to solve the menace of a psychic terrorist known as the Emperor. Now turned into a trio of "kunoichi", they would battle the villain and his army, helped by their mentor Kazuya Yoda (Nagare Hagiwara) and the agents Reia Kido (Satomi Fukunaga) and Obiwan Osho (Hiroyuki Tanaka). At the end, it would be discovered that the Emperor was the father of the sisters and that Yui had a brainwashed twin sister. Yui herself rarely used the Saki Asamiya moniker and showed a very different personality compared to Saki and Yoko, and the series was more focused in fantasy than serious urban crime drama.
Despite a strong premiere and an ambitious length of 42 episodes scheduled in advance, "Sukeban Deka III" rapidly lost its momentum and didn't do well. During its airing the first feature movie of the franchise was released, "Sukeban Deka The Movie", which acted as a crossover between "II" and "III" (it also starred Ayako Kobayashi, the winner of a national audition grand prix), but it didn't help the franchise to recover its success. "Ninja Girl Romance" had its last episode in October 1987, and it was only followed by the feature film "", which featured the characters in a more traditional plot and gave conclusion to their series.
Feature films.
Two feature films of the TV series were made, followed by a sequel 18 years later.
Original video animation.
Released in 1991, the original video animation (OVA) follows closely the events of the first volumes of the manga. It is drawn in the style of the manga, particularly the character designs. One such example is the style of the Mizuchi sisters eyes, an example being Reimi Mizuchi, whose eyes would often shift to show off a more villainous appearance, or would narrow like a snake's.
Saki Asamiya is given a chance to delay her mother's execution by working as an undercover cop and infiltrating Takanoha High School to investigate some mysterious deaths among the student body. Once there, she comes face-to-face with the powerful Mizuchi sisters, who moved in and have taken control after her previous expulsion.
Reception.
The original manga has been described as a "massively popular gang girl series", and has sold over 20 million copies in Japan. Erica Friedman of Yuricon classified it as "one of the three classic girl-gang series" along with "Hana no Asuka-gumi" and "Yajikita Gakuen Dōchūki". Moreover, Friedman said "Sukeban Deka" influenced both and is "the origin of the whole girl-gang madness that filled the 1980s". She also stated the series paved the way for series such as "Revolutionary Girl Utena" and "PreCure". The series' popularity has proven to be longstanding as the TV drama's DVD rerelease sold 130,000 copies in 2005, which prompted Toei to produce the third live-action film. By 2013, it still affected popular culture with the TV drama ending inspiring "Kill la Kill" anime ending.
Regarding the content, Friedman commented on the atypical level of violence and sex for a "shōjo" manga. She also noted the mix of "shōnen" and "shōjo" art style, and concluded that it is a "shōjo" that can appeal for the "shōnen" public. Carlos Ross, writing about the OVA for "THEM Anime Reviews", stated that "Sukeban Deka" "is Asian action drama faithfully translated into the cel medium, and done well, to boot." Chris Beveridge, writing for "Mania Entertainment", felt the OVA was "a middle of the road release". Helen McCarthy in "500 Essential Anime Movies" states that the characters "are nicely drawn", the blossoming relationship between Saki and Sanpei "is handled convincingly", and that "teenagers will relate to the story's themes of betrayal, powerlessness, and being an outsider". Jonathan Clements and Helen McCarthy's "The Anime Encyclopedia" description of the series said it had an "essential silliness", although it is an "entertaining one-joke knockabout".