The appeal and evaluation of "The Silent Don" - a Yakuza side story

Silent Don YAKUZA SIDE STORY - Silent Don Yakuza Side Story -

■ Public Media

OVA

■ Original Media

comics

■ Release date

July 1, 1991

■Frequencies

45 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

・Original story by Tatsuo Nitta

■ Director

・Director: Hajime Kamegaki

■ Story

Kondo Shizuka, who works at an underwear manufacturer, is a dull man who is always getting scolded by his boss. But in fact, Shizuka is the only son of the boss of the Shinsengumi, a regional gang. And when his father, the second boss, is killed by the rival Choshu-gumi, Shizuka becomes the third boss. Thus, Shizuka lives as a dull, ordinary salaryman by day and the third boss of a yakuza gang by night.

■Explanation

The original work is a popular manga of the same name by Nitta Tatsuo, which depicts the rise and fall of gangsters with a dash of nonsense humor. It has been adapted into an anime, TV drama, video drama, live-action film and other media. "The Silent Don" was first serialized by Nitta Tatsuo in 1989 and quickly gained popularity. The appeal of the original work is that it depicts the harsh world of the yakuza in a comical way, providing readers with both laughter and emotion. The OVA version faithfully retains the essence of the original work, and further enhances its appeal by adapting it to video.

The OVA version was produced by Toho Co., Ltd. and Tokyo Movie Shinsha, and was directed by Kamegaki Hajime. Kamegaki Hajime is skilled at effectively depicting a story in the short time of an OVA, and his direction has beautifully recreated the worldview of the original work. In addition, Oshikawa Kuniaki, who wrote the script, put together the story without losing the humor of the original work, and put in a lot of effort to make it enjoyable for viewers.

Nabeshima Osamu was appointed as the character designer and animation director, and his unique touch adds a new charm to the work. Nabeshima's designs faithfully reproduce the characters from the original work while also depicting the movements and expressions unique to OVAs. In addition, with the cooperation of sound director Okuma Akira and music composer Miyazaki Shinji, the sound was created to further enhance the atmosphere of the work.

■Cast

・Kondo Shizuya/Matsumoto Yasunori/Kondo Tae/Matsushima Minori/Akino/Touma Yumi/President/Oki Tamio/General Manager/Nishikawa Ikuo/Nogo/Suzuki Kiyonobu/Matsudaira/Tahara Arno/Hijikata/Ogata Kenichi/Ikukura/Sato Masaharu/Inokubi/Watanabe Takeshi/Choshu/Hirose Masashi

Among the cast members, Matsumoto Yasunori was cast as Kondo Shizuka, and his acting ability contributed to drawing out the character of Shizuka in greater depth. Matsumoto Yasunori perfectly expressed Shizuka's unreliability and strength as a yakuza, leaving a strong impression on viewers. In addition, the voice actors who played each character, such as Matsushima Minori as Kondo Tae and Touma Yumi as Akino, also performed their respective roles well, raising the quality of the entire work.

■ Main staff

・Original Story: Tatsuo Nitta ・Screenplay: Kuniaki Oshikawa ・Chief animation director, character design: Osamu Nabeshima ・Sound director: Akira Okuma ・Music: Shinji Miyazaki ・Director: Hajime Kamegaki ・Produced by Toho Co., Ltd. and Tokyo Movie Shinsha

As you can see from the lineup of main staff, this is a work produced by a group of professionals from various fields. Tatsuo Nitta, the original author, had high hopes for his work to be made into an OVA, and the entire staff worked hard to live up to those expectations. In particular, director Kamegaki Hajime respected the worldview of the original work while successfully drawing out new appeal by adapting it into a film. In addition, screenwriter Oshikawa Kuniaki worked hard to bring the story together without compromising the humor of the original work, and to ensure that viewers would enjoy it.

■ Main Characters

Kondo Shizuka is a designer for a women's underwear manufacturer called "Pretty," but he has no sense of fashion. He is a somewhat unreliable young man who is far from being a yakuza. However, his father is actually the head of the Shinsen-gumi, the largest yakuza group in the Kanto region, and when something happens, he shows his true face as a big boss.

Kondo Shizuya is a central character in both the original manga and the OVA, and his growth and change are a major axis of the story. Shizuya leads a double life, working as a boring office worker during the day and acting as the boss of a yakuza gang at night. This contrast is one of the charms of the work and what draws viewers in. Shizuya's character is also both unreliable and strong, and his humanity resonates deeply with viewers.

■ Evaluation and recommendation

"The Silent Don: Yakuza Side Story" is a work that has retained the charm of the original work while bringing out new appeal through the medium of OVA. In particular, the story centered around the character of Kondo Shizuka provides both laughter and emotion, leaving a strong impression on viewers. Thanks to the efforts of the cast and staff, the quality of the work as a whole is very high.

The reasons why I recommend this work are as follows:

• The fact that it faithfully retains the charm of the original
• The fact that the story is told effectively in the short time frame of an OVA
• The overall quality of the work is high thanks to the efforts of the cast and staff.
• The fact that Kondo Shizuka's character resonates deeply with viewers
• The appeal of the story is that it is both funny and moving.

This work is recommended not only for fans of the original work, but also for those who like OVAs and Yakuza stories. It is especially recommended for those who are interested in Kondo Shizuka's double life and his growth and change. Also, because the OVA medium brings out new charms, even those who are unfamiliar with the original work can enjoy it.

Related information

"The Silent Don" has been adapted into various media, including not only OVAs, but also TV dramas, video dramas, and live-action films. In particular, the TV drama version was broadcast in 1994 and recorded high audience ratings. The live-action film version was released in 2000 and also gained many fans. These media adaptations have made the worldview and characters of "The Silent Don" even more widely known.

In addition, the original author, Tatsuo Nitta, has created many other popular works, and his works have had a major impact on Japanese manga culture. In particular, "The Silent Don" is one of his masterpieces, and its humor and moving story is loved by many readers.

Conclusion

"The Silent Don: Yakuza Side Story" is a work that has retained the charm of the original work while bringing out new charms through the OVA medium. The story, which revolves around the character of Kondo Shizuka, is both funny and moving, leaving a strong impression on viewers. Thanks to the efforts of the cast and staff, the quality of the work as a whole is very high. This work is recommended not only to fans of the original work, but also to those who like OVAs and yakuza-related works. It is a must-see, especially for those who are interested in Kondo Shizuka's double life and his growth and change. Also, because the OVA medium brings out new charms, even those who are unfamiliar with the original work can enjoy it.