Umizaru (Japanese: 海猿, lit. “Sea Monkeys”) is a manga series by Shūhō Satō which 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.

Manga

Adaptations

Umizaru (2004)

Umizaru Evolution (2005)

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: 2005-Jul-05 to 2005-Sep-13

Air time: Tuesday 21:00

Theme song: Ocean by B’z

Synopsis:

A story of friendship, love and the brutal training of 14 Japan Coast Guard officers becoming rescuer divers. The rescuer divers, on the front line in rescue activities in heavy seas and always one step away from death, are a group of specialists in a profession that only 1% of all Coast Guard officers qualify for. In order to receive that qualification they have to undergo 50 days of grueling training in rescue activities. The young Coast Guard officers, including Daisuke Senzaki, take on the challenge of that hellish training. The story concentrates on the lives of the divers after having passed their examination.

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

Limit of Love: Umizaru (2006)

The Last Message: Umizaru (2010)

Brave Hearts: Umizaru (2012)

Umizaru
Cover of volume 1
海猿
Genre	Drama, romance
Manga
Written by	Shūhō Satō
Published by	Shogakukan
Magazine	Weekly Young Sunday
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	1998 – 2001
Volumes	12
Live-action television film
Directed by	Yoshiko Hoshida
Written by	Yasuo Hasegawa
Original network	NHK
Released	July 13, 2002
Runtime	45 minutes
Live-action television film
Umizaru 2
Directed by	Yoshiko Hoshida
Written by	Yasuo Hasegawa
Original network	NHK
Released	August 18, 2003
Runtime	45 minutes
Television drama
Umizaru Evolution
Directed by	Eiichirō Hasumi, Yoshinori Kobayashi
Produced by	Shizuo Sekiguchi, Shintarō Suzuki, Fumi Hashimoto
Written by	Yasushi Fukuda
Music by	Naoki Satō
Studio	Fuji TV / Kyodo
Original network	Fuji TV
Original run	July 5, 2005 – September 13, 2005
Episodes	11
Related works
Umizaru Limit of Love: Umizaru Umizaru 3: The Last Message Brave Hearts: Umizaru