is a Japanese
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
series written and illustrated by
Kaiji Kawaguchi
is a Japanese manga artist. He is known for works such as '' The Silent Service'', '' Zipang'', '' A Spirit of the Sun'' and '' Kūbo Ibuki''. Generally, his stories involve Japan and examine the moral choices that people make in extreme situati ...
. It was published in
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...
's ''
Weekly Morning
is a weekly Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Kodansha. It debuted in 1982 as and was rebranded as Morning in 1991 while still maintaining its weekly publication tradition. The digital edition of the magazine is titled . It is the sis ...
''
manga magazine
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics an ...
from 1988 to 1996 and collected in 32 volumes.
The series was adapted into an
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
television special and
original video animation
, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...
(OVA) series by
Sunrise
Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon.
Terminology
Although the S ...
. The special was released in North America by
Central Park Media
Central Park Media Corporation, often abbreviated as CPM, was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York and was headquartered in the 250 West 57th Street building in Midtown Manhattan (on the corner of Centra ...
.
In 1990, ''The Silent Service'' won the 14th
Kodansha Manga Award
is one of Japan's major manga awards. The event is sponsored by publisher Kodansha. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga in its third iteration since 1977.
Categories
The award was originally called the until 1968. In 1970, it was ...
for the general manga category. It has over 25 million copies in circulation, making it one of the
best-selling manga series.
A live-action film adaptation premiered in Japanese theaters in September 2023.
Plot
Following the
Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
, the
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
The , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy ( ...
jointly and secretly developed a
nuclear submarine
A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor, but not necessarily nuclear-armed.
Nuclear submarines have considerable performance advantages over "conventional" (typically diesel-electric) submarines. Nuclear propulsion ...
, ''Seabat'', with the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
. Chosen as co-captain is Shiro Kaieda (the other co-captain is an American), while ''Seabat''s crew is composed entirely of Kaieda's crew from his previous command. On ''Seabat''s maiden voyage, Kaieda abruptly takes control of the submarine, re-names it ''Yamato'' and declares it to be an independent state. Kaieda and his crew intend to sail to
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
to form a formal alliance with Japan, and the United States Navy musters its entire Pacific fleet (including its most modern warships) to stop him. The United States is determined to recover ''Yamato'' by any means, even if it risks another war with Japan, while the Japanese government is divided as to how the events surrounding ''Yamato'' will determine Japan's fate, and both governments remain unsure as to whether or not ''Yamato'' is actually armed with nuclear missiles.
In the OVA episode "Voyage 2", ''Yamato'' enters Tokyo Bay and a special meeting is arranged between Kaieda and the Japanese government. At this meeting, which is attended by the world press and televised live, a formal Treaty of Mutual Assistance is eventually concluded between Japan and ''Yamato''. Additionally, Japanese Prime Minister Takegami proposes, and Kaieda agrees, to place both the Japanese forces and ''Yamato'' under the aegis of the United Nations, and that ''Yamato'' should present itself at a special meeting of the United Nations Security Council. However, while ''Yamato'' is being reprovisioned inside the ''Southern Cross'', a secret refitting ship disguised as a tanker, President Bennett orders the American fleet to blockade the bay and launch an attack on the ''Southern Cross'' before ''Yamato'' can depart, and refuses to halt the attack when Takegami protests. Fukamachi, who has been unsure of Kaieda's plans/motives and whose sub ''Tatsunami'' is part of the Japanese escort fleet (which under orders can only act defensively and not attack), must now protect Kaieda and ''Yamato''.
In the OVA episode "Voyage 3", after escaping from the Tokyo Bay attack, ''Yamato'' begins its journey to New York, planning to travel underneath the Arctic Circle. However, President Bennett orders the implementation of "Operation Aurora", with ''Seawolf'', a newly-constructed nuclear submarine with the same (or superior) capabilities as ''Yamato'' commanded by John Alexander Bates, ordered to intercept and sink ''Yamato''. Bennett persuades Russian President Malenkov to withdraw all Russian submarines from the area, with the U.S. doing the same, believing that ''Seawolf''s destroying ''Yamato'' will restore America's prestige and show its military/political superiority to the world. Following a period of cat-and-mouse, ''Yamato'' heads for a narrow underwater crevice; ''Seawolf'' fires torpedoes after her, but ''Yamato'' successfully passes through. When ''Yamato''s sonar detects a signature similar to ''Seawolf'' ahead of them, Kaieda deduces that there is a second ''Seawolf'', ''King'', which is commanded by Bates' older brother Norman, and eventually tricks ''Seawolf'' into firing a torpedo that hits and destroys ''King''. ''Yamato'' engages in a game of "
chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...
" with ''Seawolf'' and wins with ''Seawolf'' suffering serious damage, and Kaieda sends a message to the world announcing the attack on ''Yamato'' by the U.S. before continuing on to New York.
Characters
;
:
:Former captain of the diesel submarine ''Yamanami'', selected as captain of the first Japanese nuclear submarine, ''Seabat''. During ''Seabat''s test voyage with the U.S. Navy, he orders his crew to fire a sonar torpedo against the U.S. Navy submarines, disabling their sonar systems, and escapes from the area. Later, Kaieda declares that his submarine is an independent state and re-names it ''Yamato''. His crew trust him implicitly, and he trusts them equally.
;
:
:CO of the Japanese Diesel submarine ''Tatsunami''; friend and rival of Kaieda. Kaieda and Fukamachi graduated from the National Defense Academy of Japan in the same year, and both were candidates for command of the new nuclear submarine ''Seabat''. Considered reckless and far more emotional while Kaieda is considered careful and methodical, he tries to figure out what Kaieda is up to and what his ultimate goal is.
;
:
:Executive Officer of the ''Yamato''; he has served with Kaieda for 10 years. The two trust each other's abilities.
;
:Navigation Officer of the ''Yamato''.
;
:
:Sonar Specialist of the ''Yamato''.
;Captain David Ryan
:
:U.S. Navy representative aboard the ''Seabat''. When Kaieda seizes control, he is taken prisoner and held aboard the ''Yamato'', although Kaieda allows him to move about the sub unrestrained.
;Admiral Steiger
:
:Commander of the United States Navy's Pacific Forces
;President Nicholas J. Bennett
:
:Current President of the United States; he is determined that the United States remain the dominant world power.
Media
Manga
''The Silent Service'' is written and illustrated by
Kaiji Kawaguchi
is a Japanese manga artist. He is known for works such as '' The Silent Service'', '' Zipang'', '' A Spirit of the Sun'' and '' Kūbo Ibuki''. Generally, his stories involve Japan and examine the moral choices that people make in extreme situati ...
. It was serialized in
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...
's
manga magazine ''
Weekly Morning
is a weekly Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Kodansha. It debuted in 1982 as and was rebranded as Morning in 1991 while still maintaining its weekly publication tradition. The digital edition of the magazine is titled . It is the sis ...
'' from 1988 to 1996. Kodansha compiled its individual chapters into thirty-two volumes, published from December 15, 1989 to June 19, 1996.
Anime
The manga was first adapted as an anime television special by
Sunrise
Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon.
Terminology
Although the S ...
, first released on video on December 18, 1995 and later broadcast on
TBS on March 3, 1996. Two
original video animation
, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...
(OVA) episodes produced by Sunrise were released from September 25, 1997 to January 25, 1998.
In North America,
Central Park Media
Central Park Media Corporation, often abbreviated as CPM, was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York and was headquartered in the 250 West 57th Street building in Midtown Manhattan (on the corner of Centra ...
's US Manga Corps dubbed the special,
and released it on VHS on July 7, 1998. It was later released on DVD on January 9, 2001.
Video games
;PlayStation
:''Silent Service'', released by Kodansha, September 28, 2000.
;Windows
:''Silent Service'', released by SystemSoft Alpha, May 12, 2000.
:''Silent Service 2'', released by SystemSoft Alpha, October 14, 2005.
Live-action
A live-action film adaptation was announced on January 25, 2023. The film is directed by Kohei Yoshino, with scripts written by Hikaru Takai, and Shinzō Matsuhashi and
Takao Osawa
is a Japanese actor.
Career
Osawa starred in the 2002 film ''Filament'' and the 2007 film '' Midnight Eagle''. He has also appeared in films such as Masayuki Suo's '' A Terminal Trust'' and Takashi Miike's '' Shield of Straw''.
The Newport Beac ...
serving as producers. Osawa will also play the lead role as Shiro Kaieda. The film was released by
Toho
is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...
and premiered in Japanese theaters on September 29, 2023, and was streamed on
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
as 8-part web series on February 9, 2024.
Reception
''The Silent Service'' won the 14th
Kodansha Manga Award
is one of Japan's major manga awards. The event is sponsored by publisher Kodansha. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga in its third iteration since 1977.
Categories
The award was originally called the until 1968. In 1970, it was ...
in the General manga category in 1990.
The first 29 volumes sold over 22 million copies.
It has sold over 25 million copies.
Some international readers and viewers were uncomfortable with the storyline. There were many arguments among international critics that the series promoted the idea of
militarism
Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mili ...
.
The manga was discussed in the
Japanese Diet
, transcription_name = ''Kokkai''
, legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet
, coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg
, house_type = Bicameral
, houses =
, foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...
and was popular with the Self-Defense Force.
Legacy
''The Silent Service'' inspired the Korean movie ''
Phantom: The Submarine'' (1999), especially, the story behind how the
Republic of Korea Navy
The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN; ), also known as the ROK Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, South Korean armed forces, responsible for naval and Amphibious warfare, amphibious operations. The South ...
obtains a
Sierra-class submarine
The Sierra class, Soviet designations Project 945 ''Barrakuda'' and Project 945A ''Kondor'', (List of NATO reporting names for submarines, NATO reporting names Sierra I and Sierra II respectively), are a series of Nuclear submarine, nuclear-powe ...
and the scene where they use a communication buoy cable against the
JMSDF
The , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy ( ...
submarine.
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silent Service, The
1996 anime OVAs
Alternate history anime
Central Park Media
Kaiji Kawaguchi
Kodansha manga
Manga adapted into films
Military anime and manga
Political thriller anime and manga
Seinen manga
Submarines in fiction
Sunrise (company)
Winner of Kodansha Manga Award (General)