"Ikebukuro West Gate Park" became famous as a TV drama series, but it was originally a short story written by Ishida Ira, which won the 36th All Yomimono Mystery Novel Newcomer Award. This work has been developed in many ways, including novels, TV dramas, comics, and stage plays, and it deals with various social issues, with many of the stories referencing actual events. It has also been decided that it will be made into an anime in July 2020, which will once again attract attention to IWGP. So, for those of you wondering what kind of work IWGP is, we would like to give you a brief introduction to the content.
A story of young people centered around Ikebukuro
The protagonist Makoto Majima, who lives near Ikebukuro West Exit Park in Tokyo, is asked to do various difficult tasks. Makoto is curious and kind, so he sticks his nose into cases, solves them in unconventional ways, and ultimately protects the peace of the town. This work is a crime novel that depicts the youth of young people living in Ikebukuro, centered around Makoto. Most of the characters in the work are what you might call "losers," and Makoto is a high school graduate and part-time worker, and is treated as such a nuisance that he is called the "Ikebukuro troubleshooter." This work is written in the form of a first-person novel based on Makoto's recollections, and the mystery is explained at the beginning, after which the events unfold.
Will the story take a sudden turn after Rika's death?!
Thanks to their encounter with Mizuno Shunji, Makoto and Masa meet Nakamura Rika and Shibusawa Hikariko.
The five of them are having fun playing around and enjoying their days when an incident occurs at a love hotel in Ikebukuro. A serial attempted strangulation of high school girls by a man known as "The Strangler". This case eventually escalates into a murder case, with the victim being Makoto's friend Rika. Rika's death leads Makoto to track down the Strangler together with Ando Takashi, known as "King", leader of the G Boys. However, the culprit is not the Strangler... Who is the real culprit who killed Rika?! Starting with this incident, Makoto and his friends become embroiled in many incidents occurring in Ikebukuro.
Differences between the original and the TV drama version
While the original is a cool and stylish work, the TV drama version is a violent action comedy.
While Makoto in the original is a smart guy who doesn't get angry, he gets really angry in the TV drama version (lol). As for King, he appeared as the son of a bathhouse owner, and where did the cool and mysterious King who was called the "Ice King" in the original go...? However, the catchphrase "Don't break it! Don't close it! See you in Ikebukuro!", which was also on the obi of the original "Boy Counting Machine Ikebukuro West Gate Park II", is firmly adhered to, and both the original and the TV drama version have a strong message.
What kind of work is it? Summary of the plot of Ikebukuro West Gate Park
What did you think?
The order of release is novel (1998) → TV drama (2000) → comic (2001) → stage (2017) → anime (scheduled for July 2020).
The most popular TV drama version is based on the first and second volumes of the original manga, "Fairy Garden" and "Boy Counting Machine," with some original episodes added in.
It has a total of 11 episodes, is easy to watch with many comedic elements, so if it's your first time watching Ikebukuro West Gate Park, we recommend starting with the TV drama version.
It will be interesting to see whether the anime version sticks to the original manga, or the more well-known TV drama version!!
