Old Boy, Vol. 1 [Paperback]

Garon Tsuchiya (Author), Nobuaki Minegishi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 18, 2006

Ten years ago, they took him. He doesn't know who. For ten years he has been confined in a private prison. He doesn't know why. For ten years his only contact with the outside world has been a television set and the voice of his jailers. In time, he lost himself... changed... transformed himself into something else... something hard... something lethal. Suddenly one day, his incarceration ends, again without explanation. He is sedated, stuffed inside a trunk, and dumped in a park. When he awakes, he is free to reclaim what's left of his life... and what's left is revenge.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Comics and the movies more closely resemble one another in Japan than in the U.S. In adult manga like this 1997 hit later made into the successful movie Oldboy, the same scene is shown from different angles; the same focus is approached or departed from in ever closer or more distant panels that mimic moving-camera effects; and the degree and sources of light in the panels vary dramatically as well as according to setting (indoor/outdoor, day/night) and point of view (close, near, far). The obvious photographic sources of many panels further the cinematic resemblance. Only now being translated into English, this story is a revenge thriller. A man released after 10 years in a private lockup doesn't know why, by whom, or precisely where he was imprisoned, but he intends to find out. By volume's end, he's homing in on the lockup. There's a love interest (a noodle-shop waitress) and frequent cuts away to a rich guy who may be the culprit the hero seeks. Nobody looks cute; everybody looks tough. And marvelous. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse Comics (July 18, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593075685
• ISBN-13: 978-1593075682
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #899,972 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grown up without being "adult", July 6, 2008

By 

G. R. Harp "Keichi Morisato" (Saratoga, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Old Boy, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

This is an outstanding series with adult sensibilities, without being X-rated. The plot is fresh and strong. Lots of mystery and intense characters that live on the margins of society: the suspiciously devoted bar maid, the ex-secret service agent, the beautiful yet spinster ex-grade school teacher, and the obsessed business king. (Not all appear in the first volume.) At the center is Goto, whose response to grossly unfair treatment is to become stronger so he can face his enemies. And that he does.

Goto's gritty world is fascinating, and a refreshing escape tho I wouldn't want his life. My only question is, how can they drink so much booze and why in the world do they? Just a fixture of the genre, I guess.

4.0 out of 5 stars Art great, story hasn't really started, October 2, 2011

By 

Rachel - See all my reviews

This review is from: Old Boy, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

The art is fantastic, far beyond most mangaka except for the likes of Junji Ito and Samura. The characters are so expressive, and you can't really decipher them yet, but there is something deep about them. The dialogue is very minimum, and it's kind of redundant that he explains to his girlfriend the whole beginning of the book. But the character art is so expressive, and they don't need to speak for you to know how they're feeling.
The story so far is very weak, and there is no tension or build up, all you know is that someone is watching Old Boy and that's about it. The story moves very slow. He leaves his cell, meets a lady, works, someone is watching him, that is the entire first volume, and you probably wouldn't miss much just skipping it.
The art is fantastic, the story isn't flawed, it's just very slow, but it's going somewhere.
I highly recommend this manga nevertheless, as a great alternative to more mainstream staples like Naruto and Bleach.

1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The REAL Oldboy, June 14, 2011

By 

mrsticky005 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Old Boy, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

If you have ever heard of Oldboy chances are that you heard the movie first.
If you are expecting a manga version of that movie prepare to be disappointed.
If you have not seen the movie nor the manga and heard it was a revenge thriller
and are expecting something akin to the Count of Monte Cristo prepare to be
disappointed. If however you are expecting a great plot, classic iconic characters
and one of the greatest cat and mouse chases ever then prepare to be thrilled.
Old Boy is a manga (Japanese comic) that is meant for adults. Not just because
of the sex, violence, and language but because it has adult sensibilities unlike
it's movie counterpart. When you boil it down, the movie is just shock and awe.
It's a cheap thrill that once after a while wears off. However with the manga
things happen for a reason. I will admit that their some parts in the manga that
are just a little too much especially some stuff in later volumes concerning
hypnotism but as silly as such parts may be it never stops being interesting.
Fans of the movie are likely to complain that the pace of the manga is too slow.
However I would like to argue that the movie pace was only quick because there
was no real plot. It was basically get revenge and beat up anybody in my way.
Granted the manga is also about getting revenge. But it's more calm and collected.
The protagonist Shinichi Goto, the "Oldboy" trying to get revenge on the mysterious person who locked him away for 10 years seems to always keep his cool which to me is actually a bit refreshing. The whole "gone mad with vengeance"
trope that the movie loves to spam can be rather lame if not done right and
despite popular contention the movie does not do it right. It's refreshing
to see a guy who goes to get revenge WITHOUT turning into a complete moron.
It's one thing to be reckless but that doesn't mean one has to stop thinking
altogether. And that's another thing that's awesome about the manga. Everyone is always thinking and trying to get one step ahead in the cat and mouse game.
It's interesting to note that there is no real sense of urgency in the manga.
Shinichi Goto does not have to pursue his captor and can get just start a fresh.
However what's cool is that Shinichi Goto DOES try to track down and get revenge
against his captor. But the question is how far will he go? In some ways it's
kind of like Batman vs Joker. Batman tries to stop Joker but will he become
a criminal himself in order to do so? It's a battle of wits as well as a battle
of morals. There are a lot of things that the movie added that weren't in the
manga but the truth is that none of them were actually needed or for that matter
did much to help the movie. Again this manga is a story with adult sensibilities.
It's not meant for impatient kids. I don't mean that in a condescending way though. I love popcorn flicks just as much as anyone else. But sometimes I like
something with a bit more substance and Oldboy is that. Finally I would like to
comment on the manga vs movie ending. The movie ending is in a word: stupid.
Oh Dae Su proves himself to be a punk and the whole reason for the captivity
tries so hard and yet it fails so miserably. The manga ending is superior.
Shinichi Goto is a bad ass from start to finish. While Oh Dae Su was a ticking
time bomb, Shinichi Goto is always in control. The bad guy's reason for captivity at first seems like a "all for that!?" type deal but then when you think about
the reason it's actually rather understandable. The manga is very much character
based and while motives may not always be "logical" emotionally they make sense.
Oldboy is a relaxing read. But it's also engaging. It almost feels like you could just stop at any time but you don't since it's just that good.

Shinichi Goto drop kicks Oh Dae Su