You're Under Arrest! (manga)

You're Under Arrest (逮捕しちゃうぞ) is the title of a manga and anime franchise created by Kōsuke Fujishima, which was his first manga before he was later known for Oh My Goddess!. It centers on a fictional police station in Sumida, Tokyo as its officers tackle everyday criminals while keeping people safe. It mixes both drama and action with some comedy and humor.

You're Under Arrest has been adapted into three television seasons, three OVA series and a live-action drama special after it had been first serialized by Kodansha's Afternoon magazine in 1987.

Story
The story revolves around Natsumi Tsujimoto and Miyuki Kobayakawa, two female members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and the protagonists of the show as they are stationed at the fictional Bokuto Police Precinct located at Sumida, Tokyo. The series is largely episodic, and much of it focuses on the interaction between the main characters and the humorous supporting cast.

The majority of the series take place in the Greater Tokyo Area. However, the site where the Bokuto Police Station is supposed to be does not exist in the Sumida Ward. In reality, the Bokuto Hospital takes its place.

Themes
Most of the series reflects on the standing friendship between Miyuki and Natsumi as they deal with their personal lives and their jobs as police officers, with some being portrayed as slice of life stories. The series also reflects the human side of Bokuto Station's various police officers in their field of work and in their personal lives outside of police work.

Media
The series was first adapted into a four-episode OVA series, directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi, which was released in Japan in 1994. An animated television series subsequently aired in Japan on Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) between 1996 and 1997, spanning a total of 52 episodes. A 26 episode sequel to the series also aired on TBS in 2001, followed by a third television series, You're Under Arrest: Full Throttle, which aired in 2006. Produced by Studio Deen, the series featured character designs by Atsuko Nakajima and music by Kow Otani and Yasunori Iwasaki. The first two television series were aired with English subtitles on AXN Asia's networks in Southeast Asia and South Asia.

The English version of the manga was published by Dark Horse Comics, which only contained selected episodes from volumes 6 and 7 (reportedly at Fujishima's request, resulting in continuity confusion by some fans of the series ). The final frame of the last Japanese volume refers to a Taiho Shichauzo 2, which has not yet been serialized.

AnimEigo licensed the initial OVA series, the first television series, and the only full-length television episode of ''You're Under Arrest! Specials'' for North American release. ADV Films subsequently released the mini TV episodes that comprised the rest of ''You're Under Arrest! Mini-Specials as well as the feature film You're Under Arrest! The Movie.'' The second and third seasons are licensed in North America by Sentai Filmworks and distributed by the new company Section23 Films. The OVA ''You're Under Arrest: No Mercy! (You're Under Arrest! in America)'' has not been licensed in Region 1.

Reception
You're Under Arrest was among the top 10 anime shows in Newtype's August 2001 issue.