What is “You’re Under Arrest!”?

“You’re Under Arrest!” chronicles the adventures, lives, and loves of the traffic officers in Tokyo’s Bokuto Precinct. The main characters are two female officers, Miyuki--cool-headed, rational, highly organized gear-head and model police woman-- and Natsumi--a brash, emotional, terminally over-sleeping and disorganized speed-freak—who are partners, roommates, and fast friends. The stories are told both in graphic novel and animated format, with both versions containing different and continuity-wise compatible stories.

The storylines of both the animated series and the graphic novels move easily from light-hearted police procedurals--where the officers of the precinct square off with the nutty costumed vigilante known as the Amazing Strikeman, or prevent a major disaster when a fire breaks out during a traffic jam near a marathon route—to romantic comedy where all the officers of the precinct stake out Miyuki’s first date with fellow officer Ken Nakajima, or rally around the transsexual officer Aoi in an effort to protect his reputation.
While both the animated series and the graphic novels are light on action, the characters are all likable and the situations they are placed in are always amusing or dramatic. Fans of Fujishima’s better-known “Oh, My Goddess!” series should find much to like here, although those who swear by “No Need for Tenchi!” or “Dragonball-Z” may be bored and disappointed.

Only two of the graphic novels and the four-part animated series are available to North American audiences; Fujishima is, according to an editor at Dark Horse Comics, embarrassed at the quality of this early work. Many fans hope that he some day recants his opinion, because they would love to read more about these characters.