Ikebukuro West Gate Park is best known in Japan as a popular, 7-episode live-action J-drama in 2000 (which starred Ken Watanabe) from screenwriter Kankuro Kudo. The TV show is actually based on a 1997 short story from popular novelist Kankuro Kudo, whose work is typically focused on young 20-something otaku in Japan that decide to not go to college.
Ikebukuro West Gate Park is centered on Makoto Majima, a former high school delinquent who now spends his time hanging out and drinking nightly in the titular park. When a chance encounter with a beautiful ganguro style girl leads to Makoto being accused of rape and murder he vows to find the real culprit. This leads to Makoto forming a crew and developing a reputation in the underworld as someone who can solve problems (somewhat reminiscent of the Showtime series Ray Donovan). Studio Doga Koba is handling the anime adaptation of the series which has launched an official website and released a new key visual.
The series is set to premiere in July. Tomoaki Koshida is directing from an adapted script written by Fumihiko Shimo, while Junichirō Taniguchi handles character designs.
A 4-volume manga adaptation was serialized in Akita Shoten's Young Champion magazine from 2001 to 2004.