The drama is centered around Hirokawa Hajime, a family court investigator, and deals with juvenile crimes that take place in local family courts. During his work he confronts boys and girls who have committed crimes head-on and investigates the truth behind the cases. In the process, we learn about their family backgrounds and circumstances.

Shounen-tachi (Boys) was a 3 episode mini-drama broadcast on NHK General TV's "NHK Dramakan" and "Monday Drama Series" slots from December 5th to December 19th, 1998. It was Yamapi's first drama appearance and has 2 sequel series with the same main lawyers, but different clients.

Hajime Hirokawa (Takaya Kamikawa) - Newly appointed investigator at the family court
Tomoko Oda (Yumi Aso) - Investigator at the family court
Tamotsu Shindo (Takeo Chii) - Chief investigator at the family court
Katsushiro Toyama (Mansaku Fuwa) - Manager
Takashi Ueno (Ryohei Kunieda
Kei Matsushita (Masaki Aiba) -
Shinya Kakuta (Tomohisa Yamashita)
Rika Kanzaki Saka Yoshino
Koichi Sugita (Issei Takahashi)
Tsuneo Matsushita (Ryūki Hagiwara) - Kei's father
Rie Kakuta (Setsuko Karasuma) - Shinya's mother
Yumiko Kanzaki (Hiromi Iwasaki) - Rika's mother
Shinichiro Sugita (Toshio Kurosawa) - Koichi's father

• Scriptwriter: Masao Yajima
• Directed by: Sakae Okazaki, Sho Yoshinaga
• Music by: Toshiyuki Watanabe