It describes the daily life of Ashibe, an elementary school boy, and his family and friends, including his spotted seal pup named Goma-chan.

A second manga series, titled ComaGoma, which depicts Ashibe as a second grade student, was serialized in Weekly Young Jump from 2000 to 2004, with its chapters collected in six volumes.

Goma-chan, illustrated by Junko Ogino, was published in Futabasha's Monthly Action and Manga Town [ja] from 2016 to 2018, and its chapters were collected in three volumes.

Written and illustrated by Hiromi Morishita [ja], Shōnen Ashibe was serialized in Shueisha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump from 1988 to 1994.

[11] A second manga series, titled ComaGoma, following Ashibe as a second grade student, was serialized in Weekly Young Jump from October 12, 2000,[12] to March 25, 2004.

Goma-chan, illustrated by Junko Ogino, was serialized in Futabasha's Monthly Action from April 25, 2016,[23] to February 25, 2017,[24] and was later transferred to the publisher's Manga Town [ja] starting on May 2 of that same year,[25] and concluded on March 5, 2018.

[29] Another manga series illustrated by Shōhei, titled Seishōnen Ashibe (青少年アシベ), which depicts an older Ashibe as a freshman in high school, started in Monthly Action on July 25, 2017;[30][31] the magazine ended in February 2024, and the series moved to the publisher's Web Action website, where it finished on November 8, 2024.

Goma-chan (少年アシベ GO！GO！ゴマちゃん), animated by Bridge and Husio Studio, directed by Nobuhiro Kondo, with series composition by Toshimitsu Takeuchi [ja],[39][40] was broadcast for 32 episodes on NHK Educational TV from April 5, 2016, to February 21, 2017.