No, rather, this kind of manga plot wasn't common 15 years ago, either. If anything mixing slice-of-life and action is more common now than it was then—but I think it's safe to say this manga is relatively unique in it's own right.
...It's sort of like it exists in some weird dimensional back-alley between Ghost in the Shell and GTO. I really can't think of anything else off the top of my head to which I would apply that description.