is a Japanese

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is ...

series written and illustrated by George Akiyama. The series was originally serialized in

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics ( manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the ...

's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''

Weekly Shōnen Sunday is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga magazine published in Japan by Shogakukan since March 1959. Contrary to its title, ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' issues are released on Wednesdays. ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' has sold over 1.8billion copies since 1986, ...

'' from 1970 to 1971, with its chapters collected into two ''

tankōbon is the Japanese term for a book that is not part of an anthology or corpus. In modern Japanese, the term is most often used in reference to individual volumes of a manga series: most series first appear as individual chapters in a weekly or ...

'' volumes. ''Shōnen Sunday'' was once specified as "harmful" in some prefectures when the series has started, because of its violent and drastic depiction. The story was about a boy named who lived in

extreme poverty Extreme poverty, deep poverty, abject poverty, absolute poverty, destitution, or penury, is the most severe type of poverty, defined by the United Nations (UN) as "a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, includi ...

, who gained affluence and influence through a series of murders.
''Zeni'' means money in Japanese and ''Geba'' means die Gewalt (power) in German, so the title can be translated into "Moneypower". A film of ''Zeni Geba'' was released in 1970, directed by Yoshinori Wada, starring

Jūrō Kara is a Japanese avant-garde playwright, theatre director, author, actor, and songwriter. He was at the forefront of the ''Angura'' ("underground") theatre movement in Japan. Career Graduating from Meiji University, Kara formed his own theatre troup ...

and

Mako Midori is a Japanese actress. Debuting on film in 1964, she won the Blue Ribbon Award for best new face for ''Nihiki no mesuinu''. Beyond appearing in over fifty Japanese language films in the 1960s and 1970s, she has also acted extensively on stage, ...

, and featuring an appearance by science fiction author

Izumi Suzuki was a Japanese writer and actor, known for her science fiction stories and essays on Japanese pop culture. Married to avant-garde saxophonist Kaoru Abe until his death from overdose, she is also known for her association with photographer Nobuy ...

. The series was dramatized into a

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed b ...

in 2009, and was aired from January to March by the NNN TVs in Japan, starring

Kenichi Matsuyama is a Japanese actor. He is known for his affinity for strange character roles, and he is best known internationally for playing L in the 2006 films ''Death Note'', '' Death Note 2: The Last Name'' and '' L: Change the World'' in 2008, as well a ...

. The original story was released shortly after when

Student activism Student activism or campus activism is work by students to cause political, environmental, economic, or social change. Although often focused on schools, curriculum, and educational funding, student groups have influenced greater political e ...

was on in Japan and thus reflected such historical backgrounds as represented in its use of the word in the title. The background of the TV series, on the other hand, was adjusted to reflect the 2009 world, including positioning of the main character as working at a factory. Interview with George Akiyam
''From "Zeni Geba" to "Seisho" (the Bible) - George Akiyama talks about life'' (『銭ゲバ』から『聖書』まで、ジョージ秋山が語る人生の極意)
on nikkei Trendy.net, viewed March 28th, 2009.

References

External links

Official NTV website
{{in lang, ja
''Zenigeba'' at IMDb
Japanese drama television series 1970 manga Shōnen manga Television shows written by Yoshikazu Okada Nippon TV dramas