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Ushijima the Loan Shark
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[AUTHOR]
Mangapedia
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The story depicts the human relationships of the customers who visit Cowcow Finance, an unregistered money lender (illegal loaning) that offers loans at exorbitant interest rates of 50% in 10 days. The chapters can vary depending on the length of the story, a long story containing more than 20 episodes per chapter, and the secondary titles are named after the main characters, such as “Gyaru-o kun” and “Fuuzoku kun”. The story is not told from the point of view of the protagonist, Ushijima Kaoru, but from the point of view of the main characters that change in each chapter. Ushijima and his associates are closely involved with the main characters in the story. This work depicts the dark side of society, such as the underworld and inequality, with the usage of cryptic terms that are used in the underworld.
Official Names
Yami-Kin Ushijima-kun
Furigana
Yami-kin Ushijima-kun
Author
Manabe Shohei
Genre
Economics, Finance
Label
Big Comics (Shogakukan)
Number of volumes
40 volumes already published.
Summary
Takada, a former host, joins Cowcow Finance, an unregistered moneylender (illegal loaning) that offers loans at an exorbitant interest rate of 50% in 10 days. Ushijima Kaoruwas the president of Cowcow Finance who Takada feared as Ushijima showed no humanish emotion. Takada eventually gets used to the job of lending and collecting money as he works hard with Ezaki Takaaki, Kanou, and other senior members of the group.
Today, the office is visited one after another by people who are in need of money and do not know what will happen to them on the following days.
Characters
Ushijima Kaoru
Ushijima Kaoru is the president of Cowcow Finance, an unregistered moneylender (illegal loaning). He has short hair, a beard, round glasses, and pierced ears looking like a complete outlaw. He has sharp eyes beyond his glasses, and is usually quiet and expressionless giving off a sense of intimidation. He actively lends and collects money, and uses the pseudonym “Tajima” for his debtors. He has a large number of rabbits who he looks after along with going to the gym everyday to train his body. In his mind, he believes the world is a competition with others in which he should belong to the side of the takers. Therefore, he trains to live his life mentally and physically strong. He is very serious about money, and will always collect the money he has lent, sometimes to the point of desperation, but he is also interested in people who show a manly spirit, and will sometimes give generous treatment such as elimination interest. On the other hand, if a customer shows rudeness and hostility toward him, he will use any measures to push and make the customer pay the money they owe.
Ezaki Takaaki
An employee of Cowcow Finance who is also Ushijima Kaoru’s classmate. He is a big man with a scary face, and once dreamed of being a martial artist. He loves Ushijima as a man and has to tell himself he loves him without any sexual intent. He is in charge of managing the company’s finances, and is also responsible for lending and collecting money. He is so passionate about his work that he has an anecdote about an abscess that came out of his ear from making too many phone calls. He uses the name “Karahara” for his debtors. In his early days, he worked often with his colleague Kanou. Although they were not on bad terms, they were bothered by the fact that they barely spoke to each other.
Kanou
An employee of Cowcow Finance who is also Ushijima Kaoru’s classmate. He has long hair, a beard, and a suspicious appearance which people can not understand what he may be thinking about. He prefers obese women. In his earlier days, he worked often with Ezaki Takaaki and mainly collected money from debtors, but has started working more with Takada later on. Although he was not on bad terms with Ezaki Takaaki, they were both bothered by the fact that they did not speak to each other often. He uses the name “Kayama” for his debtors.
Takada
An employee of Cowcow Finance. He was a new employee at the start of the series but quickly became accustomed to the business. With his visual appearance, he is in charge of collecting and lending money mainly from women customers. He worked before as a host under the name Ruito, but left the job after pushing one of the underage customers to suicide, which to this day he regrets doing. He uses the name “Takagi” for his debtors. He is very caring and takes good care of Kaga Masaru, who is a newer employee of Cowcow FInance.
Kaga Masaru
An employee of Cowcow Finance who got to know Ushijima Kaoru through a dispute with Aizawa Koji, who is the leader of the biker gang Aizawa Rengo, and joined the company through the format of him being bought by the company. He showed his talents and efficiency as a lender and collector, but was humiliated when his mother came to borrow money from the company. After this, he leaves the company and bears a grudge against Ushijima Kaoru. He steals Cowcow Finance’s customer list and starts his own private money lending business called Masamasa Finance but was caught by Aizawa Koji and was nearly beaten to death. Takada eventually saves him from Aizawa and he apologizes to Ushijima. After his apology, he is reinstated at Cowcow Finance, however, still holds his grudge against Ushijima and seeks an opportunity to take revenge.
Sayuri
An employee of Cowcow Finance. She is in charge of office work. During work, she wears a neat suit and has a tidy and neat aura from her, but her personal clothes are quite flamboyant. Although she barely appears throughout the story, she is heavily trusted by Ushijima Kaoru which he entrusts her with a large amount of cash and a bankbook to go to the rental room whenever an emergency situation happens.
Inui
He is an informant for Ushijima Kaoru, who he has known since elementary school. He is also very close with Ezaki Takaaki and Kanou. He always wears a well-cut suit, which gives him an aura of sharpness. He loves snacks and is seen eating his snacks when he shares his information with Ushijima Kaoru. Due to his occupation, he has many connections in the underworld, and has provided information to Numerikawa as well, who is a member of the yakuza. His family owns an Okonomiyaki restaurant which he often invites Ushijima to come to eat with him.
Kinnshu
A wealthy fortune-teller who lent a large sum of money to Ushijima to finance Cowcow Finance at an interest rate of 15% per month. She is also connected to the yakuza, and is someone that Ushijima cannot resist. She lives in a high-class apartment building and has a group of handsome host-like men at her side. She usually makes Ushijima pay only the interest, but suddenly asks him to pay off the debt. This makes Ushijima frustrated, and she begins to make violent demands, such as destroying the locks of houses when Ushijima was not home.
Namekawa Hidenobu
A cadet of the Inose clan, a yakuza backed by Cowcow Finance. When he first appears, he has the appearance of a thug in a jumper, but when he reappears, he wears a suit and tie like an elite yakuza. He is from the same place as Ushijima Kaoru, and is the former president of the “Monsutaa” Union. He makes his juniors pay toward him. He is older than Ushijima Kaoru, and although they were never directly involved in each other’s lives during their school days, they have a history that is still unknown. He is desperate to have his own gang, and offers a luxury car to the gang leader. However, the cor soon fell into the hands of the gang leader’s mistress, who was also a debtor of Cowcow Finance, and thus fell into the hands of Ushijima Kaoru. Due to a conspiracy by Ushijima Kaoru, Kumakura Yoshimichi, the young leader of the Inose clan, was attacked by Kobura, the chief of the gang “ORAORAEIGYOU” and shot Kobura to death. He took the blame and had his right pinky cut off.
Aizawa Koji
The leader of the motorcycle gang Aizawa Union. He is feared by his young juniors but is blackmailed by the yakuza member Namekawa Hidenobu, who demands 2 million yen. He goes and visits Ushijima Kaoru to receive compensation for when a boy named Kaga Masaru stole his beloved large scooter. He only receives 1,000 yen and Kaga Masaru later joins Cowcow Finance. He later tries to blackmail Kaga Masaru when he was a private moneylender but fails. He takes a gun from Namekawa Hidenobu and threatens Ushijima Kaoru to give him money, but fails again as he falls into Ushijima Kaoru’s trap and is captured by Namekawa Hidenobu. To make amends, he was given a life insurance policy and ended up jumping into a moving truck. He later reappears with crutches and has a different appearance.
Nikumamushi
A large man with a strange appearance who wears a fur coat and covers his face with a hood even in the summer. He has a strong body which he can stand with only his pinky finger on one hand. He has a tattoo of a pit viper on his body. His behavior is abnormal and blackmails Ogawa Jun, who is the head of the event circle Vamps. When Ogawa Jun gets involved with Kaoru Ushijima, they run into each other and start an altercation with a kitchen knife in one hand. However, after being hit by a wagon and having his arm step on which breaks his arm, he surrendered after the knife was taken from him and held to his throat. This makes him deeply resentful of Kaoru Ushijima, and vows to take revenge on him.
Habu
A member of the Yabusake gang and a drug dealer. He also provides funds to young people interested in fashion to open stores and makes money off of them. He is ruthless and brutal, and takes merciless action against traitors. When an amateur model named G10 (Goto) tries to cheat him, he kidnaps and imprisons Nakata Hiromichi, whom he sees as a co-conspirator, and demands that he return the money. In the process, he runs into Ushijima Kaoru and gets into a fight with him, but he is no match for Ushijima and gets beaten up. This incident leads him to harbor a deep grudge against Ushijima Kaoru.
Takemoto Yuuki
A classmate of Ushijima Kaoru from middle school. He was the only one who didn't join in the lynching of Ushijima when the whole class planned to lynch him as he entered the school. He is the only one to whom Ushijima feels indebted, since he took care of the rabbit, a memento of his mother, when Ushijima confronted the three famous local bad boys, the Wanido brothers. He was an honor student in middle school, but started to live for the day as a day laborer and met Ushijima Kaoru again to borrow money. He later moved into the Seiai House, a vicious poverty business run by the three Wanido brothers, and became involved in a war between Ushijima Kaoru and the three Wanido brothers. He is an extreme philanthropist and rejects the way of life of Ushijima Kaoru. In the end, he was forced to take on all the debts of the Sei-Ai House and was sent to a harsh labor facility where he was paid 50,000 yen per hour by Ushijima Kaoru.
Groups and Organization
Cowcow Finance
Groups and Organizations
Kauka Finance
An organization that appears in "Yamikin Ushijima-kun". The organization is an unregistered moneylender, or "illegal loaning", that provides loans at exorbitant interest rates of 50% for 10 days. It is known to be the last resort for those with multiple debts who are unable to borrow money from legitimate money lenders, and despite the high-interest rates, there is a steady stream of customers. The loan amount is relatively small, around 1 million yen at most, and the initial loan is limited to 100,000 yen. They also lend to pachinko addicts at 30 percent per day because of the high risk of being run off. In order to avoid raids, the location of the office was moved in the middle of the series.
Related Media
Yamikin Ushijima-kun Gaiden: The Legend of Nikumamushi (Yamikin Ushijima-kun Gaiden Nikumamushi Densetsu).
A spin-off work featuring the meathead who appears in Manabe Shohei’s “Yamikin Ushijima-kun”. The story centers on Nikumamushi, who also displays a strong personality with his vicious and inhumane behavior in the main story. The story depicts the turmoil of him and the people around him who are pushed around by him. The story centers on him and the people around him… Related page: Yamikin Ushijima-kun Gaiden: Nikumamushi Densetsu.
Yamikin Ushijima-kun Gaiden: Ramen Namekawa-san.
A spin-off work featuring Namekawa Hidenobu, who appears in Manabe Shohei’s “Yamikin Ushijima-kun”. The story centers on Namekawa, who went on a rampage as a vicious yakuza in the main story, and portrays a human drama based on the theme of the “ramen” he eats. “Yawaraka Spirits”... Related page: Yamikin Ushijima-kun Gaiden: Ramen Namekawa-san
Bibliographic Information
Yamikin Ushijima-kun (40 volumes) Shogakukan (Big Comics) in serialization.
Volume 1 (September, 2004, 978-4091873415)
Volume 2 (September, 2005, 978-4091873422)
Volume 3 (December, 2005, 978-4091873439)
Volume 4 (May, 2006, 978-4091802149)
Volume 5 (October, 2006, 978-4091806482)
Volume 6 (December, 2006, 978-4091807885)
Volume 7 (March, 2007, 978-4091810601)
Volume 8 (June, 2007, 978-4091812094)
Volume 9 (September, 2007, 978-4091813862)
Volume 10 (February, 2008, 978-4091817099)
Volume 11 (May, 2008, 978-4091818577)
Volume 12 (August, 2008, 978-4091820952)
Volume 13 (December, 2008, 978-4091822161)
Volume 14 (April, 2009, 978-4091823878)
Volume 15 (July, 2009, 978-4091824998)
Volume 16 (October, 2009, 978-4091826046)
Volume 17 (Febuary, 2010, 978-4091828897)
Volume 18 (June, 2010, 978-4091831903)
Volume 19 (October, 2010, 978-4091833990)
Volume 20 (December, 2010, 978-4091835178)
Volume 21 (May, 2011, 978-4091837943)
Volume 22 (September, 2011, 978-4091840196)
Volume 23 (December, 2011, 978-4091841599)
Volume 24 (May, 2012, 978-4091844538)
Volume 25 (August, 2012, 978-4091846105)
Volume 26 (December, 2012, 978-4091847676)
Volume 27 (March, 2013, 978-4091848888)
Volume 28 (July, 2013, 978-4091852571)
Volume 29 (December, 2013, 978-4091856647)
Volume 30 (March, 2014, 978-4091858757)
Volume 31 (May 14th, 2014, 978-4091861795)
Volume 32 (October 30th, 2014, 978-4091865182)
Volume 33 (Febuary 27th, 2015, 978-4091867902)
Volume 34 (June 30th, 2015, 978-4091870643)
Volume 35 (November 30th, 2015, 978-4091873392)
Volume 36 (Febuary 29th, 2016, 978-4091874757)
Volume 37 (June 30th, 2016, 978-4091876409)
Volume 38 (September 20th, 2016, 978-4091877727)
Volume 39 (April 28th, 2017, 978-4091894885)
Volume 40 (July 28th, 2017, 978-4091896063)
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