Everyone who reads manga or watches anime has surely seen a scenario like this. Money on the line, lives on the table: a fight to the death. That's what happens in Life is Money...but it's not how you imagine it. There's no physical violence allowed - so how do you kill? The truth is more disturbing than you think.

Quite possibly one of the most under-appreciated manga out there, Life is Money is truly a psychological manga, yet retains many shounen elements. There's a hero, a villain, an intriguing story, and interesting characters. Let's hear a bit about the story:

Meguru Fukurokouji is in need of 100 million dollars for an urgent heart transplant for his beloved sister, who could die at any point. Taking out a life insurance policy, he decides to become a martyr so his sister can live on. But wait. At the end of his rope and about to say his final goodbye to the world, he is approached by a man who offers him 100 million dollars. All he has to do is win a game, although there's a chance he might die. Then again, it beats his chances of surviving a 5 story drop from a bridge.

Soon he finds himself among ten others who are just as expectant as him. Black Tapia (the black - man? - with horns) appears and tells the group of the rules of the game they must play. Each player must survive a grueling ten days inside a prison complex. Simple, right? There's entertainment, a fitness room, even a relaxing music room. Everything seems great until they discover the other rule. In this prison, each player's heart rate cannot exceed a limit, or they will be subject to a "mental prison", a horrifying form of death.

In addition, each day they must roll a dice to determine which of the five senses they possess will be "disabled" for the day. Roll a five? You're not allowed to hear. Roll a two? You can't taste. Roll a six? Everything resets. It's a painful and grueling ten days in what can be described as no less than hell.

Art is, in general, good. Backgrounds are nice, but not great. Characters are also sufficiently detailed. All in all though, I have to say that the art just doesn't go above and beyond the necessary. That's all right though, as the story covers for it.

Character development is great. You get to see Meguru meet and interact with the other nine people and learn about each. You see him go from depressed to wimp to badass to hopeful. The weakness here is that some other characters are not as well developed, some not at all. Whereas you learn a lot about Meguru and his friends, you fail to learn barely anything about Black Tapia and 2-3 of the players. Although this is not exactly necessary, it would've been helpful to many readers.

Overall, a great and fun read. Even though it's short, it definitely shouldn't be missed by anyone who enjoys a good story. It's very under-appreciated, and it needs more popularity. Don't hesistate to pick it up: it's short and there's little commitment. I'm sure you won't regret it. Thank for reading and I'll see you in my next review.