Joukyou Seikatsu-roku Ichijou

Long before he became the calculating manager of the Teiai underground casino and the mastermind behind the merciless pachinko machine known as "The Bog," Ichijou Seiya was simply a young man struggling to find his place in the world. Set prior to his legendary, life-or-death clash with his ultimate rival Itou Kaiji, this story explores Ichijou’s restless youth—a period defined by simmering ambition and an agonizing inability to turn his potential into reality. The narrative unfolds in Ooyama, a neighborhood in Tokyo's Itabashi ward that serves as its own kind of metaphorical bog, quietly swallowing the dreams, hopes, and despairs of countless young people. Seeking a better future, Ichijou works as a freelancer and moves to the capital alongside his younger colleague, Murakami. Together, they cram themselves into a tiny, cramped apartment, attempting to carve out a meaningful existence in an unforgiving metropolis. Through their shared hardships and daily struggles, the manga chronicles the raw ambitions and harsh realities faced by two young men trying to survive at the bottom of society, long before one of them would rise to become a notorious figure in the gambling underworld.