Manē no Tora (マネーの虎; lit. "Money Tigers" or "The Tigers of Money") is a Japanese reality television game show that was broadcast from October 2001 until March 2004 on Nippon TV (Nippon Television) in Japan, initially only broadcasting in the late Saturday night slot in the Kantō region, before broadcasting nationwide in the Friday prime time slot. The show was hosted by Eisaku Yoshida, with entrepreneurs trying to convince a group of investors called 'Tigers' to invest in their company.
| Manē no Tora | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | The Tigers of Money, Money Tigers |
| Genre | reality television, game show |
| Directed by | Kurihara Jin |
| Presented by | Kurihara Jin |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Original language | Japanese |
| No. of episodes | <100[1] |
| Production | |
| Running time | October 2001- sometime in 2003[2] |
| Production companies | Nippon TV, Sony Pictures Television[2] |
| Original release | |
| Network | Nippon TV[3] |
| Release | October 2001 – March 2004 |
The show was later adapted by the BBC (British Broadcasting Company) in the United Kingdom as Dragons' Den and by the ABC (American Broadcasting Company) in the United States of America as Shark Tank, with many other countries also having an adaption.
Premise
editThe show consisted of several entrepreneurs presenting their concepts for a business to a panel of five[4] wealthy investors known as 'Tigers' and 'Money Tigers' to get business advice and convince them to invest in the business,[5] in exchange for equity (partial ownership of the business).[2] The show had the slogan 'No Challenge, No Success'.[1] The license to the format is owned by Sony Pictures Television.[6]
Background and development
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In the early 1990s, Japan's asset price bubble burst, leading to a lengthy period of economic stagnation continuing into the rest of the 1990s, the 2000s and the 2010s known as the Lost Decades, with the 1990s specifically known as the Lost Decade. After the burst, the Japanese Government made several policies and tax incentives to encourage startup companies, as part of an effort to diversify the traditionally risk averse Japanese economy.[2][7]
According to Robyn Klingler-Vidra, writing for The Conversation, Manē no Tora was "the first exposure [for Japanese viewers] to the concept of pitching for investment. The show aimed to "normalise entrepreneurship and equity investment" in Japan, with the terms 'equity', 'valuation' and 'return on investment' becoming more discussed.[2] The name 'Manē no Tora' is a play on words with war criminal Tomoyuki Yamashita's nickname 'Mare no tora', meaning 'The Tiger of Malaya'[8][3] or Malaysian tiger.[7]
Casting and production
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The show was introduced with a video featuring Japanese adult film actress Ai Nagase in a sailor’s outfit.[3] The show was hosted by Japanese actor Eisaku Yoshida, and directed and produced by Kurihara Jin.[7] The show featured many Japanese businessman as Tigers, among the more iconic are; Seiko Group president Shinji Hattori, food industry businessman Yoshihiro Terada, investor Hiroyuki Ariyoshi and former Minister of Justice Ritsuko Nagao.[1]
Release
editManē no Tora first aired on Nippon TV in October 2001. From October 2001 to April 2002, it aired exclusively in the Kantō region of Japan during the late night slot 00:50 - 01:50 on Saturdays, with viewership ratings of >7%. In April 2002, the show started broadcasting nationwide during prime time on Fridays, it stopped running in 2003[2] and ceased broadcast in March 2004.[7]
Reception
editManē no Tora is considered the origin of the 'entrepreneurs pitching startup business ideas to a group of investors' television format.[2][1][7][9] Vietnamese website Kilala.vn considers Manē no Tora to have been popular 'right from its debut', and the show to have "le[ft] a significant legacy in the field of reality television production".[7] According to Japanese culture website Suki Desu, Manē no Tora helped popularize entrepreneurship in Japan.[1]
Legacy
editThe show has been adapted in many countries, including, the 2009 five time Emmy Award winning[10] American adaptation Shark Tank and the 2005 British adaptation Dragons' Den.[3][11] According to Nippon TV and Sony Pictures Television, as of February 2024, "almost US$1 billion (£790,000) in investments has been agreed in Dens and Tanks across the globe since the format launched".[2]
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 Henrique, Kevin. "The Tigers of Money – A Origem do Shark Tank" [The Tigers of Money – The Origin of Shark Tank]. skdesu.com (in Portuguese). Suki Desu. Archived from the original on 10 July 2025. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Klingler-Vidra, Robyn (2 January 2025). "How Japan pioneered the global phenomenon of entrepreneur pitch shows like Dragons' Den". The Conversation. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Hernon, Matthew (25 September 2024). "Japan's Best Reality TV Shows : List of 7". Tokyo, Japan: Tokyo Weekender. Archived from the original on 5 December 2025. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ↑ Haiven, Max (2017). "Monstruos de la imaginacion financierizada" [Monsters of the Financed Imagination From Pokémon to Trump] (PDF). Estado Del Poder (in Spanish) (2017). Transnational Institute: 18. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
N. T.: Dragon's Den es un programa de la cadena británica BBC, basado en el formato original de la televisión japonesa Manē no Tora, en el cual varios empresarios tienen la oportunidad de presentar sus diferentes ideas de negocio a un panel de cinco inversores ricos, los 'dragones' a los que hace alusión el título, y pujan por conseguir inversiones financieras, mientras ofrecen una acción de la empresa a cambio (N. T.: Dragon's Den is a BBC program based on the original Japanese television format Manē no Tora, in which several entrepreneurs have the opportunity to present their different business ideas to a panel of five wealthy investors, the 'dragons' alluded to in the title, and bid to obtain financial investments, while offering a share of the company in return)
- ↑ Hernández, Leandro (9 April 2019). "Un nuevo dragón emerge: ¿Cómo potenciar a las empresas de América Latina?" [A new dragon emerges: How to empower Latin American businesses?] (in Spanish). El País. Archived from the original on 13 November 2025. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
"La guarida del dragón", o manē no tora en japonés, es un programa de televisión donde entusiastas participantes suelen presentar ideas de negocios rentables y de alto crecimiento a potenciales inversores, para que los asistan con fondos y asesoramiento ("The Dragon's Den," or manē no tora in Japanese, is a television program where enthusiastic participants typically present high-growth, profitable business ideas to potential investors, seeking their assistance with funding and advice)
- ↑ "RTVS chce podnikateľskú reality šou Deň D" [RTVS wants a business reality show, Deň D.] (in Slovak). mediálne.sk. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Hóa ra chương trình đình đám Shark Tank có nguồn gốc từ Nhật Bản" [It turns out the popular show Shark Tank originated in Japan] (in Vietnamese). Kilala.vn. 19 April 2025. Archived from the original on 11 March 2026. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ↑ Whitington, Paul (30 July 2011). "Temp Head". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 20 May 2026. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
The show's Japanese title was 'Mane no Tora', or 'Tiger of Money', which rather worryingly was a play on 'the Tiger of Malay' -- the nickname of WW2 general Tomoyuki Yamashita, who was executed for war crimes in 1946
- ↑ Gimzauskas, Gintaras (16 October 2012). "Geriausi verslo realybės šou" [The best business reality shows] (in Lithuanian). Bzn start. Archived from the original on 21 May 2026. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- ↑ "Shark Tank". Television Academy. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
- ↑ Temple, Emily (12 November 2011). "10 Foreign TV Shows That America Ruined". Flavorwire. Retrieved 20 May 2026.