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Tomodachi Game (TV).




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Stark700



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Posts: 11762
Location: Earth
PostPosted: Tue Apr 05, 2022 10:52 am Reply with quote


Tomodachi Game (TV)

Genres: action, drama
Themes: game, psychological, strategy

Plot Summary: Yūichi Katagiri, a young man with a perfect student life who has four friends with difficult lives. His peaceful daily life comes to an end when 2 million yen (about US$20,000) in school trip fees goes missing. Riddles unfold as Yūichi gets caught up in a mysterious game for money and must decide whether friendship or money matters more.

Apr. 5, 2022 (Tuesdays; Crunchyroll)
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ACxS



Joined: 03 Aug 2019
Posts: 885
PostPosted: Wed Apr 06, 2022 10:23 pm Reply with quote
1:

Ah okay, here we go.

Sure. It's pretty clear what kind of show this is. Squid Ga--, I mean Liar Ga--, I mean Darwin's Ga--, I mean Ousama Ga-- I MEAN Tomodachi Game is another thriller with a moral dilemma theme revolving around money, self-interest... you know. But it's pretty clear that there's one universal rule to all such games: the house always rules. Or if you prefer, the game is rigged.

Although the rules of the game are explicit, they are not exhaustive and some "rules" are based just on the players' assumptions. So yeah, once you have just one suspicion, it festers and breeds and becomes a shit-ton of more suspicions and conclusions. So at the end of the day, self-interest rules because the only one thing you trust and look out for is yourself. I guess this is a show where we see the main protagonist Katagiri spiraling into moral depravity à la Death Note's Yagami Light.

What I fear about such shows is how they have a habit of turning into trainwrecks. I'm just fresh off Platinum End last season, and the one thing I notice about this show is how the characters are set up to be caricatures of some moral theme. Katagiri = Balance between Good (Friends) and Bad (Money). Sawaragi = Righteousness. Kokorogi = Innoncence. Shibe = Complacence. Mikasa = Rationality. Top it off with over-the-top situations and overdramatic settings, and you get a show that turns out to be entertainingly trashy. I don't expect this show to explore the characters' back stories or the moral ramifications of their decisions like how Squid Game did, but just cheap thrills that make this genre addictive among viewers (even if it's clearly been done to death).

I'll stick around, sure. One thing's for sure, it's going to be fun.
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ACxS



Joined: 03 Aug 2019
Posts: 885
PostPosted: Wed Apr 13, 2022 4:17 am Reply with quote
2:

So the game is not just rigged. It's stupid-rigged.

Basically, this game exists not to test the group's trust; it's to plant any kind of suspicion into it. And it's clearly run by cynics. If there's any doubt in the group's relationship, the game (or specifically, the game masters) seek to expose and amplify it. It's still not clear what the game masters' motives are, except to perhaps showcase the worst side inside all of them.

But my impression still remains: the characters are pretty much still caricatures of views and motives. Sure, they have some more background now but I'm not completely won over by them. Still feels like a dollar store Squid Game, tbh.
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15481
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Wed Apr 13, 2022 4:35 am Reply with quote
Just dropping in that this looks like the new trashy death game anime. Although so far unclear if there will actually have death.
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ACxS



Joined: 03 Aug 2019
Posts: 885
PostPosted: Wed Apr 20, 2022 10:29 pm Reply with quote
3:

Oh. The bombshell's already dropped.

I thought the revelation on who the real culprit is would be more climactic, but seeing as how this show is only 12 episodes long, I guess it can only do so much. Just tell us who the shit-stirrer is and we will watch how Yuichi will try to solve the problem and win the game (at least that's the impression I'm getting).

But let's be clear: like Platinum End, for the life of me, I cannot take this show seriously. The story is presented in such a ham-fisted way that I tune out a couple of times and watch the show without any kind of emotional investment. The show wants to deal with big social issues like compensated dating, bullying, manipulation, gaslighting, etc. but it's way too inept to deal with it in a mature way that I would pay much attention to.

This is the kind of show trashy show that's bound to be a trainwreck. Not boring, but not going to be a masterpiece in a million years.
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ACxS



Joined: 03 Aug 2019
Posts: 885
PostPosted: Thu May 12, 2022 1:52 am Reply with quote
6:

Screw this. Dropping the show.
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15481
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Tue Jun 21, 2022 6:04 pm Reply with quote
Episode 12 (finale)

So they leave the first season off on a cliff-hanger.

I will repeat what I said earlier, that this series was super trashy, but probably more frustrating is that it really thinks that it is smarter than it is. In that way it does really feel like it talks down to its audience, in needing to explain everything, rather than ever let what happens speak for itself. It really tries hard to make Yuichi look like some Light level genius, while the audience must be too dumb to not understand any of his genius moves.

My rating is Not really good (4/10), but weirdly it was not a total waste of time.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23802
PostPosted: Wed Jun 22, 2022 8:12 am Reply with quote
Aw come on, DP, you're just mad because you fell for that supah clever "my right hand is bandaged so I can't choose scissors...BUT THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH MY LEFT HAND, MWAA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!" ruse. That's some 5-D chess right there, folks.

Yep, super trashy, dumb show but what does it say about me that I watched to the end? I did drop at one point but my apparently insatiable appetite for crappy anime won the day once more.

*sigh*

Do I even need to bother adding that of course I'll come back if there's another cours?
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