Tomodachi Game: Season 1, Season 2, & Movie Thoughts

I binge-watched Tomodachi Game, also known as Friends Game. It’s a Japanese drama based on a manga. There is an upcoming anime adaptation, and I’m pretty excited about it.

Plot: High schooler Katagiri Yuichi is knocked unconscious and wakes up in a mysterious room with four of his friends and a creepy mascot. One of them has an enormous debt and has paid the participation fee to enter the Friends Game. If this group of friends wins the games, the person will go debt-free. However, if they lose, all of them will have to take on a portion of the debt.

Season 1 Thoughts:

I love Katagiri Yuichi. This drama has a really good-looking cast. The games are quite simple, like the games in Squid Game or the beginning of Kaiji. No one is physically harmed or dies, and a big theme is their friendship. Yuichi wants to trust his friends but finds it increasingly challenging to…

The show is as long as a movie. I thought that Season 1 ended so quickly that I had to watch Season 2 right away. At this point, I couldn’t form too many thoughts because there were still too many questions left unanswered.

Who has the debt? Who is/are the traitor(s)? What’s Katagiri Yuichi’s backstory?

Season 2 Thoughts:

Season 2 is a continuation of Season 1. It is another game. Again, it’s a simple children’s game with a twist. I liked this season more than the first because a lot of secrets are revealed. The tricks are clever. It was a little predictable but I didn’t figure out everything, so that’s a plus.

Movie Thoughts:

The movie is a continuation of Season 2. It’s another game. I liked this one the least, partially because the tricks didn’t seem as clever. The climax fell short.

I still want to learn more about Yuichi’s story; I thought this part was rushed. It’s understandable because this is a movie, but I hope that the anime explains it more.

There were a lot of twists in the movie. It felt a little messy.

The ending was soooo cliche. It hurt a little to watch. I understand that they want to leave the doors open for more seasons or movies, but really, that approach? There’s no way an outcome like that would happen in real life, and I don’t think I’m being jaded about it.

Final thoughts as a whole:

The concept isn’t exactly new. You are brought to a foreign location with other people and have to win games to pay off your debt. Think Kaiji, Squid Game, and Liar Game. However, this is exactly the sort of series I’m a sucker for, so I will take anything!! Thank you!

If you like this kind of show (similar series and games include Kakegurui, Zero Escape, Danganronpa, Bloody Monday, Kurosagi, and Classroom of the Elite), then I recommend this series for you. One thing that sets this series apart is that they aren’t playing against strangers, but playing with their best friends.

It’s entertaining, and the cast is great. There are so many twists and turns. It’s kind of like being on a roller coaster.

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I haven’t read the manga yet, but I plan to! Let me know if you have any recommendations for anything similar. 🙂

Japanese Drama Recs: Romance Manga Adaptions

1. Switch Girl!!

Synopsis: Nika Tamiya is the most beautiful girl at school. All the boys are in love with her and a lot of girls are envious at how she does everything so perfectly. However, she has a secret… She is a switch girl! When she arrives home, she “switches off” and transforms into her “true” self: a lazy and unfeminine girl. Arata Kamiyama, a geeky guy at school, finds out her secret. Arata is the opposite of her… He appears to be geeky at school but he’s actually super hot!?

The plot of this romantic comedy shojo series is similar to the popular manga, Horimiya. I like Switch Girl!! more though. I liked this drama because the cast is spot on. Many Seventeen models play the characters, including Mariya Nishiuchi, the main lead. Renn Kiriyama who plays Arata is good-looking too.

I watched this back when I was in high school and I was hooked from the beginning. I ended up procrastinating on whatever homework I had, so fair warning.

If you like this, you might like:

• Horimiya (manga)
• Hotaru no Hikari (Japanese drama)

2. Good Morning Call

Synopsis: Nao Yoshikawa moved into a new place, but she finds that she was scammed because another person is living in the same place as her. The person she has to live with is Hisashi Uehara, one of the most popular guys at school. Uehara is aloof and hard to get along with. Good luck Nao and don’t fall in love.

Good Morning Call is a Netflix Original series, based on the romantic comedy shojo series. I don’t know a single person who did not like this! The “living with the most popular guy at school (or my boss) and he is also cold and distant” trope is done again and again. The ending is predictable, but it’s still enjoyable to watch.

If you like this, you might like:

• It Started With A Kiss (Taiwanese drama)
• Playful Kiss (Korean drama)
• Just You (Taiwanese drama)
• Hotaru no Hikari (Japanese drama)

3. Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai

Synopsis: Michiko Shibata is a woman in her thirties. She is jobless and just broke up with her money-swindling younger boyfriend. She encounters Ayumu Kurosawa, her former supervisor. Hearing her situation, he gives her a job and a place to stay at his cafe.

You may already be familiar with the actor who plays Ayumu. He is played by Dean Fujioka, the singer who sang History Maker, the opening song of Yuri on Ice. Ayumu is so sweet… Where can I find someone like that?

Personally, high school shows don’t interest me as much anymore. I’m into josei series like this one, because I can relate to their struggles more and we are closer in age.

If you like this, you might like:

• Hotaru no Hikari (Japanese drama)
• Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii (anime)
• Just You (Taiwanese drama)