The Middle Management Blues: Tonegawa is a spin-off series starring Tonegawa Yukio, a character from Fukumoto Nobuyuki's Kaiji series. Rather than the suspenseful plot of the main Kaiji series, it is a comedy about a middle manager who is the second most powerful person in the extremely underdog Teiai Group, but struggles every day while being plagued by the chairman's devastating power harassment and the rampage of his subordinates. We would like to share with you the appeal of the Tonegawa series!
Appeal of the series 1: A spin-off of the popular Kaiji series, but with a devilishly different twist...!
The Kaiji series is a work that focuses on the theme of life-or-death gambling, and is characterized by its epic psychological portrayal. It's a tense work, and Tonegawa stands in the way of the protagonist Kaiji as his nemesis. However, Tonegawa completely destroys that atmosphere...! It destroys the characters and the worldview, and is a blasphemy that seems to waste them...! Anything goes...! Is it okay to do this...? Is it okay to make a joke like this...? There's too much...! The gap...!
The Middle Management Blues: Tonegawa is a comedy anime
While this comedy anime aims to destroy the image of these characters, it also features depictions unique to Kaiji and other Fukumoto works. In Kaiji, characters' faces become squishy during life-threatening psychological battles. Such depictions also exist in Tonegawa. However, compared to the content of Kaiji, most of these are far too trivial and trivial. Using squishy characters for such trivial things is a complete waste...! It's insane...! That's what makes it so funny...! The more insane it is, the more interesting it is...!
The characters are starting to fall apart...!
The characters in Tonegawa tend to be a bit less well-rounded than in the original Kaiji. The chairman does whatever he wants, like knowing the lyrics to "Maegami Kirisugi Sugito" and BOA's "Valenti," which he would never know. However, character breakdowns have become commonplace in Fukumoto's recent works, so it's possible that this isn't just a spinoff issue, but is actually the norm. While Chairman Hyoudou in Tonegawa is portrayed as a listless grandpa, it's possible that this isn't a character breakdown at all, but that he really is.
Appeal of the Series 2: A Good Boss...! Tonegawa's Struggle!
The Teiai Group is a shady company, but Tonegawa, a middle manager, is a good boss who cares for his subordinates and manages them appropriately. While he was portrayed as cruel in the original work, in this work he is portrayed as a compassionate, caring, and ideal boss. While he's a villain who doesn't mind risking his life against the scum of heavy debt, he is kind to his family. The struggle between Tonegawa and his subordinates is a well-established theme within the work.
A unique black suit...!
Black Suits often appear in Fukumoto's works, but they're basically in suits and sunglasses, making them virtually indistinguishable. However, even though they're black suits, they're still people, and while it's only natural that each one has their own unique characteristics, it's extremely strange that they're so unique...! Is it okay for black suits to be unique...?! You can't help but laugh at this stance, which is in direct opposition to the original work.
Appeal of the Work 3: Tonegawa's Unique Meta-Timespace! What everyone was thinking...!
Recently, there have been works in which the protagonists of Kindaichi's and Conan's criminals constantly point out the contradictions in the story. Tonegawa also has this element, thoroughly poking fun at things that aren't mentioned in the main Kaiji story but are "probably how it is." For example, Tonegawa, a middle manager, must remember the names of his subordinates, but finds this extremely difficult due to the lack of quirks of the black suits. Also, the purpose of the Burning Prostration Machine in the future is a mystery to outsiders.
The Fall of Teiai!?
The most notable example of this mockery is the abolition of gray zone interest rates. Teiai was a black company that collected exorbitant interest rates, but this law caused it to collapse due to massive overpayments...! This was Tonegawa's nightmare, but in reality, it has been abolished. The term "overpayment" has become more common recently, and it is said that the company that inspired Teiai collapsed as a result.
Appeal of the Work 4: The Opening Scene: "Tonegawa-kun Running Dashingly"...! A stunning masterpiece
Tonegawa Yukio is portrayed as an ideal boss, but in reality he's a villain who shows no mercy to the scum of heavy debt and doesn't care even if they die...! In other words, he's the epitome of scum...! The theme song for the anime starring this scumbag Tonegawa-kun is "Tonegawa-kun Running Dashingly" by Gesu no Kiwami Otome, a truly catchy masterpiece.
Tonegawa-kun Receives Punishment
In the main story of Kaiji, Tonegawa, despite being in an overwhelmingly advantageous position, falls prey to Kaiji's desperate tactics and is defeated. This incurs the wrath of Chairman Hyodo, who punishes him harshly by burning prostration, leading to his downfall. Gesu no Kiwami Otome also received social sanctions for their involvement with Becky. Perhaps he was selected for the role because of his sleazy connections to the punishment he received.
The 5th Appeal of the Series: A Story that Connects in Every Way...!
The Middle Management Chronicle of Tonegawa is a story set in Kaiji's past, and it features various events that connect to the main story. It features a devilish game, a limited edition rock-paper-scissors game. Behind the scenes, the story tells a comical story of how these events were planned. Other familiar items and terms appear in the story, including the burnt dogeza plate, human horse racing, electric steel beam walking, and a swamp. These are intertwined in a humorous story that will have fans of the original Kaiji laughing uncontrollably.
There are also a few self-parodies by the same author...
Tonegawa is full of self-parodies, featuring a Kaiji lookalike and familiar names from other Fukumoto works. In particular, when mahjong became popular within the company, Masayan's appearance was like that of a legendary mahjong player. There's also a parody of the original Teiai commercial. Teiai's commercial features a woman dancing in a leotard, her hair flying wildly. That's dangerous. Dangerous...!
Summary of the Appeal of The Middle Management Blues: Tonegawa
A spin-off of the Kaiji series, Tonegawa is a somewhat unconventional comedy anime that pokes fun at the original work. Anyone familiar with the original work will definitely enjoy it. Even if you're not familiar with Kaiji, you can still enjoy it. In fact, if you watch Kaiji after watching Tonegawa, you might be shocked by the stark contrast!
