The Middle Management Blues: Tonegawa is a spin-off series starring Tonegawa Yukio, a character from Kaiji. Tonegawa works at the black company Teiai, and as always, he is subjected to unreasonable power harassment from the company president, Hyoudou Kazutaka. We've ranked Hyoudou's various instances of power harassment!
Power Harassment Ranking #1: The Fateful Burning Prostration...!
Later in the main Kaiji series, Tonegawa corners Kaiji, demonstrating his overwhelming superiority. However, he accidentally discovers Tonegawa's deception and wins the match with a desperate strategy. In the following match, Kaiji defeats Tonegawa with a strategy that takes advantage of Tonegawa's superiority. Chairman Hyodo, who witnessed the outcome of the match, becomes enraged and orders a special order item to be brought to him.
Forcing Kaiji to do a burning groveling...!
This is the grilled dogeza machine, forcing opponents to perform a grilled dogeza on a hot iron plate to take responsibility for losing a match. Tonegawa completes the grilled dogeza for 10 seconds, something no one has ever managed before, and then leaves the stage. This is synonymous with Tonegawa, and can be said to be the strongest and worst form of power harassment.
Power Harassment Ranking #2: Hey, go find a body double!
After a baseball flies at him and a giant hornet clings to his back, Hyodo's paranoia explodes. Believing his life is in danger, he calls Tonegawa and commands him to "find a body double...!" His overwhelming paranoia leads Team Tonegawa to search for a potential body double for the chairman.
Masayan, the Body Double Found
Tonegawa and Yamazaki happen upon a diner where they come across the chairman's devilish lookalike, Honda Masayasu (nicknamed Masayan). However, Masayan is a good person, completely unlike the twisted and distorted personality of Hyodo. Yamazaki brainwashes Masayan, repainting his personality and turning him into a respectable body double for the chairman, but by that time, Hyodo's body double craze has faded. They can so easily twist a person's life and personality...! That's the black company Teiai...!
Power Harassment Ranking #3: I'm Bored, So Plan a Devilish Game...!
One day, Tonegawa is suddenly summoned by Chairman Hyoudou. He senses something bad happening when he sees Hyoudou's increasingly bored state. His premonition proves correct, and Tonegawa is told to plan a life-threatening game that will reveal the true nature of people who are heavily in debt. This ruins Tonegawa's weekend golfing...! Tonegawa and the Black Suits plan a devilish game.
Exclusive Rock-Paper-Scissors Afterward...!
Despite some twists and turns, Tonegawa and his black suits steadily developed ideas for the devilish game and a maritime setting. This resulted in the creation of games that appear in the original Kaiji, such as the limited edition rock-paper-scissors game.
Power Harassment Ranking #4: Compliance is a No-No! The Nightmare of Human Horse Racing!
The chairman himself planned a devilish game: human horse racing...! The black suits and executives, forced to watch the whole thing, are shocked by its heinous, inhumane content...! Chairman Hyodo is the only one who gleefully enjoys this devilish spectacle. He is forced to witness the content, which is not suitable for public viewing for compliance reasons. Forcing someone to play is power harassment, but forcing them to watch it is also power harassment. For more information, please watch Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji.
Power Harassment Ranking #5: Limited-Time Rock-Paper-Scissors Game. The next one is in three days...!
The first limited-time rock-paper-scissors game, which Team Tonegawa had worked so hard to plan and realize, was largely a success, thanks in part to Tonegawa's eloquent speech. Chairman Hyodo, who was watching the game, was also full of praise. It seemed to strike a chord with the chairman, and he flashed a look of delight. However, the chairman was so pleased with it that he made the unreasonable request to hold the next one in three days.
Power Harassment Ranking #6: Kaiser Kazuta and Yukio
On a whim, Tonegawa visits the stables and names a seemingly talented horse Kaiser Kazuta. He also names a lackluster horse Yukio and makes him the owner. At this point, it seems like a serious case of power harassment, but Yukio makes great strides after that, while Kaiser Kazuta fails to impress. So Hyodo takes the outrageous step of switching Kaiser Kazuta with Kaiser Yukio...! However, Tonegawa couldn't resist, and Kazuta Kaiser and Yukio swapped places.
He'll take the best part
No one would object to such an outrageous move... except, you'd think, the man next to Tonegawa, Kurosaki! He points out that Kazuta Kaiser and Yukio have swapped places. And so, with the race underway, it was Kurosaki's Makurosaki who won. Even the chairman was stunned.
Power Harassment Ranking #7: Landmine...!
Chairman Hyodo, who generally has no idea when to lose his temper, doesn't know what a landmine is. He gets angry over the slightest thing and punishes people with his cane. Meanwhile, the man next to Tonegawa, Yoshihiro Kurosaki, continues to avoid the landmines. When the three of them go to dinner, Tonegawa tries to avoid the landmine by joining in on Kurosaki's conversation, but it doesn't work...! Only Kurosaki and the chairman know the chairman's boundaries, and Tonegawa steps on a landmine and is punished by the chairman.
Power Harassment Ranking #8: Hyodo's very existence is power harassment...!
While Tonegawa is on his way to a business trip, Hyodo calls him. He asks what he thinks about yoga, which he's become interested in on a whim. Tonegawa answers, but then enters a tunnel at an inopportune time and the call is cut off. He immediately calls back, but then enters another tunnel and the call is cut off again. The third time, the call is rejected...! Tonegawa has to immediately make a U-turn...! His very existence is power harassment...!
Power Harassment Ranking #9: I want to see the movie...!
Hyodo suddenly says he wants to see a movie and asks Tonegawa to choose the title. Naturally, Tonegawa doesn't like it and gets angry. In the end, Hyodo chooses the title, but the old man falls asleep midway through. Waking him up while asleep is bound to make him angry, and not waking him up at the climax is bound to make him angry. Tonegawa tries to get through this situation by pausing the movie, but Tonegawa, exhausted, ends up dozing off and ends up getting punished.
Power Harassment Ranking #10: Psychological Tests
As usual, Tonegawa is called in by Hyoudou and is suddenly forced to take a psychological test. Tonegawa tries to avoid angering the chairman as much as possible, but only Hyoudou knows the results of the psychological test. It's impossible to tell what's a problem...! If he angers the chairman, he'll be punished...! This hellish psychological test leaves Tonegawa branded a total pervert, without him even understanding what the test means.
Top 10 Power Harassment Rankings in The Office Worker Chronicle of Tonogawa
We've covered the overwhelming, demonic power harassment in The Office Worker Chronicle of Tonogawa. It would be unbearable to experience this kind of power harassment in real life, but I've also heard that the power harassment in the real-life Teiai drama from the past was also extremely severe, so it's a terrifying story. Bosses and executives, power harassment is absolutely not allowed...!