A spin-off of the Kaiji series, this is a middle management comedy starring Tonegawa Yukio, the No. 2 at Teiai. Tonegawa struggles at the mercy of his superiors and subordinates at the black company Teiai. Life as a middle manager is full of hardships, but Tonegawa, who is generally excellent, handles them with grace. We would like to introduce some success stories that middle managers must read.
Success Story 1: Regaining the trust of his subordinates...!
Chairman Hyodo unreasonably challenges Tonegawa to come up with a life-threatening game in which a group of heavily indebted scum fight ugly battles. Tonegawa heads to the conference room to brainstorm ideas with the black suits. With his skill, he successfully gets the black suits to come up with ideas with free thinking, but then Chairman Hyodo arrives. His boss's sudden appearance causes Tonegawa to lose his cool, leading to him becoming arrogant and losing the trust of his subordinates.
A company trip to save the day...!
Unable to let his subordinates lose their trust, Tonegawa plans a company trip to regain their trust. However, from the subordinates' perspective, a company trip accompanied by their superiors is just too restrictive. This won't make them feel better...! So Tonegawa tries to turn things around with a barbecue featuring the finest Kobe beef, ice-cold wine, and ice-cold beer from the concession stand.
Tonegawa's Encounter with the Yaki-Dogeza Machine
However, an unexpected accident occurs: the grill for the barbecue is missing. If things continue as they are, the barbecue's hopes of salvaging the situation will be dashed. At that moment, Tonegawa spots the Yaki-Dogeza Machine, the very machine he will sit on later. Using the machine, which from the outside looks like nothing more than a giant grilled meat plate, the barbecue is a success. With the utmost sincerity, Tonegawa successfully regains the trust of his subordinates.
Success Story 2: Tonegawa, a grown-up decision...!
Chairman Hyodo makes a bold request to Team Tonegawa, who is tasked with planning a devilish game. Though the previous meeting didn't go well, Tonegawa comes up with a devilish idea for "Human Mahjong." The game is devilish and a better idea than the black-suited men expected. However, Saemon, the youngest of the black-suited men, says it's unfair because there aren't enough people and some of them don't know how to play mahjong. While his opinion may have dampened the meeting, Saemon's opinion is spot-on, and Tonegawa readily accepts it and demands a better idea.
An overwhelming level of perfection in Card Rock-Paper-Scissors...!
As if ready to deliver on his promise, Saemon used PowerPoint to present his Card Rock-Paper-Scissors idea. His presentation was overwhelmingly perfect, even more realistic and game-like than Tonegawa's "Human Mahjong." However, Saemon's idea was the youngest among the black suits, and Tonegawa could have rejected it. However, Tonegawa quickly discarded his own and adopted Saemon's. However, since card rock-paper-scissors lacks impact, he renames it "Limited Rock-Paper-Scissors" and successfully incorporates his own ideas.
Success Story 3: To get your proposal approved, you need to make sure your boss is in a good mood...!
Tonegawa tried to present his idea for the limited-edition rock-paper-scissors game to Hyoudou, but if he submitted it when he was in a bad mood, there was a strong possibility that he would reject the plan out of spite...! Tonegawa struggled to find the right timing to submit his proposal. To make matters worse, five days before the deadline, he found out that the chairman was going to Hawaii for 10 days. Tonegawa is in dire straits...!
The Chairman's Barometer...!
Tonegawa, who must submit his proposal at all costs, hears from Yamazaki, who formerly worked in black suits under Hyodo, that "people are more likely to be in a good mood after a bath" and that "the angle of their eyebrows can tell you to some extent whether they're in a good or bad mood." Tonegawa aims to catch the Chairman after he's taken a bath, but he's wearing a face mask, making it impossible to tell his mood, and his plan fails...! However, Tonegawa traveled all the way to Hawaii, demonstrated his Snake-like initiative, checked the chairman's mood, and successfully submitted the proposal.
Success Story 4: Tonegawa...! A sophisticated look...!
While Tonegawa was on a business trip, paying attention to fashion became popular, especially among the young Saemon, and discipline within Team Tonegawa began to deteriorate. Only Yamazaki and Gonda noticed the lack of discipline, but since they were doing their jobs properly, they couldn't speak up and instead consulted Tonegawa. Tonegawa suggests that they can just cite the rules and persuade them, but Saemon and his friends' fashion sense has escalated, and even Gonda has given in.
That's not chic...!
Yamazaki cites the service regulations, but his outfit falls into a gray area within the regulations. Yamazaki can't argue. Then Tonegawa returns and says, "You have a point, but your outfit is far too uncool." Fashion is something you do casually, and Saemon and the other black-suited men realize that their eccentric attire is nothing more than cosplay. This episode highlights Tonegawa's eloquent speech, which prevented a breakdown in discipline.
Success Story 5: Tonegawa's past revealed through personnel transfers
During personnel transfer season, information about who will be transferred is often leaked to everyone except those affected. That's why the transfers of the three men, except for Hagio, Nagata, and Kikuchi, who will be transferred this time, were kept secret. Finally, the three are notified of their transfers, officially announced as being to the Minami Hateruma Branch.
The Three Are in a Frenzy...!
The three are in a frenzy at the farewell party. This is because their transfers are essentially demotions, and their main job at the Minami Hateruma Branch is extracting seaweed extracts used in something called Domohorn. Everyone knew they had no future. Tonegawa tells them, "This transfer is half demotion, but half hopeful that you'll return." However, Tonegawa, who has lived a life of success, doesn't understand. They say such a dramatic reversal is impossible...
Tonegawa's past...!
Tonegawa gives the three of them a parting gift of sunscreen and sunglasses. He also advises them to be careful of sea snakes. Why is Tonegawa so familiar with the Minamihateruma branch? It's because he's experienced it himself. You never know what's going to happen at Teiai, an unreasonable, black company. You could even be demoted for no reason...! But Tonegawa has made a dramatic reversal and is now in his current position. Turnarounds are possible...!
A Summary of Success Stories from The Middle Management Chronicle of Tonegawa
For a Kaiji spin-off themed around the brutal, life-threatening gambling, Tonegawa surprisingly excels in middle management. I think there are some aspects of his success story that could be applied to real life. I thought it might be a good idea to take a look at his success story.
