Tomodachi Game
Tomodachi Game
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Tomodachi Game

7.5
Yr 2022
Rt 23m
Status Ended
Animation Drama Mystery
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Series Brief

Overview

After his class' school trip fund is stolen, Yuichi and his best friends are abducted to play a debt repayment game; there is more than money on the line, as their bonds are tested with dark secrets and a lingering question of who is behind it all.

Critical Reception

What critics are saying

Score 52 /100

Critical reception for Tomodachi Game was decidedly mixed, with reviewers divided over whether its high-stakes psychological mind games were engaging or uninspired. While some critics found fun in its premise, others felt the execution fell short of its potential.

Positive commentary appreciated the show as a clever, suspenseful thriller. These reviewers enjoyed the game show format, noting that the puzzle-focused narrative built nicely on the murky relationships and hidden motivations among the central friend group.

Conversely, negative reviews labeled the series as mediocre and bland. Critics singled out weak character development, superficial character archetypes, and lackluster production quality as major drawbacks that kept the show from standing out.

“a reliably clever and surprisingly charming thriller”

“could have been much better than it was had there been more effort in the character development and production department”

“It's totally bland”

Transmission Paths

Where to Watch

Crunchyroll
US • CA • UK
Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
CA • US • UK
Why fans love it

The 2022 animated drama Tomodachi Game turns typical student life into a cold, tactical environment. Instead of relying on traditional action, the series functions as a psychological strategy board where bonds are treated as leverage. The structure hinges on the tension between a group of friends who find their loyalties dismantled by a debt repayment game.

Chiaki Kobayashi leads a cast that anchors the show during its most desperate maneuvers. Rather than simple heroics, the story leans into the calculation of an anti-hero forced to navigate betrayal and lingering secrets. It functions as a suspenseful descent where the survival stakes are secondary to the unraveling of long-standing trust.

Featured Players

Cast

Credited 47
Regulars 10
Longest run 6 eps
Chiaki Kobayashi
Chiaki Kobayashi
as Yuichi Katagiri (voice)
Daiki Hamano
Daiki Hamano
as Tenji Misaka (voice)
Yume Miyamoto
Yume Miyamoto
as Shiho Sawaragi (voice)
Tomohiro Ono
Tomohiro Ono
as Makoto Shibe (voice)
Satomi Amano
Satomi Amano
as Yutori Kokorogi (voice)
Minami Takayama
Minami Takayama
as Manabu-kun (voice)
Reina Ueda
Reina Ueda
as Maria Mizuse (voice)
Shizuka Itoh
Shizuka Itoh
as Tsukino (voice)
Show 39 more
Riki Kagami as Yoshida (voice) 1 episode Toshitsugu Takashina as Homeroom teacher (voice) 1 episode Rio Tsuchiya as Student (voice) 1 episode Kouki Osuzu as Student (voice) 1 episode Nao Nakanishi as Student (voice) 1 episode Eiji Mikami as Student (voice) 1 episode Yuu Sakuragi as Student (voice) 1 episode Kazuya Ichijo as Man of Prostitution (voice) 1 episode Kouhei Yanagi as Bad guy (voice) 2 episodes Saeko Oki as Girl (voice) 1 episode Ayane Matsuda as Girl (voice) 1 episode Honoka Sasaki as Girl (voice) 1 episode Chado Horii as Bad guy (voice) 1 episode Ko Bonkobara as Bad guy (voice) 1 episode Shuri Miyumi as Yuichi [Child] (voice) 1 episode Hochu Otsuka as Teacher (voice) 2 episodes Hiroshi Yanaka as Yutaka Mikasa (voice) 2 episodes Seiichiro Yamashita as Best Friend A (voice) 1 episode Hekiru Shiina as Yuichi's mother (voice) 3 episodes Akio Otsuka as Wataru Sawaragi (voice) 3 episodes Chafurin as Manabu-sensei (voice) 6 episodes Tomoaki Maeno as Sergeant Manabu (voice) 5 episodes Tetsu Inada as Juuzou Kadokura (voice) 4 episodes Kisho Taniyama as Hyakutarou Onigawara (voice) 5 episodes Tetsuya Kakihara as Chisato Hashiratani (voice) 5 episodes Kensho Ono as Kei Shinomiya (voice) 5 episodes Daisuke Ono as Banri Niwa (voice) 5 episodes Ayato Morinaga as Best Friend B (voice) 1 episode Sayaka Harada as Mitsuru Hanamiya (voice) 1 episode Shou Komura as Student (voice) 2 episodes Jun Fukuyama as Man (voice) 2 episodes Kouya Nomaki as Student (voice) 2 episodes Kana Hanazawa as Judge Manabu (voice) 1 episode Nana Mizuki as Reiko Tamai (voice) 6 episodes Takaki Otomari as Goriki (voice) 1 episode Hayato Kaneko as Bad guy A (voice) 1 episode Hironori Shiojiri as Bad guy B (voice) 1 episode Tasuku Kida as Bad guy C (voice) 1 episode Daisuke Nakamura as Black-suited man (voice) 1 episode
Production Board

Crew

Editor
Ayako Tan
Theme Song Performance
Saji
Storyboard Artist
Kenta Onishi Keisuke Warita Jin Tamamura Hirofumi Ogura Yūichi Abe
Animation Director
Yoshie Matsumoto Liran Endo Midori Otsuka Cha Myoung-jun Takuro Sakurai Shinichiro Minami Tatsuya Yada
Prop Designer
Yoshie Matsumoto
Art Direction
Wei Siman
Sound Director
Hiroto Morishita
Supervising Animation Director
Satomi Miyazaki Miyako Nishida
Director
Keisuke Warita Yuki Morita Yūichi Abe
CGI Director
Yuta HATAKEYAMA
Producer
Masahiro Hibi
Director of Photography
Yomogiko Murano
Music Producer
Kazunari Sengoku Minori Ueda
Series Director
Hirofumi Ogura
Associate Producer
Takahiro Fujii
Sound Effects
Shota Yaso
Signal Match

Similarity

Where Tomodachi Game overlaps with other shows, and exactly what they have in common.

Keyword Cloud

Keywords

love triangle anti hero survival bromance based on manga anime strategy game psychological suspense
Technical Sheet

Details

First Aired
April 06, 2022
Status
Ended
Episode Runtime
23 minutes
Origin
JP
TMDB Votes
98