Mr. TONEGAWA Middle Management Blues
Nobody knows what it's like to be the bad man… except the bad man's right-hand man, who has to take the boss' deranged ideas and turn them into functioning plans. So, when the sadistic president of the Teiai Group decides he's bored with the routine leg breaking and widow/orphan evicting, he assigns the task of coming up with something "special" to his ruthless Number Two, Yukio Tonegawa. But how do you amuse someone who destroys a dozen lives before breakfast? There's a huge pool of potential victims in the form of TFO's swollen roster of defaulting borrowers, but if Tonegawa and his team of nearly identical men in black look-alikes can't create a "game of death" that tickles the boss' demented funny bones, they may end up playing the game themselves!
Cast: Toshiyuki Morikawa, Masane Tsukayama, Chiharu Sawashiro
Season 1
24 episodes
1. InitiativeIn Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor, he tormented the downtrodden and enticed them into playing games where their lives were wagered against incredible cash prizes. But even a cold blooded monster can't spend every moment of the day trampling others. And in the real world, death games require planning, funding, oversight, and execution. This is the story of a lone man who struggles between his employer, the president, and his own employees, the men in black...Tonegawa Yukio: Middle Manager!TV-MACC23minJul 4, 2018
2. ConjectureThe second meeting of the death game production team is held, and Tonegawa needs to make up for the bad first impression he gave his workers. But between the confusing names of his team members and their bizarre objective, can the executive make sure the conversation heads in a productive direction?TV-MACC23minJul 11, 2018
3. SurefireAfter a vicious act of betrayal in the last meeting, Tonegawa arranges weekend trip to an all-expenses paid villa to repair the cracks in his relationship with the team... but will it be enough?TV-MACC23minJul 18, 2018
4. AdultAfter three unproductive meetings and a company trip, Tonegawa's team still has essentially nothing to show in terms of progress on their death game project. But after a bolt of inspiration, the middle manager himself thinks he might have the answer.TV-MACC23minJul 25, 2018
5. Soul-SearchingWith the proposal for Restricted Rock Paper Scissors finished, Tonegawa just needs to turn it in to President Hyoudou... The tyrannical, temperamental, explosively volatile President Hyoudou.TV-MACC23minAug 1, 2018
6. Self-DestructAs the deadline for the design of the Restricted Rock Paper Scissors cards approaches, Ebitani feels insecure because of Saemon's repeated successes. Tonegawa tries to mentor the wayward employee, but will he listen?TV-MACC23minAug 8, 2018
7. ProliferationAs work begins to proceed on the first Restricted Rock Paper Scissors game, an unseen danger threatens to freeze the team's work to a standstill.TV-MACC23minAug 15, 2018
8. ShrimpAfter being fired from Teiai and causing Tonegawa's salary to be cut, Ebitani returns hoping to make amends.TV-MACC23minAug 22, 2018
9. CutletsThe annual round of hiring for Teiai has begun, with Tonegawa and Yamazaki interviewing potential new employees. Afterwards, Tonegawa goes out for lunch, but ends up getting a little more than he bargained for.TV-MACC23minAug 29, 2018
10. RehearsalIt's finally time for the first rehearsal game of Restricted Rock Paper Scissors. But will difficulties with equipment and participants spell trouble for Tonegawa's big project?TV-MACC23minSep 5, 2018
11. Business TripTonegawa hits the road, with business to attend to outside of Tokyo, and hopes to find a chance for relaxation while away from home.TV-MACC23minSep 12, 2018
12. FakeWhen President Hyoudou decides that he wants a body double, Tonegawa and the men in black begin a search to find the perfect doppelganger for their boss.TV-MACC23minSep 19, 2018
13. Setting SailThe day is finally here: Tonegawa and his team are going to host the first game of Restricted Rock Paper Scissors. It's all been leading up to this, but can they pull it off without a hitch?TV-MACC23minOct 3, 2018
14. ExcursionWe've seen that the Teiai Group runs a ruthless business. But what happens when people with debt stacked beyond the ceiling fail to show any signs of paying off their loans? Witness a trip into the secret hell on Earth inhabited by the most hapless of debtors... and how one man manages to make the most of his otherwise dire situation.TV-MACC23minOct 10, 2018
15. Playing HardOne of Ootsuki's regular excursions results in a clash of epic proportions, against an unexpected opponent...TV-MACC23minOct 17, 2018
16. Natural EnemiesTonegawa is Teiai's number two man, but his position isn't exactly uncontested. When his rival, Kurosawa, steps into the picture even the battle hardened middle manager finds himself at a loss.TV-MACC23minOct 24, 2018
17. Unofficial AnnouncementThe time has come for personnel changes at Teiai. When everything is said and done, who will be left on Team Tonegawa?TV-MACC23minOct 31, 2018
18. AlignmentTonegawa's annual check-up leads to some lifestyle changes that are accompanied by unwanted attention, while Ootsuki finds something he never expected to encounter on one of his excursions.TV-MACC23minNov 7, 2018
19. NewcomersWith the recent transfers leaving him short-manned, Tonegawa welcomes three new employees to his team, and doesn't take long for two of them to start making waves within the company.TV-MACC23minNov 14, 2018
20. EntertainingThe man-eating Bog is a pachinko machine that makes a ludicrous amount of money for one of Teiai's underground casinos. The time has come for Tonegawa to collect the winnings, which means a showdown between him, the diabolical device, and the man who responsible for it: Ichijou!TV-MACC23minNov 21, 2018
21. DefamationOverseeing the Teiai corporate Twitter exposes Tonegawa to an account that seems to exist solely to hate on his company, triggering the middle manager's combative instincts. Meanwhile, Ootsuki's underground gambling games hit a snag when a rival foreman begins running his own entertainment scheme.TV-MACC23minNov 28, 2018
22. ConclusionsTwo stories come to a conclusion, as Ootsuki concocts a scheme to usurp Odagiri's movie business, and Tonegawa tracks down the social media troll that has been flaming Teiai.TV-MACC23minDec 5, 2018
23. PremonitionTonegawa attends a class reunion where he hopes to see what's become of the classmates he always held in contempt. Meanwhile, Ootsuki's latest excursion is threatened when he gets unexpectedly sick.TV-MACC23minDec 12, 2018
24. End of the LineHyoudou's latest craving for diabolical entertainment is so twisted, people are afraid to talk about it... even the narrator! And then, wedding bells begin to ring for one member of Team Tonegawa.TV-MACC23minDec 26, 2018
Viewers also watched
Mr. TONEGAWA Middle Management Blues
Nobody knows what it's like to be the bad man… except the bad man's right-hand man, who has to take the boss' deranged ideas and turn them into functioning plans. So, when the sadistic president of the Teiai Group decides he's bored with the routine leg breaking and widow/orphan evicting, he assigns the task of coming up with something "special" to his ruthless Number Two, Yukio Tonegawa. But how do you amuse someone who destroys a dozen lives before breakfast? There's a huge pool of potential victims in the form of TFO's swollen roster of defaulting borrowers, but if Tonegawa and his team of nearly identical men in black look-alikes can't create a "game of death" that tickles the boss' demented funny bones, they may end up playing the game themselves!
Creators and cast
- Cast
- Toshiyuki Morikawa, Masane Tsukayama, Chiharu Sawashiro, Takaya Aoyagi, Takuya Eguchi, Kengo Kawanishi
- Studio
- Madhouse
