Tomodachi Game Episode 3 has only just been released with subs, and we are now getting an English dub of Tomodachi Game! So what would you do if you were asked to play a friendship game?
Is friendship more important than money? Let’s take a look at our brave English cast and see how they do in this “simple” game where all you have to do is trust your friends.
Of all the anime coming out, Tomodachi Game is the one I’m most excited about!
Do you want to play the Tomodachi game? A summary of the story
The Tomodachi Game English dub release date for episode 1 was streamed on April 19, 2022, and the first episode is fantastic! Featuring talented voice actors David Matranga as Yuichi, Josh Bangle as Tenshi, Caitlin Glass as Shiho, Dani Chambers as Yutori and Aaron Campbel as Makoto.
And our villainous (?) roles are Kiba Walker as Manabu, Monica Rial as Tsukino and Sara Ragsdale as Maria. The production crew includes ADR Director Jad Saxton, Chief ADR Engineer Rickey Watkins, ADR Script Writer Katelyn Barr, ADR Script Supervisor Emily Neves, ADR Prep James Baker and ADR Mix Engineer Gino Palencia.
Hirofumi Ogura directs Tomodachi Game in Okuruto Noboru’s studio. Kenta Ihara does the series composition and Satomi Miyazaki does character designs.
What does a creepy looking mascot from an old anime have to do with friendship games and debt? How far would you go to keep yourself safe?
I knew this anime would be unique as soon as I saw the announcement. Episodes 1 and 2 cover the first friendship game, which spans 3 chapters in the manga.
And there is very little difference between them. Yuichi works hard early in the morning to pay his money for an upcoming class trip. When he hands in the money, Makoto congratulates Yuichi and says his father borrowed Yuichi the money.
This annoys Shiho and she tells Makoto not to act like a big shot anymore because they all have to do their best and be on an equal footing. Fortunately, Tenji comes over with Yutori and calms Shiho.
The friends laugh about it, but someone stole the money the next day. Shiho was supposed to take the money to their teacher, but she had to leave it in her locker.
This explanation is the first difference between manga and anime. Shiho says she had to leave the class for unspecified reasons in the manga, but she says she had to leave the class in the anime.
More importantly, Shiho locked the money in her locker with a key. Shiho starts to cry and begs the thief to come forward, but no one does.
This is the second difference. Yuichi had to go home after school in the manga, so he says no one stepped forward.
The anime takes a slightly darker turn. Yuichi overhears some of his classmates whispering about who needs money most in their class.
The next day, both Shiho and Makoto were absent from school. And they would be absent for a few days, which brings us to our main difference.
Yuichi, Tenji and Yutori overhear their classmates say they think Shiho or Makoto stole the money. Yuichi and his friends keep to themselves in the anime, but Tenji goes to the gossips and gives us vital information in the manga.
Tenji says that Makoto is the son of a politician and that he lent Yuichi the money for the trip. Shiho is the daughter of a police officer.
Tenji describes Shiho as an incarnation of justice who would never betray her friends. Later that evening, Yuichi is making flowers in his apartment when he hears someone rattling at his door.
When he opens the door, Yuichi sees no one, but he finds a letter addressed to him from Shiho saying she has something important to tell him.
Yuichi runs to the meeting place and finds all his friends there. Shiho shows Yuichi four bills identical to the one he has, except theirs are signed by Yuichi?!
Yuichi is tasered in the neck and hits the ground.
Welcome to the Tomodachi game
Yuichi wakes up to find that they are in a white room. He starts to ask if everyone is okay, but just then Manabu shows up. The English Dub, Japanese sub and manga give different information about Manabu.
All this is taken care of by Yutori, as she really likes anime and manga. Yutori says that Manabu is a character from a nighttime anime. He has a cute face, but he teases children and steals their treasures.
We see how Manabu beats a child until there is blood on Manabu’s face. Unfortunately, the show was canceled very quickly due to its graphic content.
Manabu laughs and says he doesn’t have to introduce himself now. He then tells the friends that they will play a simple game with him.
Each round, the friends win 2 million with a chance of more. If they do it right, their $20 million debt is quickly paid off. Yuichi grabs Manabu and says they don’t owe him anything, and even if they did, it wouldn’t be 20 million.
Manabu laughs it off and tells Yuichi that one of his friends is to blame, that they were the ones who wanted to play, and that he had already received the fee for the game.
2 million yen. The Tomodachi game has begun. Yuichi and the others haven’t figured it out yet.
How do you win a Tomodachi game?
The rules for participation are simple. First, the 20 million will be divided equally among the group, meaning each person has 4 million debt.
Each round she brings in 2 million, but if the loser gets the blame from everyone else. The best thing I think is that they don’t have to play, and if they thought carefully, the friends would see that the game is anything but simple.
However, Manabu says they don’t have to play.
Nothing will happen to them, except that whoever is in debt has to pay it himself, and Manabu keeps the 2 million. This is fine, since 2 million is easier to replace than 20 million.
And no real friend would do such a thing to his friends. But the power of friendship and hormones get in the way. Since it’s not just the friends who agree to play the game, four out of five don’t try to figure out who’s to blame.
Yutori sums things up very nicely. That’s what friends are for, but Yuichi has doubts that will be confirmed in the first game.
Round 1, Kokkori-San
Kokkori-San is a game where you put your finger on a coin and ask Kokkori-San a yes or no question. The round has five questions and the group only needs to get one question right to pass the game.
Manabu also says that only the card reader is allowed to talk. Anyone who breaks this rule will have their debt doubled. Winning the game means moving on to the next round.
If you get all five questions wrong, it’s game over. The first three questions are simple. Is 1+1=2? Yet every question was wrong. And when it’s Yuichi’s turn, it feels like his heart is turning black.
While Yuichi and his friends are playing, we see two teenage girls in another room watching our leading group. Is it players or mods?
Will they reveal themselves or watch the show? The girls call Yuichi and his friends group C. Does this mean that several Tomodochi games are happening right now?
Yuichi figures out how to win the Kokkuri-San game in one of the most advanced ways. He breaks the rule of not speaking and irritates the group.
By asking if the others know what colored underwear Shiho is wearing. I won’t spoil the ending for you as round 2 starts in the same episode.
The backbone in this anime is everywhere, and I can’t wait to see how it ends.
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