The following contains spoilers for Tomodachi Game Episode 1, "Huh? Yuichi-kun Suspects His Friends?," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
High-stakes games have become a commonplace narrative in anime, video games and live-action shows. Many of the most popular of these titles pit complete strangers against each other in a series of deadly competitions or some sort of mutual killing battle royale. Tomodachi Game, one of this season's newest suspense series, delivers a similar structure by forcing high schoolers to play games with each other's fates on the line.
However, in comparison to many of its contemporaries, Tomodachi Game has two big differences. First, rather than the characters wagering their survival, they risk their futures in the form of life-ruining debt. Second, the participants are all people that they believed to be their best friends.
The series opens with the unassuming protagonist Yuuichi Katakiri and his tight-knit student friend group. This posse consists of the carefree rich boy Makoto Shibe, the stern vice class representative Shiho Sawaragi, the prodigious smart guy Tenji Mikasa and the caring wallflower Yutori Kokorogi. While the five share a deep bond, suspicion arises around them after two million yen is stolen from the class' school trip funds.
Following this incident, all five of them receive a letter in the middle of the night to meet at the school, at which point they are accosted and kidnapped. After waking up in a bleached white room, they are informed by Manabu-kun, an eerie childlike mascot character, that they must play a series of games to pay off a 20 million yen sum -- a debt that supposedly belongs to one of them. Although Yuuichi initially doubts the reality of the setup, he is shocked when the other four quickly accede to these demands. His horror is further reinforced by Manabu-kun's mention of an entry fee paid by the debtor equal to the exact amount stolen from the class.
It is this looming sense of secrecy that creates a unique tension to the elements of Tomodachi Game. The anime masterfully conveys the events from Yuuichi's perspective alone, secluding audiences from the other four in the same way that Yuuichi himself is during the games. All five of them become equally saddled with the divided debt at the start of the contest, despite only one of them being responsible for its existence. Furthermore, the activities are structured in such a way that the amount owed by each character can go up or down based on their actions but is never verified by another participant.
The first game, based on Kokkuri-san -- the Japanese equivalent of a ouija board -- makes the players communally answer a series of yes-or-no questions by moving a coin around without talking. The board itself, programmed to move in the direction of the minority answer, initially seems to be a largely innocuous hurdle. Still, once the seemingly simple questions come back consistently incorrect, it seems like sabotage may be the only explanation.
Many viewers have compared the show to death game series like Alice in Borderland or Squid Game. The latter parallel appears particularly apt due to the promise of prize money to settle a massive debt. Additionally, Squid Game's bouts for survival are largely based around childhood pastimes. Tomodachi Game's Kokkuri-san certainly fits the bill for that genre of activity, as does the presence of the unsettling Manabu-kun, who comes from a kid's anime within the world of Tomodachi Game.
Nevertheless, it is the relationship of the competitors that drives the pain of the scenario home. One would expect to be cast aside by rivals in a game where none of the members know each other. In contrast, Tomodachi Game attacks its characters' emotional foundation by confronting them with the reality of a traitor among their dearest friends. Likewise, by making the contest about money rather than death, it places them in a situation where the consequences are more morally gray. While the debt may be a dire consequence, it's much easier to force that upon a friend than it is to condemn them to death.
That being said, there is no telling where future matches will take the group. The show has already revealed a shadowy organization behind the scenes, analyzing their every move. Should the five make it past this first round, they may be forced to wager more than just money as the limits of their bonds are tested. But no matter what comes of their collective trials, it's clear that the relationship between Yuuichi and his friends will never be the same again.