Overview
My roommate recommended this, saying "You should watch it," so I did. The official site is here:
Here's a summary and my thoughts.
Summary
- It's a story about Haru and Gaku, friends since their teens, who start a business to earn a trillion dollars.
- Using Gaku's tech skills, they win recognition in the "Security Championship" and secure funding from Mr. Kedoin to establish the company TRILLIONGAME.
- They launch an EC shop called "Yorinuki," which is essentially a human-powered pseudo-AI service. It starts strong, but Dragon Bank creates a copycat site and steals their market share.
- Learning from this, they realize the importance of owning media. They go on to develop the heartfelt social game "Puchi Puchi Island," acquire the talent agency "God Promotion," and launch an online TV platform called "Trillion TV," succeeding in the media business.
- They also start an e-payment service called "Torinrin Pay," successfully partnering with transportation IC cards.
- The scheming Dragon Bank then strikes back with a data breach scandal and another copycat service, "Dragon Pay," eventually attempting a hostile takeover of TRILLIONGAME.
- Haru and Gaku expose the Dragon Bank president’s information cover-up, pulling off a dramatic comeback. TRILLIONGAME ends up acquiring Dragon Bank instead.
In the film version...
- Wolf Lee, the Casino King, partners with a Japanese company to build Japan's first casino, but then sabotages that company to seize full control of the casino.
- Haru and Gaku team up with the Ukita conglomerate, gather evidence of Wolf's crimes, and succeed in kicking him out.
Thoughts
- I had already been curious about this series. I heard it was about two people—one with strong communication skills, and the other with strong technical skills—climbing to success together, only to realize they want different things and part ways.
- But according to my roommate, "Yeah, that scene exists, but they make up quickly." I thought, "Oh, okay," and started watching it anyway. Surprisingly, both Haru and Gaku turned out to be really likable characters, and I enjoyed watching them. That said, the most charming character is definitely the first president of TRILLIONGAME, Riri Takahashi.
- Riri-san is adorable. The reason I went all the way to the theater after watching the TV drama was simply because I wanted to see more of her.
- The story flows in a clear way, with the protagonists overcoming obstacles by playing to their strengths. That made both the drama and the film enjoyable to watch.
- I didn’t fully understand how the pseudo-AI EC shop worked. Does that mean Riri-san had to stay awake 24/7?
- Here’s the theme song:
