[ANIME] Mr Tonegawa Middle Management Blues Review

Author: Tensei Hagiwara

Producer: Sentai Studios

Genre: Comedy, Parody, Work Life

Released: July 3rd 2018

Kaiji is back… well sort of. A bit strange that a spin off series about a 10 year old Anime is now here but hey we’ve got it. The overall tone and over the top humour is unchanged but no Kaiji is to be seen, thus far anyway. Tonegawa has that distinct animation style which I would describe as beautifully ugly. I know some people are put off by the art style but if you embrace it you realise it is as much a part of the Anime as the characters.

Let’s get the negatives out of the way first. This Anime is not for everyone, it’s incredibly slow paced and will stick to a single subject for 20 minutes. So if you expect things to escalate quickly then you are going to be disappointed. The humour of this Anime will resonate with a lot of people who can relate to being a manager in a workplace or even if you have had a manager or colleague trying to butter you up. Without a doubt that is a lot of us but for those who haven’t experienced this then the jokes and references will go straight over your head. Other than the previously mentioned art style those are the only real negatives but they can be huge downsides to a lot of you.

On to the good news. Tonegawa takes place prior to the events of the Kaiji anime so you don’t need any previous knowledge of the other seasons. It’s a spin off which is catered to newcomers as much as those familiar with who Tonegawa is. The narrator for this Anime has the most lines and he delivers them spectacularly well. So full credit to the voice actor. The fact that he can bring so much life into something as mundane as trying to remember peoples names is a special kind of talent.

The facial expressions and the way you can see the cogs working in the characters mind is incredible. It really brings out the more human side of the characters showing their flaws more than their accomplishments which let’s be honest is refreshingly different to the Anime norm. Tonegawa is also very dark, again this will be no surprise to Kaiji fans but the way this is handled is beautifully done. No gore, no limbs flying off anywhere just pure uncut mental torture.

Onwards to my rating. I am going to give Mr Tonegawa Middle Management Blues a comfortable 6.5/10. Tonegawa doesn’t break the mold nor does it do anything outstanding but the direction of the anime and the style it goes for it perfectly nails. While I’m enjoying this season I know I won’t come back to watch it a second time. Oh and the opening theme is my favourite of this Anime season.