Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki (2021)

[弱キャラ友崎くん]

Director: Shinsuke Yanagi
Studio: Project No. 9
Starring: Gen Sato, Hisako Kanemoto, Ikumi Hasegawa
Episodes: 12

Synopsis:
An antisocial gamer becomes the personal project of a popular classmate who wants to prove to him that life is a game worth playing.

Impressions:
Imagine My Fair Lady with a gaming twist and you get the basic idea for this series. Some people joke that this series was designed as part of a propaganda campaign by the Japanese government to upend antisocial tendencies among the youth of the country to avert the impending demographic crisis. It's an interesting study of social activity and the sort of self-defeating spiral the outcasts of society can succumb to. One of the things I find most interesting is the differing philosophies of our two leads, with Tomozaki's focus on honesty and sincerity and Hinami's fixation on winning the social game no matter what. The supporting cast is appealing, which makes their interactions enjoyable to watch.

The series tends to get compared to Horimiya, which aired at the same time. I definitely enjoyed Horimiya more, but this is still well worth watching. The key difference is whether you want to see the characters working toward clear goals (this series) or if you just want to enjoy the characters being themselves (Horimiya). Like I said, it's worth watching regardless, so give it a shot.

Rating:
Watch It