Netflix has picked up the rights to the Japanese financial drama series “Trillion Game” from leading local broadcaster Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) and will begin airing it on Saturday.
The show follows two young men – one a computer programming ace, the other a self-centred but charismatic entrepreneurial type – who are thwarted in their early career moves by Dragon Bank and instead set up their own company with the seemingly impossible ambition of building a trillion-dollar company.
With no business plan and no capital, they must find innovative ways to raise money and move forward.
The story is based on a manga originally written by Inagaki Riichiro and illustrated by Ikegami Ryoichi, which was serialised in Shogakukan’s Big Comic Superior magazine from 2020.
The TBS series, directed by Murao Yoshiaki, written by Habara Daisuke and produced by Matsumoto Akiko, Matsushita Hiromi and Kato Shoichi, began airing weekly episodes in primetime evening slots from 14 July to 15 September.
Meguro Ren, a member of the J-pop idol group Snowman, plays Haru Tennoji, the charming but devious protagonist. Sano Hayato (TBS and Disney+ series “Tokyo MER”) portrays Gaku, his nerdy sidekick. Mio Imada (Tokyo Revengers, As Long As We Both Shall Live) plays Kokuryu Kirika, the beautiful scion of the Dragon Bank boss, who tries to recruit Haru and Gaku after seeing what they are capable of.
Film veteran Kunimura Jun (“Kill Bill”, “Minamata”, “Audition”) also has a key role as the head of the bank.
TBS first entered into a programme supply agreement with Netflix two years ago in October 2021. The first titles supplied under the deal were drama series “Japan Sinks: People of Hope”, reality show “The Future Diary” and another drama series “Let’s Get Divorced”.
“TBS has set itself the goal of expanding into global markets. We look forward to bringing our content to people around the world and strengthening our position in the global content market,” said Yayoi Nakatani, President of TBS’ DX Business Division, at the time of the original deal.
Having built a significant position in the Korean TV production market, Netflix has recently enjoyed growing success with Japanese content, both original and acquired. It recently renewed the dystopian thriller series Alice in Borderland for a third season, expanding the show beyond its manga source material.
