Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki

An anti-escapist story

Fumiya Tomozaki is an outcast in society. He thinks of himself as not being able to fit in. As if he is some avatar in a video game with low stats in this “garbage game” called “life.” That’s why he calls himself a “bottom tier character.” Of course he is right, but this label is self imposed. He has decided to not play by life’s rules and just get good at video games instead. It’s kind of funny how in the first episode he literally says, “Don’t blame the game, blame the player,” when playing a fighting game called Takfam with someone else. His lack of self awareness is why he is so miserable in the first place. He thinks life is unfair and that he just can’t compete. Though he makes no effort to recognize his own faults and act as if the game is rigged. This game is the only thing he’s good at. He’s the #1 player in the world in fact. With his life being nothing but Takfam, he is invited by the #2 player in the world to a meetup. Of course when they meet, Tomozaki is surprised to see that it’s Aoi Hinami, one of the more popular girls at school. Could this be the start of a beautiful love story? No. Though it is the start of something much more important: Self improvement. Hinami sees someone in need, who is broken, and she can fix him. Why she is so willing to put so much effort into one person I’m not sure. Maybe it’s their mutual love of a game, or she’s just that caring of a person. Regardless, this is a new endeavor for Fumiya Tomozaki. He’s on his way to conquering the god-tier game of life. 

The thing I like most about this show is its psychological and sociological aspects. I don’t know how much this story relies on the actual studies of psychology and sociology if at all. It could all be pseudoscience. Though all of it does make perfect sense within the context of the story, so it probably doesn’t matter. Most of this comes from Aoi Hinami who serves as a mentor to our protagonist. She has mastered the art of social interactions making her the opposite of Tomozaki in just about every way. She even takes notes on her conversations: Everyone’s personalities, how each person interacts in conversations, even subjects to bring up. She studies them and uses them to improve herself. Now is the time to pass on this knowledge to Tomozaki. I really like how much detail Hinami goes into when training Tomozaki. She talks about how each person has their social role. For example, in the second episode she calls one of her friends, Minami Nanami, a “people pleaser.” She usually just goes along with the group consensus, which probably makes it easier for her to fit in anywhere she goes. Also her bubbly and playful nature help endear her to other people. This type of stuff is very important. It helps Tomozaki in understanding how to socially interact with others. 

Unfortunately, less than half way through the show, these aspects start to fade. Hinami still gives Tomozaki “lectures” every now and again. It just kind of becomes more of a drama than anything else. Tomozaki does obtain a love interest which plays out like a typical romance. It is a part of his character development and the broader narrative of the show, so that makes sense. Where the show hits its low point is in the mid section. Apparently Aoi Hinami beat Minami Nanami in a basketball game a long time ago, and Nanami can’t let it go. So ever since then she’s been competing with Hinami in various ways. I guess you could say that she has an inferiority complex. Her backstory is taken way too seriously for what it is. It’s a simple story of jealousy. It comes out of nowhere. It wasn’t foreshadowed in any way. It kind of clashes with her personality. Maybe that was the point? She’s a super friendly person on the outside but an envious biaaatch on the inside. Maybe if this dynamic was explored more it wouldn’t be so bad, but it goes on way too long and is never mentioned again. It’s not what makes the show interesting anyway. To be honest, this whole arc should have been left out. Fortunately, after that the show starts to return to what it is good at. Some other characters develop, and Tomozaki continues to train his dating skills. Though towards the end a big shift happens. Tomozaki realizes what he wants in life. He starts to resent Hinamai’s cold and calculated approach to life and wants to pursue his own goals. Despite Hinami’s proficient social skills she doesn’t have a firm grasp on what she wants. In other words she isn’t in touch with her emotions. So instead of it being a student - master relationship, it’s now a mutual one. She will continue to mentor Tomozaki, and he will help her find what she wants. While I do think this is an interesting shift in the narrative, by the end it doesn’t return to what made the show so interesting to me in the first place. With that being said, I’d be happy to watch a second season to see if it ever does.