is a Japanese manga series written by and illustrated by Motomu Uehara and Kazuya Arai. It is a spin-off to the Kaiji manga series by Nobuyuki Fukumoto. It has been published in Kodansha's manga magazine Weekly Young Magazine since December 2016. Part of the manga was adapted as segmented episodes within the Mr. Tonegawa anime series. A drama CD based on the series was included on the second DVD/Blu-ray Disc set of the Mr. Tonegawa anime series in March 2019.
Story The story follows Ōtsuki, the foreman of Squad E in the underground forced labor camp for people in debt, as he uses one-day outside passes to leave the camp for a day. Usually, each trip involves food or drink in some way.
Characters
Main characters
The foreman of Squad E oversees an underground labor facility, speaking in a blend of Kansai, Chūgoku and Shikoku dialects. He exploits his position by selling goods and rigging cee-lo games to accumulate perica, the underground currency. Though he regularly buys "One-Day Outside Passes" and possesses the skills to survive aboveground, he chooses to remain below. A discerning gourmet, he spends his surface visits carefully selecting restaurants, occasionally visiting baths or bars. He claims to have been a Tokyo university student 25 years earlier, playing in a student band and frequenting a Kinshicho Chinese restaurant. Remarkably, his appearance has changed little since high school except for his hair, despite subsequent corporate employment.
Ōtsuki's trusted assistant. A 35-year-old Miyazaki Prefecture native, he functions as the group's straight man, often exasperated by Ōtsuki and Isawa's antics. Initially uncomfortable with surface outings, he gradually learns to enjoy them by emulating Ōtsuki's confident approach. His admiration for Ōtsuki occasionally turns to frustration, leading to temporary conflicts that typically resolve through Miyamoto's mediation. During a stay in a private suite resembling a Japanese hotel, he initially struggles to occupy himself before finding unexpected joy in karaoke, enthusiastically performing songs including "Sakuranbo". His musical enjoyment becomes a source of amusement for Ōtsuki and Isawa, who overhear his performance.
Ōtsuki's primary assistant. A 34-year-old "trickster" and "comic relief" character, he frequently bewilders Ōtsuki and Numakawa with his exuberant optimism and self-centered behavior. His shared enthusiasm for the Bakumatsu period with Ōtsuki forms the foundation of their working relationship. Emotionally demonstrative, he often cries during sentimental moments, whether visiting historical sites like Sakamoto Ryōma's grave or watching nature documentaries. Having grown up near the ocean, he possesses extensive fishing knowledge from childhood experience. Unlike his colleagues, he welcomes work suspensions, particularly during health crises.
A 30-year-old Teiai executive from Hakodate. He is a blacksuited overseer who has supervised the underground facility for six years while residing alone in a private mansion. Initially distrustful of Ōtsuki's improbable cee-lo winning streak, he gradually warms to him after accompanying him on a government showroom tour. Their shared experience leads to friendship, marked by regular gourmet outings and sightseeing trips where the overseer demonstrates his loyalty. He displays unexpected compassion, visiting Ōtsuki during illness on his days off and becoming emotionally distressed during conflicts between Ōtsuki and Numakawa. A devoted cinephile with particular enthusiasm for foreign films, he also possesses extensive manga knowledge.
Underground labor facility
The Squad C foreman rivals Ōtsuki by similarly exploiting his position to sell goods underground, including his popular "Hoppy Set" and operating a tablet-based movie business. He is not as accustomed to being on the outside world as Ōtsuki and avoids unfamiliar restaurants. He engages in a long-running spoiler war with Ōtsuki over new media, though they occasionally bond over shared frustrations. When a Rocky-inspired fitness trend disrupts the underground economy, both initially profit before unsuccessfully attempting to control the resulting market instability together.
The foreman of Squad A in the underground labor facility originates from Kumamoto Prefecture. A manga enthusiast like Ōtsuki, he was dismayed by the discontinuation of the Shōnen King magazine. The twice-divorced foreman has children, and speculates his marital failures may stem from recurring domestic frustrations, such as his wife consuming entire portions of prepared fruit without sharing.
The foreman of Squad B in the underground labor facility hails from Ōita Prefecture. A manga enthusiast like Ōtsuki and Itai, he shared their dismay at Shōnen King magazine's discontinuation. He successfully revitalized his previously unprofitable merchandise business through Lumonde products obtained at the Bourbon draft conference.
A young worker from underground. He is constantly expressionless, but has the same gourmet taste as Ōtsuki. When he happened to be out on the same day as Ōtsuki, he went to the same restaurants and ordered the same food as Ōtsuki, and even impressed him with his peculiar toppings. Later on, he crossed paths with Ōtsuki again underground, and Ōtsuki could not help but ask for his name at the last minute.
Odagiri's close aide.
A high school friend of Numakawa from Miyazaki Prefecture, this Squad E member frequently uses the local dialect, unlike Numakawa. An avid gambling enthusiast with particular passion for horse racing, he initially maintains an uneasy relationship with Numakawa after their graduation and Yamamoto's departure. Their shared interest in racing eventually rekindles their friendship. During his first visit to Tokyo, his enthusiastic use of dialect in public prompts Numakawa's disapproval, but he lifts Numakawa's spirits and they ultimately enjoy touring the city together while speaking their native dialect.
Numakawa and Kuroki's friend from high school. He was relatively versatile and had a personality that let him get along with anyone, and he was the reason Numakawa and Kuroki were playing so well together, but he had transferred to Tokyo to work in an entertainment production company. However, a week after Numakawa and Kuroki made friends with each other, he was sent underground and tried to chat with them about entertainment-related topics, but this only made it more awkward for them.
A laborer who has been assigned to Squad E. Like Ōtsuki, he is an incomparable manga lover, and instead of working, he fell into debts he got from Teiai and was sent underground (a genuine manga freak, according to the narrator). He had a great time talking about manga with Ōtsuki, which also affected other foremen and Miyamoto, who had the same hobby.
A middle-aged laborer claims to have mastered out-of-body experience techniques, enabling him to leave the facility without an external pass for over six months. Though initially skeptical, Ōtsuki and others successfully replicate the method when attempting it themselves.
A laborer from Saga Prefecture attends the "Kyushu People's Underground Gathering", where he converses with Numakawa about regional characteristics of Saga.
A laborer and former aspiring comedian. During an inspection of underground work, he becomes unintentionally involved in a conversation about candy initiated by Ōtsuki and his team. Unfamiliar with the man, Ōtsuki is privately perplexed by his presence. The laborer declares the financier to be the best cake, describing it as "deadly delicious".
A popular actor known for his role as Buddy Red (Jin Nagatomo) in the series Friendship Squadron Buddy Rangers. His co-star, Jun Shiraishi (Buddy Blue), forces him into debt, leading him to work as a laborer in Squad C underground. While there, he engages in fan service by hosting handshake sessions, reprising his role as Buddy Red, and distributing potato chips to fellow workers. After Shiraishi repays his debts to Teiai, his release is confirmed within days, and he bids farewell to the laborers.
Related Teiai Group persons
An old man who is the chairman of the Teiai Group. When it is his or his henchmen's birthday, the prisoners of the underground labor facility are treated to a special menu, and if he is in a good mood he may also present them with new equipment, only to immediately confiscate it when his mood is spoiled.
A high-ranking executive in the Teiai Group and the protagonist of the spin-off series Mr. Tonegawa, he encounters Ōtsuki in a crossover storyline where the two engage in a competitive confrontation over a large serving of katsudon.
One of the highest executives in the Teiai Group and a candidate for the No. 2 spot within the organization. He visits the underground labor facility and is shown around the area of Squad E by Miyamoto, but he notices and enjoys the fermented food made by Numakawa. As a result, he tries to take all of it away. Though he is stopped by Numakawa, his intimidating expression causes him to flinch, and he left underground with all the fermented food on hand.
A reclusive elderly blacksuit with professional-level soba-making skills cultivated over 30 years. As food service manager, he creates quality meals on a limited budget, earning the workers' reverence as the "Meal Messiah". His potential transfer causes unrest, which proves justified when the kitchen leadership is dismissed during a transition period.
A member of the blacksuits, he is a single father of two who resides in Sendagi. Formerly Miyamoto's supervisor, he maintains his junior colleague's respect. A frequent visitor to the National Museum of Nature and Science, he possesses an exclusive long-term free pass and regularly takes his sons there. When encountering Ōtsuki and his group at the museum, he becomes annoyed by their uninformed enthusiasm about the renovations and proceeds to give them an accelerated tour.
One of the blacksuits who used to be a pachislot employee. He became the new food service manager at the same time as Yanauchi's dismissal took place, but he is not a good cook. He is so determined that he eagerly tries to get Yanauchi to teach him how to cook.
Miscellaneous
The proprietress of a small restaurant called Miyuki demonstrates methodical cooking techniques that Ōtsuki considers beyond ordinary culinary skill. She prefers Western films to Japanese cinema. Ōtsuki, impressed by both the quality and affordability of her food, becomes a regular patron to the extent that the restaurant maintains a personal bottle of shochu for him. During a cherry blossom viewing event, Miyamoto welcomes her as a special guest, where she serves sushi wrapped in fried tofu.
A former underground laborer from Saga Prefecture possesses a gentle nature that endears him to Ōtsuki and others. Having entered the facility during the economic collapse in his thirties, he spends twenty-five years underground with no outside contact, his knowledge limited to outdated periodicals. After release, he pays for Ōtsuki to accompany him during his anxious transition to surface life. Despite his initial naivety towards Ōtsuki's teasing, he protects him from assailants. He later works as a traffic manager, lives along the Seibu Line where Ōtsuki's group visits, and pursues a romantic interest in a bakery employee.
Makita's first-born son. He visited the cherry blossom viewing camp with his father and brother. Numakawa taught him the rules of mahjong and they gave each other a thumbs-up when they said goodbye.
Makita's second son. He visited the cherry blossom viewing camp with his father and brother and bragged to the diner lady about the games he had brought with him, but he then gets tired of playing and falls sound asleep.