Going into Trillion Game the Movie (2025) completely blind, having never seen the television series or read the original manga, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. What I found was a surprisingly entertaining mix of gambling thriller, corporate melodrama, friendship story and some over-the-top moments. It doesn’t always hold together, and at times it feels like it’s juggling too many ideas at once, but it remains enjoyable thanks to strong pacing, a likable central duo as well as a steady stream of twists and double-crosses.
In terms of the story, the film opens with one of its strongest sequences: a flashback to 2020 involving a tense card game between protagonist Haru Tennoji and the mysterious casino kingpin Wolf Lee. The scene immediately establishes the rivalry between the two men, while also hinting at Haru’s tendency to bluff his way through impossible situations. Years later, in 2025, Haru and his genius programmer partner Manabu “Gaku” Taira travel to Europe to attend one of Wolf’s elite gambling events. After Haru is caught cheating, he reveals that his real reason for attending was to pitch a partnership: building Japan’s first casino resort. Wolf agrees, provided Haru can secure government approval first. This leads the story to Momoki Island, the proposed location of the casino and a shrinking community with only a few hundred remaining residents. This kicks off a chaotic battle of corporate maneuvering, political gamesmanship and increasingly elaborate schemes as competing groups fight to control the casino project.
What makes the movie work as well as it does is its willingness to embrace absurdity while still grounding the emotional core in the friendship between Haru and Gaku. Haru operates with complete confidence that things will ultimately work out in his favor, to the point where another character outright notes that he seemingly never considers the possibility of failure. This trait leads to some extremely outlandish reveals and gambits throughout the film, but because the movie consistently frames him as someone who thrives on impossible risks, it never feels entirely out of character. Gaku, meanwhile, fills the classic “genius hacker” role, though thankfully the screenplay uses his abilities sparingly. More importantly, the friendship between the two feels genuine, and the movie is at its best when focusing on their dynamic.
The film also deserves credit for how it handles its twists. There are a lot of betrayals, shifting alliances and hidden plans, but not so many that the movie becomes exhausting or entirely predictable. The finale in particular has an almost old-school mystery structure to it, walking viewers back through the various deceptions with flashbacks that explain how the protagonists pulled everything off. It’s a fun payoff that rewards paying attention without becoming overly convoluted.
That said, the movie does struggle with its supporting cast, especially for newcomers unfamiliar with the source material. Several characters clearly exist because the adaptation feels obligated to include familiar faces from the show, even when the story doesn’t quite know what to do with them. Kazuki Kedoin, who even got his own character poster despite a small role in the film, is probably the biggest example of this. He comes across as an all-knowing observer who silently pieces everything together, but because the film barely develops him, his presence feels awkward rather than compelling. Similarly, the character Kirika Kokuryu largely exists to tease possible romantic tension with Haru, though the film never explores it deeply enough to matter much and I’m guessing this is their ongoing dynamic from the show. Wolf’s second-in-command Ramona Takigawa also feels underutilized, as her interactions with Haru hint at a more interesting dynamic than the screenplay ultimately delivers. In this case, though, she is a new character from the movie and sadly won’t likely get development elsewhere, in contrast to the others mentioned so far.
As for Wolf himself, he works very well as a villain. He’s easy to root against and has a memorable presence. He also has some nice quirks to make him standout, like his trademark black nail polish and obsession with tarot cards. Oddly, though, the tarot element is kind of dropped past the start of the movie which makes it feel half developed and odd that it’s even introduced at all. That said, at least it doesn’t cheesily lead to Wolf’s downfall or something, which is what I was guessing when the tarot aspect was first introduced. Regardless, he provides a strong enough foil for Haru throughout the film’s escalating battle of manipulation.
Tonally, Trillion Game the Movie can be uneven. Some scenes are surprisingly grounded and tense, particularly the gambling sequences and corporate negotiations, while others veer into exaggerated territory involving massive acquisitions (I will avoid spoiling the end, although it feels like it’s setting up future adventures more than anything) and dramatic stunts. The movie even contains a couple of full-on action scenes that feel bizarrely out of place in a corporate thriller. That said, they are well choreographed enough to remain entertaining. Both of these sequences also feature Haru surviving enormous jumps from extreme heights… almost starts to feel like a superpower. The film also dabbles in some use of slow motion, which is occasionally effective, occasionally excessive.
The acting is similarly inconsistent. Ren Meguro, who portrays Haru, can be charismatic and engaging, but also leans heavily into exaggerated laughing and theatrical delivery that sometimes feels forced. Hayato Sano’s performance as Gaku fares better overall, particularly as the character matures over the course of the story. Interestingly, even veteran actors like Jun Kunimura, who genre fans will probably remember most from Shin Godzilla (2016) and Kill Bill, occasionally come across as overly hammy, suggesting the direction may be somewhat at fault here. Fortunately, the chemistry between the leads helps smooth over many of these rough edges.
Visually, the movie is mixed. The Trillion Game office convincingly captures the feel of an ambitious startup operation, and many of the grounded scenes look solid. Unfortunately, the CGI used for the casino resort itself is weak and shown far too often, becoming one of the film’s more noticeable technical shortcomings.
Thematically, the film is a bit muddled. It repeatedly emphasizes the idea that people should “be selfish,” though many of the examples it presents, such as island residents wanting to preserve their home, don’t really feel selfish at all. In practice, the movie seems far more interested in the value of friendship, trust and loyalty than the supposed philosophy it keeps repeating. The emotional high point actually comes late in the story after Haru is shot. While it’s obvious the main character isn’t truly gone, the sequence works because it briefly forces Gaku to function without relying on Haru’s larger-than-life confidence. The movie doesn’t fully commit to that idea, but it does reinforce the strength of their bond.
Overall, Trillion Game the Movie is a messy but highly watchable film. It probably works even better for fans of the series, but even as a newcomer I found myself enjoying its entertaining twists and energetic lead performances. It’s definitely too long in places and could have benefited from tightening some of its side plots and supporting characters, yet it remains consistently fun. Best described as a blend of gambling drama, corporate warfare and exaggerated anime-style chaos, it’s the kind of movie that may not always make perfect sense, but rarely stops being entertaining. In fact, I enjoyed it enough that I ended up watching it twice during a pair of roundtrip flights, which is probably as good an endorsement as any.
