Following the incredible popularity of the live-action series Run for the Money (Tosochu), Toei took it upon themselves to adapt the exciting game series to anime and titled it Run for the Money: The Great Mission (Tosochu: The Great Mission). They released a brief trailer in advance of the April 2nd, 2023, premiere date to get fans of the heart-racing game ready for this new take on the beloved game.
Toei has also set up an official Run for the Money: The Great Mission Twitter account and home page for people to bookmark and visit for further series information and bonuses, such as the key art below.
Run For Your Life, Run for Your Glory
Run for the Money: The Great Mission diverges heavily from its live-action roots. Humans have left Earth due to the effects of climate change, and they made their new home on the moon in an advanced lunar colony. The populace is positively obsessed with the titular game, Run for the Money. An entertaining and dangerous game that sees fugitives locked in a specific area with efficient androids designed to hunt them down. Those who escape and survive until the counter reaches zero are granted incredible riches and fame.
The series centers on four primary characters. The lead is Souya Tomura, a 17-year-old who uses his exceptional abilities as a courier. He seeks to earn money to cure his younger brother’s illness. This prompts him to enter the titular survival game to escape and win the prize and cure Haru’s lung disease. But Haru isn’t a liability because he’s particularly keen and has an eye for puzzles and riddles.
Souya wears the large goggles on his forehead in the key visual. If this reminds someone of Digimon, it may be a coincidence, but one of the directors is Yukio Kaizawa. He previously worked on Digimon Tamers as the series director. Furthermore, Haru, Souya’s 14-year-old brother, is voiced by Yumiko Kobayashi, who also provided the voice of Izumi Koushiro in Digimon Adventure.
Luna Nishinotouin, who may be a prime waifu in the making, is a rich and bored 17-year-old girl living without a single care. Rather than take up a fun hobby, she enters this dangerous game to test her luck.
Rounding out the cast is Maurice Shoemaker, the 28-year-old “absolute champion” of Run for the Money. He employs superhuman abilities and a great analytical mind to win the game. His numerous previous wins have amassed a large fortune and fame, and he has even earned Souya’s admiration.
Run for the Money is based on the real-life (but far less dangerous) competition that began in 2004. The premise is essentially the same: a group of players is locked in an area, and they must avoid and evade the “hunters,” a group of people dressed in fine black suits, and wait it out until the clock ticks down to zero. In reality, there is far less risk than in the anime version. Fans in the West can watch the series on Netflix.
Are you ready to see Souya participate in Run for the Money: The Great Mission? Do you think you could win in Run for the Money? Let us know in the comments below.
