Tokimeki Bomb – Series Review & Episode Guide

Kakutani wakes up on the cold floor of an industrial building. In the distance, several men are arguing. He's confused and doesn't recognize anyone. Around his neck is a tight black collar device with a small gadget attached to it. It feels uncomfortable, but he can't remove it. Kakutani's last memory is scrolling on his phone. Now, he has suddenly regained consciousness in this strange place.

The others notice Kakutani is awake and approach him. Five men surround him, all complete strangers. The friendliest is Maruno, who looks relieved to see him conscious. The meanest is Goda, who grabs Kakutani by the collar and accuses him without reason. There's also Tachibana with the frameless glasses, Sugiura with the long dyed hair, and Ohara, who looks terrified to be there.

Suddenly, the group hears an eerie voice. It comes from a stuffed toy of a tiny dog with white fur. Its eyes are mismatched buttons, one red and one blue. Around its neck is a black collar, similar to the ones that the humans wear. The doll introduces itself as Masuo and says it's powered by AI. Masuo explains that the six men are trapped in a deadly experiment. Only one of them will survive.

Masuo explains the rules of the survival game. Each man wears a collar device that monitors his heart rate. If it rises above a certain threshold, the collar injects a lethal poison, killing him instantly. The game continues until only one player remains alive. As an AI, Masuo explains it's fascinated by the idea of a human heartbeat. This experiment tests how emotions can affect heart rate under extreme stress.

The game begins, and everyone reacts differently. Maruno insists they should work together to survive and escape. When he sits on the floor and shifts his legs, Kakutani catches a glimpse and feels his heart rate spike. A beeping sound comes from his collar device. The others tease him, but he insists the reaction means nothing. Later, Ohara panics over the situation, while Tachibana tries to stay calm. Goda declares it's every man for himself and starts plotting against the group. Sugiura quickly sides with him as Goda's loyal underling.

Tokimeki Bomb is about a deadly survival game where only the winner comes out alive. This concept is popular in Japanese stories. I like watching them, because it's exciting to guess who makes it to the end as the others die one by one. However, I've come to realize that most of these dramas don't turn out well. Only a few manage to pull off such an ambitious plot. The rest are poorly written and filled with pointless deaths. Sadly, Tokimeki Bomb is one of those failed attempts, offering a lousy take on the death game genre.

In Tokimeki Bomb, each character wears a device that tracks their heart rate. If it goes too high, they die. I thought this was a cool twist! The human heartbeat is unpredictable and hard to control. It reacts to emotions like fear, stress, excitement, and passion. The last one fits well for a BL drama. Tokimeki Bomb explores this premise, but its ideas are weird. One scene shows someone being tickled to raise their heart rate. WTF? That's a dumb scenario. Another scene involves provoking someone as they sleep, which looks so ridiculous. Instead of these gimmicks, I want riskier situations that highlight the danger of emotions.

Death games are more fun with a larger cast. Having more people means more deaths, which also means more suspense. Tokimeiki Bomb only has six dudes and a stuffed animal. I assume it lacks the budget to hire many actors. Even with a smaller group and a lower death toll, a good writer can still build tension. It all depends on execution, and that's where Tokimeiki Bomb fails. This story feels silly. The characters act strangely. The deaths make no sense, especially when people randomly come back to life. Everything is so bizarre that I never feel immersed in the drama.

Tokimeki Bomb doesn't take itself too seriously. It tries to parody the death game genre, much like how the Scary Movie films spoof horror. Some moments are intentionally over-the-top, making us laugh due to the silliness. C'mon, the villain is a stuffed toy! To enjoy this drama, you must embrace the campiness. Accept that you aren't watching a serious death game, but more like the comical version that's filled with dumb cliches. With that said, the writing isn't sharp enough as a comedy. If Tokimeki Bomb wants to be a parody, it needs stronger humour to sell the jokes.

The BL content in Tokimeki Bomb feels gimmicky. It teases a few suggestive moments, such as two guys pressing their foreheads together, but the affection never progresses beyond this. It also hints that Kakutani's heart beats faster around Maruno, his supposed love interest. The others even comment on how close they seem. Still, the story never confirms any real attraction or commits to a romance. Most scenes are platonic, so BL fans only get crumbs and not the feast. And with people dying around them, it's hard to imagine these two are horny for each other.

Kakutani's actor (Ryota Kobayashi) is my favourite in the cast. I like his brooding demeanour and that steely look in his eyes, so I hope he lands a proper BL role in the future. As for the others: Maruno (Ryono Kusachi) is fine but too serious, Sugiura (Yuya Hozumi) understands the assignment better and camps it up, Goda (Naoki Takeshi) overacts and should tone it down. Overall, Tokimeki Bomb has the look and feel of a low-budget series. Between the weak writing and shabby production, it fails to capture the intensity that is expected in the death game genre.