The truth is, I kind of knew pretty early on that I should never have dropped Trillion Game. It was a scheduling decision, not a quality – or fit – one. But I was enjoying it and not only that, enjoying that I was enjoying it without any work attached to it (there’s a series this season that applies to as well). I love writing about anime I love. But it’s a lot of work, and it’s nice to have shows I love that I can just watch. But this season being as scant as it is, going back to Trillion Game now was pretty much a slam-dunk. Though the poll took that out of my hands, anyway.

The formula here is super simple. Good premise and good characters plus polished direction makes a good anime. No flash, no frills. The cast in Trillion Game is pretty great, I think. But I also think that Gaku is a much more engaging protagonist than Haru. That’s why the series’ seeming decision to go in that direction was as crucial as it was surprising. Gaku (abababa) is a very relatable figure. A smart guy, a geek, basically good-hearted and more or less looking to avoid conflict in life. A much more unlikely billionaire than Haru in some ways (though that may be a misplaced notion) but that just makes him more interesting in this environment.

Would a Trillion Game primarily focused on GoPro be a good series? Probably. I do like Kedouin-san an awful lot as a character. But I don’t think it would be as good as the one we’re getting. Not only does Trillion Game have an even better deuteragonist in Hebijima (though Sakura debatably also fills that role) but much the better lead in Gaku. Plus, the whole Popping Land thing is really interesting and fun. I love a story that explores the creative process intelligently, and this one also keenly observes the way society views creators.

As someone who never spends a dime in online games, I too wondered how the heck they manage to be so profitable. Especially when, as Oji-san says, only 2% of players spend a Yen inside the game. Sakura has his ways – and we already know they don’t make money. Hebjima’s attack here is really fascinating, and it shows why his skills complement Sakura’s so well. He gets celebs to spice up Popping Land, for one thing. Creative ways to make players feel invested once they start participating financially, and guaranteeing rewards to those who do pony up the dough. And soon Popping Land is beating the derivative and cynical Dragon Musume sequel.

Haru joining the “five billion Yen party” by jumping onto the deck of the boat was very… Haru. Flashy for sure, but I got almost a sheepishness from this – like he wasn’t sure he’d be welcome. Everyone knows what he was prepared to do, of course – knows that their project was just a diversionary tactic. But in the end he also saved their butts (and made Oji-san rich). He didn’t make everybody else rich, though. The gang on the development team are all making ¥3 million (about $20,000) a year. And that includes Rinrin, the president and the rock that stabilizes the whole operation.

They’re Scrooge McDuck compared to Gaku, though. He’s been drawing a salary of… zero. And not bothering to pay his rent, which gets him evicted from the shithole apartment that was also Trillion Game’s first office. Rinrin explains why Popping Land’s 5  billion isn’t really 5 billion (30% off the top to Google and Apple, dayum). It’s more like ¥375,000.000. But that’s actually still a fair bit of dosh, and stands to skyrocket once initial costs are no longer deducted off the top. Haru is a flighty guy to be sure. But when he blows into the office like a typhoon and basically slaps everyone in the face with wads of bills and tells them to pay themselves already, one can appreciate the value of having a guy like that around.

Gaku still living in a box in the office even after that is the most Gaku thing in the world. That certainly alarms the new staff that Haru has poached from Dragon Bank – made possible because Gaku knows all their salaries. Gaku being dragged over and over into dodgy behavior by Haru is a darker element than it’s usually played as. But he and Haru do complement each other like Sakura and Hebijima do. There are upsides as well as downsides to Haru suddenly taking an interest in Trillion Game again – now that it’s a profit generator. But it should certainly lead to some interesting turns in the story.