A kid watches his older brother die in front of him. Now he plays a mobile game that might be the only thing keeping him sane. The puzzle mechanics are window dressing, what matters is watching someone rebuild themselves one match at a time, in the only place that doesn't ask him to be okay. This show knows the difference between escapism and survival. By the end, you're not rooting for him to win tournaments. You're rooting for him to survive the thing the game can't fix.

Taiga Akashi is a grade-schooler living in present-day Japan, and he has one big ambition: to play games professionally when he grows up. The TV series tracks his development as he works toward that goal, setting his everyday life as a student against the future he dreams of.