The Werewolf Game has become very popular as shown by its adaptation into various media such as TV drama, manga, novels and etc. The Werewolf Game – The Beast Side- is the 2nd installment of the Werewolf Game franchise, an exciting, life-threatening psychological game which swept Japan. This much-awaited sequel depicts the mind of a werewolf, as the story is told from the view of the heroine. Kidnapped high school seniors are locked in a deserted building and forced to play outrageous games which center on killing each other. Stress levels go way beyond the limits as the teenagers struggle through the resulting chaos and the ever-present possibility of betrayal.
Director Izuru Kumasaka is the first Japanese recipient of the Best First Feature Award at the Berlin International Film Festival for his debut feature film “Park and Love Hotel.” Tao Tsuchiya, the heroine, is one of Japan’s most promising actresses with regular appearances in TV dramas and films and a promising list of roles slated for 2015.
One day, ten senior year high school girls and boys awake in a room. They have all apparently been kidnapped but none can remember how they ended up there. A videotape starts to play and informs the classmates that they are there to play the Werewolf Game. Locked into the deserted building they are forced to play the deadly game through to the end. Heroine Yuka Kabayama, who has already played the game twice before, draws the Werewolf card. Reiko Manda, who has played only once before is the other werewolf. The eight others are designated as “villagers” and among them are the Seer, two Freemasons and a Bodyguard. The game requires one person must die every day and the students must gather at 8 pm every night to decide who to kill. Failure to kill the selected one will result in all being killed outright. The two werewolves have been given cards with the name of their fellow werewolf and it is their role to attempt to kill a villager every night between midnight and 2 am. Initially, everyone is confused but after the shock and horror that eventuates when one boy decides to leave, they soon learn the deadly rules of this cruel game. They must kill each other to survive, so knowing who is a friend, or an enemy, is the key to survival. After repeated eliminations there are three girls left, Yuka, Miu and Hitomi. Yuka confesses that she has played the game twice before but has never managed to get free. Miu and Hitomi are so desperate that they are faced with the choice of killing themselves as the only way to stop playing the game. In a cruel irony, the winner will have to keep playing the game over and over again. Yuka survives this round and leaves the building swearing revenge against the killer of her friends.