DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA DramaKakegurui
ANIME DramaKakegurui ××
SPECIAL ComedyKakegurui Picture Drama
ONA DramaKakegurui Twin

REVIEWS

• 

  Goukeban

  20/100
  My new nº1... most hated!

  You know, a bad show, to me, is not simply a matter of the quantity or size of the flaws you can find in it, however it is that you decide to measure such an arbitrary idea, but what kind of flaws it has. I can deal with some plot holes, for once (I mean, even the almighty FMA has 2 big ones at the end) as long as the work can properly contextualize them and not make me care. Members of the cast being inconsistent, though, make it tougher to stomach. I’m also not someone who asks for absolute realism, but simply verisimilitude and consistency. Disregard all of those and the work starts to go sour for me. The worst offenses, though, are when the work becomes morally bankrupt, when it asks me to sympathize and side with people who are clearly contemptible. Kakegurui is one of those shows.

  Story and Characters

  Well come to Hyakkao Academy, the land of insane teenage gambling, horrendous abuses of power and blatantly criminal acts of bodily harm. The school is supposed to be a place for the children of the filthy rich, but most definitely the filthy, where the future elite of Japan is meant to be prepared for a future where they’ll lead the businesses of their families. In this institution, gambling is not simply a pass-time students can engage for their own enjoyment, but a core part of the social-structure of the school. Since the current student council president took over, she instituted a system where students who stack too much debt become “cattle”, considered second class among their classmates and have to remain subservient to the students with more money. Obviously, they also become primary target for bullying. For the viewer who shares that pesky desire to have the elements in the story making sense, this plot point will immediately raise a number of eyebrows, so let’s go bit by bit.

  First, how is this system even allowed to exist? None of the students here are of legal age, so they should never be allowed to gamble outrageous amounts of money from their parents net worth. Is this a version of Japan where legal restrictions for underage gambling don’t exist? If that’s the case, what about the restrictions for underage driving, drinking and sex? None of these are even mentioned, so I suppose the gambling premise is entirely based on “don’t think about it, bro”. Now, you might at this point throw at me my previous statement about realism vs. verisimilitude, but let's make it clear: that goes for simple stuff, like my tsunderes being a bit more violent than what the real world would tolerate or children being a bit more mature than normal, it doesn’t apply for a universe where an entire legal system seems to operate backwards.

  Following the fact that the existence of this scenario is a contradiction in itself, why would anyone enroll their children in a school like this one? These students are supposed to be future business leaders, people with enormous responsibilities in their hands, so a cast system that allows them to be bullied, humiliated and sometimes even physically harmed by their classmates goes completely opposite to the goal their education is supposed to provide, that of shaping them into capable, educated and strong-willed adults. I’m not sure any parent would allow their children to frequent a place like this if such practices are not only allowed, but incentivized. Then there’s the money issue: the students make their bets with money from their families, which means that they are stocking up on massive debts their parents will have to pay. At long-term, this set up would make the cost of such education extremely expensive, making this school a lot more trouble than is worth. The list of absurdities doesn’t stop there, but let’s get to know the cast before we can dive head first into more nonsense!
  Jabami Yumeko is the main culprit of the story. She generally keeps a playful and polite demeanor, but shifts to being intensely obsessive when it’s time to gamble. I’m pretty sure she is supposed to be a sociopath! Not a realistic depiction of a sociopath, though, but what fiction believes a sociopath to be like. Truth be told, Yumeko is no more than a Mary Sue. It may seem like a stretch to claim this, since general misconception is that this kind of character is also supposed to be virtuous (or at least framed as such by the narrative, even when the audience can clearly see that the opposite is truth), but she does have the basic traits of a Mary Sue: she clearly has complete disregard for how much money she bets, the supply of money or her disposal is not even hinted at in the anime, so in how much danger she’s is unclear, at no point displays any signs of being the least bit worried, constantly displaying the face of someone who’s always on top, even though her behavior is so needlessly risky. Ironically, at one point she even drops this gem: “To realize one’s ambitions, risks must be taken”. Funny, since she seems to have no ambition besides having a gambling playground for herself.

  Besides being nice to the already shitty-characters from the main cast and keeping a constant sweety-kitty-diabetes façade when not gambling, is there any reason for Yumeko to be seem as an actual force for good in this narrative? When it comes to motivations and general personality, she’s no less psychotic, abusive, deceiving, manipulative and sadistic than the members of the student council (or any other scumbag in this school), so what are the guaranties that once her main source of entertainment in the school is gone, or at least significantly diminished, she’ll bring any positive change to the status quo? And even if she does, do any of these characters actually deserve it? They’re all simplistic, poorly realized figures and most often just despicable people, despite the laughable attempts from the show on making them sympathetic by introducing last minute backstory.

  Suzui Ryouta, the closest friend to Yumeko, is an inconsistent pussy. He strangely seems to have no problem talking to multiple attractive girls at school, but from the first moment Yumeko enters the scene, becomes strangely flustered when first interacting with her. Besides that, his role is essentially to tell the audience how risky her situation is when she makes a crazy bet and to be mesmerized when she pulls off a victory out of some strategy the audience has no knowledge off.

  Momobami Kirari is the student council president, or Seitokaichou in Japanese, responsible for the creation of the cast system in place in Hyakkao Academy. She sees her fellow schoolmates as pets she can control and play with, as well as manipulate to gain power, although the goals she wants to achieve with such power are not explained in the story. Through an outrageous ass-pull in episode 11 (not a Deus ex Machina, stop using this term wrong) she proves to also be willing to backstab her own fellow student council members, which leads me to question how would anyone ever trust and help this bitch again, when she can betray them on a whim.

  Other members of the student council that matter are:

  • Ikishima Midari, who’s completely insane for life-threatening thrills and CARRIES A GUN TO THE SCHOOL! Seriously, how is this ever allowed? Why would anyone accept be put into a school that looks more like an asylum for demented shitbags?
  • Yomozuki Runa, the loli dressed in a bunny hoodie who helps Seitokaichou on her schemes, gleefully plotting against the other members;
  • Kaede Manyuda, the treasurer of the student council, very ambitious and arrogant, quick to dismiss the students he doesn’t consider worthy enough of battling him. By all accounts, he’s the least awful creature in the cast;
  • Sumeragi Itsuki, another crazy bitch, who likes to collect nails from other students, which she rips off whenever they lose to her in gamble;

  So, besides allowing its students to be bullied and made into servants, potentially putting them in emotional distress that can severely affect their learning, this schools also allows bodily harm to be inflicted on them, as well as bets that involve possible death. Not crazy enough for you? The institution is also equipped with special sealed rooms, for when Ikishima feels the need to “arrest other students” for her games. Let me spell this out again: this crazy cunt KIDNAPS people and locks them into special cells where she can bet on deadly games with them, using a FIREARM! Do you see why this setting is so hard to buy into?

  As soon as Yumeko arrives at the institution, her one and only goal is to gamble with every strong opponent she can find, climbing the ladder until she can get the opportunity to challenge Seitokaichou, so the bulk of the narrative is focused on the multiple games she engages in with other members, occasionally crushing their spirit by revealing the manner they cheat, before beating them. Not always successful, though, as early on she manages to lose a serious bet, although it’s implied that was only possible through cheating, and becomes a pet. Interestingly enough, as soon as a previously successful character suddenly becomes a pet, it seems their winning record is instantly forgotten by the scumbag token extras, who immediately shift to bully mode. If you’re like me and has near zero suspension of disbelief for stories where everyone is an asshole, you’ll have a hard time with this one.

  As Yumeko uses her status as a pet to attract and challenge other student council members, she finally reaches the top members, challenging first Manyuda and ultimately the president. This is the point where the anime turns simply from rage-inducing bad to morally bankrupt filth! Through a seriously logically questionable trick played with the help of Sumeragi, who has an old grudge with Manyuda, they lead him into betting such a high amount of money, that the loss of that game would put him indefinitely subservient to the student council president and destroy his influence in the council, as well as potentially compromising his future and relationship with his father. Yes, it’s that serious! So, of course, he loses and the defeat is followed by Yumeko and Sumeragi gleefully explaining how they manage to reach their ridiculously contrived victory, with the final blow being delivered by the president, by telling him “You’re fired”, making him snap and pass out. In the follow up, Yumeko and Sumeragi discuss what just happens and the way their dialogue is frame tries to imply they had the moral high-ground, somehow. That last bit, to me, is the most infuriating part.

  Seriously, what exactly was Manyuda’s crime that was apparently so much more despicable in relation to the other students? Seitokaichou introduced a cast system that locks students into the role of cattle, where they remain subservient and bullied by other students, Sumeragi, who now we’re supposed to root for, used to rip people’s nails off, which basically amounts to torture, and Midari makes bets with people’s lives; Am I really supposed to believe that this guy is so much more deserving of having his livelihood and future sadistically crushed because he underestimates his fellow students? When did arrogance become the worst of crimes? I call this idea bullshit and this anime a hypocritical piece of toxic waste.

  By the way, the ending is a complete cop-out too.

  Presentation

  So, do you like variety of facial expression for your characters to help flesh them out as credible, or at least likeable human beings? Tough luck, baby, here it’s ahegao up the ass for you!

  For those not aware of what I mean, “ahegao” is the term in Japanese for the orgasm face, which despite the definition is not relegated exclusively for porn, but also used in comedic fashion to convey when the character goes through emotional ecstasy. You might have noticed by now that Kakegurui is quite the fan of quantity over quality, and it’ll sure run that trope into the ground whenever it’s needed to convey that the fuck-sticks it passes for humans in the story are going through anything that might be classified as excitement. IT’L ALL THE BLOODY TIME! Whenever someone pull off some maneuver to outsmart or cheat their opponent in a gamble or even when it’s simply to explain the “genius” plan, they will pull off insane orgasm faces and laugh like maniacs. Of course, the biggest offender here has to be Yumeko, because someone up in Valhalla hates me.

  When it’s not ahegao, it’s contorted maniacal expressions every antagonist feels the need to break into when they feel superior and about to win on a game, or when they try to be threatening. It’s quite laughable, actually, when bunny-loli tries to pull one of these off, as if the show seriously thinks she is in any way the slightest bit scary. Seriously, any of the girls in the main cast can break her in half and this attempt from the show is just pathetic! Characters seem to break into such expressions almost to the same degree as the ahegao, as if to painfully remind you to not ever expect anyone here to have personality any deeper than a spit puddle, and that subtlety died and we buried its corpse when we allowed this disgrace to be written, published and animated. Along with the stupid story, the presentation here is another big problem for the anime, due exactly to the habits just mentioned.

  Is the voice acting of any help? Not really, although not as egregious as the horrendous faces, no character really demands anything more than two different modes of acting, so it’s nothing to write home either.

  Personal Ramblings

  It genuinely felt like this anime was specifically crafted with the perfect combination of traits that can make my blood boil. From the sickening emphasis on the disgusting faces, to Yumeko’s insufferable kind and innocent demeanor, along with the inconsistent, impossible to buy into setting and the fact everyone here is a douchebag, this whole show was intensively infuriating to watch.

  I swear, I’m not really that hard of a person to please, and it’s not like I can’t enjoy a story where characters are also morally bankrupt or just outright evil. I mean, two of my favorites are Shiki and Black Lagoon, and I don’t think you can say the main characters in those shows are safely good people, what I ask is simply that the show frames that exactly as it is, not as if the horrible people on screen are supposed to be likeable or admired in any way. I am fascinated and genuinely find likability in well written morally ambiguous or evil characters, and I admire characters who display the responsibility and strength of morals I wish I had in my personality, but when the moral center of your story is a selfish, manipulative sociopath who can’t be trusted to have anyone’s well-being in mind, I say you got your priorities kind of backwards!

  Now, if you excuse me, I’ll look for something trashy to wash away this memory.

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• 

  Zaphkiel

  75/100
  Gambling gone wild ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

  __Fun and Games (and a lot of moolah)__

  Intro/First Impressions

  ---

  I began to watch seasonal anime again during Summer 2017. I decided to only pick up a few shows because in most cases, I pick up too many and end up not finishing most of them. Kakegurui seemed interesting enough to check out. The synopsis mentioned that it was about gambling and seeing how I've never seen anything like this, I decided it was worth a shot. Here are my thoughts on the show.

  Story

  

  ---

  Hyakkaou Private Academy is a school where your social placement isn't determined by your looks or extracurricular abilities but by gambling. In that sense, anyone can be at the top regardless of who they are. However, things get rather interesting as those at the bottom are considered "livestock" and are essentially dehumanized. This element really adds to the nervewracking feeling behind each gamble. The very idea of rich young teenagers putting millions of yen on the line everyday after school like it's no big deal is already ridiculous. It's crazy to think that hundreds of thousands of yen are exchanged everyday at this school among students. Then there's the risk of becoming livestock and being pretty much considered less than human. It really illustrates the power that money has over people and adds a dark tone to the show. Things get even more interesting when the students bet things other than money (and of possibly more value).

  The story follows Ryouta Suzui, a rather bland student who is is not that great at gambling. After becoming livestock, Ryouta is able to escape his predicament thanks to the oh-so-intriguing transfer student Jabami Yumeko. What separates Jabami from the rest of the students is that she isn't in it for the money; she's obsessed with the thrill of gambling itself.

  At first, it's very captivating and tense when Jabami challenges someone to a gamble because she puts on this cute and happy-go-lucky face like she doesn't know what she's doing. Eventually, she is able to secure a win when she does away with this facade each time she gambles. It's super cool to see how she is able to figure out her opponent but it often grows old at times because most of her opponents will actually just end up cheating, usually with the use of some elaborate method. While every episode introduced a dangerous game, the outcome was often predictable. Jabami and her ability to figure out her opponents are the main attraction to this show. Seeing her tear apart her opponents is oddly satisfying and a joy to watch but most times it feels like an asspull. While some of the ways her opponents work are entirely valid or interesting, the others are just plain bullshit. While this is the case for some of these episodes, I don't think it's enough of a turn-off to shy you away from this show.

  The story does have its merits though. Some of Jabami's matches with the student council members are downright insane. Jabami is not the only one who puts up a fight at the academy; a few other students are fearsome gamblers who shouldn't be trifled with. I felt the dread along with Ryouta while Jabami gambled. Even though I knew Jabami or Ryouta would win their gambles, the path to their victories was uncertain and often filled with suspenseful twists. The constant fear of losing it all when things suddenly go wrong makes this show captivating and it's one where you feel like you need to see the next episode immediately. This was the show of the season that would kill you inside knowing that you had to wait an entire week to see what was up next.

  Characters

  ---

  

  The cast is really hit or miss for me. Ryouta is as generic as they come. Mary is the classic tsun. The Student Council has the deranged psychopath (I kinda liked her), the smartass who constantly adjusts his glasses, the loli, the one with the Brock eyes, the girl who pretends to be nice to get on everybody's good side etc. Jabami is very similar to the Student Council president. They both seem pretty chill but are obessed with gambling. Jabami is really appealing as a character because she's able to appear all helpless and aloof but can also get right to the point when she is gambling. Her ability to win isn't necessarily attributed to a large knowledge of the games she plays but also because she just isn't afraid to take huge risks. Because of this, it can sometimes feel like bullshit when she wins. The Student Council president is intimidating and is interested in much darker things. I'd say she's actually the most intriguing out of the entire cast (unfortunately she doesn't see as much screen time). The student council president sees more development in season 2.

  I think the cast as a whole shines together when they showcase their darker side. When so much is on the line, everyone begins to show their true colors. This isn't really a show where you get attached to characters. If you're like me, you actually want to see most of them fail horribly and lose all their money.

  Animation and Sound

  ---

  

  The animation in Kakegurui isn't exactly pretty (which is more than fine) but it's good at what it does. Mappa is able to make seemingly normal students look absolutely insane with the sudden shift in animation. The faces of these students take a grotesque appearance. It can be really unnerving and further adds to some of the darker tones of the show. It showcases the idea of being two-faced quite literally. I haven't seen many other shows that do this but I'm sure this isn't the first time it has appeared. It's definitely a nice touch for this kind of show.

  

  I was really impressed by the OP sequence. The style is unique and playful with the random fish and fruit in the background. The colors really pop too. I'm an OP/ED skipper and this was one of the few OPs I would watch each episode.

  The soundtrack is pretty decent. It's filled with a lot of high energy electric sounds that capture the intensity of each gamble. There's even an idol episode and the performance is actually fire.

  Personal Enjoyment

  ---

  _When you just can't stop rolling in your favorite gacha game :(_

  Kakegurui is really (really) entertaining. It constantly had me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next episode to release. There are a lot of moments that will leave your jaw dropped and times when you can feel the tension come through the screen as if you are there in person watching Jabami gamble.

  Would I recommend it? Hell yeah. I think most people can find something to like about Kakegurui. To me, Kakegurui is something you'd watch if you literally had nothing else in mind. It's an easy pickup that will keep you entertained for the entirety of its 12 episodes. Just don't expect something with incredible rewatch value or character development.

  Conclusion

  ---

  

  Kakegurui is definitely a good watch if you don't really have an idea of what you want. It's fast paced, nervewracking and will keep you entertained. I tend to watch a lot of slice of life/slower shows so something like Kakegurui is something that is a change of pace and short and sweet. The story isn't perfect and neither are the characters but for a show like this, I don't really think it needs to be. Definitely give this show a shot!

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• 

  Hibbington

  10/100
  The show that gave me a new term for a certain pet peeve.

  The show that gave me a new term for a certain pet peeve.
  
  I have been watching anime for a long time. Actively I would say 11 years. Throughout that time I do not remember a situation where I was so fixated on one certain aspect that completely capitulated everything else. That is where I am with the faces in Kakugurui.
  These issues with obnoxious faces is nothing new for me. I have the same feelings for Daily Lives of High School Boys and Drifters. But Kakegurui has achieved a level of obnoxious faces into a territory that has not been explored that I shall deem as egregious faces.

  The show’s art style is presented in a way that resembles sadistic hentai with these faces. I for one am not a masochist nor a sadist that will get enjoyment from an entertainment medium that way. I also am not a hentai fan so when you add the sweat and the lips/drool that helps take it to that egregious level.

  This shows theme is based on a school where gambling gets you to the top of the totem pole. I for one am someone who likes the game of poker. I watch the World Series of Poker every year. I even had a favorite poker player in Phil Hellmuth. So I was optimistic that at least like the action in Drifters I can find satisfaction in the gambling of the show.

  Unfortunately the gambling we got was a mix of redundant themes and girls over-powering on masochism. But even if the gambling was more satisfactory it is hard to enjoy any battle of strategy when your bombarded by egregious faces left and right.

  By this point I already had all these negative feelings towards Yumeko. Queue stage left a Yumeko on steroids named Midari Ikishima. During her dedicated episodes is where I just lost all hope for this show because when you put the theme of death into the show that changes everything. This isn’t about riding the economic train to the top of a gambling school. Your bringing in the theme that you can actually die in this school. That was the moment the stake went into the heart for the setting.

  Midari is also apart of the student council that are the main villains of the show. They are a conglomerate of individuals that have come together to hold a monopoly on the school. The basis of the show is for Yumeko to take them down one by one. The entirety of the show continues to try and make the student council even more sadistic than Yumeko herself. They try to establish a higher-level sadism that is not accepted to make you not like these characters. But if you already have Yumeko pass that level the effect is just completely negated.

  Basically every character was doing these gambling orgasms. It is the same issue the entire show. Even when they gave me an architype that I tend to enjoy in a villain in glasses. The enthusiasm dwindled away quite quickly thanks to once again from Yumeko’s orgasms. So I can confidently say that the Characters, Enjoyment, and Art are all a 1 out of 10.

  I’ve already covered how the setting is decapitated. But we do have progression. There is an end game to the show. They do not waste much time with frivolous OVA content. That is something I can put up as a 2 out of 10. Now bringing it up to a 3 out of 10 is another story. There was a lot of empty transition from going to the next student council member. There also was never a proper hierarchy build out so I can understand the level of difficulty increasing. They don’t really have much time to build up to it though. Their goal seemed to be to have the main event match-up in this entry. I can settle of a borderline 3 out of 10 with the story.

  So what it comes down to is music. I tend not to deviate my music score much from the rest of the show. I tend not to value it that highly. The ending song is okay but I do have major issues with the performance from Tia in the OP. There was a real turn-off for me listening to this nasally running on voice she used in the song. I’ve skipped the OP every time since episode 2. So with that I’d have to give another 1 out of 10.

  I’ve never experienced something so off-putting in anime like Kakegurui and it is going to be a benchmark for me when it comes to off-putting themes. If anything is as off-putting as the egregious faces and gambling orgasms then it will be a contender for a 1 out of 10 on my rating scale. For Anilist I'll give the show a 10 out of 100. Because at least were not getting episodic themes. So the story will keep it at a base 1 out of 10.

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