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Kakegurui
Extreme facial-expressions and so many zeroes.
The Series in a Sentence
Yumeko Jabami, a true compulsive gambler, transfers to the high school of Hyakkaou, a private academy where your status as a human being relates directly to how well you can gamble, in an everyday struggle ruled by an elite student council that are political offspring master gamblers, looking to control much more than the high school...like your whole life.
What I Liked
Besides seeing millions of dollars being thrown around like pocket-change, the weight that the house pet system adds is critical. Losing money in Poker isn’t a joke anymore when your checking account numbers are right on the table. The idea of someone betting their humanity on victory in a game is the pinnacle of gambling - which is why Yumeko enjoys Hyakko so much. But even when money wasn’t the object being bet on, the consequences felt (and looked) very real. For example, the second round of Yumeko versus Sumeragi in the card memory battle was interesting because of the bet: Their fingernails. “Deal with the Devil” is a perfect OP for this anime looking to explore the different reasons that different people gamble and it feels similar to Death Parade (2015). Even with all this being said, the schemes cooked up by the masterminds to almost always win give it the icing on the cake. Knowing the person you’re playing with is cheating but being unable to prove it is a difficult game on top of a completely new game. Kakegurui excels at the mind-bending brainteaser that is cheating without getting caught. And to be completely honest, I thought that all of the emphasized expressions and actions (especially sadist Yumeko’s) were badass or terrifying. Something tells me the mostly female cast could take on any brawling muscle man and win with a crazy smile.
What I Didn’t Like
Ryota has to be the least developed character in the entire show - besides the one teacher that we saw in episode 1. I don’t know who he’s related to, but why is he there? The short flashbacks and motivations made me feel like only the surface of the characters were scraped, purposely leaving room for growth in the manga or the second season, but it isn’t enough as a standalone. The same could be said about Yumeko herself, so I’m making the assumption that she’s explored more after the other side characters much later. In addition, I felt that the last battle with the student council president was somewhat anticlimactic since I predicted the outcome and it was way too early for a key player to leave the field. The stakes of a house pet, millions of yen and other things in the pot were much higher in cost, but it’s all relative. What do you all think? I blame my own investment as setting the bar pretty high...so it was otherwise pretty fun. Except Midari. Midari was very straightforward about what she wanted from Yumeko and I didn’t need all that tongue-pierced eroticism.
Overall Feelings
Overall, Yumeko and friends will find a way to take you on that will keep you guessing until the last card is flipped over. One thing is for sure though: There was no attempt at trying to hide the eroticism in the air between some of these women gamblers. I mean, you could probably walk into it like a fog and it got to be a bit much at times. I recommend this show to someone looking for an insane main character that will get her gamble freak on just because she can and who is okay with fanservice/erotic themes. If it’s to improve yourself, then bet your all.