Tags: #anime Links: Animes
Kakegurui
Kakegurui 12/07/2020
Wow.
12/08/2020
That was all I was able to type right after watching the anime. I had to go sleep so my sleep schedule wouldn’t be too fucked, and I after looking at a blank document for a few minutes, I couldn’t type anything down. Even at this moment, I’m struggling to find the words to explain what I thought about the anime. However, without further ado, here’s Kakegurui from my perspective.
This anime gave me feelings of tension and fear that Steins;Gate was able to produce; the stakes people were willing to bet on pure luck fascinated me and kept me on the edge, anticipating the results of their choices (much like Yumeko lmao).
Plot
This anime truly was all about gambling, and it exemplified the concept to new heights. Instead of money being gambled, much greater assets were put on the line; status, body parts, your future, even life itself. Through the varying underlying desire of the characters, gambling took on a new form that exceeded our basic comprehension of the idea.
I thought that the final gamble between the president council wasn’t as intense as the gamble between Yumeko and Kaede, but it only made sense for the season 2 of the anime (which I haven’t watched yet).
Yumeko’s role as the foil to the school council was strung together beautifully. It was if she was a disguised OP MC in an isekai anime that was heavily underestimated by her opponents. As soon as you think she’s cornered and has to admit defeat, she creat
One of the most memorable parts of this anime were the emotions the characters associated to gambling:
I loved the two phases of Yumeko: The innocent and optimistic Yumeko that looks pure, and the compulsive freak with eyes full of desire for the roll of the dice.
Yumeko’s compulsive tendencies and extreme hunger for the sole act of gambling show’s how scary yet beautiful the concept is. When you’re putting your fortunes and your life all on a single chance of luck (especially when the odds are against you), the moments before the result can fill you with blissful hope or extreme fear to completely change your character. As for Yumeko’s case, that feeling is enough for her to risk everything, and in turn, it results for such irrational plays and grand comebacks. It heightens your senses to a new dimension that outmatches those of rationality, and allows you to achieve border-line impossible feats.
Furthermore, I loved how she was willing to accept games that were rigged and had the odds against her, just because of that small chance of her winning. Along with her desires to stay as a house pet to challenge the council president to a gambling match, it just further proves her craving for winning at such terrifying odds.
Midari’s emotions towards gambling was kind of similar to Yumeko’s in a sense that both loved the thrill before the storm, but at the end of it all, her true intentions are to experience true loss–death. It brought a completely new perspective to how some perceive gambling, and the nature of human beings. After experiencing complete hopelessness by losing her eye to the council president, it changed her dreams and wanted to reach such a high once again, and what can make you feel more hopeless than death waiting at your door? It was interesting to see how even though the card game was rigged for the death of Midari, Yumeko still decided to defy the odds and foil her plans.
I was surprised to see Kaede let go of his weapon of rationality and be influenced by Yumeko’s character. Instead of folding, he decided to go toe-to-toe with Yumeko, and joined her in true gambling. For such a man to put everything on the line like that and still lose just shows the unpredictable and unforgiving nature of gambling. Even if your cause may be more thought out and be “more deserving” than your opponent, gambling couldn’t give two shits. After all, it all comes down to pure luck, whether it be the suit of a card or the roll of a die.
I’m kind of confused of the plan of the council president: Is she kind of like Midari where she inevitably wants to see all she’s worked towards burn into flames before her, is she like Yumeko where all she cares about is the thrill of gambling, is she a naturally curious girl that desires to experience new emotions and witness unique concepts herself (house pet system, back of the eye), or is it a mix of all of them? I can only find out by watching the second season, but I honestly think she’s just in it to experience the ride, from start to finish, no matter the outcome.
I wonder what the role of the child will be in the next season. She seems pretty close to the council president, and I wonder what her special gambling niche is. However, I wouldn’t mind if she were just a supporting character of the council president, but the glaring eyes of her during the final gamble leads me to believe otherwise.
My favorite part of the anime 100% has to be the poker match between Yumeko and Kaede:
-The escalation of what was at stake, from a few hundred million yen, to billions and the complete lives and futures of the candidates, it was just surreal to watch.
-The absolute confidence and rationality of Kaede, only to be shattered along with his dreams at the very end
-The absolute shift in mood when the dealer was revealed to be the council president, allowing for such insane bets to be placed
-The immense trust Itsuki put in Yumeko’s hand, and her ability to break her constraints and risk everything for her future
There was so much riding on the line for both parties, but of course, Yumeko’s side was the one to prevail.
OP
The opening was exquisite, and I’m not really sure how to put it into words; it just does a great job at encompassing the anime as a whole. The gloomy yet bold color scheme, the upbeat and enticing instrumental, the seductive vocals, the actions of the characters, the abstract-ness of the background, the hints of the gambling devices used in the story, the fine art-style, everything just works together to prepare the viewer for the story that’s about to unfold.
Art
The disgusting, detailed faces further expressed the fear or dominance of the characters during their gambles, and I loved it!!!
Kakegurui xx 12/11/2020
It’s been a few days since I’ve watched the final episode, but let me just quickly run through my thoughts on season 2.
I didn’t feel the same levels of intensity as I did from the first one; I just didn’t feel the stakes to be too high, and I guess I was already accustomed to the tension and suspense that the anime provided.
I was not paying attention at all to the relation between the president and Jabami’s last names, and finally reveals how she was perceived as a “threat” to the student council.
However, there were definitely some neat moments that I really appreciated.
I hope the developing relationship between Manyuda and Sumeragi is further developed in season 3 ^^
Tower of Doors- This was probably my most favorite episode of the bunch:
-
The actual concept of the gambling and the tower itself was hella cool, and I wasn’t expecting something so unique in the anime. Instead of gambling, I felt like it was more focused on psychological and puzzle-solving skills, which I completely accepted.
-
The fucking plot twist at the end. When I saw the president jump off with her, I think I started crying lmao. I found this part to be the most exuberant moment in the whole anime, and I was relieved to see the secretary survive as well as see that the president isn’t a person of bad intentions.
Rei’s reveal-
-
I expected him to have some sort of plot twist, but not to one of that extent. I didn’t think much of the acts of kindness he did to the random students, but of course it came full circle. I was not expecting Jabami and Rei to be somewhat connected, and I’m quite interested to see if/how it further develops in the next season.
-
Furthermore, I’m curious to see if Jabami’s backstory will be further expanded on in the next season; I feel like Jabami’s backstory is still rather mysterious and unknown while people like Rei’s backstory is already being known, so hopefully it acts as a pivotal turning point in the anime or is explained in great detail :p
-
Also, I had no idea Rei was a girl. Or is he trans? I don’t even know anymore, man.
Rei’s Auction-
-
Jesus, Jabami bet her 3 billion yen, and then WON IT BACK? WTF
-
I feel like they kinda rushed the ending parts with the coinflip; I wished this anime would just take it time, and didn’t have the time restraints of having to fit in 12 episodes
Overall, I loved the different feel this anime gave me while watching it, and I hope that season 3 comes out soon! ^^
**