Our main character Kaiji was very unlucky, he was forced into the hell that is gambling because a coworker disappeared on a loan that he happened to cosign it. Thus starting the craziest yet addicting ride I've seen from any gambling anime I've ever seen. What made this show addicting is the fact just like kaji, you spend so much time thinking about how is it even possible to come out on top. Most of the games presented seem simple and impossible to cheat them based on the rules, only for you to find out the game is designed to bring out the worst in a person. Because of the high stakes, one mistake and your whole life could be forfeited. Sometimes you will be on the edge of your seat wondering is it even possible for kaji to survive or will he fail?. Especially when how the stakes keep rising with each passing episode, you wonder how would anyone have the guts to continue this hellish journey.

Kaiji is such an amazing character, probably one of my favorite characters of all time. Kaji is not an overpowered main character or saint, he's just a regular guy who is fighting for his life to survive. He has done a lot of questionable things that a sane person should never attempt in their wildest dreams but you have to consider the mind of a gambler. Your mental state literally impacts everything, if you don't feel lucky or confident in your ability to win, you might as well give up. I initially hated kaji for being a self-centered coward who talked a big game and could barely back it up. However, you see several times that kaji goes out of his way to help the people he meets along the way, even when he doesn't have to. He reminds us of the duality of humanity, we can be disgusting and vile monsters but we can also be beautiful and gentle creatures. The antagonists of the series are some cruel and hungry debt collectors, they see kaji and the remaining member of the cast as gullible losers. They take pride and joy in seeing kaji and co suffer for their greed and ignorance. This is understandable but they already lost their sense of humanity a long time ago, they are under no obligation or reason to care what happens to kaji and co, they are simply collecting the debt they are owed.

The plot is simple yet satisfying, Kaiji and others like him are tasked with paying off their debts plus the interest by participating in various high-stakes gambles. If they can pay off their debts, they can return to their normal lives and never have to worry about the cruel fate that would await them should they fail. The debt collectors only care about receiving the full payment they are owed, they stop at nothing to collect their payments. The players are encouraged to do whatever it takes to survive, their desire to survive creates insane and heart retching displays of inhumanity. If someone told you, you're the only one to pay back your debt and no one will save you, what would you do? Kaji seeks to show us how far greed and the desire to survive can motivate us. Sometimes the simplest games show you just how deranged the debt collectors are, we watched caged animals scream and fight for their lives while the predator devours them whole.

The opening and music really capture the essence of the show, despair and hope is a very thin line. No one is safe no matter what path they chose, the only option you have is to survive. The za za sound effect made me tense up EVERY TIME, I was never prepared for the despair and misfortune to come afterward. That being said, you should definitely watch this show. The stakes, music, and voice acting sometimes still haunts me to this day, it's the perfect blend of fear, despair, hope, and entertainment.