FROM GAMBLING, THE GENRE OF UNCERTAINTY AND RISK, A MASTERPIECE OF UNDOUBTED VALUE IS BORN
The "Gambling" genre in TV series and anime is a genre that has always teased me with regard to the potential it has to offer, especially from the point of view of psychological games between players. It is precisely my interest in this type of plot that led me to see Kakegurui, anime that I found quite valid with regard to these mental games, obviously avoiding talking about other peculiarities of that not so family-friendly anime. Beyond this, just a few days ago, during my search for the next anime to watch, I found myself on the page of this series which, however, I had already heard positively about its quality without ever strangely finding out that it was a "Gambling" series. The genre and the good reviews I heard convinced me enough to start it immediately and even go so far as to review it as much as I liked (I had never reviewed a non-seasonal yet).
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PLOT:
In a nutshell, the plot tells of a very difficult period of life for Itou Kaiji, a boy buried in debt and who has found no purpose in life. But one day, an unmissable opportunity knocks on his door inviting him to participate in a betting event aboard a ship that could end all his suffering and help him get a new life. The first season of the anime is therefore divided into 2 great narrative arcs: the Espoir ship arc and the subsequent (and more emotional) Starside Hotel arc. That said, it seems that the underlying plot does not stand out particularly for its originality in comparison to other works (anime and otherwise) of the same genre. And indeed it is so; however, Kaiji reaches its maximum value during the bets. The psychological games between the protagonist and his opponents characterizes the anime most and elevates it to a series of the highest level. The strategies with which the players fight each other and the drama that follows from the victories and defeats immediately make the anime captivating during the first narrative arc and then reach their apex during the second narrative arc, much more intense as offers risks and situations that seemed unthinkable to reach seeing the type of drama that the Espoir arc presented.
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CHARACTERS:
Leaving the best for last, I start by giving a general idea of the 2 main villains of the series: Tonegawa and the president. Both play this role during the 2nd arc since in the 1st arc the "villains" are none other than other players at the same level as Kaiji who play to cancel their debts like him. Both represent the classic manipulative, sadistic character who enjoys the suffering of others and who has no qualms in trying to plunge his opponent into the abyss. Excluding them 2, the secondary characters of the series do not occupy a particularly prominent role (at least for now, then I don't know if we will see anyone again in the 2nd season) and do not have a well-defined characterization. They simply have the function of accompanying the protagonist or hindering him in certain situations.
At this point we can talk about the main dish, that is our protagonist Itou Kaiji. For his character I have only nice words to say: beautiful characterization that best represents the mentality of a normal guy in his situation. In fact, Kaiji is a 100% complete character, he is intelligent and awake enough to be able to think of some tactics (even very efficient) in situations that need an extra help to simple luck. At the same time, however, he immediately presents himself as a very naive person who easily gets caught up in emotions, who trusts others more than he should and who, while not repeating the exact same mistake twice, never definitively condemns a person who has it deceived or defeated, maintaining a kind of respect towards him. The 2nd arc is the one in which this ambivalent mentality of his is highlighted most, when he is faced with situations in which one should always act in cold blood but in which he never manages to completely maintain this coldness by falling into the temptations offered by his same emotions.
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ART / ANIMATIONS:__
I am aware of the fact that the artistic style of Kaiji-Ultimate Survivor is one of the biggest reasons for drop or of little appreciation of the series but it is one of the elements that I personally found most fascinating. I was warned that they might not have liked me initially but despite this I appreciated them right away. I really admire anime with a particular style, which differs from the series that are based on more "classic" drawings and animations. Absolute strength of the artwork are the facial expressions of the characters, which are able to perfectly convey the emotions (especially desperation) of the characters and which make the viewer much more emotionally involved in the events. MADHOUSE has never been a 100% reliable studio, it has had a fluctuating history regarding its anime, but I think it did a great job here (we always keep in mind that we are talking about a 2007 series).
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MUSIC:__
The soundtracks that characterize the work are absolutely perfect and, in excellent harmony with the graphics, they manage to make the work express to its fullest potential. I would also like to underline a peculiarity that I had never encountered yet, namely the 45-second TV size opening. This obviously has no weight in my evaluation, I just wanted to point it out because it was something that surprised me the moment I noticed it.
P.S. I am not a native English speaker so I apologize for any mistakes.