''That man sitting over there feebly, what exactly is he? Gambler Madarame Baku, he's fragile but he'll never be broken. When you think you've destroyed him, he'll climb up like nothing happened and devour you. Is he really human? Or maybe he was already broken since the beginning..."
This fits Baku so well, he is by far the best "Perfect character" I've ever seen who is good at bewitching not only us but also his opponents with his charm, and insight that far surpasses that of a normal human being. By the time we meet him, he is fully realized as a character by learning from his mistakes in the backstory that almost cost him his life. He ends up finding some allies, who are absolutely not perfect, Kaji is an inexperienced gambler who found his path after meeting Baku, Marco is childish and a few other but trusting in them helps him pull through direst of situations, which ties in with the idea of
"Luck" Baku has, he doesn't believe in luck, he tries to win with his own wit but sometimes ends up being lucky because of the help from his friends because he bet his trust on them and he will never abandon them, even if he has to abandon his goals for them, which is a part of Baku's charm. In Baku's acceptance of their character flaws, Kaji realizes the position in his life is because of Baku and fights to stand on the same pedestal as him and Marco wants to pay him back for saving him and Kyara realizes how he actually treated Baku and wanted him to win. Chemistry between the characters makes the series shine to its fullest. You love to see the trio smile, don't you?
And this is just the main cast, there are a lot more fleshed out characters in this series that deserve their own spin-off.
I can't talk about the cast without talking about Kakerou and the referees, the group of absolute chad and strong men who preside high stake gambles and are very intriguing set of characters who are a major part of the story.
Martial arts is a tag that the manga has, and its relevant throughout the whole series. It has some of the best hand-to-hand combats in all of manga. Action packed with amazing art, nothing falls short and also it's not like the gambles are combat oriented, but very important to the plot.
The thematic beauty of the antagonists in contrast with Baku's character is amazing that shows the strong points of Baku as a character and his growth. He faces enemies who are equally as cunning as he is, but he ends up winning because he thinks about the imperfections he and the opponent has, finding what they're hiding under their masks and exposing them from the core is a great representation of human nature and how gambling is a reflection of it. People resort to their primitive instincts like resorting to violence or praying for a lucky shot, which shows how a person is and if they have the heart to accept their true self, or defeat.
The story is amazing, starts off at a slower pace with a meh art style evolving into something happening at a very grandiose scale and equally amazing art to justify it. It has some of the most interesting and mind-boggling games, and the stakes keep increasing throughout the arcs, kept me on the edge of my seat and the intensity of them kept me tense throughout and luck is almost non-existent directly in the games. Everything has an explanation and no deus ex-machina which amazes me the most.
Entering the Protoporos Arc, the author really steps up his writing game and shows his world building through how a "trapped in an RPG" arc with a game world can turn into an unruly world with an all-out war among the players, like real war, and so on. The story goes back and forth in different parts and plot points and uses old established points in later chapters, even 300-400 chapters down the line. It might be tough to catch on for the first-time readers. You somehow know who will win, but never know how. Usogui excels at this and leaves no room to complain after a game is over. Every dialogue and plot points are touched upon. The entire stretch from Tower of Karma till the end shows the authors evolution as a writer and his ability to intricately tie in different plot twists with the story he is trying to tell.
The feeling of not losing, the intense thrill felt through putting your life on the line with a faint of hope to achieve something, despair, anxiety, the frenzy of emotions, entering a battle of resilience by abandoning technique and luck are all expressed through excellent art.
The ending is amazing, leaving an everlasting impression on me, and showing how all the characters end up, and with a beautiful monologue and to see how Baku becomes a more glorified version of himself was amazing.
Highly recommended.
