Kakegurui – Episode 12 [Compulsive Gambling Woman] [Final Impressions]

Whew! This final episode was a bit of a nail-biter. Maybe I’m just naive but I really did think that there was a potential for either Yumeko or the Student Council President, Kirari Momobami, to be expelled from school. I did not see a draw coming to be honest.

And that confession, whoo! I didn’t think Ryouta would say anything to Yumeko either, but his last-minute confession to Yumeko really heightened the tension in this last gamble. I haven’t read the manga (although I will be starting to now!) so I don’t know if his words impact their friendship or not. Such a romantic gesture though, to risk expulsion just because the object of his affections is facing the same risk too ~  *w*

What else did we learn? Kirari has a twin sister apparently, Ririka Momobami, and she’s the council’s Vice President. Runa called her to inform her of the results of the gamble between Kirari and Yumeko. So viewers were led to to believe that Kirari had already left the school to go deal with her family, but in reality it was Ririka; Kirari was still at the school all along.

At the very end of the episode, we see that life at school continues on as normal. Kirari brings the Student Council together to make some kind of announcement (which I know is probably revealed in the manga and in spoilers online, but it’s not specifically mentioned in the anime so I won’t reveal it here), and Yumeko is still addicted to gambling.

Nikolita’s Final Impression

Story: If I had to describe Kakegurui, it would “psychology mixed with the seven deadly sins.”  Greed, lust, gluttony, pride, sloth, wrath and envy – all of the characters in Kakegurui’s cast exhibit at least one of these sins. Sometimes the sins would manifest more subtly, but more often than not they were exhibited through widened or red eyes, and accompanied by twisted grins or warped facial expressions. This really is a twisted little show, but I find it fascinating. Plot-wise there was a definite story with a clear story being told. We still don’t know much about Yumeko’s backstory or her goals, but we got to watch her work her way towards her ultimate goal: challenging Kirari to a gambling match with all-or-nothing stakes. I also would’ve liked to see whether Kirari really had met Yumeko in the past, and I hope that’s something that’s revealed in the manga or another season of anime.

Speaking of the anime, this series got an original ending that differs from events in the manga, similar to what happened with Vampire Knight a few years back. I’ll be reading the manga to see what the differences were.

Characters: Oh man, if you’re looking for an anime with memorable and unique characters, Kakegurui‘s got you covered. Offhand, as much as I don’t like her, Midari with her bathroom masturbation and gun obsession stands out in my mind, and Yumeko’s compulsive gambling too to a slightly lesser degree. Itsuki and her thing with pulling out her nails is also ick yet also an attention-grabber. And then again because so much of the cast embodies at least one of the seven sins they become more noticeable to me too – for example Sayaka is guilty of envy, and Runa of being a sloth. EVERYONE, with the possible exception of Ryouta, is messed up to some degree in Kakegurui. And I say bring it on!

Music & Animation: I loved the animation. It felt very smooth to me, and the use of CG was seamless. I don’t know if anyone else noticed it or if I was seeing something that wasn’t there, but the final episode “looked a little different” to me. Or maybe that was just me. Regardless it didn’t take away from the episode at all, it was just something I noticed. No animation style complaints from me this time around.

I’m still not a big fan of the jazzy opening theme, but I really liked the ending theme. The animation that went with it was pretty hot too – lust lust lust baby. Panty shots, bra and cleavage showing – wowow Yumeko!

Overall Thoughts: Watch Kakegurui to see the darker sides of how people behave. If you want to watch exhibitionism, lust, greed and pride be on full display, then this is the show for you. I for one am hoping for a second season because I would watch more Kakegurui in a heartbeat!

 

Final Score: 10/10  9/10  (After reading Berry’s feedback I’m going to score this title a little lower because I too would’ve liked more backstory on the characters, mainly Yumeko. I also agree with Berry about many of the secondary characters/Student Council members being rather one-note.  Maybe I’m not nitpicky enough? x_x ) 

 

 

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Berry’s Final Impression

While Nikolita enjoyed the finale, I thought it was alright. Again, when the stakes are too high in this show, in this case the loser being expelled from the school, the show doesn’t seem to have enough guts to take a risk and actually follow through. So, I personally did not think anyone was going to get expelled. With that in mind I just hoped the gamble would be entertaining, and it didn’t really do that for me either.

The fact that the game consisted of only flipping three cards, with Yumeko only doing one, and Kirari also only doing one, the game was just a matter of luck. The same luck went to Suzui as he was the one to flip the last card, doing so after he spouted a manly confession and activated his Sharingan. That was probably my favorite scene, as Suzui was more of a side character I was glad that he had a cool moment to shine. Also, while I thought the confession was hilarious and manly, I never really saw Suzui and Yumeko as a romantic pair. They were definitely close friends, who went to dessert buffets together, but I never got enough of a romantic spark to call them a couple. Still it was entertaining. Other than that part, the rest of the episode was okay. It was fine. Though, just like I felt with Princess Principal, the ending was wrapped up too fast and left me unsatisfied and a little frustrated.

Just to compare the only two shows I reviewed this season, they were both shows I was extremely excited for. They both started off really strong, but then after awhile became a little stale, moreso in Kakegurui than Princess. I basically have the same emotions towards both of them but with Kakegurui I feel a little more empty. Regarding the endings, Princess Principal had a more open-ended one where a second season is very possible (and I’m hopeful it will happen) whereas Kakegurui had an anime-original ending which worries me.

The plot of Kakegurui is of this gambling high school where the main character Jabami Yumeko is a compulsive gambler and she sets her sights on Kirari, the School Council President, with her goal having a gambling match with her. The manga is ongoing, I have no idea if she’s ever had her match with Kirari, but in the anime she’s had it. She’s reached her goal. If there were to be a second season, what’s the point? What would her goal be next when she’s already had the match she’s always wanted with the President? Would it just be to continue her gambling needs? Of course that’s what Yumeko is always looking for, but with no goal to look forward to, I don’t know how entertaining that would be for us unless she has a rematch with the President, with a game that’s more thought out and suspenseful. With the anime-original ending, the show has come to a standstill. To me, I don’t think we’ll ever get another season. With Princess’ ending, there’s still room to explore with so much more plot and story to get through. With Kakegurui’s, this season can be seen as a standalone show. Sure there can be room for more with the sudden announcement of the Student Council being disbanded (rip Itsuki) and the concrete proof of Kirari’s twin sister. Still, I don’t know if they can slide around the awkward ending they gave the show, if that makes sense.

As for the show in general, I enjoyed it though I have my gripes with it. Some of the games weren’t too creative, as they were just preexisting games but twisted in a small way to say it’s “different”. Some games would feel more tense than others, and with the games with high stakes against Yumeko (playing with lives) I knew they wouldn’t take risks, bringing down my interest level even further. And while the distorted faces were entertaining, I felt like sometimes they were overused just to keep reminding the audience that these characters are twisted in the head. I feel the same could have been conveyed in different ways.

And as for characters, the show did a decent job. I enjoyed Mary’s character development, and Suzui was a breath of fresh air among these insane people, and I loved Yumeko. However, other than knowing that she gets off from gambling and taking risks, and that she’s actually a pretty sweet and kind character (when she’s not crazy), I wish we knew more about her. What in her life has shaped her to be this way? We learned she has a sister in the hospital, what does that have to do with her? There was so much we could have learned about her but we never did, which was a missed opportunity to make us even more connected with Yumeko. The rest of the characters, which were basically the Student Council members, are kind of one note. They each represent a certain trope (scary President, President ass kisser, Idol-chan, Mr. Smart Finance Man, Creepy Pervert, and so on) and don’t really change except for Itsuki and Yumemite. Other than our main trio, I can’t say I’m particularly attached to anyone but some of them are memorable (Midari…)

This is MAPPA so of course animation was on point. The music was well done too, especially Deal with the Devil. I like how over the top and crazy this show can get, though sometimes it gets a bit much. This show has issues, and while I said I have the same emotions towards Kakegurui like I do with Princess Principal, I feel like Kakegurui was less solid. It lacks a bit in each department (plot, pacing, characters, overall atmosphere) and the anime-original ending doesn’t help it too much.

And while this show isn’t exactly deep, it’s still really entertaining and I guess that’s the most important part. I still enjoyed watching each week and was entertained and I think for the people that just want to be entertained, this is for you. As for the rating, I’m juggling between 6 or 7/10. I’m sorry if I’m nitpicky. u_u