Kakegurui: First Impressions

It’s time to try out a new style of post! (New for me, anyway…) For the Summer 2017 season, I’ve decided to do individual first impression posts, in an attempt to give you guys more opinions on the shows I’m watching! And what better way to introduce this new style than with arguably the weirdest show from this season? 

Kakegurui (English: Compulsive Gambler) is a psychological drama series set in Hyakkaou Private Academy – a school where intelligence or athleticness aren’t praised, but skills at gambling are. At Hyakkaou, those who win live like Kings and Queens. Those who lose are more like dogs. However, things start to change when Yumeko Jabami enrolls and she starts to show these prestigious gamblers what true gambling really is.

Now, this anime was one of the few which had caught my eye well ahead of the season actually starting, mainly due to the jazzy OST in the PVs as well as the concept itself – it certainly sounded a little different from the stereotypical school anime. It certainly is different from the other school anime out there, but that doesn’t mean to say that it’s a positive thing.

The main problem I have with Kakegurui is that it’s a show that has a lot of explaining. From explaining the concept of the school to the actual games that they play, this usually means you get an overload of information that can sometimes require a second or two to process properly. It’s certainly not a show to watch if you’re not a fan of subtitles, let me tell you. Considering it’s a Netflix show, there is a chance that we could get a dubbed version of it when it’s available to watch on the streaming site. At least, for once, I hope there is.

Kakegurui‘s art style is also something I don’t particularly like, however as with most art styles, I’m more than happy to just deal with it. I can’t even easily explain as to why I don’t like it, but I’m putting it down to having higher expectations based on some of the characters’ profiles. I know these often aren’t accurate representations of what the art style will be, but in this instance I was tripped up straight into disappointment.

Where other people might be tripped up is the sexualisation of characters within the OP and ED. The OP sees characters crawling on tables, showing off legs and toying with cutlery, fingertips stroking the main male protagonist’s neck. The OP is certainly more sexual than the actual show, but Jabami certainly has her orgasmic moments, especially when winning a bet. Despite not liking the art style of the actual show, however, I do like the art used in the OP – it has a sort of old-school vibe to it.

The most disappointing thing with this anime is that I’m already bored of it after just two episodes. Both episodes have basically followed the same storyline – meet an opponent, take part in some sort of gambling game, Jabami wins, opponent loses reputation within the school, repeat. I might be more inclined to continue watching if people note that it changes and/or becomes more exciting. For now, however, I can only recommend Kakegurui if you’re wanting an anime with psychotic characters and a lot of tense drama.