Luck Be One Crazy Lady: Kakegurui

Greetings, ladies and gentlemen!  Welcome to Week 2 of Novembflix with a new review on a show that honestly, has been one of the most unsettling I’ve seen in a long time.  And it’s not even horror!  I kid you not, this show is bonkers. It goes to places you wouldn’t think a show like this would go to and makes you wonder, “what’s wrong with these people?”  That being said, let’s start this week’s review on Kakegurui!

Yumeko Jabami is a mysterious new transfer student to Hyakkaou Private Academy.  This at first doesn’t sound all that bad, but this school is far crueler than you could imagine; with the students coming mostly from wealthy families, the entire student body has set up its own gambling ring.  This was made even worse when the current student council president came in and set up a discriminatory system in which students who owe massive debts basically become servants – or “house pets”-to their debtors.  However, Yumeko isn’t fazed by this harsh environment, and it’s later revealed that she herself is an expert gambler who plays for the thrill of it.  Soon, her exceptional skills overthrow the school’s hierarchy in a high stakes match between her and the student council.

Like I said, this show is insane.  It’s not the darkest show I’ve seen by any means, but I’d definitely put it up there with shows that make you squirm in your seat.  In fact, I had to stop watching it because of that reason; it was that uncomfortable.  But overall, I give Kakegurui a 7.5 out of 10.  At first glance, it’s hard to say that there was anything purely positive about the show.  But that’s only because the world that the show sets up is very cruel and sadistic.  The students who have less advantage are treated like slaves by those who have all the power, and those with the power exact bizarre fantasies and punishment on those around them.  I remember there was one particular student that Yumeko challenges who has this creepy obsession with nail art and collects the finger and toe nails of the people who lose to her!  The student council even goes so far as to plan a student’s entire life!  That being said, Yumeko is probably one of the best things about the show in that none of the school’s rules and social hierarchy matter to her.  But part of this comes from the fact that she’s crazier than everyone else at the entire school.  Those moments where she goes obsessively nuts to where she looks like she’s sexually aroused over a game to the point where even her opponents are freaked out are an eye opener for her peers and are oddly satisfying to the audience.  One moment that stands out to me the most (besides those moments where she is gambling and gets really into the game) was when she finds herself in considerable debt and winds up being a “house pet.”  After being insulted by her students, she gets into the role and starts acting like an animal.  It’s these moments that make Yumeko such a force in the show because, like I said, she doesn’t care about what’s going on around her.  It’s a roundabout way of saying it, but if there’s one selling point that this series has, it’s Yumeko.  Still, while that much is true, that doesn’t entirely alleviate the show’s sadistic nature. 

I’ve said it twice already, this show is nuts.  But while there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, you better hold on.  The human rights violations on display throughout the show are enough to make anyone uncomfortable and angry.  You also have characters that are especially cruel and show little regard for other people, too.  I’ve already talked about the girl who collects finger nails, but there was also a particularly unsettling scene where Yumeko is almost sexually abused by a group of male students because she’s a “house pet.”  As I said, this makes you wonder just what in the world is wrong with these students.  Save for some of the most morally screwed up characters I’ve ever seen, another thing that was very unsettling for me personally was the facial expressions.  Good Lord, some of these people make the freakiest faces I’ve ever seen, almost to the point that it’s nightmare fuel.  You have people who break out in very big detailed and creepy smiles.  Some even have their eyes bulge out.  They’re pretty grotesque, but it plays off to the sadistic world the show sets up.  So overall, the show was good, but again, you better hold on.

Kenny Rodgers once said “you have to know when to hold’em.” Well, I can say that the people in Kakegurui know how to hold your attention in a high stakes game.  And that, my friends, ends another review!  Stay tuned next week for Part 3 when I cover a show involving a killer who I swear his name was Bill, but it’s really just one letter.

-Hanime on Anime

Kakegurui Trailer