Kakeguri XX (ANIME)

Yumeko Jabami. Literally lives to gamble.

KAKEGURI XX
Season 2
Format: Netflix
Genre: Anime

Rating: 6 out of 10.

SPOILERS.
This show is rather interesting. I mean, I definitely keep up with it but I wasn't like "oh boy I can't wait for season 2." Netflix told me it was out, I like to listen to stuff in the background and in the course of 4 hours I was done. This is a quick watch. Each episode clocks in around 23 minutes (as is the case with most animes) and only has 12 episodes a season. Same story in season 1. You can watch the whole series in around...8 or so hours. Now to dive into the show. 

Episode 1 of Season 2's gamble.

Show starts it off with Erimi Mushibami making a wager to known compulsive gambler, Yumeko Jabami and her unliked and hated side kick of Midari Ikshima. They are presented with a gamble of a Finger Cutting Guillotine. You cut the strings, cut the wrong one and your finger goes with it too. Mushibami-san thinks Yumeko is gonna say no cause it's crazy...but Yumeko being Yumeko...is totally down with it. Mushibami-san rigged the game to not cut off the fingers but the point of the game is to pull your finger last to win. Yumeko asks the dealer if she removed it (which Mushibami thinks it's the iron plate to prevent finger chopping when in actuality, the table was off-balance so she asked her to fix it. Mushibami is led down a different line of thinking though and ends up pulling her finger before Ikshima-san cuts both. Yumeko is the winner because Mushibami removes her finger and Ikshima is disqualified for cutting more than 1 string.

Momobami clan and dog.

In the background we got Kirari Momobami, class president and leader of the Momobami clan.  Essentially in her family, you become class president and you can lead the clan. Cause like...that makes sense? Bruh, who ever said "oh hey high school student, since you are like totally in charge at school, you can totally lead the entire family." I digress. WHATEVER. We find out the president is gonna pass it on and the election is a high-stakes gamble. Collect poker chips and win. Easy right? Wrong. THIS entire show can't be happy with just you know...regular gambling. Mary, our friend from season one, warns Yumeko to be careful...although apparently she's a distant cousin of this fucked up family. Probably the most fucked up family who decides everyone's merit and worth in gambling. Cause like...addiction isn't a thing or anything. (😑😑😑). Miri Youbami and Miyo Inbami are on the war path pretty much poisoning other people to win. Cause how do high schoolers get ahold of poison??? The challenge Yumeko and Ryota to the Nym Type Zero game. Which Yumeko actually loses. Mary pops in to it and Yumeko tells Ryota to trust Mary. Mary actually won 100 votes from the Vice President. Ryota is advanced chips with each one totaling 24 hours of service to the student counsel. Mary makes Ryota show his hand every time and because she knows the dealer's cut, she has the advantage. Miri and Miyo do the same because they developed a silent way to communicate between them. Mary knows the Gilbreth shuffle, remembers the cards and uses Ryota's to win the match and antidote for Yumeko with Miri gets poisoned. At this point, somehow the president is playing in the election...which doesn't make sense. LIKE WHY WOULD YOU RUN IN AN ELECTION SEAT FOR A SEAT YOU GAVE UP. 

But seriously...Yumeko is a bit insane.

A week into the elections, the president...who again...gave up the seat..is first in the "elections" and Yumeko is about 10th. Yumemi, the YouTube idol, convinces Yumeko to help her go up against movie star Sumika Warakubami. Even after bribing the audience, she loses becase Warakubami bribed them again. In the end, Warakubami loses because Yumeko pits Yumemi against her and they pass on their turn in a game of bullshit. 

Next up is actually my favorite gambling game in the show because of it's complexity. It's called the Greater Good Game and it has many people involved in the Momobami clan as well as old defeats of Yumeko. It's very easy. You need 40 coins to win. You get 5 a turn and discuss before every turn. You can personally bank the coins or put them in the Tax Deposit Box and they get doubled then split amongst the players. Yumeko suggests that everyone puts their coins in the Tax box the first time. All except one person does so they has a traitor. Yumeko then suggests that each play deposit a set number of coins on a piece of paper but now even less coins appear and suggests there are two traitors. They then begin to suspect it's Yumeko who is the culprit.

Kaede and Yumeko deciding they aren't paying shit for taxes.

Kaede and Yumeko then decide they won't pay out any tax and low and behold, everyone donated that round. Kaede then pulls up that the traitors are Miroslava and his friend and maybe flame Itsuki. They colluded by using notes in the donation room out of sight. Miroslava is elected to be eliminated with the highest number of coins. Itsuki wins the round with 100 coins.....which would've been good if she didn't make a third party bet with Terano. Itsuki hands over her 100 votes and another 50 on top of that. Itsuki drops out of the election because she wants to play the game, not be president. Doesn't that sound like every sore loser? I didn't win so I'm not gonna play any more. (Cue second real eye rolls so far this season.) At this point, the president who still shouldn't be playing is in first and Yumeko is 6th. 

Getting down to business.

Yumeko and the president's secretary go head to head in a gamble and the secretary loses because she is too logical and honestly Yumeko lives to just gamble. Plus, she's the main character so.....most of the votes are being held in smaller increments for the front runners because why show your full hand?

Most of the big names by now are invited to the Hundred Votes Auction. Batsubami is the auctioneer and a participant. Everyone is losing votes and not winning so Yumeko puts up her 3 billion which she won from Kaede. Turns out Batsubami has been pretending to be a dude pretty much and then reveals her tragic back story. Turns out, she was a servant treated like shit. There was one lady who was kind to her and she was killed through gambling. Batsubami then swore revenge. She collected those small increments held from non-competitive students betting to win the election. Yumeko then solves the puzzle of the auction going between 101 and 1 bet votes and winning. Everyone chips in to 1 bet votes and Batsubami loses all the votes. They bet everything on the toss of a coin. The 3 billion yen against Yumeko's last name. If she loses, she becomes a Batsubami. AND THEY DO IT ON A COIN TOSS. Yumeko again, ends up winning..whose shocked? And goes back to gambling hard core. 

All in all, this is a good show but I wasn't dying to see it come out and I think it's too outrageous. Like there's no way that these kids could possibly get their hands on the money and know how to gamble....cause pretty sure you have to be 20 to gamble in Japan. Then again, anime is out there. For me...I want it to be insanely all out there like Black Clover or Dr. Stone or like....actually plausible like Orange. I'm not into this but who knows...maybe you are. If you're into gambling and insane bets...probably the show for you. It's also a quick watch so if you want something to just knock out one day...also a good choice.