Kakegurui: Bet

Kakegurui didn't need this. The anime was stylish, chaotic brilliance, and the original live action adaptation already captured that well enough. This remake is a total insult. It reeks of lazy Americanization, stripping out everything unique and replacing it with bland, safe garbage. The actors look like they were pulled from a casting call for toothpaste commercials hawkweed, unattractive, and completely lacking the unhinged magnetism the roles demand. The cinematography is flat, the energy is gone, and every creative choice feels sanitized by clueless execs chasing trends. It's not just bad. It's embarrassing. Don't watch this.

I skimmed the anime before years back so I do know the overall vibe of it but I know nothing about the plot so I can't tell if this is a good adaptation... however it does say "based on" so doubt it's going to be that similar. There's also a Japanese version that follows anyway?... now for this show. It's okay?

It's toned down but it retains some of the anime vibes to it especially with how some are dressed and the acting can get campy which might turn some people off. All I can say is that Miku Martineau as Yumeko is PERFECT. She delivered the crazy camp albeit toned down so well I never once felt weirded out too bad the rest of the cast didn't level up to her. They're just there. There's a lack of intensity with the way the characters play off each other.

The plot is alright. The thrill isn't so thrilling for me since the games end so quick and they took out the overly crazy way the characters act in the anime so it doesn't hit the same. They feel like normal gambling students with bad fashion sense. The school doesn't feel "elite" more like a school for delinquents.

What I totally love about this is the way it's edited. It's flowy yet choppy and just really giving anime edit. The music isn't so bad either. Overall it's fine. Nothing I'd rave about nor something I hate. I'll watch a season 2 if they ever get renewed but I'm not on my knees for it.

Truly do not understand the terrible reviews. If you go into this expecting some sort of cinematic masterpiece then yeah, you're going to be disappointed and hate yourself. But that's on you.

I found the show oddly compelling and totally binged it, as evidenced by my writing a review on the whole thing, what, a day or two after it was released? Don't judge me, I have no life. 😂

The acting is touch and go - Yumeko is great, Ryan is good, Michael is freaking terrible. The plot is thin, because it spends too much time laser-focused on a singular aspect before blowing it wide open on the penultimate episode - this was a miscalculation that may cost the series a second season, though I find myself hoping not.

All in all, I'd watch a second season and -do- recommend the series...but you HAVE to go into it with zero expectations and just enjoy it for it what it is. Let yourself have some fun - it ain't gonna kill ya. ;)

Was gonna give it a 7, but subtracted a star for the Japanese RickRoll at the end of the finale.

I really enjoyed watching this show, in fact I binge watched it all within a day. I would really like for netflix to hurry up with the next series so I can watch more of it as soon as possible. Lots of twists and turns to lead up to the finale, there is a very much "mean girl" style hierarchy within the school which makes it exciting waiting for the hopeful downfall. I like Yumeko, she's fun, crazy and unpredictable, a fantastic actress for the role. However, the show could be set anywhere as there isn't much focus on the school aspect of it which makes it less of a "teen" show and more of a show for any appropriate age.

At one end of the critical spectrum I bet we have the anime faithful who feel betrayed in whatever capacity, and at the other I'll wager we have friends and families of the live action adaptation. I'm putting my money on Yumeko, since Ms. Martineau is clearly having a field day playing an unhinged gambler with a hidden feudal Japanese clan agenda. The rest of the cast is acting like they have an actual stake in this game, and the overall vibe is I daresay, delightfully mischievous, with a sprinkle of Sex Education (minus the good vibes). Plus, how can you go wrong with the message that the world is controlled by soulless cheats who run it like a roulette table with a hidden switch. Of course our true overlords are the tech idiot savants who are ruining the planet, but their avatars on this remake of Kakegurui will do.