Taken from my review:
Hard allegory of capitalism as a class system where wealth creates more wealth while being poor - let alone in debt - tends to drag people further and further down.
There's too much superfluous dialogue, even for a show with so many mind games and while Kaiji is quite observant, he is neither particularly intelligent or wise.
That's it for negatives though. Rare is the anime as cohesive as Kaiji.
The despair of the contestants is palpable in the art style's sharp angles and harsh lines, the oppressive atmosphere compounded by the gritty backgrounds and accentuated by the tense soundscape.
It could be hard to stomach for some on a psychological level, but it's impossible not to at least recommend.
Explanation by g0rth0r on Wednesday, 10.03.2010 00:15