Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler

It's easy to criticise this film for being very over the top and downright outlandish, and that's because it is. It definitely has some overacting and very silly moments or dialogue, does it really hurt this film? No. The entire premise is over the top right off the bat, the film is about a guy playing a casino game (on a boat for some reason, maybe to bypass illegal gambling laws... who knows?) which is basically rock paper scissors to wipe out his debt and if he loses is doomed to pay it off through slave labour. I can't turn around and say "Aw man, they've managed to make this silly!" on top of that it's an adaptation from a manga, a good adaptation as you would expect from a cast reunited from the live action Death Note (that's right they actually had a good one before Netflix).

This is a very entertaining film and with almost all films you know the hero is going to come out on top, this film is very good at baiting you into thinking he's found a way to basically cheat the system. I like the original idea that there is debt collectors who would victimize people to extort more from them including a sort of underground (ironically) mining operation that pays them a pittance then entices them to give it back in exchange for luxury items.

Generally adaptations from medium to medium in the world of film (i.e video game crossovers, remakes of older movies, cartoon remakes) are poor quality. As the original material adapts to its new format it becomes diluted. The work of the original creator is generally mangled to the point of no return.

This film is a prime example.

As far as some of the reviewers above who have made presumptions of Japanese culture portrayed in the film, stating that Japanese people don't 'act' like the characters portrayed in the film, are making ignorant remarks. The original piece of work (either the anime series or the manga) is a psychological thriller, with great attempts made at in-depth analysis of the thought processes of the characters. The commentary made on the greed of society as a whole is invoking.

Bottom Line: Watch the anime if psychological thrillers are up your alley, its not drawn in typical cheesy anime style, nor is it cliché! Don't watch this film unless you have seen the anime, it will probably be a horrid experience! I recommend both Kaiji and the creator's earlier manga/anime Akagi. Both are extraordinary pieces of work in the otherwise cliché and worn out world of Japanese Animated television series.

Whate can I watch it I have been trying to watch it every where in sub English so can someone pleas help me find it english sub i heard its really good so I want to watch it I can only find it Japanes raw bud.

The problem with this movie is that it has to compact the material of 13 volumes of manga into a 2 hour long movie. The very format forced some of 'Kaiji's strongest points to lose much of its impact, namely the gambling aspect of what is a very brainy and interesting manga. The movie cuts down on the mental gymnastics that make Kaiji able to beat the odds in a believable way. As a result the viewer cannot quite grasp his genius as everything is edited to the point of losing coherence. The manga is plotted in such a way as to cover several arcs, each with its own crazily high stakes and particular flavor. The movie cannot frame a transition of the moments of the narrative without coming undone at the seams.

Some choices in the adaptation were odd such as changing Endou's gender and changing the order of some events and there are other changes that may seem minor on the surface but end up diluting the tense do-or-die atmosphere that had readers of the manga flipping the pages anxiously and sitting at the edge of their seats. Such as the terrifying ear perforation device or the finger guillotine, both if which are completely absent in the movie.

Kaiji's inner dialog is hyped mostly as an emotional appeal without the counterbalancing effect of his quick mind. The manga's eponymous hero is known for bursting into tears rather often but he remains a very clever young man whose gambles have plenty of reasoning behind them, the movie shows us only flashes of this. It is also unfortunate that some of the more intense moments of the 'Kaiji' saga take place in material that is not covered by the movie.

The acting is solid, namely Fujiwara who plays Kaiji flawlessly, a completely different role of Death Note's Light that first introduced me to him. Having a woman playing a loan shark lends itself to romantic vibes but these never materialize.

Fans of the manga may enjoy seeing Kaiji in 3D but this movie does not match the brilliance of the original work.

After watching the first and second season of the anime i have watched this wonderful movie, the movie is not epic as the manga, but it was pretty good, it's very difficult to make a 2 hours movie from one season, but the actors were very impressive, i was very excited from the beginning of the movie until the end, if you didn't watch the anime , trust me you're missing a lot!