Kakegurui XX Review – Place Your Bets, Everyone!

9:00 AM June 29, 2019

Anime Review [Article Category]
Drama Anime, School Anime, Mystery Anime, Psychological Anime, Game Anime [Genres]
Kakegurui (Kakegurui: Compulsive Gambler) [Anime Title]

Honey’s Anime Pickup,

Adalisa Zarate

Place Your Bets, Everyone!

Episodes : 12
Genre : Game, Mystery, Psychological, Shounen, School, Drama
Airing Date : January 2019 – March 2019
Producers : MAPPA

Contains Spoilers

Kakegurui XX Introduction and Story

Life in the Hyakkaou Private Academy has gotten crazier than usual. After Yumeko Jabami made a bet with the school council president Kirari Momobami that ended up in a draw, Kirari decided that she needed more thrills in her life and created a new game that involves the whole school: anyone can win her place, as long as they get enough votes through gambling. At the beginning of the election, every student has one chip, a vote, and whoever has the most chips at the end will be not only the school council president but will also become the head of the Momobami clan, the family that controls Japan from the shadows.

Thus begins a new season of Yumeko having the time of her life with life-or-death bets, while Suzui, Mary, and Itsuki find themselves thrown into the complex politics of the mysterious Momobami clan, who have sent their children to the Hyakkaou Private Academy in order to stop Kirari from giving up her place to a commoner. To make things more complicated, those children have their own agendas, which include destroying Kirari Momobami no matter what.

Why You Should Watch Kakegurui XX

1. The Bets Get Stranger and The Stakes Get Higher

One of the complaints about the first Kakegurui season was that even if Yumeko and her rivals threw out millions and millions of yen in every bet, there wasn’t a real feeling of danger. With the school and the clan leadership, this season ups the ante appropriately.

2. New Characters Advance the Plot

The Momobami clan, known as the eleven devouring families, sent eleven representatives to the school who want to destroy Kirari Momobami and see Yumeko as an obstacle. But they don’t act together with a strategy, as the school council did, and that makes the bets more intriguing.

3. Great Animation and Music

Just like last season, one of the strongest points of Kakeguri XX is the animation, especially the care that is taken whenever the characters are going crazy with gambling lust or angry at others’ actions. The music is as energetic as before, making even a coin toss feel epic.

Why You Should Skip Kakegurui XX

1. Too Much Fanservice

It is possible to have too much of a good thing and the fanservice in Kakegurui can lean in that direction. It is not only the exaggerated pleasure that Yumeko and Midori Ikishima get from dangerous bets, that can cut the tension of many scenes, but also the yuri subtext that doesn’t get anywhere can get tiresome for some fans.

2. Not Much Gets Resolved

As the manga is still going, the anime staff couldn’t resolve certain plots and mysteries. We still don’t know why the vice-president uses a mask, or exactly why Yumeko had so much money at the beginning of the first season, much less what is her real relationship to the Momobami. There are more questions than answers this season, leaving them all open for the third one.

3. It Rethreads Some of the Last Season’s Plot Points

As much as the plot advances, there’s a sense of repetition. We get another bet where bodily harm is on the line, another set of idol singing and a stage show disguising a bet, People high in the totem pole get humiliated, and Yumeko is still addicted to gambling. If you’re looking for some character development, this is not the series for you.

Final Thoughts

Kakegurui was a success in its first season, so a second one was assured. With the way that the second season ended, we’re also sure to get a third one that may also get in track with the manga, given how smart the anime has been about creating anime-only subplots and bets in order to gain some extra time for the Kakegurui manga to advance.

If you loved the first Kakegurui, make sure to give Kakegurui XX a chance. If you aren’t sure you liked it, we’d recommend at least the first episode just so you’re sure. Of course, if you don’t enjoy people throwing their lives to chance, then it’s better if you give Kakegurui XX a pass.