Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji – 12


Ah, it seems that the Starside-hotel is going to consist out of a chain of life-threatening challenges. I still have no idea what still follows in this arc, but we’ve seen enough foreshadowing. In this episode, Kaiji manages to finish without pushing anyone, though he ends up getting disqualified. Now he needs to do the same thing again, but without pushing and without the competition, and in exchange the falling height has been increased from eight to eighty meters. In other words: certain death.

The thing is that the first event made sense: in order to make money of the rich guests, the yakuza needed a bunch of poor people who’d do anything for money. It’s fun to watch if you’re a heartless bastard, and it makes the Yakuza money. Still, what’s the point of this second challenge? There has to be something more than “giving the contestants an extra challenge to overcome”. I can’t imagine how they’d use just one unpredictable trial like this to reduce the total amount of money they have to pay. And let’s not forget the story by the narrator, at the end of the episode.

Anyway, about the rest of the episode, I find it intriguing that, while the other races aren’t shown, you can imagine what happened back there; especially the fifth one, because I can imagine how the most desperate people were in that group. These are the people that were too scared and decided to cling on to their life for as long as possible; much like Furuhata and Andou in the beginning episodes of the Espoir-arc. They would probably freak out the most when they found out that they had to pull off such a dangerous stunt, and probably all fell off in their despair. The only one who survived probably got grabbed by the one behind him, who was about to fall off, in an attempt to take at least someone with him, hence the damage number-tag.

2 thoughts on “Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji – 12

  1. I keep on thinking that the anime Kaji is directed by a pyschologist. The part where the director of the Starside Hotel and the Ship(the gray haired guy who directs other shady thugs), depicts of “how money is worth more than life” is absolutely astonishing.
    If somebody would have told me that, I would have said “Can’t be man, that’s just a selfish way of thinking.” After I heard him talk, I thinking, “Dam, hes right.” It hurts even more when your a student and study a lot.

  2. hey blogger, Tonegawa has a few reasons for doing what they do.

    1)Weed out the winners so they dont have to pay out 20 million and 10million to 5 people each to anyone they see who doesnt deserve it.

    2)Tonegawa is passionate to give debtors a blow in the way they see things. He wants them to change for the better of the country, or simply realize they are pathetic.

    3)sorta spoiler: There are people watching this event, but not gambling.

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