For all of you who are disappointed that we didn’t cover the sequel to the show that even Elon Musk watches, I felt that this season of Kakegurui would benefit more from an periodic overview rather than following it week from week. Kakegurui was never about the mechanics nor tense stakes as it relies on its orgasmic reactions, psychotic personalities and outlandish circumstances to appeal to the mainstream audience. It doesn’t hurt to have one of the most memorable OP of recent times. However, when it comes to the opening credits of this season, it was always going to be an uphill battle to match, much less surpass, the visually exciting and musically alluring predecessor. That being said, I think that the second opening is actually pretty good and I wouldn’t mind listening to it a couple times on repeat.
Continuing from the anime original ending of season one, Studio MAPPA moves ahead with some major tweaks to the sequence of events compared to the manga. Following the finale gamble with the president Kirari, the plot goes into election mode which only happens after The Tower of Door arc in the manga. It does make logical sense though as The Tower of Doors arc is considered the highlight of the entire manga and for the anime to end on an ongoing tournament election arc would be terrible.There is also the anime original character of Rei Batsubami, who seems to have a ulterior motive given that her family was casted out by Kirari’s family. However, other than coming to the aid of an poor student pet and being the butler at the service of Momobami clan, she doesn’t leave much of an impression. Perhaps the manga author, who has drafted the anime original ending of the first season, has something explosive in mind but this is just pure speculation at this point.
If you didn’t like enjoy or like Kakeguri’s brand of gambling, then season two will do very little to change your mind. Its focus on the intruding Momobami clan, secondary characters and middling gambling games won’t appeal to anyone who isn’t already thigh-deep into this story. Yumeko is perfectly happy to not to pursue the goal of becoming the new school president and Ryota serves as the Audience’s Surrogate into the crazy gambling culture of this school. The prominent characters of this season so far are only useful for their particular arc or unlikeable characters like Midari and Yumemi from the first season. The only compelling exception is Mary Saotome and her overall quest to become the new president. Coming from being the first victim of Jambi’s manic addiction to gambling, she has grown in her gambling ability and has become a serious contender for the presidency. Even more enticing, is the partnership formed between the vice-president and her and I can’t wait to see how it turns out when in the Tower of Doors arc finally arrives.
As a person who has read the manga and watched the anime when it was airing, Studio MAPPA has done a fine job in adapting it into the visual medium and that has played into the widespread success that it has done with its Netflix reach and cosplayability of its characters. It’s a bit of a shame that the audience has to trudge through the less compelling bits to get to the arc that everyone wants to see and experience.
