Kakegurui (2018)

As someone who watched the anime earlier this year, I really enjoyed the drama version. This series is fairly similar to the anime, a good amount of the battles and everything ring pretty true. One major difference is which battles they show. The drama doesn't get to all of the gambling matches that the anime does, but I have high hopes that they'll be featured in season two. The actors are really great, and in my opinion, fit their characters pretty well. Their acting is a bit over dramatic, but what can you really expect when you have such insane characters? Plus the way they behave can be quite funny at times, so much so that I found myself laughing uncontrollably XD Overall this drama is pretty good, and very entertaining. I highly recommend it!

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Loved, loved, loved this! I was thrown off at first by the overacting, but when I read from others on here that it's deliberate, I immediately got into it and think it made this drama all the more special. It really feels like you're watching a live action anime, and that gives Kakegurui a special and unique touch that sets it apart from a lot of other dramas. Though the episodes were a little formulaic, they were fun and enjoyable to watch. I thought all the games were clever and was interested in seeing how Yumeko figured them out. The actors were fantastic; I absolutely adored Minami as Yumeko and loved her dynamic with the other characters, especially Manyuda. If I had to offer some critique, it'd be that I wish we got more character backstory, especially with the main ones and even more especially with Yumeko, since there was definitely something going on there. Perhaps we'll see that in Season 2, but overall it didn't take away from my enjoyment of this show. Definitely add this to your list if you're looking for something fun to watch!

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Entertaining. If you let it to be.

It feels like you're watching an anime. And not a drama based on one.

Everything is exaggerated. Which, even not being an anime kinda guy, I really liked. That trick they use to slightly change the eyes of the actresses, change their facial expressions completely. It is a very cool effect that gives a very stylish, distinctive look to the more tense scenes. It gives a more dark tone to the performances. Just like an anime.

It is nice to have those over the top performances. Since there isn't a single character with a trace of personality. So, the actors don't have much to work with.

A hat tip to Morikawa Aoi, who plays Saotome. She really embraced the "animesque" style of acting. With a very well balanced performance within what the series proposes. She found the perfect timing between being over the top and knowing when to "slow-down" a bit. It was really fun to watch her going full-throttle on her scenes.

The games were what attracted me to this series. But they're nowhere as clever as the ones you would find in Liar Game, for example. The characters don't use their wits to win the games. It is all luck, cheating and Deus-ex-Machina.

But the games, most of them at least, are played and finished within the episode. And the episodes themselves are short. About 22 minutes each. Which makes for a pleasant experience. Since there isn't much substance to keep the episodes going for more than that.

Also, the number of episodes is short. Add the short running time of each episode. And you can watch it in one sitting if you want. And that's a big plus for me. Someone who hates over stretched, draggy and filler full dramas.

Things happen fast. The pacing of the drama, alongside the exaggeration and absurdity of it all, is one of the things that kept me watching it to the end. Start to finish in one afternoon.

About the plot. There isn't one. At least not on this first season. We don't know anything about the main character. We don't know about her motivations. We don't know where those kids get all that money to play with. We don't know who the bad guys are and what they want. We don't know anything really. Except that they like to play games.

The first seven episodes are the most formulaic and repetitive. But, also, the most fun. After the series drops the formula, it loses a lot of momentum.

I still recommend it. And I would add. If you can wait for the second season to watch the whole thing at once. Maybe, it will be an even better experience. Since this first season cuts right in the middle of (what seems to be) the conclusion of this arc of the story.

There's some negatives in it. But, you'll have fun if you just let go of the details and just go along with it.

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Angsty and fun in an over-the-top way, I wanted more regarding the characters storylines

The context of the drama is pretty entertaining and angsty. Indeed, in Hyakkaou Private Academy, students climbs or fall down the social ladder by playing various gambling games against each other. The unlucky ones are becoming "slaves" of the victorious ones.

I have not read the manga and not watched the anime, so I am not sure how close the drama is from those. For sure, I found the series very Shonen-like in its approach. All the characters are crazy, the focus is clearly on the various games rather than any characters / relationships developments. The games are fun and for most part are easy to understand, I did not find them too repetitive even if the mechanics are quite the same every time.

The actors and actresses go all in on the overacting...I is clearly a directing / stylistic choice as apparently all the gambling made the characters feel very stimulated. Women are hyper-sexualized but I feel it is probably totally in line with the type of story the manga and anime wanted to convey. The main male protagonist is used as the narrator of the series. It seems very theatrical with all the aside he does, while shouting out / reacting to the situation. .Over-the-top and caricatural is not my favorite style of acting but here it fits very well the drama.

Production wise there is not a lot to see. The wardrobe / styling of the characters is really what make them and there is nothing outstanding relatively to the games directing and filmmaking. It feels small, especially when comparing to other shows featuring big games with money at stake. You can feel the limitations in the budget but at the same time I must admit it is enough to convey properly the story. I liked the opening song with its rocky vibe.

I will recommend this to people that enjoy mind games stories. If you do not mind some overacting and just want a short and entertaining series featuring in a very Shonen-way gambling matches between highschoolers, you will enjoy this. This first season is clearly just an adaptation of an arc of a manga. I will probably be watching the sequels to get to a more conclusive ending...But not immediately as I am satisfied where we left of. I just regret that there are not much in terms of characters relationships evolution and that it is quite predictable.

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The anime was great and so was this.

Overall
I recommend if you liked the anime and want to see the same story in a different visual medium.

Story
Starting off with the fact that I have watched the anime but not read the manga. This live-action adaptation is the most accurate storyline I have seen when comparing it to its anime counterpart. Very little minor details are changed but the rest is exactly the same. If you liked the anime storyline then you will like this storyline.
The biggest difference between this and the anime is that they decided to keep an important character that stayed in the background for most of the first season out of the story and teased the character for later on, while at the same time giving that screentime from the beginning to other characters that didn't show up till later in the first season of the anime. I'm actually okay with that.

Characters/Acting/Cast
It is clear that the directed wanted the overacting that all the actors give out in this performance. They are very good at their job and overact most scenes in great ways.

Hamabe Minami as Jabami Yumiko was great. She really knows how to play an innocent girl that does a 180 and becomes a maniac. At times she really reminded me of the way she played Menma and then she completely scares you with her addiction induced maniac episodes. Morikawa Aoi as Saotome Mary was also great. She really showed herself to be ambitious and cunning when she needed to be and also at the very low points, she showed it off.

Takasugi Mahiro as Suzui Ryota was the biggest deviation. While the anime had his character more grounded and as a point of relatedness to see ourselves in the situation, this version of Suzuki was just as wacky as the rest of the characters. It serves some great comedic scenes at times but I would have like a more grounded version.


Music
I really enjoyed the OP song a little too much. I was actively waiting for the OP just to listen to the song.

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At the first episode I was absolutely shocked, This drama was so amazing, In one day i finished 10 episodes, This drama has so much suspense and Fun, almost every ending of one episode has a cliffhanger and you cant stop watching it, I'm a big fan of this drama, Its not your typically high school, I definitely recommend watching this drama, i have re watched it 3 Times so far, this drama is amazing, Same goes for the Season 2 of this drama, honestly, this is very well made. Im re-watching it right now and Im currently on episode 9, This drama is so fun to watch, At the second episode everything turned fun, When Yumeko shows up and starts gambling the others, she beats Saotome and beat some of the Student council members, this Drama is so fun to watch, even the anime version of this, Like I said, Im a big fan, I hope you'll watch it too.

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The Difference Between the Live Action and the Anime

Story:
The story is similar to the anime but some were not in the live action, Yumeko didn't fight with Manyuda Kaede and Yumemite Yumemi(this will probably be in the 2nd season but it's weird to have Yumemi in the cast when she's not here in the live action). Yumeko was rescued by Midari in the anime, unlike the live action when Suzui rescued her. Kaede was the one asking Mary to join the student council, not Kirari(due to her absence Kaede replaced her). For Sayaka, she was given more screentime in Season one compared to the manga or anime. Sometimes she is shown while she's working: for example, Runa and she carry a ladder before Yumeko meets Yuriko Nishinotouin and challenges her. When Itsuki Sumeragi is fired, she desperately asks Kaede Manyuda to reconsider; because he ignores her, she tries to beg Kirari instead but is immediately tased by Sayaka. Sumeragi didn't pull her fingernails unlike in the anime. Kirari didn't watch the fight between Yumeko and Yuriko

Acting/Cast: (will only point out the differences)
-Yumeko. Hamabe Minami did a great job portraying her. The hair was on point, the expressions and her craziness was perfect, but i realized that her sexual elements were toned down. Her eyes glowed red when gambling, just like in the anime, so props to that!!
-Suzui Ryota. He still tends to be in the background, he is more talkative and often comments the events, usually speaking to the viewers directly.. Mahiro Takasugi did an excelent job!
-Kaede Manyuda. He's less subtle than his manga and anime counterparts and his desire to rule over the school has always been evident.
-Yuriko Nishinotouin. She opened her eyes in the live action, which was surprising because she didn't open her eyes unlike in the anime
-Midari Ikishima. Her hair color was brown and her tongue was not pierced, other than that Midari's design was faithful to her manga counterpart. She was in a cell unlike in the anime where she roams and likes to hide in the bathroom while playing with her gun
-Nothing really changed in other characters beside the hair color.-

Music:
The opening was catchy and short unlike other drama's where the openings are at least 2-3 minutes long

Overall i love this live action, 10/10

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The drama was made to feel like an anime. And as a result, some situations (actually, most of them) were overacted. On the other hand, huge credits have to be given to the actors and actresses for their performances. Some of the characters were really cute and deadly at the same time, but likable overall. Some other, however, were simply annoying (see the last girl with the russian roulette themed bet). Plus, even though the cases-games were enjoyable and entertaining, the drama was left with a wide open ending. So, six out of ten, because of the ending (could have been handled better, even if there is a second season-movie on works).

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