The entire charm of the first film was that Kaiji games the odds with his determination, wit, intellect, and kind-heartedness.
They've taken all of that away for this sequel. It is bland, bleak, and tiresome. It isn't even a gambling movie with interesting games and challenges. It is the lead characters trying to pull off a heist and game a pachinko machine.

The climactic scene of the film is a drawn out 30+ minutes where the characters are continually saved by other characters throwing money at them because they just happened to have access to a loan card or had money in their pocket.

Super lame, super disappointing, and a huge letdown after the strength of the first film.