Kakegurui Episode 1 Review – “A Woman Named Jabami Yumeko”

Have you ever seen through the eyes of madness?

(Spoilers in this review) 

One Sentence Summary: A gambling addict, who transfers into a school where gambling is everything, demonstrates what it means to be a compulsive gambler to a bunch of rich kids.

Impression: As Yumeko, the aforementioned transfer student, elaborates within this episode, risking your money (and life) on luck is madness. Yet many people do it. And this madness is what made this episode entertaining. Expect glowing eyes galore and plenty of ugly and exaggerate faces. Gambling isn’t pretty and Kakegurui is going to make sure the audience knows it. Especially if you consider the fact that there’s going to be rampant cheating during these high-stake gambles.

It seems like the student council president already knows of Yumeko’s standing just based off her picture (and name, possibly), which leaves me to believe that Yumeko comes from a family that’s well-known within the gambling world. Or maybe she’s a famous gambler.

The ending of the episode kind of felt like it wouldn’t be out-of-place within an episode from Detective Conan since Yumeko explains how she figured out the trick behind this “Voting-Rock-Paper-Scissors” gamble. But then her logical explanation abruptly comes to an halt when she admits that she was relying on sheer luck to draw and play the card she needed to win. And that’s how it should be. Even if you try to be logical about it, luck is a huge factor when it comes to gambling.

I can already sense the sexual tension between Mary and Yumeko. But it could be just the stressful situation. Either way, Yumeko’s face was very flushed as she played with Mary.

All in all, the series pulled no punches and let the audience know right away that this series isn’t going to idealize gambling. I look forward to seeing more people break down under the weight of massive debt and insanity.