Genre: Gambling (literally what google says), Drama
Dub?: Yes
Available on: Netflix (Netflix original)
Rating: TV-MA (violence and profanity)
Seasons/Parts: 2
Episodes: 24
Overall Score: 9/10
Summary: Yumeko Jabami enrolls at Hyakkaou Private Academy, where students are ranked by their gambling winnings, and fame and fortune await those who rise to the top.
Note: This review goes over the anime, not the J-drama version (which I did watch some of but have not finished because J-dramas aren't my thing, haha).
Let me start by saying that the art style for this show flips from beautiful to overly-detailed ugly very fast, but it perfectly highlights the moments that it does so, and the desperation and emotion within them. It is far more interesting than actual sports animes that I have seen. If I had to compare it to something it would be No Game No Life, with a similar concept in that the characters bet things and play games, only in this case instead of NGNL's "anything can be a game" concept, actual games such as Poker, Concentration, Blackjack, etc etc are used in this show. It is packed full of action from the very first episode, leaving you no time to really even learn the character's names (Except the main one, Yumeko, because they say her name a lot in the first episode, likely on purpose). It is also evident very quickly that Yumeko is extremely smart, calculating, and a total gambling addict with a bit of an insane yandere-feeling obsession with risking it all. She's a super interesting character nonetheless, and it is interesting to see her duke it out with the other characters.
I can't help but feel that this show wouldn't be possible if all of Yumeko's opponents weren't cheating. The way she wins most of her gambling is finding out the trick that her opponent uses and then uses it herself to her advantage, which is super cool and I suppose more interesting than having her just win by luck every time, but still, I find it unrealistic that so many members of this school have elaborate cheating methods (or maybe only the elite gamblers cheat, and that's the whole reason they're elite in the first place?)
Season one was pretty cut and dry, she takes out some members of the student council, blah blah blah. She has a showdown with the Student Council President at the end of the season, and I won't spoil specific details but I will say it was not as exciting as I had hoped.
Season two introduces a whole bunch of new characters, which is a little overwhelming and most of them are kinda boring. In my opinion it wasn't a good move to introduce so many characters since the normal Student Council from season one was barely fleshed out (and I still can't remember any of their names). The story is overall pretty interesting, though the gambling games aren't near as suspenseful in my opinion, and they draw the story out much longer for this season. It ends on what is basically not a cliffhanger per se but with a lot of loose ends not tied up. There currently isn't any news for a season 3 but since season 2 came out only a year ago, it's too early to say if there will be one or not.
As for my thoughts on the series overall.. It is definitely one of my new favorites. The way it creates suspense, how each new game they play is complicated but simple enough for a viewer to understand, while also being completely fresh and interesting, and the intricate character personalities really ties it all together. I definitely recommend this one, though I have to warn you that it does have some lewd moments (no nudity, though! think Food Wars but they don't get naked, haha, just make weird noises).
