Monday, March 19, 2018

Kakegurui Part 3 Episodes 7-9


Yumeko’s do or die duel with Midari reaches its conclusion.  While not an absolute victory, two members of the Student Council have been left reeling from their battles with the beautiful Yumeko.  When Student President Kirari Momobami leaves on a special mission, the remainder of the Student Council plot ways to end Yumeko without her.  It all leads to an unexpected challenge: an idol competition between Yumeko and internet student superstar Yumeme Yumemite.  Are the odds finally stacked too greatly against Yumeko?  Or has the wild card of Hyakkou Academy found the ultimate in for her own plans?

You know there are times when Kakegurui is too much even for me.  There are times when the insanity seems to hit peak levels and I just cant handle how messed up this world is.  But then you get moments like the end of this weeks set, ones that break the mold and show that there might actually be a smidgen of goodness Hyakkyu Academy hasn’t snuffed out yet, no matter how hard it tries.  Sure I may be lost like crazy when it comes to the elaborate setups and executions of all of the games but its all worth it for the end results.

Yumemi Yumemite might just be the best opponent Yumeko has faced yet.  She’s a school idol and an internet sensastion with a sinister side and yet she seems the least evil of everyone so far.  Sure she has a huge ego and she wants to be something grander in life.  There’s also the fact that she hates her fans despite the love and adoration they give her to reach her dream.  And yet her defeat ended up giving us some amazing stuff.  After the most elaborate game of “Who Wants to be an Internet Idol?” (No that’s not what it’s called but it might as well be), Yumemi accepted her faults and stood ready to face the consequences of her true beliefs coming out…and she was loved all the more for it.  She cemented the respect of her fans and even earned a cute little dance number with Yumeko, who was on her A game more than ever this week.  For the first time, I actually felt good that an opponent of Yumeko’s was on the path to redemption (it’s a bit different from Nanami from last week cause she was a victim who needed hope).  And I loved that.

But just as we saw hope peak it’s head into the Academy, we also saw just how badly despair has driven some of its students.  I haven’t forgotten about Midari and the cliffhanger she left us with last week.  Her backstory was tragic and while it doesn’t change the fact that she’s an unlikeable psychopath, its hard not to feel for her tradgey.  She’s a gambler like Yumeko but was driven off the deep end by the impossible demands of Kirari Momobami.  And now her own life doesn’t matter.  Her one wish is to win a game against someone she feels is worthy enough to end her life.  Seeing Yumeko deny her that was perfectly in character.  Yumeko likes the even odds and how they tip back and forth, granting her the thrill.  Having the odds stacked entirely in Midari’s favor, robbing Yumeko of any danger or challenge, Yumeko couldn’t forgive…granted that still doesn’t mean Yumeko wasn’t ok with potentially getting shot but one crazy aspect at a time.  I’ve said it before: Hyakkyou Academy is a messed up place and this week we saw examples of the worst and how some can either succumb to it or find a way out of it.

With Kirari off on her own “secret mission”, we got to spend a little more time with the rest of the Student Council.  True to Kirari’s assistant Sayaka, the Council is losing its power slowly since Yumeko’s arrival.  Already two members have been left shaken by duels with the sexy psycho and others are now seeking to end her reign of terror for their own benefits.  It makes perfect sense that in a messed up hierarchy such as this, there’d be jerks like Kaede who’d make power plays because they feel like the President isn’t doing her job and letting Yumeko run amok.  Though, that does raise a valid point: why isn’t Kirari crushing Yumeko immedietly?  This is a woman who is very much in the vein of Ragyo Kiriuin from Kill la Kill, a would be Goddess who views House Pets as less than human.  Someone like that wouldn’t just let an upstart like Yumeko run free without a plan.  For that matter, why is Yumeko so desperate to get in a duel with Kirari?  It cant be as simple as “the ultimate rush of gambling with the Student President”.  No, kind of like Kill la Kill, I think that Yumeko and Kirari are connected in some way that hasn’t been revealed yet and hopefully will be during the finale next week.

Speaking of, WOW that ending.  This week closed with Yumeko and Yumeme accusing Kaede of rigging events that lead to their duel.  Kaede of course denies it and says he stakes his position on the council on it…oh what a dumb move.  Yumeko now has her in and im sure much of next weeks finale will be dedicated to this ultimate battle.  Yumeko might not want to be Student President, like many students think, but she’s been playing a very long game and I think we’re about to see the hand she finally gets to play…in a manner of speaking.

See ya next week for the (season) finale of Kakegurui.

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