Hyakkou Academy: a school where excelling in studies or
sports get you nowhere. The key to
advancing in life here is luck and skill…at gambling. It is a place where those who win any game
live like Kings and Queens, while those who continuously lose fall into
servitude. No one ever thought the
system could be more cruel and corrupt.
And then…she came along. Her name
is Yumeko Jabami. She may look beautiful
and elegant. But beneath such a kind
façade lies the heart of a true gambling demon, one who gets the ultimate
thrill when everything is on the line and the outcome is uncertain. Yumeko is about to take Hyakkou by storm and
nothing will ever be the same again.
I know it’s a little unusual for me to be doing a First
Impression of a live action TV series (the only other one ive done is Gen
Urobuchi’s puppet masterpiece Thunderbolt Fantasy). However, since we’re now back in the
crazyland of Kakegurui for it’s second season, I thought I’d see how the source
material fared with a live action adaptation.
It’s…well its different for sure and I dare say it sometimes goes more
over the top than the Anime. But the
reason I say that might surprise you…cause none of the true crazy or zaniness
of the show has anything to do with Yumeko Jabami at all.
From the get to, the first episode differentiates itself
from the Anime and Manga in a more out there manner. Ryota is breaking the fourth wall with his
narrarations of the walk of life and Hyakkou, which definitley caught me off
guard. Meanwhile, Mary Satome pauses
reality to stand up and bemoan Yumeko for what she thinks is a crazy attempt at
gambling. Both Ryota and Mary’s actors
are reveling in being able to go so over the top it’s amusing, even if it does
stray a bit from Kakegurui’s source material.
They do a better job at bringing the characters inner, slowly devolving
into insanity thoughts to life the best way possible in a non Anime
fashion. One would think that Ryota’s
explosive reactions to any questionable move Yumeko makes would get
annoying…but I don’t know, it makes him a bit more entertaining than his more
quiet Anime counterpart.
And then there’s Yumeko…who isn’t really acting much like
the Yumeko we know. In the Manga and the
Anime, Yumeko carries herself with a very carefree and cheerful attitude before
devolving into a demonic, lustful powerhouse of a woman when the gambling
action reaches its peak. In this live
action version, Yumeko is a lot less cheerful and looks more frustrated or
outright not as interested in Hyakkou as she should be. During her big match with Mary, she gets
continually miffed with Mary’s wins rather than just taking it all in happy
stride, all part of her usual schtick of figuring things out and luring
opponents into a false sense of superiority.
And when Yumeko does go into “compulsive gambler” mode, she doesn’t
sound like she’s going to “burst” from the thrill but rather is just
complaining when she should be excited that the game can continue and become
more unpredictable. Heck, Mary’s
reaction to Yumeko’s outburst of (excitement?) feels more in line with her
character than anything Yumeko did the first episode…which is not the kind
response you want to voice about the shows lead heroine.
Im really not sure if I want to continue with this show
or just wait patiently for Season Three of the Anime once im done with Season
Two. The fourth wall breaking approach
to the characters and the world of Hykkaou Academy is interesting and very
entertaining when the right characters are taking advantage of it. I still think that this version of Yumeko
though lacks the enthusiasm and bat crap crazy insanity of her Manga and Anime
counterparts. Maybe she gets better but
when she isn’t really selling the role during one of Yumeko’s most defining
moments in the franchise (her first freakout of exciement), then the hurdles to
overcome grow more numerous. Might stick
with it because it’s short (10 episodes in Season One and 5 in Season Two…the
latter probably because a movie continuation came out earlier this year). Otherwise I say pick up the Manga or check
out the Anime for a more fully realized example of how Yumeko can make crazy
look so effortlessly sexy and compelling to watch.
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