When Kirari Momobami announces the disilution of the
Hyakkaou Academy Student Council, a power vacuum is created and prominent
members of a certain wide spread family are looking to fill it. Represenetives from the Momobami Clan have
come to Hyakkaou looking to change everything Kirari has built…the least of
which is dealing with a certain student newcomer who’s arrival has been a
hurricane of chaos throughout the school.
That hurricane is Yumeko Jamabmi, a beautiful girl who is not so
secretly one of the craziest gambling addicts in existence. The game is the Student Council Election and
the fate of an entire school is the ultimate bet. Better believe Yumeko isn’t shying away from
this, even if the greatest experience might cost the beautiful genius her life.
Welcome back to the crazy. It’s been a little more than a year but the
wait is over. The Goddess of Gambling
Insanity, Yumeko Jabami, has returned.
And while it does start off in an odd manner, Kakegurui XX looks ready
to up the stakes considerably from the previous season, fitting since this is a
show about seeing how far a gamble and a wager can go.
There have been Anime in the past that have started in
the middle of a story arc rather than the beginning. Mobile Suit Victory Gundam is notorious for
going against Yoshiyuki Tomino’s wishes and airing what would’ve been the
fourth episode first rather than the actual beginning so the series could kick
off with a big amount of action featuring the titular Victory Gundam. XX starts off in a similar fashion, with the
Season Premiere beginning with Yumeko and Midari getting ready to gamble with
one of the numerous Momobami Clan represenetives. Much like Victory Gundam wanting to start
things off on an action packed note, Kakagurui XX similarly wants to
reintroduce viewers to the dark and crazy energy that made Season One such a
hit. Even without context of the overall
situation, the game itself, basically Finger Guillotine, is every bit insane as
anything Season One presented, if not the most dire game of chance yet. The whole scenario plays out just fine and it
is a good way to ease in returning fans and show newcomers that this is what
Kakegurui is all about: the thrill of the gamble and how hot Yumeko gets the
higher the stakes. The episode even
takes a few minutes to treat viewers to an AMV style recap of the first season
complete with the return of the classic opening theme.
It would be wrong not to mention that pairing up Yumeko
with Midari for this gamble against Erimi Mushibami was a brilliant move. After all, Midari gets off on having her life
on the line for a gamble, so she’d love a game that would risk her becoming an
amputee. Even better, Yumeko’s disdain
for Midari in Season One hasn’t faded.
Though she tries to be nice, when Midari gives Yumeko an unexpected easy
win Yumeko is PISSED. We’ve seen Yumeko
enraged before but I don’t think we’ve ever heard her say she flat out hated
someone. Poor Midari. You know it’s funny. I can talk about docking points for starting
the new season off not at the beginning.
But the more I think about it…this was a fun way to kick things off
after all.
I get the feeling that Season One will feel like a kiddy
ride compared to XX’s setup, which was promised at during the previous Season
Finale. Kirari Momobami decided to
dissolve the student council and she’s brought in a slew of new candidates to
take over. So we’re getting a season
long “Election Arc” and each of the eleven members of the vast Momobami Clan
are all willing to do whatever it takes to succeed and take Hyakkou Academy
away from Kirari. We already talked
about how one member risked physical amputation as an incentive to not
lose. However, the end of this first set
of episodes sees Yumeko in a rare state: secretly poisoned by her opponents and
near deaths door. If theres anyway to
really raise the stakes from what’s come before, its really putting your lead
heroine in considerably darker peril that might bring you close to worrying
about her safety. I say close because
let’s face it, this early in Yumeko is going to be fine (plus I feel like
people would riot if she were taken out of the series at all). Still, if you thought the Student Council
that tried to take Yumeko down in Season One was something, the Momobami Clan
is telling them to “hold their beer”. My
only issue is that there’s eleven new faces and it’s hard to keep track of who
is who. I think we’re going to blow
through them all fairly quickly since we’ve got two members, Miri and Miyo, running
a dangerous game when we close the premiere out.
With all the focus on the new situation and new
characters, I’m glad the familiar faces are still getting time to shine and
show that any character development they went through in Season One isn’t being
swept under the rug in lew of a weak reset.
Sure, Ryota still worries about Yumeko going too far with a gamble that
might break her. But when the chips are
down and Yumeko finds her life in peril, her bestie steps up and reactivates
that inner gambler that will risk all to protect her (surely making Yumeko like
him even more). But never rule out Mary
Satome, who looks to be planning her own game during this election. Mary and Yumeko had one of the most
interesting relationships in Season One, starting as rivals but slowly coming
to a mutual understanding and Yumeko openly referring to Mary as a friend (even
going in for as many hugs as possible).
Mary challenging Kirari’s twin sister, Ririka and refusing to initially
back her play to become president was ballsy.
But when Mary heard that Yumeko’s life was in danger, Mary stepped up
just as quickly and fearlessly as Ryota.
Is this to advance her own goals or because she genuinely cares about
Yumeko and is showing it in her own way?
Whatever the case is, I cant wait til next week to see Mary and Ryota
give Miri and Miyo the double team smack down they deserve for crippling
Yumeko.
I was a little iffy about Kakegurui having such a short
season last year and wondering if it could maintain its steam after such a
lengthy hiatus (not nearly Attack on Titan or One Punch Man long but still we
waited longer than we all wanted I’m sure).
But Kakegurui XX comes ready for a new round of dangerous games, crazy
reactions, insane stakes and Yumeko gushing over the inescapable power the
perfect game of chance and luck can bring her.
There more on the line this season, the least of which is Yumeko’s
current failing state. This is how you
start a sequel off right. See you next
week and, as Yumeko would say, “Let’s get our gambling freak on again.”
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