Yumeko, Mary, Ryota, Ririka, Midari and Yuriko are all
summoned by mysterious invitation to participate in a “Hundred Votes Auction”,
an event that could prove to be the turning point in the entire Student Council
President Election. But it becomes
apparent that they are not the only ones involved in this. Someone has been playing a very long waiting
game and now the time has come for them to emerge and take back something
stolen from them a very long time ago.
Everyone stands to lose something…and Yumeko wouldn’t have it any other
way.
Well, I was hoping I wasn’t going to be right, but I
was. No, the Election Arc is not wrapped
up by the end of the final moments of Kakegurui XX. However, as a Season Finale, it did try to go
big and succeeded mostly in guaranteeing that this election, and hopefully this
series, is far from over.
Before we get to the Hundred Votes Auction, we should
wrap up Sayaka vs. Yumeko. I have to
say, the twisted nature of most of this cast still astounds me. It’s hard to gauge just how downright messed
up Yumeko and Kirari really are to risk so much even the lives of others just
for a gambling thrill. And yet, Sayaka
passed a test she thought she’d failed and was rewarded with what was pretty
much a moonlit confession of extreme adoration from the woman she loved,
Kirari. I’m not saying Kirari deserves
to continue being Student Council President with the way Hakkyou Academy is
running but then again no one from the Momobami Clan has given me cause to root
for them either. Still, there’s genuine
emotion in Kirari and Sayaka’s big scene to complement the beautiful imagery
and dialogue. Love is love, no matter
who you fall for so long as they accept you in some way. Sayaka has her President. So despite Yumeko winning, Sayaka got the
better prize.
Oh Rei. From the
moment she (yes she) first appeared, I knew something was up. I think we spent more time glimpsing at her
interactions with the Momobami’s and the lower class students of Hakkyou
Academy more than with any other member of the illustrious clan. I knew something had to be up when it was
revealed she would be running the auction that reunited Yumeko and Ryota with
some of Hakkyou’s greatest gamblers including Mary, Yuriko and Midari. Oh man, Yumeko flat out refusing to
acknowledge Midari’s existence and believe that everyone was talking to
themselves when they spoke to her was freaking priceless (though she did
acknowledge her once towards the end…so they’re good now?). And it turns out Rei was the one plotting all
along to pull the rug out from everyone and claim the Presidency for
herself. It’s hard to fault her strategy
too, going to the lowest bunch of students with only one vote to offer, rather
than someone with a great deal more just to get into the race faster.
Honestly, ill admit I was kind of puzzled by how the game
ended. Oh sure it was great to see
Yumeko and some of the great season one favs band together to overcome Rei’s
supposedly foolproof system. At the same
time though, Rei did seem to have good reason for wanting to bring down the
Momobami’s and Hakkyou Academy, all to avenge the only woman who was ever kind
to her as a child, aka Yumeko’s sister.
However, Yumeko convinces her to free herself of the chains of vengeance
and embrace gambling like everyone else has and choose her own fate not
dictated by the Momobami’s, much like Yumeko has despite her sisters fate. The thrill of the gamble is all that will
ever matter to Yumeko and she wants the game to keep going. I guess with this outcome, the Momobami’s are
still in play and Rei can join in too if she so chooses. Granted I’m kind of coming up with this as
pure theory based on what ive seen and im still scratching my head.
And so, Kakegurui XX ends on a bit of an uneven
note. Will we see a resolution to the
Election Arc in a (hopefully) possible third season? With Ririka ready to make her first gamble
for herself will this move Mary to start including her in more plays for
Student Council President? What role
with Rei play now that she’s free from the servitude of the Momobami Clan? Will there ever be an event that can truly
push Yumeko’s love of gambling to the limit and force her to confront the
darkness of her addiction like never before?
Personally im very interested in that last one but who knows. Yumeko Jabami herself continues to be one of
the most fascinating characters in Anime and I hope we delve more into her
insane psyche in later seasons.
Guess I should wrap up with final thoughts. Kakegurui XX started very strong with a
premise promised at the end of Season One that flourished throughout. The stakes were raised considerably and
Yumeko and her friends were placed in some tough situations that forced them to
show that all the character development from the first season wasn’t going to
be ignored and they were either going to grow further, or, in Yumeko’s case,
embrace the crazy like they always did regardless of the outcome of
things. Even though the rules of several
games continued to puzzle me and the final few episodes suffered from a little
lack of clarity, the characters and their over the top reactions to every
little thing always kept XX interesting and a really fun binge experience. It’s not one of the best sequels ever made
(it’s certainly not Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage or Full Metal Panic: The
Second Raid). But Kakegurui XX always
finds ways to keep you fascinated and theorizing even during its more flawed
moments. I just hope that some of those
unresolved questions and, most importantly, the whole of the Election Arc are
eventually given an ending fitting of the epic promise they presented at the
beginning of the season. All that in
mind, I’m awarding Kakegurui XX an 8/10.
It’s still a fun show and really no matter who ends up becoming Student
Council President, I think we all know Yumeko Jabami will always be the Queen
of Crazy, long may she reign.
Whew, now that that’s done how about we get back to
another crazy queen for one last journey?
It’s been a long wait but Lina Inverse and her crew of bumbling demon
stompers are finally back next week as we get ready to start closing out The
Year of The Slayers. Slayers
Revolution kicks off next Monday right here at the Gundam Anime
Corner. Let’s hope we can close out 2019
strong with the finale of this year long project. See ya then.
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