Oh my God, is that a woman in a Kaiji episode?! What has the world come to?? Up is down, left is right, J.C. Staff is KyoAni!!

Hmm, well at least I think that’s supposed to be a woman, anyway…I dunno, Guff? What’s your expert opinion?

While the skirt and sweater vest may seem indicative of the female gender on first glance, look carefully at the nose.

Stand by…now magnifying…

On closer inspection, you’ll note that it is, in fact, sharp enough to pierce the very heavens themselves.

Wait wait, let me get my monocle…

Well by jove, so it is!

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Furthermore, the chin is quite masculine, and the shoulders unnaturally broad. It’s obviously a trap!

Not a very good trap of course, clearly. Yes, no need to call the good admiral for this one; everything is under control.

All right, all right, false alarm. Back to work everyone.

The manly tears fade and Kaiji is reborn, more GAR than ever before.

OK, but in all seriousness…Fukumoto is a frickin’ genius! He could probably make a crocheting contest seem gripping and intense if he wanted to.

I was all set to make fun of this arc, I swear. I had all my jokes ready to mock how it takes like 5 weeks to walk across a couple beams, to ridicule the spinelessness of the participants, to make fun of all the manly tears and the “Zetsubou shita!” But now that I’ve watched through 14, all my wit and biting sarcasm seems to have been trampled underfoot by a rampaging horde of ZAWA ZAWA.

If you recall from my explanation about that term in our first Kaiji review way back in episode 1, “zawa zawa” is a made up sound effect derived from the word “zawameku” (ざわめく), which means “to be unsettled” or “agitated”. And while the sound effects themselves may have proven more comical than anything else, this series is still quite determined to show that it’s serious business.

Indeed, I don’t think I’ve come away from an episode feeling this unsettled since Nanoha StrikerS that episode with the mushi babies in Mushishi. At the end of episode 14 I think my hands were actually shaking a bit. You really have to give props to the creators of this series – it’s not an easy thing to be able pull viewers into the emotion of the experience so viscerally, especially in a medium like anime.

Fukumoto really has a keen grasp of human psychology and the human condition, and while the medium he uses to convey his ideas may be a bit unusual, they’re certainly not lacking in profundity. His favorite technique seems to be placing people in extreme situations in order to bring out their inner nature, to reveal the true heart of humanity by stripping away everything else.

And to be honest, as goofy as it is, I loved this analogy – the idea of 6.6 billion paths being walked. It was so poetic and brilliant; it actually reminded me quite a bit of Leibniz’ discussion of monadology. I realize that’s completely obscure but after seeing the image of the people standing at various points swirling above the earth that’s all I could think about. Humans may be isolated, their thoughts and hearts known only by them, but by reaching out they can create hope. “People themselves are hope!” And out of the despair Kaiji finds hope in the sacrifice of others.

“I won’t push!”

Personally, I was quite relieved that Kaiji’s resolve to push weakened. I’d hate to see my favorite gambling derelict turned into a heartless murderer. I thought this was an excellent revelation point for Kaiji’s character, though. While he might be a social pariah and an aimless grifter, he’s not the type of scumbag to murder his hapless fellows.

OK, so after all is said and done the winners and survivors are gathered together for a sort of congratulatory conference…wow. That would be an awkward speech to deliver. “Hey, good job everyone… congrats to all of you who lived… hope the whole murdering your comrades for money bit doesn’t doesn’t come back to haunt you at night…”

“What the hell is with this Monopoly money?”

Jeez, talk about being ripped off! You walk a tightrope of certain doom and you get a bloody coupon in return? This scene conjured up horrible memories for me of Chuck E. Cheese games. You know, the ones that pilfered all your quarters and gave you tickets bearing that rat’s horrible grimace on them? The ones that you could only trade for worthless crap? Yeah, I don’t blame Sahara for being so indignant.

“Grab hold of your future!”

As much as I loathe Tonegawa and the other scumbag Mafioso types for preying on the weak, the guy has a valid point. There’s really no option other than illicit gambling if you need get fat stacks of cash monies in a short time, especially given the highly competitive nature of Japan’s corporate structure.

Of course Kaiji, being incontrovertibly GAR, is the first one to step forward. As grim as the situation is, he’s one of the few that actually understands what needs to be done. And after seeing his intrepidness, the others are quick to follow. I have to admit though, I didn’t think Sahara would have such reservations. I guess cheap theft and chicanery are more his bag. But then, imminent death is a pretty strong deterrent. I’m generally ready to forego such strenuous physical activity even without the added incentive.

I love Kaiji’s perspective on the event, as well, describing it as the “one exception”. For them it was their one chance to accomplish something in life, to move ahead, without pushing someone else aside to get there.

“Come on everyone; it’s time for a teambuilding trust exercise!”

Kaiji’s GARness serves as an inspiration to everyone else. I would never have expected him to be the type to deliver a rousing pep talk, but then again it’s not every day one crosses over a precipice of doom on a slender steel beam (unless you’re a contractor or something, that is).

Also, I have to admit, his idea with the marker and the shoes was pretty ingenious. But who on earth brings a sharpie with them to these kinds things?

Did anyone else have DBZ flashbacks while this scene was going on? Honestly I half-expected to see Tonegawa bust out his scouter and observe that Kaiji’s GAR level was, in fact, over 9000. I mean, all this scene needed was some intense light streaming effects, golden hair transformation, maybe the ground breaking up and rising into the air.

Is it terrible that I would’ve found that completely awesome?

So, the participants take the future in their hands and begin to cross. Meanwhile, various onlookers have a nice meal with a little light entertainment. Seriously, what about life and death situations is so appetizing? Do you develop a penchant for death and pain with dinner after you reach a certain income bracket? I mean…just, honestly…

Says the guy who watched the episode while eating Cheetos. OK, OK, I don’t know whether that’s really true, but nevertheless it’s an interesting point. After all, it’s not for nothing that Youtube videos with titles like “horrible trampoline accident” are able to rack up millions of hits.

“Do you develop a penchant for death and pain with dinner after you reach a certain income bracket?”

I imagine it has something to do with seeing the percentage of your income that goes to taxes, and then watching those road crews with six guys standing around leaning on shovels. >_>

I must admit I loved the analogy of fear being akin to a monster, how accurate Fukumoto’s depiction of humanity is. When people are confronted with a life or death scenario their choices can be rather dire, even horrific. Though it’s not as riveting as the tactical cunning back on the boat, the intensity of the bridge is definitely very palpable.

You also have to love the depiction of how fear overtakes the mind, such as Kaiji’s freak out scene. It’s just so bloody intense. Really, I think people often overlook the amazing cinematography in this series because of the character designs.

Speaking of which, there was some excellent camera work used in this episode in order to exaggerate the feeling of falling and unsteadiness. The close-up, shaky shots depicting flailing limbs and terrified faces made it all the more dizzying, to the point that it even got my adrenalin pumping a bit just watching.

Things start to go a bit downhill from this point on. Well, not so much downhill as just…down.

Man, what an incredible climax to the episode. I was wondering what would happen to Ishida; of course I expected him to cower in the grip of his fear and call out for help from Kaiji. However, for being such a piteous character he had an amazing finale. He managed to die with honor and managed to entrust Kaiji with his dying wish. In his last moments he shows his true strength, as well as giving Kaiji the courage to push forward. Ishida shows the courage to redeem his whole life of debt and meaninglessness. In the most crucial moment, Ishida seizes victory.

Talk about an epic win.

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The Gurren-dan motto of pushing and smashing every obstacle in the way has never seemed more sinister.

But then, sinister and provoking is the kind of storytelling that Kaiji does best.

Kaiji is essentially out of the frying pan and into the furnace. Though he’s escaped with his life from the Espoir, the conditions are pretty dismal.

All right, now speaking as someone who had the chore of taking out the garbage, I can say with confidence that few things are as infuriating as this very situation. Regardless of an outstanding debt to a shady yakuza organization, tearing a garbage bag open in mid-transit is grounds for homicidal fury.

Or if you’re having a particularly bad go of things, a good excuse for some manly tears. I feel for you Kaiji, I really do.

It’s interesting to see the contrast in Kaiji’s attitude between this scene and the beginning of the series. The life and death nature of the gambling challenge seems to have really shaken off the cobwebs and given Kaiji some real drive.

“Being difficult is much easier for me. It’s better than getting into slimy human relationships with fake smiles.”

Ahh, were truer words ever spoken? Well, probably…

But still, you’ve got to love Kaiji as the dissident non-conformist. His genuineness is great; it makes his no-nonsense character all the more potent. I can certainly empathize. Whenever people would ask me, “Why are you being so difficult?” I’d usually respond with, “Why are you being so assimilatory?” Yeah, I got sent the principal’s office quite a bit as a kid.

Basically what my blogging compatriot is trying to say here is that with his listless attitude toward life, he identifies entirely too well with Kaiji’s dilemma.

Whoa…I did not expect Kaiji to resort to fisticuffs so readily. I mean calling the BBB I can understand that.

Actually, I can understand both; that guy was a dick.

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Speaking of which, what happened to Kaiji’s Super Saiyan OVER 9000 power levels? Last episode he was fighting off five guys at once and winning, and now one scrawny store clerk can hold him back?

Ah yes, enter Sahara, the shady two faced suck-up that you know is absolutely full of it. Sahara’s character is so emblematic of those people who wear enormous fake grins. You know they’d stab you in the back if it was worth their while but they greet you with a smile everyday.

Phonies all of them! (Salinger was right evidently)

Case in point: Your co-worker who was going to pin a felony level theft on you offers to buy you drinks and then proceeds to inquire about your past and outstanding debts. On top of this he claims he can detect this by…smell. Smell!

If I was Kaiji in this situation, I would’ve asked for the check at that point. And the phone trick was just rubbing salt in. Sheesh…Kaiji sure knows how to pick his “comrades”.

Wow, the perfect end for a perfect day! Kaiji just cannot catch a break. So now after living in abject paranoia, being followed by your unscrupulous co-worker, you stumble home to find the Mafioso scumbag who dragged you into this whole mess to begin with. And surprise, he has another “Amazing deal!” Hmmm, subjugating myself to torment in order to reap the fabulous prize of more debt…yes, that does sound like quite a deal indeed!

Well, I guess it was inevitable, and of course, who didn’t secretly want Kaiji to have to put his bold gambling strategies to the test again? More brutal adventures in the shadows of the gambling world, more manly tears, and of course more zawa zawa.

“Reach for the stars!”

Despite Endou’s boldly inspirational words and the name of the hotel, the gamble has little to do with heavenly bodies.

It has plenty to do with plummeting bodies, however. Moses, who bets on these kinds of things?

I can’t imagine that the yakuza just take out an ad in the Sunday paper for this kind of thing: “Gambler? Sadist? Both? Brother, have we got the place for you! C’mon down to unscrupulous yakuza’s house of inhumane gambling! If it involves betting on games of unspeakable human suffering, we’ve got it!”

Also, was I the only person who thought, “Why in God’s name are they serving dinner at this event?” Would this be an appetizing scene for anyone? I mean there’s like six buffet tables out there. Are people just gorging themselves while they watch others drop to their demise?

“Man, all these lacerations and open fractures sure have given me an appetite!” Sheesh…talk about unsettling.

Ahh…it’s cleansing really. You’ve got to love the manly tears; it’s so heart-wrenching.

I must agree with Kaiji that it does seem rather counterintuitive to apologize to someone before pushing them to their death. Still, it is a pretty despairing situation – a “lose-lose” scenario all around, really. You can win by killing or lose by dying. Great… I’m sure Milton Bradley is gonna be all over this one.

Now Kaiji going into manly tears mode over this situation I can understand, but the rest of them as well? These are the dregs of society, the lowest of the low, the sort who would murder their own grandmothers if there was some profit in it for them. I somehow find it hard to believe that all of them are suddenly overcome with emotion at the thought of killing another human, especially if that person is between them and a huge sum of cash.

That aside, it makes for good thematic storytelling. I’m certainly interested in seeing how Fukumoto will develop this idea in the coming episodes.

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Kaiji lays down some serious smack in this episode! It’s about damn time, too!

His so called “companions” have been nothing but dead weight from the very beginning. Despite Kaiji’s Buddha-like patience and motivational speeches that would make Donald Trump proud, they’ve time and time again proven themselves to be nothing but cowardly, backstabbing morons.

I just cannot overstate my satisfaction at seeing them get exactly what they deserve. Andou especially; what a tool.

On a somewhat unrelated note, it seems that the real life Andou has been discovered, and he apparently is a fan of Lucky Star! Who knew… O_O

ANDOOOOOOOOOUUUUU!!

Damn…where were these kinds of moves last episode when Kaiji tried to take on Funai? Before he was just throwing wild monkey punches – now not only did he going all jujitsu all on the other guy, he also managed to hold off the four yakuza suits who tried to restrain him.

If you overlook the inherent awkwardness of two naked men wrestling, it was actually not half bad as fight scenes go. Kaiji exhibited an excellent mix of fighting techniques – some decent boxing, a good ground game, and even an array of biting and streetbrawl moves.

Kaiji is apparently a disciple of the Mike Tyson school of kung fu.

I loved how the music began to swell as Kaiji tore into Okabayashi like a rabid wolverine. Well, a wolverine with a decent grasp of martial arts, that is. The buildup was so effective, you just knew he was going to get rocked. The sequence itself was pretty brutal, a much more realistic portrayal of physical combat than most anime are accustomed to illustrating. I must say, it was quite satisfying.

Just as planned!

Owned biatch!

Once again, I cannot overstate how happy this made me. I must have gone back to watch that roundhouse kick at least a half dozen times.

It’s also interesting to note that Kaiji took back his money and stars from Andou and Furuhata and none of the yakuza heavies interfered. Either they’re afraid to mess with him after the way he kicked their asses earlier, or, and this is my theory, even they see what a tool Andou is and are happy to watch him get pwned.

As great as Kaiji’s earlier brawl was, it not nearly as cathartic as it was to see Andou’s corpulent belly get a massive serving of knee. Honestly, there’s no better way to deal with treachery and jackassery than with a good old fashioned furious beat down. Also you’d think he would’ve broken his glasses as well, for good measure.

And even after all their cowardice, indecision, and treachery, Kaiji’s “teammates” still piss and moan as he rightfully takes back his stars and currency. Sheesh.

Die vile casino table!

Not content with kicking the other gamblers’ collective ass, he even beats down the furniture! OMG violence!

But of course, even with this much kickass and win, it just wouldn’t be Kaiji without some manly tears.

Kaiji’s decision to save Ishida was one of the most intriguing aspects of the episode. While rather questionable from a financial point of view, it’s very consistent with Kaiji’s character, and you can’t really blame him for wanting to help others. I just wish he’d learn some proper street smarts and know who to trust and who not to trust.

Kaiji’s rebellious attitude towards the whole notion of gambling, scamming, and the degradation of human beings for amusement was just brilliant. He tosses the money aside to rescue someone in despair who can offer nothing in return. Even in the wake of betrayal and insatiable greed, Kaiji is still able to redeem someone in a hapless plight. Thus, redemption becomes his greatest defiance. Well played, indeed.

Honestly this has been, in my opinion, one of the best episodes to date.

So thus ends Gentei Janken, Restricted Rock Paper Scissors!

Next up, a bit of downtime for Kaiji off of the Nice Boat, and then it’s back to awesome gambling action and manly tears. Zawa zawa!

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On the 6th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

6 zawa zawas

5 GIGA DRILLS!
4 metatags
3 rain charms
2 Guchuko’s
And a cruise on a nice boat for free!

If only I could invent my own sound effects as easily as Fukumoto, the author of the enigmatic Kaiji and Akagi manga. The Japanese really love their onomatopoeia, but as I explained in our initial review of Kaiji, Fukumoto goes the extra mile beyond even that to create his own unique style, both in art and storytelling.

Perhaps that’s why I enjoy Kaiji and Akagi so much – they’re refreshingly different from everything else out there right now, especially with the recent flood of moe pandering shows and sappy harem comedies. I mean, Fukumoto hardly ever even has female characters in his stories, let alone fanservice. Although given his art style, I don’t know that I’d necessarily want to see that anyway! O_O

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The heck with strategy, it’s time for some fisticuffs!

Gentei Janken finally comes to an end, but not without a few twists.

(For some reason this screenshot just makes me laugh uncontrollably.)

OK, I would’ve just decked Funai right in the mouth at this point. Actually, Kaiji gets the same idea later in the episode, but my BS threshold ends at 69 card pickup. On the other hand, as devious and unscrupulous as it was, the tactic makes sense. While the only legitimate opponents are scooping up cards, you can prey on the rest of the saps. Really, I hate Funai… like more than I hate cold showers.

Because it wouldn’t be a Kaiji episode without manly tears!!

You’ve gotta give props to a show that can feature this much crying and still be awesome and GAR.

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Ever the intrepid gambler, however, Kaiji sucks it up and moves forward. You have to admire the guy’s tenacity. He’s been circumvented, ripped off, or betrayed at virtually every turn and still hasn’t given up. I guess desperation and certain death will do that for you.

In fact, they should put it in cans…New Zawa! Energy Drink! Because nothing gets your adrenaline going like probable death and enslavement! Yeah, I think that’d sell pretty well actually.

And now Funai once again attempts to tempt some poor soul into playing right into his greedy manipulative clutches. All I could think was, “Kaiji, punch that dick in the mouth. No, seriously… hit him… hit him now… press A, press A! Jump Gypsy, c’mon JUMP!“

Thank you! Moses, was I the only one wanting this to occur approximately five episodes ago? But Kaiji, don’t just swing blindly like some orangutan on crack, step into the punch son! Sheesh…

Yeah, for a chimpira street punk, Kaiji sure does suck at fighting. I guess that’s why he stuck to slashing tires.

And Funai being the cowardly hyena that he is takes a cheap shot yet again. How very expected.

At last, revenge. Funai gets tripped up by his own chicanery! Oh, how sweet it is. The n00b has become teh l33t. Honestly though, Kaiji’s dissection of Funai’s trickery was pretty perceptive. Granted he had already been conned by him previously so he was definitely more prepared to watch for such a play, but still. Now Funai is in the same boat as virtually everyone else.

The question is…is it a nice boat?

*shot*

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…yeah.

Anyway, so what else could follow but another daring Kaiji stratagem? Zawa, zawa!

All Kaiji has to do is remove the other potential opponents so Funai is forced to “go all in” against him. This was one of the few moments in the show when I actually had a fair idea of what his plan was, however, that’s primarily due to the fact that any other options would be futile. Since he couldn’t count on his opponents being willing to play him he had to give them a huge advantage.

The remaining punters are out, forcing Funai to play Kaiji to get rid of his last remaining card. Quite daring actually.

Funai’s decisive error was forgetting about the cards that were flushed down the toilet. Not only is he left totally at Kaiji’s mercy, but he pwns himself in the process.

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Wa-wa-wa-wasuremono~

This is my serious face.

Much like Akagi, Kaiji faces certain death straight on and is determined to take his opponent with him, if nothing else. Fukumoto seems to love this theme of unbreakable confidence that comes when confronting death, the idea that that desperate determination in itself becomes the means for survival.

Finally, for once things go “Just as planned!” for Kaiji!

Or maybe not…

Yes, it’s the infamous naked mirror room. Don’t worry, I’ll spare you any further screenshots.

Good job Guff, you correctly predicted Andou’s untrustworthiness. Finally his true colors are revealed! And apparently his true colors are pink…

Kaiji’s optimistically trusting nature and the inevitable betrayal make for excellent character development. The whole betrayal thematic element is important in the overall storyline, making it a key point. Unfortunately, it also means that unless something crazy happens, Kaiji is screwed and that’s the end.

I won’t spoil anything, but I will say that the upcoming section is, in my opinion, one of the weaker parts of the story. More on this in future posts.

Yes, Andou is a treacherous fat disaster who should be banned from life.

I personally thought it was quite intrepid, if not a bit foolish, for Kaiji to be willing to be dragged to hell for the sake of moving his comrades onward. I just love the sacrificial heroic aspect of his character; it speaks volumes for someone who is supposedly a degenerate punk.

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ZAA PAY-PAAAH!*

In gambling, even the best laid plans can go awry.

Fortunately it seems as though Kaiji is pretty good at thinking on his feet.

* Kudos if you get that reference.

What I enjoy about this series is that even though there are multiple twists and turns you never really feel gypped. When a counter-strategy arises it actually has a logical progression – the Rock vs. Paper buyout for example.

Thankfully Fukomoto is categorically not M. Night Shyamalan and doesn’t resort to pulling crazy twists out of his ass in order to move the plot along.

But if he did the story would go something like this:

“And then Kaiji realizes the strategy was only in his mind and wakes up in the bathroom of despair with only five minutes left on the clock!”

Kaiji really worked over Kitami hardcore, not only getting all of his cards, but also 2 million in cold, hard cash! Not a bad deal at all. After the way Kitami and his group accosted Kaiji earlier, it was extremely rewarding to see him get his comeuppance.

Ahh yes, the infamous “naked mirror room”. Remember this location; it’ll become important later in the story.

For those who missed the earlier explanation, this is where people who have lost all their stars are sent to await judgment. There is still a possibility they can be saved, however, if someone with three stars to spare comes to “redeem” them at the end.

In this case, Ishida-san has been convinced to willingly “lose” and go into the mirror room. He then observes through the one way glass what cards other players have, and sends signals to his teammate by tapping to help them win, with the idea being that at the end they’ll come back and rescue him.

Meanwhile, while things seem to be looking up for Kaiji’s group, there’s still an awful lot of paper cards to get rid of and none of the remaining players seem too thrilled about pissing away their last stars. And to make matters worse what miserable douche bag should return to the scene but Funai!

Honestly though, Funai actually made a pretty good, logically sound offer. Kaiji should have accepted it. Up to this point he had been pretty good about thinking logically and not letting his emotions get the best of him, but I guess being approached by the guy who scammed him was just too much.

Hey, I can totally sympathize with Kaiji’s decision to tell Funai to screw off. I mean here’s another offer from someone who openly scammed you and then flaunted his deception in your face. You wouldn’t exactly be chomping at the bit for another chance to get royally hosed now would you?

The best part was how indignant Funai was about the rejection. I mean would that work in any other situation? If a doctor gave you a band-aid to cure your cancer would he be shocked that you didn’t want him delivering your baby?

I really loathe Funai; if he doesn’t get completely rowned by the next phase of gambling I’m going to be disappointed.

I have to disagree here. While Kaiji’s reaction was an understandable and very human one, I think the best objective decision would have been to accept Funai’s offer. After all, Funai didn’t have any more guarantee than Kaiji did that his target would willingly play him. He even pointed this logic out to Kaiji.

Kaiji should have remained cool headed and thought through the best outcome logically, as he’s done up until this point. He probably could have even bargained two stars from Funai to replace the two that were taken earlier.

Speaking of which, honestly, Kaiji needs to cut lose his so-called “teammates”. The group would’ve had 7 stars all together if it wasn’t for them running like chickens with their heads cut off every time things turn bad, but instead they’re still stuck at 4.

Theses guys have already shown that they have no spine, and will readily betray him given the opportunity. It’s one thing to stick by your comrades, to fight together with your brothers-in-arms until the bitter end, but to keep dragging these two dead weights along is highly questionable on Kaiji’s part, in my opinion.

So now it’s Duck Duck Goose, and Kaiji’s in the mushpot.

All right everyone, let’s turn those frowns upside-down and sing Kum Bah Ya!

It’s strange how trusting and glib virtually everyone is, though I suppose that’s why their in such a despairing situation. Personally, I’m far too aware of the fact that I possess no shrewdness whatsoever for gambling to be able to get in such a mess.

Instead, I focus my addictions on less costly things such as caffeine and tobacco. But if that wasn’t the case I’d probably be in Furuhata’s position; maybe that’s why I sympathize with their plight so much.

I don’t think it’s so strange that everyone agrees to go along with Funai’s shuffle strategy (hold the Navel jokes, please). Objectively it’s the best way to help ensure that no one know what cards you have. Of course, that assumes the shuffle is done fairly.

So it appears as though the paper buyout has failed, but if Kaiji has joined then we can only assume another fearsome strategy has begun to form in his mind.

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After escaping from the Ship of Hope, Kaiji will go on to pursue a promising career as a:

A. French Soccer Player
B. Motivational Speaker
C. Hood Ornament Salesman
D. Mullet Model

You have to love how Andou and Furuhata never fully appreciate Kaiji’s strategy until after it has unfolded. They always have this, “No Kaiji-san! You shall condemn us all to the bowels of Hades!” mentality.

Personally, I’m terrible at gambling strategies, so I can sympathize. However, you’d think that at this point they would trust their leader’s instincts. I mean it’s not exactly like they were doing swimmingly before they joined forces.

Pretty bold talk coming from guys who tried to betray Kaiji and ended up throwing away the stars he earned for them. Honestly, who’s dragging who down?

Mattaku.

I mean, at this point even I would understand that you’d have to go “all in”. I mean what else can they offer up besides their own stars anyways? On top of that, time is running short.

It’s like blindly rushing someone in a FPS with your melee weapon when you run out of ammo. You’re probably toast, so you might as well go down swinging. Maybe you’ll get lucky and shank him before he can reload.

I know it feels a bit melodramatic at times, but I love the fanciful dramatizations of the gambling strategies. Watching the trio leap over the doubt of gap to “move forward” gives a very grandiose feel to the narrative.

Perhaps there’s some merit to Option B, after all. It’s like those guys who climb Mr. Everest and then travel around to different corporations giving pep talks about determination and success, only it Kaiji’s case the mountain is a metaphorical one.

So, after a little pep talk with the doubtful duo, Kaiji ropes Kitami into his fiendishly brilliant ploy. Not before Kitami attempts to weasel out of things though…what a douchebag.

Sorry 4chan, Kaiji doesn’t like you.

Fortunately Kaiji lays down the verbal smack to shame them into playing.

Pretty big talk for someone who just a week ago was slashing car tires and living the life of a bum. To be fair though, he is pretty good at talking smack. Maybe I should add “Sports Team Manager” as a fifth career option for Kaiji.

Scissors cut paper biatch!

Bam, rowned! I do enjoy how Kaiji gloats in such an explanatory fashion. It’s like a boxer explaining to his semi-conscious opponent exactly how he was able to kick his ass.

“Well see, when you missed that jab you left yourself wide open, thus allowing me to completely decimate your face and…hey wait! You can’t pass out; I haven’t gotten to the good part yet!”

Seriously though, the entire plot was pretty intuitive, first feinting desperation to raise the stakes, and then discerning Kitami’s strategy and remaining card. Pretty shrewd, really.

Which raises the point – another thing I’ve really enjoyed about Kaiji is how easy to understand the strategy is. Like a good mystery novel, all the key details are revealed in the episode, giving you the hints to need to figure out Kaiji’s plan. Then when he explains how he did it, you slap your forehead and go, “Of course! Why didn’t I see it before?”

Again, this series is spot on with character development. Kaiji is so familiarized with every possible dastardly scam or shrewd gambling exploit that he’s able to think exactly like his opponents, giving him the advantage in a crucial situation.

But the cinematography is so gripping that the strategy doesn’t feel cold and logical. It’s like watching a game of chess but then seeing the pieces tear one another asunder in a brutal life and death struggle.

So basically, Battle Chess.

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Overall, the show moves at a very compelling pace. It never feels forced or rushed and it never drags with false climatic tension. Zawa zawa~!

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The thick plottens! *zawa zawa*

Oh, just as an added note, I never, ever want to get into a situation that requires me to lock myself in a toilet with two other men. Especially a pink toilet. If they hadn’t already realized from the whole insurmountable gambling debt thing, this would surely be the sign that they’ve hit rock bottom.

Another of the things I enjoy about Kaiji is the interesting angles used in relatively ordinary scenarios. There’s nothing particularly interesting about a bathroom stall, but with top notch cinematography this series can make the typical seem intense and anxious.

“Typical?”

Actually, you know what, nevermind. I don’t want to know.

Although I’m sure this was supposed to be a gripping scene, I just couldn’t take it seriously because of the unintentional comedic effect the setting provided. I mean, the toilet is pink.

Once again, and you’ll probably hear me reference this quite a bit this season, but I love how Fukumoto utilizes these strange analogies to illustrate the emotions or the strategies. It’s rather ingenious considering that depicting something so ephemeral is not exactly easy. However, you understand Kaiji’s thought processes and how he comes to the conclusions he does in a much more eloquent fashion.

Masashi Kishimoto, of Naruto juggernaut fame, does this quite often in explaining the various ninjutsu techniques. The effect is not nearly as powerful, however, because it presents itself in a “Dummy’s Guide to Hidden Leaf Ninja-ing” kind of fashion. Kaiji uses the same type of expositional device, but in a much less text-book, and far more entertaining manner.

Now I’m gonna think of this image every time I go to Vegas and see people sitting vapidly in front of the slot machines. >_>

Because it wouldn’t be a Kaiji episode without manly tears!

Well, for once it’s not Kaiji doing the crying; he seems to have gotten over himself. Cry me a river, n00bs.

Moses…once again Furuhata and Andou show their inevitable tendency to crack under pressure. It reminds me of how when children get lost they usually don’t stay put. When I was a kid and I wandered off in a grocery store, as soon as I lost sight of my mom I would run panic stricken through the aisles, knocking over foodstuffs along the way.

Yeah, I’d say that’s a pretty accurate analogy for how they handle themselves whenever things go poorly. “Like a chicken with its head cut off” is pretty popular too, I hear.

Really, I think Kaiji’s willingness to put up with their BS is a testament to his character more than anything else that we’ve seen in this show.

I certainly wouldn’t be willing to stake my life on two cowardly reprobates such as these, especially when I’ve been burned by one of them once already, yet Kaiji continually supports these two losers. I’d have long since taken my three stars and said “Sayonara suckers!”, confident in the knowledge that they’d never advance to the next stage with their feeble, defeatist attitudes.

The manner in which Kaiji concocts and carries out his strategy seems to exemplify good business tactics. He quickly devises a strategy to corner the market, and he views it an an investment – buy cards low, sell stars high.

He even manages to subcontract out to third-party agents to avoid doing the grunt work himself. In addition, by offering these guys a sure-fire way of getting rid of their unwanted cards and offering them a cash reward to boot, Kaiji is slowly building up goodwill toward his group. These people will probably be more willing to collaborate with his schemes in the future if he has need of them.

Once again this raises the question of why Kaiji was such a bum. He obviously has a brilliant analytical mind, as well as a good strategic business sense. I guess it goes to show that even a genius can be rendered useless with a good dose of apathy (and alcohol).

Again, this is good insight into Kaiji’s character – despite his “rock buyout” strategy failing, he manages to collect himself and move forward. The worse the situation becomes the more his confidence rises and his doubts fade. Very cool indeed.

There always seems to be some overconfident douchebag character like this in Fukomoto’s work, the “Fake Akagi” type, if you will. I must admit, though, I do like that Kaiji referred to him as bleach-head. You’re Japanese, good sir; blonde is not your color.

Ah yes, and Kaiji raises the stakes. You have to love how the more dire the situation becomes, the more brilliant and bold Kaiji’s strategies are. It makes for quite the gambit, simultaneously near despair and jubilation.

Well the stage is set again for more Kaiji ron-face action. If you haven’t already watched five, I can tell you now that you’re in for some good time fun.

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Choki! Finally the first glimpses of Kaiji’s inner demon are revealed.

.

.

And the moment we’ve all been waiting for arrives. Kaiji’s fish takes the bait and he’s taken in…hook, line, and scissors.

It was most excellent to finally see Kaiji’s shrewd gambling cunning come into play and his accompanying RON face.

In this respect, Kaiji is completely unlike the cool and collected Akagi, who always maintained his composure, and who barely so much as cracked a smile when he crushed his opponents, let alone gloated over them.

Akagi, being the calculating genius that he was, had a much more confident look about him. It was almost as if he was disgusted by the lack of foresight on the part of his opponent.

Whereas Kaiji’s is much more of a “in your face biatch owned!!” kind of expression. It’s a much smugger look of satisfaction, however, it was still quite satisfying, ne?

I must admit that I didn’t particularly trust this Andou character, not because he had lost his cards and stars and not necessarily because he seemed to have a defeatist mentality.

No, I began to mistrust him when I saw the scene in the ED in which he bears a most insidious sneer. He just looks like a completely untrustworthy deviant.

However, even after his stupid blunder and poorly attempted betrayal, Kaiji keeps the loose confederacy of debtors intact and puts his ploy into action. I thought it was an interesting moment in Kaiji’s character development; it was reassuring to see him step up.

This early part of the story is critical in revealing what kind of person Kaiji is. There’s a saying that there is no honor among thieves, but Kaiji seems determined to maintain trust and unity amongst his erstwhile comrades.

It appears that he’s surprisingly reliable and strong under pressure.

Because it wouldn’t be a Kaiji episode without lots of manly tears.

Or maybe not.

You have to love the clever manner in which the metaphors are visualized in Fukumoto’s work. The shot of the cards passing through the multiple knots of rope and then suddenly becoming one thread as Kaiji discerned the necessary gambling stratagem was brilliant. Well played, indeed.

For my part, I really enjoyed the “sinking in quicksand” analogy. For something as boring as Rock Paper Scissors the trading card game, Fukumoto does an excellent job of making it seem gripping and action packed, with full on slo-mo, zawa’s flying everywhere, and tight shots of intense eyes and shocked reaction faces.

The off the wall visual metaphors just add to the sheer awesomeness of this show, something that shouldn’t be fun to watch, yet is absolutely thrilling.

You’ve got to appreciate how well he’s read his opponent, as well. It makes you realize that even a solid stratagem is useless if excludes the possibility of chance or seemingly erratic moves.

People ask “Why was Kaiji such a bum if he’s so clever? Why did he always suck at gambling?”

It’s all comes down to his naturally listless nature, really. His real potential only comes out when he has no other options; only then does he start using his head. When he does, however, he can be stunningly insightful and brutally pragmatic.

While he differs from Akagi in many ways, the one key trait that they both share is their ability to overcome fear and doubt when necessary, to throw caution to the wind and walk straight into the jaws of death.

And that, of course, is what this show is all about!

Zawa zawa!

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;_;

lolol rofl pwned kkthxbye!!1

I always love Fukumoto’s storytelling. He manages to create such an intense, gripping atmosphere surrounding games which, on the surface, seem quite trivial and uninteresting. I mean who would imagine that an anime about Rock Paper Scissors could be a gripping psychological thriller?

I mean, when the game begins, the rules seem awfully basic and arbitrary at first. You have 3 stars and 4 cards of each type, and you have to retain your stars and get rid of your cards within 4 hours.

With such a basic setup it seems as though dumb luck would rule out any sort of skill. The real game, however, has nothing to do with the cards. It’s all about using shrewdness and intuition to force the odds in your favor. Pretty brilliant stuff, really.

Funai is suspicious from the very beginning; you’d think that someone who’s been on board the Espoir multiple times would have to be an excruciatingly untrustworthy person.

On the other hand, it’s easy enough to blindly trust people when they offer a ray of hope. I mean why would someone betray you if both could remain unscathed? Ughh…it was really difficult to watch Kaiji get deceived so completely.

On the other hand, it was a pretty good con. >_>

Funai reels Kaiji in slowly with hope of a way out, then builds trust by warning him against conmen who will try to take advantage, and then finally lays on the time pressure, causing Kaiji to put aside his misgivings.

It’s the same kind of tactic car salesmen use when they try to create a time crisis by hinting that the car will be gone or you won’t get the great sale price if you don’t buy now.

OK, I gotta say, the highlight of the episode for me was seeing Kaiji get pimp slapped by the yakuza heavy. After all his whining and crying, I think he richly deserved it. Fortunately, it also served as a good reality check for him, a reminder that this is a battle with his life in the balance.

Again, the raw human emotion in the despair of the situation feels very genuine. The style is similar to Reservoir Dogs in some ways; I kind of saw Funai as the Mr. Pink character – ruthlessly logical, cunning, and bent completely on his own self preservation.

Another reason why Fukumoto’s storytelling is so provocative is because the characters react and struggle realistically within these life and death situations. Unlike the cool, calculating genius of Akagi, Kaiji is a character you can more readily empathize with.

What’s great about Kaiji, of course, is that he isn’t just a complete loser. He does have a good head on his shoulders, and some surprisingly shrewd gambling instincts.

He just has to be completely backed into a corner before he gets serious enough to stop qq’ing and unleash his awesome gambling mojo.

Fukumoto has such a unique ability to create likable and compelling characters even from the absolute dregs of society. The guileless trio must now use their every means to survive in a room filled with gamblers and con artists.

The intensity and suspense is practically bursting at the seams, and we’re only on the second episode! Zawa, zawa, indeed.

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