JUDGEMENT: ‘If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to enter with boldness. Any mistakes you commit thought audacity are easily corrected with more audacity.
Everyone admires the bold: No one honors the timid.’
-Robert Greene, 48 Laws of Power (Green, 1998, p. 227)
Pitted against the prideful Mary in a gambling match of Card Rock-Paper-Scissors, the seemingly naive Yumeko bets two 10,000 yen chips on her hand. In what seems to be a stroke of beginner’s luck, Yumeko’s bet pays off; her rock card defeating Mary’s scissors. Testing her luck further, Yumeko ups the ante; betting 50 chips (or 50,000 yen) in round two. Unshaken by this, Mary tells Yumeko that she’s quite the gambler, which she politely denies.
As the game progress there is a tie, followed by two wins for Mary. She’s feeling confident, perhaps a little bit tad cocky even. The game continues with Yumeko betting 50 chips, only to lose to Mary once more, and owing her 1,000,000 yen. The transfer student tries her luck again, betting her remaining chips, but it’s all for naught.
Mary wins again.
As Mary stokes her ego, Yumeko requests her for one final game. Despite Yumeko lacking any chips, Mary honors her request with a smile (while taunting Yumeko; calling her an idiot, etc.). The prideful girl starts to praise her own genius. She believes that she can force Yumeko into a debt – thus lowing her social status to that of livestock.
What Mary didn’t expect was Yumeko betting 10,000,000 yen – real cash – not mere poker chips.
Offended, Mary snaps on the bold Yumeko; calling her crazy and careless.
“There’s no way you can afford to bet so much on a single RPS game! You’re crazy!” Cried Mary. She doesn’t think that Yumeko is actually putting down real money on the line. This is a joke! Yet, Yumeko is not joking – she is serious. She sees the fun in her bold action and high risks. Mary is confused and angry at Yumeko’s recklessness. She assumes that Yumeko is just mocking her with such fearlessness and is merely baiting her. She refuse to go on with the game the bet but Yumeko mocks her as she turns away.
“Don’t tell me you have cold feet.” mimicking Mary’s earlier taunts with smug. Hearing this, Mary reluctantly accepts the offer.
As the girls play their final cards, Yumeko reveals to Mary that she knew that she was paying off their classmates to manipulate the game to ensure Mary’s victory. Mary is enraged once more but regains her composure. Mary thinks that Yumeko is simply bluffing for a win by getting under her skin. How could she have this knowledge of her using her classmates to win? She is just a simple stupid girl. She can’t be that smart. Regaining faith in herself, Mary slams down the paper card on the table with the highest confidence.
Alas for Mary, Yumeko held scissor – defeating her.
The bold action of betting with cash as opposed to poker chips and using her skills to dismantle Mary’s cheating system (and a little luck), Yumeko made a name for herself on her first day of her new school by defeating Mary.at her own game. Her daring spirit took Mary by surprise, as she didn’t expect the new student to pull such a stunt off against her and win.
Yumeko’s brilliant fearlessness humbled the once prideful Mary.
REVERSAL: ‘Boldness should never be the strategy behind all of your actions. It is a tactical instrument, to be used at the right moment. Plan and think ahead, and make the final element the bold move that will bring you success. In other words, since boldness is a learned response, it is also one that you learn to control and utilize at will. To go through life armed only with audacity would be tiring and also fatal. You would offend too many people, as is proven by those who cannot control their boldness.’ (Green, 1998, p. 235)
“Life or Death”, or “A typical day in South Chicago and North St. Louis”.
After accepting an invite to play against Yuriko in her modify roulette game “Life or Death”, Yumeko decides to act bold against the student council member. Bolder than her earlier match against Mary mind you. Rather than silently wait until later to reveal the cheating system of Yuriko’s game, she goes off on her with bravado.
“Your methods are the worst.” Yumeko berates her with a smirk. In her bravery, she admits to her that she knew that Yuriko baited Mary into the game. Yuriko took advantage of the broken Mary; luring her with the hope of clearing her debts and reclaim her pride – only to mislead her and sink her further into it. Yumeko compares her to a loan shark, calls her the lowest of the low, and finally – a piece of shit.
Yuriko (trying to hide her anger) simply smiles warmly, brushing off Yumeko’s offensive language and taunts. Yuriko seems to forgive Yumeko’s brashness, but is quickly angered again when Yumeko starts playing around with her family name, “Nishinotouin” – calling it a proper family name for a cheap airhead like Yuriko.
Yuriko snaps.
Yuriko’s happy face.
This was a tactic to force Yuriko into rage and bet everything she has blindly. Yumeko knew Yuriko was cheating. Her personal dealer had magnetic metal moles implanted in her hands. This was to control the blades’ location in order to influence where each blade landed. Later, Yumeko explains how this cheat has no absolute guarantee for victory; as you can only control one blade and leave the rest to luck.
After bragging about her successful revelation of the cheat, Yumeko lost the match. Her boldness worked against her as she lost not due to Yuriko’s skills, but simple and pure luck.
With this lost, Yumeko’s status is reduced to the levels of housepet. But then again, Yumeko doesn’t seem to mind.
On August 11th, 2017, YouTube anime vlogger Digibro uploaded Where Should We Watch Anime?, a video where he explores four seperate anime streaming services: Crunchyroll, Amazon Strike, Netflix, and the infamous illegal site “KissAnime”. Digibro states that while he does use Crunchhyroll to view anime and support the industry, he also uses KissAnime, but only as a last resort (if there’s no legal alternate to view an anime, if the legal services offers a worse product than the illegal websites, etc.)
Despite his statement (and because anime fans lack comprehension skills), the anime community misinterpreted his words; believing he was promoting the illegal sites. This resulted in his his follow up video Utter Morons ForneverWorld & Half of Anitwitter Totally Miss the Point Of My Streaming Video where he states once again, that he only uses the illegal streaming services if the legal ones are offering a worse product than the legal websites or if he can not find a legal alternate to view an anime.
Both backlash and support for Digibro’s views followed. Many were furious at him for “suggesting” the usage of illegal websites. Others praised and understood Digibro’s stance. Those who supported his views brought up that the anime industry doesn’t make enough money off Blu-Ray and DVDs sales, that the industry’s main profits come from secondary sources of income (which he also states in the follow up video) as well as bringing brought up how major studios take most of the profits from the different income sources and not paying their artists a fair, livable wage. The anime fans opposing piracy rebuttal; to them, every dollar counts in supporting the the industry.
These videos breathed new life into an age old controversial topic within the community: Does pirating anime hurt the industry?
As someone who keeps it real, it’s my duty to tell you how I feel about this subject it is without holding back. From researching the topic, reading articles, and watching anime vloggers of both sides of the argument, I don’t think pirating hurts the industry. I do get where opposing fans are coming from with their anti-piracy stance, but again, I don’t feel that piracy does harm to the industry.
From my research, I discovered how the anime industry create captial in the modern era outside of Blu-Ray and DVD sales. Aninews’ video The Data Behind Digibro’s Stance on Anime Streaming: Legal vs. Illegal, breaks down how legal streaming services fund the industry through bidding for the rights to stream an anime on their services (the link to the video is listed in the cited source section).
When a streaming company wins the rights to a show, they’ll have to pay the licensing company (such as Aniplex) the cost of each episode, royalties, and licensing fees. Once paid, the licensing company takes their cut of the the money and split the rest up with everyone involved in the production of the anime. This meansthat regardless if you use an illegal streaming services or not, the animation companies have already received their money for the shows the provided to the streaming services.
At worst, the streaming companies will operate on a lost from ad revenue due to not breaking even or beyond from piracy. Therefore, the company will have to operate at a loss – forcing them to reduce the number of series to buy off the licensing company for the upcoming season.
Another way anime studios make money is through product placement. Some industries in Japan (such as the automotive and food industries) will reach out to animation studios and offer to pay thousands or millions of dollars for the show to promote their product or brand. For example: Sunrise 2006’s anime Code Geass, famously promoted the pizza brand Pizza Hut in many episodes due to a deal between both companies. This provided Sunrise extra capital for their pockets. Misty Chroenexia’s video Piracy is NOT Killing The Anime Industry explains this further in depth (the URL to the video is listed below in the source section).
Finally, companies make extra capital from merchandising such as toys, video games, figurines, body pillows, drama CDs, and music soundtracks. Bigger companies such, as A-1 Pictures, are linked to major companies: giving them access to extra funds. Miki Sim’s article How The Anime Industry Earns Money further explains this:
‘A few larger anime studios, such as A-1 Picture, actually sits within a larger entertainment ecosystem. They are linked to record companies, such as Sony Music Entertainment Japan. With the popularity of anime OPs drive the sales of anisong singles and albums. That is another reason why the anisong industry is becoming larger than J-Pop too.’
In short: Some studios are large enough to use high amounts of capital thanks to a connection with a thanks in part of another major company or brand.
What does all of this means for me? Well, if companies are making profits through other sources of income, have already received money from streaming websites such as Netflix and Amazon , and have connections to larger companies such as Sony (who have diverse income thanks to their products and investments) for extra cash, then me pirating their shows does not hurt them at all.
Admittedly, I do have an active Crunchy Roll subscription to support the industry. Crunchy Roll is wonderful and they provided me with good services. If Crunchy Roll has a show I want to watch then I will view it on there as oppose to say KissAnime. Now, if they do not have a show I want to see and there is no legal alternate available (that I like), then I’ll use an illegal streaming site.
This brings me to my next point.
I’m going to keep this all the way real: It’s the fault of the Japanese animation studios for not releasing their new shows outside of Japan (where there is a market for those show, niche or otherwise) to a legal service in North America (or any other international regions). Consequently, this forces fans to pirate shows that they cannot access legally because the Japanese businesses do not want to adapt to the current trend of anime viewership globally. In my opinion, this is bad business. Anime is a global market. You have to carter to fans around the world.
You have fans who’re willing to watch new shows legally. They want to show their support with the money, but these companies aren’t listening. If they do release a show, it’s usually a season or two later.
Example: Netflix recently acquired the rights to Kakegurui, one of the most popular anime series of the Summer 2017 season. Netflix will air Kakegurui in Winter 2018 – two seasons after its original Japanese broadcast run. This means if you want to watch it legally, you will have to wait five months (at the time of this writing) to support it legall. The only way to watch Kakegurui and stay current with it is through an illegal streaming service.
Now, if you can’t afford to pay Netflix that $10/month plus tax because you have other paid streaming services you’re subscribed, to and you want to support it legally, well, you’re out of luck. This is another case of bad business practice. You have three streaming services fighting each other to win the rights for a show. And if the winning company is Netflix, you may have to wait a few months to view the show.
Now that I think about it, this is goofy.
Once a company wins the rights for a show, they have that show exclusively. No other streaming company can have it, just that one company. Let’s say Amazon Strike wins the rights to the show The Misadventures of an Alcoholic Magical Girl (this is not a real show). Since Amazon is the only North American company to stream that show, you cannot get it off your Crunchy Roll and/or Netflix account(s). You really want to watch and support the show, but can you afford an Amazon Prime account along with the cost of $4.99/month with Strike and $6.95/month with your CR account?
So, what you’re going to do? Spend that extra cash? Cancel your CR account to save some money? You can do that, but now you have to wait a week to watch the newest episodes of a currently airring show. If you really want to watch it, then you have to pirate it. Which is not that bad if you bare in mind the animation studio has already earn the money from Amazon.
Let’s take this a step further.
Netflix and Amazon are notorious for not understanding their anime fanbase demographic. Netflix has been under fire for uploading anime shows with false “HD” and horrible subs quality. Amazon Strike requires you to have an Amazon Prime account along with paying $4.99/month for Strike. Doing the math $8.99+$4.99 = $13.98/month. Then you have your Crunchy Roll account, which is $6.95/month. So $13.98+$6.95=$20.93/month. THEN, if you want to watch an anime that’s only on Netflix, you’ll going to wind up dropping $10/month plus tax. So $20.93+$10.00=$30.93/month plus tax. Finally, if there is a show that you desperately want to see that is not available legally on all three legal platforms, you’re out of luck.
Unless you pirate of course.
Pirate sites host anime with true 1080p or 720 HD (both native and upscale). They have fansubs in excellent quality. They offer a massive selection of anime that you can stream and download for free without worrying about hundreds of dollars on. There are shows on these websites that may never get a re-release. Viewing them on these sites is the only way to experience those shows. If you want to explore the history of anime at its fullest, you may have to use KissAnime or 9anime.
This begs the question: Why pay and support a service to companies that doesn’t care about their anime demographic, rip them off by offering them “HD” quality that is not HD at all, and provide low quality subtitles? At least CrunchyRoll understands their given that company is fun by anime fans. They need our money and support. But Netflix and Amazon? Screw them. Screw them and their bad business practices If Amazon Strike and Netflix’s anime streaming services belly-up due to piracy, oh well. They’re large companies with other sources of income to keep them afloat. I doubt Amazon and Netflix would suffer that much.
The whole business model is stupid. Japan not expanding further and adapting to the current trend for their anime demographic is ass backwards. I honestly don’t feel bad for pirating their stuff. They’re providing poor-to-bad services because of it. If you’re giving the customer a bad experience due to your shitty practices and you can’t help with their needs, you don’t desire to make money.
At this point, you may be asking “Ben! So what about the little guys? Yeah, cooperate assholes may make a lot of money, but the artists and creative team only make little to no money a month! They need your support!” Well, that brings me to my next point – a good point Digibro brought up in his video that I like: A donation button.
Artists put in countless hours of hard work into their craft; providing us with amazing shows that we all love and enjoy. Because they work hard and passionately, they deserve our money. However, while there is a lot of capital flowing in the industry, the top people will get the largest payout while the smaller ranking dudes will get less. Way less. The average animator in japan makes about $300-$500 a month. The “lucky” ones make $1000 month. Still, that’s criminally wrong. Even if I do view anime legally through Crunchyroll, the animators are being screwed by their employees regardless.
This is why I like the idea of studios of exploring alternate ways to make money through donation service websites such as Pateron or Go Fund Me. Let’s say at the end of an episode or season, you can click on the donation button and give whatever amount you feel that episode or series was worth. If you feel a series was excellent, then you can drop $80-$100 on it. If the series was horrible, then you give it little-to-no money. This allows fans and the studios to cut out the middle man and have a direct connection with one another payment wise. Most anime fans stream anime nowdays and Blu-Rays and DVDs are pricy (although not as pricy as they were ten years ago), and enjoy the convenience of watching a show on-demand, so this could work out in the future.
Studio TRIGGER is rumored to have experiment with the idea of using Pateron to crowd fund future projects, but efforts have been slow to pick up due to Japan’s conservative, old-school ways of performing business. Animator Jun Sugawara has opened an animator dormitory in Japan funded by Generosity. This dormitory is open for animators across Japan who don’t want deal with the bullshit of the current industry standard, as well as work in a fair, almost stress-free environment I think these are great ideas and I hope it catches on within the industry.
I would rather pay the creative staff behind my favorite shows my money to support them, rather to give them to Crunchy Roll. As much as I respect Crunchy Roll and support them, the money I give to them supports shows and studios I don’t like – not just the ones I enjoy.
This means that shows I hate such as In Another World With My Smartphone and Sword Art Online are being funded. I don’t want those horrible shows being supported off my hard earn money. A1 Studios is also getting a cut of my money. I can’t support that company after the fact their strict, brutal practices caused an animator to commit suicide in 2014 due to being overworked. I can not support that company ethically. I don’t feel right about that.
Let’s hope that more teams and studios get on board with this new donation and crowd funding model. Japan really needs to adapt to the new era and stop being stuck in traditional about their old-school way of handling business within the anime industry.
It’s clearly taking a toll.
While I am not bothered by piracy, I do understand why people are against it. Pirating shows take away extra profits off Blu-ray and DVDs sales. Mother’s Basement’s video How Much Money do the Biggest Anime Pirates Make states that the pirates of KissAnime earn an estimated $18,000,000 USD a year from ad revenue – much more money than the animators in the industry. KissAnime also has a history of stealing subs from official streaming services and fansub groups and reuploading the files to their website.
According to GoBoiano’s article How Much Money You Cost the Anime Industry When You Illegally Stream illegal streaming services and torrents has cost the anime industry an estimated $33,009,636 to $132,038,554 in 2016. In 2015, animation studio Manglobe (famous for Gangsta and Samurai Champloo) filed for bankruptcy due to an estimated debt of $4.43 million USD. Fans have theorized that the lost profits from piracy resulted in the company’s demise, but this is just a theory without any solid proof backing these claims.
In July 2014, the Japanese government founded the “Manga-Anime Guardians Project” to combat against online piracy of anime and manga, monitoring illegal websites for uploads, and as well as help fans find legal alternates to stream and watch anime.
With pirates making multi-million dollar profits from stealing official subs, the industry losing millions from it, the Japanese government having to step in and protect the work of artists, and a company bankrupted due to possible piracy, I can see why opponents of piracy want to end it. Animators are losing jobs and money from illegal activities. You can easily assume the reason why animators are underpaid is because of piracy and the companies have to operate at a loss. A loss of money means less pay and fewer jobs on the market.
To conclude, I do not see the big issue about pirating, but I still want to support the industry. With companies making money through other sources of capital such as promotion, legal streaming, and maketing, I don’t feel that pirating doesn’t hurt the industry at all. Even if stream anime legally, the major players of a company will take the majority of the profits, leaving the creative forces with less than livable wages. The industry and businesses need a new model to operate on. People aren’t buying blurays or DVDs anymore. Fans would rather stream their shows.
The idea of studios and animators using crowd funding for anime is a fantastic idea which we as a community need to get behind. Animators deserve a living wage for the hard work they put into their craft. While this won’t completely stop piracy overall, it does give fans a chance to support their favorite companies without a middle man.
I am just one person who believes piracy isn’t harmful but there are many who believe it is and they have good reasons to think as such. Illegal streaming services cost the industry millions is lost capital. That’s not right. The animators earned that money – not the pirates.
And finally, if you believe that these legal streaming services are giving you a worse product and service, stop using them! Don’t give them your money because it’s the moral and right thing to do. You know what’s not moral and right? Ripping off people with a shit product.
August 17th, 2017 marked the 10th anniversary of the hit visual novel series “Umineko no Naku Koro ni”. Umineko no Naku Koro ni was adapted into a terrible, low rating animated series by Studio Deen in 2009. The manga adaption and the fighting game spin off are better. Seriously, don’t watch the anime. In reflection and celebration of the series 10th anniversary, I will be providing my raw, unedited thoughts of the anime throughout the month of August. I hope you’ll enjoy!
WARNING: Violent, gory images below. Umineko spoilers below. If you do not like gory imagery or want to be spoiled, then please turn back now. Check out my other Umineko related content on my website such as my utter hatred for Kinzo Ushiromiya and my shame for enjoying the anime adaption of Umineko.
If you’re still here then that means you’re okay with being spoiled and you’re comfortable with viewing gory imagery.
How I got into Umineko is funny. Weird, but funny. I had just powered through Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai and Rei around mid November 2009. I was addicted. I needed more When They Cry and Higurashi in my life. A manga. A new anime series. A torrent link (don’t pirate kids) to the VN so I could experience this beautiful and deep story in it’s original, ham fisted characters design and terrible free licence music form.
I don’t know how anyone can play the VNs with the original sprites and music.
I just needed a new When They Cry in my life!
Desperate, I searched through /jp/ (4chan’s otaku board) for any information on new and upcoming When They Cry material. The degenerate weebs of /jp/ were discussing a new entry to the series: Umineko no Naku koro ni (lit. When Seagulls Cry) and its anime adaption by Studio Deen. They had some rather…not-so-nice opinions on the anime, and were encouraging everyone to stay far away from it.
Yet, I could care less for their opinions! It was a new entry to this excellent saga!
Umineko’s anime promotional art. One of only three good things about the anime.
I hit up YouTube to see if any episodes of Umineko were uploaded. To my excitement, there were some episodes up! Just that they were only in Japanese, as the subs weren’t up on YouTube at the time. I was never smart enough to download a torrent for the subs, so I gave up. (again kids don’t pirate).
Disappointed, I turned to the image-board Danbooru. I figured that I could get some minor information on the characters through fanart and fan comics. A quick search of the title lead me to some interesting fanart and 4koma four panel by the artist Rifyu.
I randomly selected one of his artwork; a crossover of the Umineko and Higurashi cast. The art was crude and simple, but it wasn’t too bad (and it was a hella better than Ryukishi’s art for the Higurashi visual novel). Based on this art, I assumed that that the characters of Higurashi might appear in Umineko, or at the very least Umineko was an expansion to Higurashi’s story.
I continue to scroll through his comics when I came across a 4koma of a gothic lolita cat-like girl who I presumed was Higurashi’s Rika, and a redhead schoolgirl at a bowling alley. The redhead made a successful strike and is at all cheers. Interesting, the word “strike” was in red. The gothic lolita doesn’t seem too impressed. Not by the efforts of her “friend” (ha ha ha), but by her usage of “red text”.
“Why is ‘strike’ is in red and why is Rika upset about her using this ‘red text’?” I questioned. I was confused by this “red text”. Was it something special for those two or anything?
Oh well.
The third panel focused on Gothic Lolita Rika throwing her ball in what I guessed was an attempt to one-up the redhead girl. Gothic Lolita Rika not only earned herself a strike, she also destroyed the bowling alley, and possibly killed a few people in panel 4.
Ange: “Yes! STRIKE!” Bernkastel:”Didn’t I tell you not to use the red text?”
“So I guess Rika is a jealous bitch in Umineko who feels the need to outshine people.” I assumed. I went on to read another 4koma, this time featuring a blue hair girl name Erika – a girl with bad fashion taste.
Erika Furudo
“Erika, huh? Is she like another Rika because of their names?” I questioned, thinking there were a connection between the two.
From reading the Erika centered 4koma, I took a wild guess that she had a hardcore crush on Ange’s brother, Battler. I mean yea, having a cute little crush is cool, but Erika was taking her crush way too far. Creepy-stalker-with-a-crush levels of too far. She will sexually harass you too far. Erika is totally the type of girl you put a restraining order on because she doesn’t know what personal space means. And she might kill you in your sleep.
“Ya know, maybe this is why Ange is overprotected and super close with Battler in some of the 4komas. The women who are attracted to him are crazy.”
Not only was she a bit too protective of Battler in these comics, she might have been like him a bit wee too close as siblings. There were two other 4komas of Battler chilling with different women: Beatrice and Gertrude. In these comics, Battle is on a date with either woman but suddenly Ange burst in and blocks any attempt of the Beatrice/Gerrude growing close with Battler.
“So, does Ange has a brother complex like she Lachesis off Fire Emblem 4? Is she one of them fujoshi wotaku nerds that take their otaku hobbies and fantasies too far and want to get with her brother like some weird anime character? Ange got some issues.”
(Man, she has issues indeed but I won’t go over them in this post.)
I spent the entire night reading through Riyfu’s comics of Umineko. They were funny as fuck and gave me a nice insight of the series and characters.
“Man, Umineko is nothing like Higurashi! I hope the anime is light-heart and funny as these comics!” I foolishly told myself.
Man.
My.
Black.
Ass.
Was.
Wrong.
AFTERWORD: My bad for waiting until two days after the anniversary to post this work was kicking my ass and I didn’t have the energy or drive to work on this freewrite Thursday. I am working on Part 3 of my Higurashi raw thoughts if you’re looking forward to that!
After defeating Obuni of Universe 10 (as well as being the direct cause of that universe’s erasure/death) Gohan examines a pedant on the arena floor left behind by him. Inside, there’s a picture of Obuni, his wife, and infant child. The shot switches back to Gohan – his facial expression and silence tells the tone and emotion of his actions. Gohan not only just kill a family man like himself, but an entire universe. An universe full of innocent people caught in the “crossfire” of this tournament.
This sets in hard for Gohan (and the audience) once the pedant itself is erased from existence.
Gohan isn’t someone with a malice heart, nor is he a person who enjoys harming others for pleasure. He is a very emphatic man who deeply cares about the well-being of others. We can assume that he did not want to defeat Obuni and wipe out/kill his universe; but Gohan had to do whatever it took to ensure the survival of his own family, friends, and universe. Even still – no matter how you want to twist it – Gohan is responsible for the loss of countless lives with his action.
Meanwhile, as Gohan is reflecting on his actions, Universe 10’s angel Cus is visibly upset at the destruction of her universe and warriors. I’d even go as far to say that she might have been on the verge of crying. It’s clear that Cus treated Gowasu and Rumsshi with respect and kindness; given her positive interactions with them. Cus enjoyed the presence of her warriors as we saw her cheerfully dancing with them for a Gowasu’s GodTube’s channel and taking pictures with each warrior.
To her, those warriors and Gods weren’t just pawns she was using in order to win. Those were people whom she viewed as friends. People she cared for.
This brings me to the title of this post. “Winning or Losing Doesn’t Benefit Anyone” is taken from a line from the full version of Dragon Ball ED 7 “An Evil Angel and Rightous Devil”. The verse from the line itself reads as follow:
‘Angels and devils: even if the devils were really angels,
Righteousness and evil would still hold no meaning.
Winning or losing doesn’t benefit anyone –
Everyone is simply hurt, crying in the end.’
The Tournament of Power was created in order to balance out good and evil in the multiverse. The eight universe in combat each have horrible mortal ratings (some worse than others) and thus, in order to ensure this balance, the losing universes must be wiped out.
However…
As the lyrics state, what benefit does winning or losing bring to others? What benefits are gained for the sake of of the greater good if innocent lives are lost in the process – Lives whom which weren’t fighting in this tournament? Lives treated as expendable.
We saw this with Cus, who I believe was about to cry as she witnessed her friends’ existence being erased. We saw this with Gohan reflecting on him (unwilling) killing Universe 10. Hell, Universe 10 was Gowasu’s universe. Gowasu was Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks’s ally during the Zamasu incident. While Goku is an idiot with selfish desires, he does care about his friends. Imagine how Goku will feel about Gowasu’s existence being wiped out.
In fact, let’s take any positive outcome out and create a dark, depressing ending.
Let’s say the Super Plot Balls aren’t able to bring back all the universes that were erased, or that the Zenos won’t bring them back for their own selfish reasons. Then what? How Goku going to feel about people he respect from different universes (such as Hit and Caulifia) not being revived – all because he wanted a fight.
The more emphatic victors of the tournament are going to feel like utter shit for causing the loss of countless innocent lives. The angels who have a wonderful (or at the very least good) relationship with their Gods and warriors gonna be sadden. I wouldn’t be shock if Cus or any other angel with a good heart will revolt against their father (the Grand Priest) and the Zenos.
Yea, all the universes with the low moral rating and evilness are gone. But if people are going to question if their actions and you got Angels who’re upset that their universes are gone, then what benefit does that bring to anyone?
‘You know who suffers then? The people.’ -Levin (Fire Emblem 4: Genealogy of the Holy War)
You only get one shot. If the first episode of an anime doesn’t impress me, it’s getting dropped.
Did In Another Generic Otaku Harem Fantasy World impressed me on its first episode? Well, if I’m making fun of the title and its originality, then no. It did not impress me at all.
In Another World With My Smartphone is disappointing. I’m talking “shut-in, black sheep in the family who watches anime all day, cosplays at anime cons, and doesn’t play sports like your father wanted you to; thus he disowns you” disappointing (kinda like some of you weeaboos out there reading this).
I was optimistic that this’ll be a good show based on its premise: Our hero, Touya Mochizuki, is resurrected and sent to a new fantasy-like world of his choosing by God (who accidently killed him by throwing down lighting towards the Earth, striking him). In this new world, Touya can still use his smartphone as it’s powered by magic. In addition, his phone is still linked to his former world, allowing him to receive information and news from it.
It’s an interesting concept that I haven’t seen in any other form of media. Seeing modern day technology powered by magic as it technology itself adapts to the fantasy world. It’s such a great idea and you think the writers of the show can do some amazing ideas with that, right?
Nah. All they give us is yet another cookie cutter otaku fantasy anime with world harem undertones, with some decent and cool ideas to help keep it little original. Outside of the original ideas however, this anime failed to impress me in reasons which I will go over.
The anime opens with the recently decreased Touya chilling in heaven alongside God (who looks like a regular lookin’ grandfather; with his glasses, normal clothes, and all). God explains to Touya that his death was accidental to His own carelessness, and begs for Touya’s forgiveness. Touya’s rather chill about the whole mishap and forgives God, understanding that people make mistakes and you must forgive them for it. I mean, yeah, he did died at such a young age and he didn’t fully experienced life, but at least he doesn’t have to live on Earth with all its awful people and problems. And God’s seems like a very chill, mellow, and sincere dude.
You gotta think positive sometimes, ya know?
Impressed by Touya’s forgiving heart, God makes up for his (literally) fatal mistake by reviving him into any world of his choosing (a fantasy world as mentioned earlier), as well as making his smartphone operate in this new world and gives him His number.
Following that, the OP animation starts to play. It starts out normally – upbeat music plays, there’s panning of forest landscape, Touya’s face’s appearing in the foreground, and annoying singing by some J-Pop idol girls, and holy hell it’s so annoying. Many red flags are going off in my head like I’m a Commie.
Things went from “this show won’t be bad at all!” to “this is going to be yet another annoying, generic otaku harem fantasy world anime ain’t it?” To start with my disappointment towards this aniem, Touya transforms into Kirito Clone #314 with a white pallet swap of Kirito’s school shooter trench coat. That alone should had made me drop this anime as soon as saw that, but I decided to curb my anger just for this review.
What’s with light/web novel characters having trench coats
What’s with light/web novel characters having trench coats
And why they have the same facial features?
nd why they have the same facial features?
(Seriously, I’m not anime racist but, what’s with these light/web novel characters looking alike?)
Alas, my anger would soon dominate my chill and zen mind as the weeaboo-like OP music increased its awfulness. Like forreal, the music makes me want to choke out its producer. I’m willing to stack up and piss away $3500+ for a trip to Japan, just so I can personally strangle the anime’s music producer in hopes he or she will never make awful trash like this ever again.
That, or just master the song on the violin and make money off tips at anime cons from fans of this show. Hustle off these weeb kids and adults because they pay good money to hear violin covers of their favorite weeb song but I digress.
As for the OP animation, it’s what you expect from a Generic Otaku Harem Fantasy World Anime: The first phase of the OP is character introductions. First, we have two girls roaming the countryside. We can assume that they’re twin sisters due to their similar hair and eyes color, facial structure, and clothing. Any clues of their personalities and how different they are aren’t presented as their introduction but if I can take a guess, one is an introverted shy twin and the other is more extroverted, open, and brash.
This is the look of a girl who’ve seen some things.
Next, we’re introduced to some samurai girl who looks like the love child of that girl with owl off Samurai Showdown and Reimu off Touhou. She appears to be just like any other average and plain samurai girl in anime of this type so let’s move forward.
Reimu (Thouhou)
Owl Girl (Samurai Showdown)
Samurai Girl
Following, is the obvious upbeat Himedere princess. I’m basing this sterotype off the fact of her position in this shot, the color coding of her dress, facial expression, and how her arms are up and spread like she’s a decision maker in her country.
She is followed by who I can assume to be another princess, perhaps a rival princess from another country. I can take a wild guess that she somebody close to her is either dead or missing based how she’s staring outside her window and the depressing look on her face. That, or her weedman whom she called two hours ago is on drug dealer time and is wondering why it’s taking him so long to come through.
We move forward with a below average gothic lolita reading in her dark and gloomy room filled with creepy stuffed animals. Then, we have some random minor character introductions. After that, is a quick ascending shot focusing on a floating island which is followed up by shot of a MILF and her daughter, maybe? Her student? Some kid she kidnapped? I dunno the connection between the two other than they have the same weird purple and white hair clips. Speaking of connections, is there a connection to the floating island and these two, given they had their introducing shots back-to-back with the same quick ascending panning.
Creepy looking gothic lolita
Next, the OP focus back on that Himdere Princesss and she just look annoying with her overly happy childish Genki anime girl expression and animal mascot sidekick. She looks annoying and I hope her animal sidekick bites into her neck and drags her across the ground violently like Mantecore the White Tiger did Roy Horn. Just snatch all her shit up and maul her to death.
This is the most punchable moe’ face I’ve seen in a while
Then, we’re introduced to a secondary male character. He’s totally gonna be Touya’s rival or something with how he is position in the middle, there’s that speed lines pointing directing at him, and there’s a close up of his smug face. He has white hair, so he probably has a tragic past or something that will make the fangirls feel bad for him or something. Or “he” might be a cross-dressing girl with masculine features thus making everyone question their sexuality because it’s a harem show and we need to carter to every type of niche of animu girl archtype here – even reverse traps.
The OP transition to battle showcases and boy, are they boring. Every battle that is shown here lack any sense of direction towards urgency, excitement, or high stakes in terms of life or death. The brawler twin just curb stomps some dragon as she slams her fists into its body while her mage sister cast magic against….invisible enemies? Oh and we don’t know what kinda spell she just cast. I guess an explosion spell maybe? I dunno.
Reimu and Owl Girl’s love child fighting style example is one of the worse of this phase and here’s why: So Samurai Girl runs up on one lizard man) and lizard man puts up his shield to protect himself, right? But it looks like either Samurai Girl slice the shield or stomach of the lizard man but it’s hard to tell based off the camera angle and the awkwardness of the animation. Then she charges into two other lizardmen.
We can tell she’s charging into them based off the animation speed lines, but that animation just fades as she slices the first Lizardman’s shield, runs (with the speedlines re-appearing), the camera moving awkwardly behind her as the speedlines disappear and she attacks two more lizardmen. Just like with the first lizardman, we can’t tell if she hit them or not due to how weird the animation appears.
(Refer to the OP video link above as my GIF creation program wouldn’t work at the time of posting this review)
The scene quickly transition to the second princess firing a magic bow towards a group of some damn dirty apes who were just minding their own business. Not much to go on here, so let’s tear apart Touya’s battle.
Touya fights against some old dude in an empty arena for no reason. The fight choreography is lazy as there is no effort and direction with the sword fighting. The sword swings has no force or power behind them as they side step to the right. There’s small sparks at each clash of their blades but it’s not anything grand. In short, this is the worse battle of this phase due to the animator not caring or pressed for time and completion.
The OP finally ends with Generic Otaku Harem Fantasy MC (I’m not calling him by his real name anymore) and the girls standing in front of an unknown mansion. Will this be his personal penthouse for him and his harem where they all live in harmony? Are they going to do some The Great Gatsby type partying here? Is it some random dude’s house they just rented out the front lawn for this shot alone? Oh well, it doesn’t really matter.
At this point, my gut was telling me “Hey Benjamin, drop this now! It’s not worth your blood pressure rising due to your anger.” I ignored my gut’s warning.
“Nah, let’s see how laughably terrible this anime will get!” I rebuttal as I aggressively tapped my left index finger against the side of my laptop while punching the wall with my right hand in anger from witnessing such a generic show of a OP. I mean, this anime isn’t that utterly horrible. I can see why some folks may like it, but its’ not my cup of tea. And yet, I swear if I kept watching this entry level moe’ harem filth, I’d commit mass murder against all lonely otaku who love to project their harem otaku fantanties on main characters like this Touya..
I need to listen to my gut more often.
Once the awful OP ends, we see Generic Otaku Harem Fantasy MC lying in a field unconscious. He awakens, sees that he’s okay, and heads to town. As he questions how he’ll survive in this new world, Generic MC receives a call from God. After confirming that Generic MC is okay he informs him that he upgraded his phone to help him get through the new town with ease such as installing a map program detailing the area.
Once receiving the map updates, Generic MC heads to town, but is stopped by some weird, overly excited, possibly gay tailor; He begs the MC to sell his “bizarre” school clothes to him in exchange for some gold pieces and clothing to help blend in. The scene cuts away to an eye-catch of a recycled image of the MC checking his phone and annoying MMORPG-like music jingle.
“They’re gonna use this often, aren’t they? I hope not this is annoying.” I asked myself. “Eh, probably not, it’s just a one-time thing, right?”
Oh Ben, you’re so full of hope.
After receiving his new clothes (and being creped out by the tailor sniffing his old outfit), Generic Otaku Harem Fantasy World MC wanders around town, seeking the Silver Moon Inn as mentioned to him by the tailor. He needs a place to lounge in and settle in the new world. While searching for the inn, he encounters the set of twins from the OP being harassed by some thugs in an alley. The girls sold the thugs a damaged glass antler piece and believe they should not pay full price for it. They demand the girls to lower the price, which they refuse.
Touya decides to step in and help the girls. And once again, a red flag pops up in my head.
“Let me guess: Dude’s gonna play hero, somehow overpower the two thugs who’re in better shape than he is, and the two girls will sworn over him and befriend him, despite being ignorant of his origins.”
My theory will be soon proven right.
The thugs try to attack the kid but he takes them out with ease. During the strife, we’re treated to a sample of his powers bestow upon him by God. As the smaller thug charges towards the MC with a knife, he dodges the blade. He notices that he is moving so fast that the world feels like it’s in slow motion. Taking advantage of this, he smashed his elbow into the spine of the attacker, knocking him out cold. The anime doesn’t show what happens to the other thug.
Guess he saw his homeboy getting that ass whoop and was like “Nah bruh, I’m good. I didn’t even want that glass piece anyways.” and dipped off screen.
So Touya, or Generic Otaku Harem Fantasy MC. This kid’s a Gary Sue – blessed by God who enhanced his natural abilities. He managed to whoop one thug’s ass so badly that his homeboy ran off on him like he just ripped off the plug. In under ten minutes we’ve encounter awful OP music, a harem set up, a generic fantasy otaku dream world, and now a Gary Sue MC who’ve just impressed a set of twin girls with his powers.
Awesome.
The cynical me was yearning for the kid to act all cool and cocky against the thugs, only to have his skull caved in by them. Kinda like Subaru (Re:Zero) was put in his place for playing hero by the two thugs harassing Emila. Granted, In Another World With My Smartphone is a campy “stuck-in-a-fantasy-world”anime compared to Re:Zero, and the kid did died at such a young age. He earned the right to live out this fantasy life of being overly powered and have girls fall of him day one. But still, this lazy writing and train wreck anime makes wanna drink. I need to get drunk tolerant this trash.
Sigh.
Touya and the twins (Elze; a headstrong brawler and Linze; the quiet mage) are quickly acquainted. After revealing some information about his background, he tells the girls that he’s searching for the Silver Moon Inn. To the surprise of nobody who understand lazy writing and are knowledgeable in classic RPG troopes/clichés, the twins are staying in that exact inn and agree to let him join their adventure.
There’s another cut away shot with some awful guitar music playing while the voice actresses of the twins are humming along to the melody (off beat mind you). They sound bored; as if they just wanna get their paycheck and forget the fact that they worked on this show. I don’t blame them.
[Skipping several unimportant scenes ahead]
Later that night, we see Touya lying in bed checking his cell phone. The phone is still connected to his old world, so he still receives news updates from it as we see him reading an entertainment article on a popular band from his world breaking up. I personally like this, as it shows that life in his old world has move on after his death. This makes me wish that I wasn’t dropping this anime, because I want to see the writers play with the idea of Touya checking his phone for news updates in his old world.
The next morning, Touya, Elze, and Linze scan a bulletin board searching for quests to earn money. After the twins get Touya hip on how the guild system work, the three apply to hunt down and kill five horned wolves, collecting their horns as proof of killing the beasts. Before heading out, Touya arms himself with a sword – furthering the point home that he’s a generic action-fantasy web/light novel hero
Toyua tears through and flawlessly kill two wolves as expected (because you know, can’t have the Gary Sue MC get torn apart and slaughtered by wild beasts ass in mere seconds), one of the wolves being an extra kill just because. After the battle, he mentions that he wants to learn how to read and write in the language of the world he’s living in, given he lacks the knowledge of knowing how to. Furthermore, he wants to learn magic as he was inspired by Linze’s spell casting.
Let’s break this down: he gets to live in a world that he’s happy in (fair enough due to reasons mentioned earlier), he takes down thugs flawlessly, links up with twins, kills two monsters with ease (one which was an extra kill), and now he wants to learn magic. As a Gary Sue kid with an unprecedented natural learning rate and talent, he’ll master magic with ease of course.
Joy.
As they’re chilling back at the Inn, the twins tell Touya that in order to learn and master magic, he must have been born with strong aptitudes. Linze (born with strong aptitude) showcases her magic spells to Touya through elemental stones. Linze shows Touya a weak water magic spell, filling a small tea cup up with water. She passes the stone to Touya, who on his first try almost floods the table. The twins are shocked and even impress by this and suggest that they go outside to have him practice with the othert stones before he destories the inn.
Of course, Touya shows impressive display of skills of each stone’s magic. He has no hassle in using their powers a few steps above the average. It’s like he’s of the Master Knight class from the stagery RPG Fire Emblem 4: Genealogy of the Holy War – he can use all magic and weaponry. Expert unlike say Lachesis of Leaf (two Master Knights) who had to work their asses off to get that class, this kid would start off as a Master Knight right from the gate.
After seeing the kid showcasing how much of a Gary Stu he is, I decided to drop the episode right there and then. I had enough of it.
In Another World With My Smartphone isn’t too terrible, but it’s not great either. For what it’s worth, this show works well for its target audience and demographic. It’s a campy, fun show that doesn’t take itself or clichés seriously. I can see it as a show for somebody who just wants to relax on an easy day with a beer (or juice for the younger folks) and chill out after a long day of work or school. As for people like me outside it’s demographic, I can’t recommend it.
I was really hopeful that this anime would have been different with using modern technology in a fantasy world that still work due ot magic. That is an amazing concept that I wanan see more in anime, because it’s something I’ve never seen before. While I did drop the episode, I did manage to peep at the scene where Touya is explaining how to create ice cream with magic thanks in part with his cell phone. I thought that was cool him showing the resident of his new world how the technology of his former world works.
I must also appreciate the RPG like aesthetics of this show. It made me felt like I was watching a campy RPG come to life and I personally wouldn’t mind playing a RPG game like this. The music itself has that classic smartphone RPG vibe with it light orchestral soundtrack playing the scenes. Granted, I will say it got annoying at certain points.
Sadly, the predictable overpowerness of Touya and him learning magic and weaponery with ease is a huge turn off. I get that he was blessed by God to have his natural abiblities increased ten folds, but it comes off as cheap and lazy. However, it seems like Touya will struggle with reading and writing overtime so I guess that’s a fair trade off.
In short, just skip In Another World With MY Smartphone if you dislike OP’d Gary Stu characters and overly capmy RPG troopes. It’s not worth wsting your time watching. If you don’t mind it and just want a warm, upbeat show to watch then I say watch it.
Score: 6/10
I would give this show a 4.5/10, but it’s that modern day technology in a fantasy world idea is great and I think if done right, it could be sometime exciting to see in future anime series. Plus
AFTERWORD
I’m tempted to give this show a second chance just based off how relaxing of a show this is. Also I just saw how the other thug was defeated after writing this. Dude was knock out by the brawler twin but I’m too lazy to edit that in lol.
In Another World With My Smartphone is disappointing. I’m talking “shut-in otaku, black sheep in the family who watches anime all day, and doesn’t play sports like your father wanted you to, thus he disowns you” disappointing (kinda like some of you weebs out there). I had so much hope for this anime when I first heard about it. The idea of the main character using modern day technology in a fantasy world, and said technology is powered through magic. That’s sound amazing! It’s something I’ve never seen in anime before (or in any type of media), and I was curious on how that will play out in the series.
Sadly, my hopes were crushed when I realized within the first two or three minutes of the episode that this anime was, yet another , cookie cutter otaku fantasy harem series. You know, we’ve seen time-after-time before; Thanks due the popularity of Sword Art Online. Plus, I should had know this show would had been garbage from the jump given it’s a light novel series cratered to lonely otaku who yearn to live out some weird harem fantasy that they know deep down will never happen.
I mean they can’t talk to a single women, let another collect multiple women to add into an harem.
Stay tune in the future for my more in-depth review on episode one of In Another Generic Otaku Harem Fantasy World in the near future.
‘I think it’s time we blow this scene. Get everybody and the stuff together. OK. 3 2 1. Let’s jam.’
I’m going to make this bold ass statement: If series such as Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, and Pokemon jump started the Western anime craze of the 1990s, then Cowboy Bebop snatched that craze and carried it to unimaginable heights during the early 2000s – thus shaping how anime is viewed in the eyes of mainstream America today. If Cowboy Bebop never made it to the States or became such an overnight hit, then (maybe) mainstream interest in anime here in would had die out. Don’t get me wrong: those shows did well here in the States, but Cowboy Bebop was a game changer. I (personally) believed that the show helped changed the stereotype that anime is childish in America.
Putting my major (and fact-less) bias aside, Cowboy Bebop is Sunrise Studio’s 1998 legendary anime series produced by the equally legendary team up of director Shinchiro Watanabe, writer Keiko Nobumoto, character designer Toshiro Kawamoto, and composer Yoko Kanno. The series revolves around the adventures of a ragtag crew of bounty hunters attempting to make ends meet day-by-day.
The crew consist of the zen, free-spirited Spike, his best friend; the wise and mature Jet, the provocative opportunist; Faye, and finally, the quirky teenage super-genius; Ed. What’s unique about these characters is their connection to their (tragic) pasts, and how it crafts their present-day lives and personalities.
Spike declares himself “dead”, due to his past with the Red Dragons crime family, as well as feeling guilt towards Julia – the only person he truly cared for. This results in his “Whatever happens, happens” mantra in combination of his carefree spirit. Jet’s struggles with his past is rooted in the betray of his friend; whom ambushed and shot him – resulting the loss of his arm. Faye perhaps has the most unstable, complex connection to the past (next to Spike) of the main cast. She lacks knowledge of her own past due 50+ years of deep cryogenic sleep. Further in the series, she learns about it through an old, homemade Betamax recording of her younger self. It’s revealed that she was an once a hopeful, shy, kindhearted, innocent kid full of wild dreams. Those dreams were ruined after her family were slaughtered by space pirates, leaving her the lone survivor. The injuries she suffered from the attack forced doctors to put her in deep sleep, which resulted in her memory lost and personality change.
Oh well, whatever happens, happens.
What makes Cowboy Bebop my highest rated series is how it was such a game changer for me as a teenager. Prior to my encounter with it, I was used to shows such as Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon, and Outlaw Star to name a few. Great shows mind you with good stories, but they weren’t really deep or thought provoking (Outlaw Star and Sailor Moon S did made me think a little bit with their themes, but it wasn’t like Cowboy Bebop level deep). Cowboy Bebop had this more adult branding to it; it made me feel in love with the series. You had jazz music playing in some of the major fights, characters drinking, smoking (both weed and tobacco on screens), poppin’ pills and trippin’ off shrooms. There were beautiful, kickass female characters who were treated not just as eye-candy, but humans. Cow or Bebop showcased characters that had legit issues that you could relate to such as debt, struggling with the past, burdens etc. No longer was I limited to anime that had your typical fuckin’ bullshit “defeat the monster-of-the-day” or “I wanna be the strongest in the world” fantasy shit.
Cowboy Bebop was the real shit because it was real.
‘Once upon a time, in New York City in 1941… at this club open to all comers to play, night after night, at a club named “Minston’s Play House” in Harlem, they play jazz sessions competing with each other. Young jazz men with a new sense are gathering. At last they created a new genre itself.
They are sick and tired of the conventional fixed style jazz.
They’re eager to play jazz more freely as they wish then… in 2071 in the universe… The bounty hunters, who are gathering in the spaceship “BEBOP”, will play freely without fear of risky things. They must create new dreams and films by breaking traditional styles. The work, which becomes a new genre itself, will be called… COWBOY BEBOP’
-Cowboy Bebop’s tagline pitch
AFTERWORD
29 days down, just one more. Day 30 – Your Favorite Anime.
This…will be fun.
While you’re waiting for that, please check out these amazing video by Digibro on Cowboy Bebop:
With episodes four and five’s plot of Mary and Yumeko teaming up to regain their humanity and lives, I figured that now is a great time to drop a theory I have on two possible narrative theme elements of Kaegurui; The theme of power and freedom. Both episodes (including manga spoilers) and the ED provided me with more than enough evidence and clues to support these claims. Hell, I’ll throw in some theories I have about Yumeko’s personality because why not.
The first phase of the ED opens with separate, close focus shots of Yumeko’s ass and bouncing breasts; branding Kakegurui as a series of near hyper sexuality. Next, we see Yumeko walking in the rain unprotected. She doesn’t appear to mind the rain, or the problems it brings. This tells us that Yumeko is carefree: She loves taking risks and finds comfort in being reckless. In short, she marches to the rhythm of her own beat.
Sakaya reflecting on Yumeko’s carefree spirit.
Sakaya reflecting on Yumeko’s carefree spirit.
Sakaya reflecting on Yumeko’s carefree spirit.
In the background, there is a peony flower – the Japanese symbol of daring bravery and wealth. People with bravery and wealth are powerful. Yumeko is a brave girl; she’s not bothered by high risk stakes or manipulation by outside sources. In fact, she enjoys it. To say she gains pleasure from it is a statement not far from the truth. Hyakkaou itself is rich in wealth, bravery, and power. Seeing the peony flowers in various Kakegurui manga covers and promotional materials is no coincidence in that sense.
The peony cycles through four colors: red, green, yellow-green, and purple.
In color theory, red is use for power. Now, what are the Hyakkaou students gambling for? Status and power above all. But, before you get the power, you must get the money. This leads us to the next color – green.
Green – most associated with money – and greed. Money makes the world go round. Money never sleeps like Wall Street. If gambling is the backbone of the school than money is the lifeblood. The student body is made up of the children of some of the richest and most powerful connected families of Japan.
Power is everything. Money rules all.
‘You gotta get the money first. Then when get the money, you get the power.’ -Tony Monata, Scarface (1983 American film)
‘All my life I want money and power.’ -Kendrick Lamar, Backseat (2012 American hip-hop single)
Next is yellow-green. We already analyze green, so let’s focus on yellow. Yellow represents logic, analysis, and brain stimulation. Gambling itself is a mental game; As you much analyze and read your opponent’s moves. Logic can greatly dictate the flow of a gambling match (if you’re extremely smart and/or know how to play the system that is). Yellow can also represent joy and happiness – something Yumeko tend to indulge herself in a lot through gambling.
Finally the color purple. Purple represents royalty, power, luxury, and nobility – four things in which the upper-class students either have obtained or inherited. The lower-class/livestock yearns for these four things they lack. Purple is also a mysterious, yet beautiful color. This works with Yumeko, as we do not know neither her origins, nor background. She’s also rather beautiful as her male peers were captivated by her beauty at first sight (and it’s implied Ryota has a crush on her based on her beauty).
This phase of the ED continues for a few bars of music, which builds up as the vocalist and instruments are layered in the melody.
There are quick, close focus shots of Yumeko’s chest, skirt, opened shirt, and finally, her lips. The animation of her lips sync with the vocalist singing “tagitte shimau wa!, or, “I’m overflowing!” in English.
Now, we’ve heard Yumeko say this line before in episode 2; as she gets aroused through gambling. Gambling excites Yumeko profoundly. Perhaps a bit too much however.
From episode 2. Yumeko has issues. Not Midari level issues. But issues.
The ED transitions into phase two. The peony flower has exploded into red pedals. The pedals start to rotate around Yumeko. Now, remember that red means power. Who has the power in Hyakkaou? The student government has the power of course. Now, could that possibly mean that Yumeko will break up the student council’s power game, and have them wrapped around her fingers as the series progress?
These lyrics of the ending theme seem to suggest so:
‘So have your way with their souls.
Make them dance in the palm of your hand!’
Then again, this could also be a reference to how the student council control the lower class; removing their humanity, treating them as livestock, and dictating their lives through the Life Schedule Plan (more on that later).
After that, Yumeko tosses her blazer aside carelessly; her dress shirt open, revealing her cleavage and pink bra. Her arms are spread slightly. She walks with fluidity as she sways her hips back and forth, still soaked by the rain. Liberated from her “restrains” (the blazer and buttoned shirts), she wears a wide smile; As if she’s happy that she can be free. Perhaps this symbolize that in the future, she’ll finally be happy that she can be her true self – a fearless, limitless gambler.
There’s a bar of rest in the music, followed by an upskirt shot from the ground up. The downbeat directs us to the final phase. Yumeko’s arms and hair are raised high above her head. She walks with more confidence in each step. Multiple lights sync with the percussion, alternating between blue and pink at each bar. Five or six peony flowers appear in the background, each rotating like roulette wheels while the pedals of the original peony still dance around Yumeko.
The imagery increases with intensity, working in synergy with the music’s crescendo. The animation transitions to a set of poker chips ascending; This might hint that Yumeko will raise above the ranks of Hyakkou and the student government.
Finally, the ED ends with a focus shot of the Yumeko’s face. It’s blushed, her lips are parted, and her hair a mess. She appears she just been pleasured sexually for some odd reason (sex sells I guess). Also, note how her hair are red – just like the peony pedals. Perhaps she gains power and triumph over the student government overtime. Maybe I’m thinking way too deep into the shot, but whatever.
By analyzing the ED, I’ve theorized two the possible themes of Kakegurui are freedom and power.
Freedom plays a large role in the series. Students yearning to free themselves from their “pet” and “livestock” statues, as well as debts they owe to others. We first see this through Ryota and Mary’s game from the first episode. Of course, Ryota lost to Mary and became her pet as a result.
Later, after her defeat against Yumeko, Mary is force to surrender her life, and live the life that the student council crafted for her: the Life Schedule Plan (getting married to a senator, baring his children, etc.).
She enters a debt forgiveness gambling match with Yumeko (also suffering the same fate as Mary). The two join forces to lower their debt, thus one step closer in retaining their humanity and freedom. During this match, we’re introduced to Nanami, a young girl reduced to livestock status. She’s forced to partner up with minor villain Kiwatari. After realizing that she was coerced (as well as emotionally and mentally abused) into working for Kiwatari, Yumeko convinces Nanami to grow a backbone, fight for herself, and free herself from Kiwatari. Despite losing the match (coming in second place) and still having debt, Nanami gains a sense of freedom and confidence for herself.
As for the theme of power, it’s quite obvious. From episode 1 to the recent episode 5 (and the manga of course), power and status is played heavily in the series. Mary has power over Ryota for a time. Yumeko displays her power through extreme wit and intelligence. Students with status and money have power over the pets. The student government (made up of high ranking gamblers and students with political and financial connections) rule the school through their power. We see the fincinal status and connection with Itsuki (as her dad is the CEO of a toy company) and the political pull and ruling of the current ruthless Kirari Momobami.
Power is everything in Hyakkaou.
‘No one man should have all that power.’
–Kanye West, Power (2010 hip-hop single)
How did you like my analysis and theories? Think I’m spot on or am I’m just overthinking an ED and the music? I’m excited how things will play out in both the manga nad anime, as things are starting to get wild in episode 5. I’ve yet to read the manga but I heard from a friend that it’s nuts. Let me know what you think in the comments!
Mother’s Basement analysis of the OP of Kakegurui. Although this further inspired me to do this ED analysis, I wasn’t initially inspired by the video. I was more inspired by Anime Live Reaction analysis of Dragon Ball Super ED 7 to analyze anime lyrics and ED.
NOTE: If you’re wondering why I haven’t done days 29 and 30 of the “30 Day of Anime Challenge”, it’s because I’ve been too heavily focus on other major projects right now. They will return soon.
Now, that’s something I’d say back in 2007. Today, both shows are back on the air: with Dragon Ball with Dragon Ball Super and Sailor Moon with Sailor Moon Crystal.
Go me and reliving my carefree childhood!
To be real with you guys;there aren’t any anime that I wished never ended. Yea I mean, it suck that some shows ended abruptly(say Elfen Lied) or due to studio carelessness and lack of interest (think Studio DEEN with their terrible adaption of Umineko no Naku Koro ni). If an anime ended, it just means that. Just gotta deal with it. Move on and watch new shows to enjoy.
Okay maybe the Umineko anime being a failure wasn’t a bad thing.
If the finished (or canceled) anime you enjoy has an currently running manga, or other form of media (gaming, visual novel, etc.), then give the different media a try. Join an online forum full with fans of the series you enjoy and talk to them about how much joy it brought you.
To end, are there any shows that I wish never ended? Nah. Not really. Sometimes, some series get rebooted or continued through a new entry. Some might end forever. Others may continue on through other media, or the source material is still active. And finally, you just simply have to move on to other anime.
(…okay so I kinda wish The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya kept going.)
You only get one shot. If the first episode of an anime doesn’t impress me, it’s getting dropped.
So, did Hajimete no Gal impressed me on its first episode? Absolutely not!
I had to straight dropped this disrespectful-to-the-source-material trash in under eight minutes. It’s that horrible. However, I figure I’d watch the episode in full. I wanted to thoroughly explain why I don’t like this anime. Plus, I need to confirm my theory that it’ll be garbage overtime.
First off, the opening scene is a panty shot. No warnings, explanations, or buildup leading us to why we’re seeing Yukana’s crotch on the screen. Nope. Just straight up panty shot. To me, that’s just NAZ saying that they’re lacking confidence in the success of their adaption. If using a panty shot as the opening scene is a way to hook the viewers in, then your anime is going to suck.
The manga didn’t open up with a panty shot. The first pages were just Junichi groveling on the ground at the feet of Yukana, with his head lowered in shame. There was a panty shot towards the end of the chapter, but it was directed so that it made sense that. Junichi caught a peep of her panties from the angle of his position. The opening shot of the anime didn’t give that information or sense of direction. That’s why it was off putting.
The opening page.
Notice the lack of panty shots?
Next is the gosh darn annoying opening animation song and animation. The song, “The First Season”, sounds like some generic, entry level weeaboo J-Pop music that you’d normally hear on some weird Japanese-only rhythm game. For example, that Project Diva game that lonely spaz ass weebs play at anime cons. It’s easily forgettable, and could be passed off as a theme song for any other generic romantic-comedy anime.
The OP animation gives off the impression that series might be directed as a harem, as three others girls are introduced: A bubbly, cute, yet graceless chubby girl, a tanned gyaru (who may be the Yukana’s best friend or something), and a graceful, modest girl (whom we can assume is either popular, or has high status, given she’s surrounded by many peers).
Excellent. Not only did that unnecessary panty shot didn’t help anyone who may be skeptical about Hajimete no Gal, the OP is an extra strike for anyone (myself included) who hates harem, or overly perverted material in anime with no substance or reason.
(Admittedly, I’m on chapter 5 of the manga, and I’ve yet to encountered the other girls besides Yukana. Junichi and Yukana are already dating, and Yukana likes him. I don’t know what’s with other girls; if they’re further in the manga or what, but I digress.)
While I’m on the subject, the girl’s design looks plain and lazy. Uninspiring even – lacking depth and clues about their personalities. Also, why does each girl (sans the modest looking chick) have large breasts? Not every female character needs large tits my dude. Sigh. The opening animation pisses me off. The opening shot pisses me off. This episode pisses me off. If I were to watch this entire anime, I’ll lose my temper.
With that said, lets examine the rest of episode.
The anime begins similar to the manga; Junichi frets entering the new school year as a kiss-less virgin. His friends, a group of outcast nerds (Shinpei, Keigo, and Minoru) are in the same boat. Together, they make a pact to lose their virginity. Or at the least obtain new girlfriends before the end of the school year.
While Jun will achieve in getting a girlfriend (he’s the main character, he gets the girl first), his crew talks that good game about getting with a chick to smash and date. Mostly smash. Heck any chick is great for them. White chicks. Black chicks. Asian Chicks. Tsundere Chicks. Dandere. Yandere chicks. They’re all free game – even if the chick looks clearly like a loli.
And here is where things goes from bad to just utterly wrong.
I respect the fact that animators and writers must create filler scenes for manga-to-anime adaption. If you directly apadate the manga panel-by-panel without filler, you’re going to have a very short anime. With that said; when did Jun’s crew became a bunch of pedophiles, trying to smash a girl who’s clearly in middle or grade school? In the manga, they were some petty haters; mad at Jun because he got with Yukana. Cool. They’re still assholes in the anime. That ain’t changed.
But lusting after a little girl? Fam, what the hell? Like, after Nene is introduced (way too early mind you), Minoru starts asking and making some rather suspect questions and statements about Nene. I’ll let these screenshots speak for themselves:
Moving forward, The Virgin Brigade (sans Jun) make an unanimous decision to look at porn magazines in class. They drool over the models’ physical attributes, making rather lewd comments about them. Jun is pressured into reading one. He refuses, but gives up and reluctantly accepts one. While reading it, Junichi is startled by Yukana’s disgust towards the group. Junichi clumsily throws the book behind his back, landing at her feet. Jun hurries to recover it, stumbles, and falls near her. She glares downwards towards him and calls him disgusting. Needless to say, Junichi is utterly embarrassed at what has just transpired.
How I feel about this adaptation.
After school, Junichi confronts his friends about the incident. They tell him to chill and to take advantage of the recent situation. Next, they explain to him how easy(going) gyaru are; suggesting to him that he should pursue Yukana. Once again, he is pressured by his friends into another unwanted situation. In fact, his crew wrote a confession letter addressed to Yukana from Junichi’s point of view. He’s understandably pissed but he catches himself and calms down. He fantasizes about smashing Yukana, inspired after gaining a peep at her panties earlier. He figures that if he confesses and luck out, he’ll get to see more than just her panties, and loses his virginity. They slip the letter into Yukana’s locker and wait.
Hey, dude’s thinking positive with both heads.
Later, Yukana receives the letter and meets with Junichi after reading it. They two meet up , and Junichi “confesses” – by getting on his knees, lowering his head, and begs her for a date. Yukana is disgusted once again, but starts to laugh and tease him, questions him if the only reason why he wants to date her is so that he could to lose his virginity. Dude starts to (over)think that he screwed up, but regains his confidence as Yukana tells him that she finds him cute and wants to get him know him better. She decides that she wants to go out with him, much to his disbelief.
The episode ends with Junichi shouting in victory at his success. Same as the manga.
To conclude, let me explain why I’m dropping this trash adaption. The extra scenes with Yui (the popular and modest girl) and Nene felt unnecessary. It made me assumed that the series was going to stray far from its manga roots; with Junichi attempting to get with every girl (as opposed to the manga where Junichi only had eyes for Yukana). If I had lacked prior knowledge of the manga. and watched the anime fully blind, seeing that possible harem set-up would had made me drop the show off the OP alone.
I’m that strict.
Then, we have Junichi’s crew. His friends are haters in both the manga and anime. They’re a group of young dudes interested in girls and sex, which is normal. What’s not normal is these dudes wanting to have sex with Nene just because she’s a loli.
That’s creepy.
Despite my overal harsh criticism, I will say that I appreciate that the animation team accurately animated panels from the manga shot-by-shot such as the guys looking at porn in the classroom, Junichi’s sexual fantasies, and his confession to Yukana.
As for the animation itself, it’s not too terrible. However, it’s not amazing either. There doesn’t seem to be any inconsistent, off models shots (from what I’ve noticed) or anything that would be jarring. Yet, there’s much more to be desired from the visuals, as many shots lack details, as many parts weren’t “animated” (example – the scene were the students are being lovely-dovely should have had arm moves, kissing, etc like Jun’s fantasy with Yukana were she’s slowly undresses herself, lick her lips, teases Jun, etc.)
Overall, Hajimete no Gal isn’t a completely terrible anime, but it’s not great either. Hell, it’s not even good. It feels like an sub-par romantic-comedy anime that could had have a lot going for it; given how amazing the source material is.
Sadly, the adaption falls flat on its ass due to its overused of fanservice, lack of detailed animation, and uninteresting premises that sway far from its source material. Maybe things will get better as the series carries along in the summer season, but from what I’ve been infromed by die hards fans who’ve read further into the manga than I and watched episodes 2 and 3, I shouldn’t have any hopes that the anime will do the manga justice.
Score 5.5/10.
On the bright side at least this review and score isn’t as brutal as on my Facebook page:
Please note this was written out of pure rage and disappointment.
EDIT: Strong language removed so I can run this post as an ad for Facebook lol
Audio collab between my boy DJ Killzown Jones and myself. With the convention season well into the summer, DJkillzown and I figure we will be nice and give nice audio guide on TO do at cons.
Well, this challenge well be easy as hell, given I do not have a solid favorite anime movie. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of a lie. Genius Party by Studio 4°C is a favorite of mines, but I don’t wanna break down seven films, especially if I don’t have access to the movie right now (plus I’m working on some other projects today, so I gotta focus my time and energy on that). They’re great short films by the same team behind Cowboy Bebop. You should check them out if you like art house like short films.
Since I’m lacking knowledge in anime movies, I need ya help! What anime movies do you guys recommend me watching? I’ve watched Spirited Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan and enjoyed all three (although the Broly movie’s story is garbage). I wanna see Kizumonogatari and Sailor Moon R: The Movie in the future.
‘Real niggas do what they wanna do, bitch niggas do what they can.’ -Tupac
Ken Kubo of Gainax’s 1991 animated/live-action comedy-documentary “Otaku no Video” is someone who otaku can relate to. He’s otaku and proud – and wants the world to know. He’s passionate about otaku culture. So passionate in fact, he winds up quitting tennis, drops out of college, and becomes a full pledge, full time otaku with best friend Tanaka. After being dumped by his girlfriend Yoshiko, being belittled by normies for his passion, and unsuccessful job hunts, he declares that he’ll become a total otaku. He yearns to be not just a total otaku, but the ultimate otaku – The Otaking. Inspired by Ken’s declaration, Tanaka too quits job hunting and joins him on the quest to achieving their dreams.
The two start a figurine production company from Tanaka’s house. Day and night non-stop, the two stay on their grind, selling garage kits to fellow otaku. Overtime, their small two-man company grew from a small business into a giant multi-million company, becoming the leading company for figurine production. Not happy with just owning a big business, Ken envisions a theme park for otaku, by otaku – Otakuland.
Ken thinks and dreams big. He wins big, no matter what. Even after losin his company to greedy bankers, Ken doens’t give up and thinks of winning again. He bounces back from rock bottom, and starts grind the all over again. he builds himself up agian and obtain massive success beyond his initial success off his figurine company. After finding an animation studio and creating an anime series that took the world by storm, Ken not only brought back his old company, but becomes the most richest and successful man in history – thanks to his passion.
Ken’s journey to the top as an otkau and businessman inspires me greatly. As otakus, we are often criticized and ridicule for our passion. We’re told to grow up, stop watching cartoons, or whatever bullshit people pull out their ass who don’t understand our love for anime. But we don’t let that shit get to us. We don’t change just to be accepted by those who don’t get us. Instead, we keep and stay to our otaku roots and raise above the naysayers, like Ken himself.
It was the Fall of 2009. Current, but lessen known (by the mainstream) anime series were appearing on YouTube. Suddenly, I had access to shows that I otherwise couldn’t. Browsing YouTube, a peculiar anime caught my attention : The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (THMOS). I was previously hipped to the series thanks to 4chan’s /a/ and various anime message boards. Otaku communities everywhere were praising it, so I figured I couldn’t go wrong watching it.
Haruhi and Kyon. In the background: Yuki and Mikiru
The titular character, Haruhi, is interesting. She’s egoistical – nobody couldn’t compare to her (in her mind at least). The normal and average bores her. Haruhi’s only interested in the extraordinary. Haruhi wants the world to revolve around her. She believes the world is her stage. In fact, the world belongs to Haruhi – literally.
If you ever watched TMOHS then can you really fault Haruhi for her views? I mean, if you had a realization at age nine that you’re just one in the world of billions, you start questioning your reason of existence as well. You’d want the world to notice that you’re not just a nobody, but a somebody. You would want to stand out from everyone.
‘Have you ever realized just how insignificant your existence on this planet really is’
-Haruhi
The moment that I realized that Haruhi would become one of my favorite female character came at episode 13 of the first season.
Walking home from school, Haruhi tells Kyon a story from her childhood. The event of her and her family attending baseball game catalyzed her need for notability. Haruhi was amazed by the sight of the overflowing, sold out stadium. She perceived that the entire population of Japan was gathered there. In reality, as revealed by her father, the attendance was 200,000 people – only a small fraction Japan’s population.
This shocked Haruhi, causing her to break the population numbers down deeper. After arriving home from the game, she starts breaking down the numbers driving her into fractions. She discovered that the attendance was merely two-thousandth of Japan’s total population at the time (128 million in 2006). Haruhi thus concluded that she was merely one person in a world of endless billions. She was just like everyone else – nothing more. Upon this realization, Haruhi understood that in order to stand out, she must do it herself.
Sitting around waiting for change wasn’t a choice.
So, in her first year of high school, Haruhi made every effort to stand out and leave her mark. Even if people were bother by her actions, thought if she was weird or crazy, she wouldn’t stop. In fact the thoughts of others didn’t bother her. Haruhi is doing her without holding back. That what makes her stand out – her self- expression.
Her want of notability.
Watching Haruhi drive herself towards her goals without fear inspired me to do the same. I wanted to stand out and let the world know I here. That I will drive myself to make my mark upon the world. The drive to stand out. That’s what I want from life.
That is why Haruhi Suzumiya is my favorite female protagonist.
‘ I’d let the world know I wasn’t a girl who was happy sitting around waiting. And I’ve done my best to become that person. ‘
You only get one shot. If the first episode of an anime doesn’t impress me – it’s getting dropped.
Did Kakegurui’s first episode impressed me, or did I have to drop it? Let’s find out! Summary
In Hyakkau Private Academy, status is everything. Gambling is law. Money rules all.
‘Cash rules everything around me.
C.R.E.A.M. get the money
Dollar dollar bill ya’ll’
-Wu Tang Clan
Students with high status are royally treated and rewarded. The low aren’t considered human – treated as pets and furniture. To obtain the high status, you must gamble. Money. Power. Respect. Anything and everything you want in Hyakkau can be obtained – but only if you gamble.
We’re presented with the risk/reward premises of Kakegurui early on through an intense game of Poker between two students: the sadistic gambling queen Mary Saotome, and the lowly Ryota Suzui. The two are to their last cards, breathing heavily, and sweating hard, fatigued from the game. Ryota reveals his hand in confidence: full house. Upon seeing his hand, Mary starts giggling, her face inhumanly twisted.
She reveals her winning hand – Royal Straight Flush.
“Too bad!” she shouts in victory.
Coldly, Mary encourages Ryota to keep his spirit up, despite the hardships he has been through the day. Then, she calls him “Pochi” – his new name. Ryota is no longer human. He is a “dog”. A house pet. His hope, faith, and humanity: gone. Retaining it all is a fool’s game.
Or so did he believe, until a girl named Yumeko Jabami arrived.
Yumeko Jabami: a seemingly sweet and modest girl.
The scene transition to Yumeko introducing herself to her new classmates, wishing to befriend them all. Immediately, she becomes popular. Her male peers are captivated by her cuteness and friendliness. Even Ryota himself is charmed by her sweet presence and beautiful appearance. As a new student, Yumeko needs somebody to show her around. Ryota, due to his class rep status, is selected by his teacher to help her around. He happily accepts his new duty. Yumeko tells him that it’s nice to meet him, with him agreeing likewise. Despite his new status as Mary’s house pet, Ryota’s luck is starting to change.
Speaking of Mary, she jealous of Yumeko’s instant popularity. She doesn’t like the new transfer student. She stares her with disdain.
So far, three characters have been introduced and established. Ryota, the main male character and house pet of the callous supporting character, Mary, and finally, the new student and main female character, Yumeko, who has her first hater in the form of Mary. It’s fairly obvious that Ryota and Yumeko will have the most interactions and their relationship will evolve into friendly terms. We can assume through Mary’s anger towards Yumeko that they’ll have a rivalry. First episode in and we’re already got some good bits served to us and even a possible hook for us to go past the fist episode rather than dropping it.
Let’s move forward.
After class, Ryota gives Yumeko a tour of the school. She’s at awe at its beauty, expressing her happiness of her transfer to him. Next, she notices Ryota’s dog tag around his neck – the name “Pochi” engraved on it. She questions him why he’s wearing it, to which he doesn’t respond, turning his back towards her out of embarrassment. He doesn’t want to let her know about his status as a pet. After a few seconds of silence, he asks Yumeko if she ever gambled before. Yumeko replies innocently, telling him she knows the rules of gambling through Poker and Mahjong.
Ryota replies to her answer. He starts breaking down how gambling is not just the school’s tradition, but it’s the backbone of it. After school, the rich kids turn the school into a massive gambling hall. He tries to warn her that the rich kids will try to invite her to gamble, but is suddenly stopped by her. She finds the idea of gambling in school fun and starts to giggle madly. Ryota looks at her with shock.
There seems to be more about Yumeko than what she lets on.
Later, while socializing with her new peers, Yumeko is challenged by Mary to a gambling match: a game of rock-paper-scissors in card game form. Mary seeks to humiliate Yumeko for stealing her spotlight, and sets her up as her latest sucker. Yumeko, unaware of Mary’s plan, accepts her challenge. Everyone is at abuzz about the challenge, and prep the classroom, transforming it into a gambling den. After the room is set up, Mary explains the rules of voting-rock-paper-scissors to Yumeko.
Both girls play their first card. Mary draws scissors and Yumeko draws rock, winning the first round. Mary congrats Yumeko on her first win and allows her to place the next bet. Yumeko boldly bets 50 chips (valued at 50,000 yen); a move that surprises and socks everyone. Yumeko is chill about her bold move, thinking nothing of it. Both girls draw rock from their hands, resulting in a tie. They continue, Mary playing rock once more and Yumeko with scissors. Obviously, Mary wins. Following that, Yumeko wins the next round, betting 50 chips once again. After that, Yumeko starts to lose each hand, losing all her chips in the process, but again, she’s still in her calm and chill state.
Mary starts celebrating her apparent victory, She asks Yumeko if she want to continue her losing streak. Yumeko doesn’t reply, which prompts Mary to start laughing at and taunting her opponent, asking her if she has cold feet. Mary’s an incredibly arrogant and prideful player. She enjoys taunting her opponent and thinks herself as a paragon of superiority.
I like that. Mary, you’re the second best girl so far.
Yumeko, still stoic and calm, informs Mary that the game has just truly started. She requests one final match, which Mary (cockily) agrees to. Mary believes she’s can force her into an unpayable debt, thus forcing Yumeko to become her new pet. Mary starts praising herself and calls Yumeko foolish. She can’t believe Yumeko wants to play against her once more. She then questions the “foolish” Yumeko how could she possibly continue the game if she doesn’t have any chips left.
Yumeko may not have any chips left, but she has something much more exciting to offer – money.
Yumeko bets real cash – 10,000,000 yen (USD $88,760 as of July 20th 2017) in stacks to be exact. Mary is shocked – offended even. She starts to lose her mind, demanding Yumeko to explain why she carries so much cash on her. She assumes that Yumeko can’t afford to gamble such an outlandish amount of money away on a simple game. She didn’t expect her seemingly naïve and innocent opponent to take the game to a serious route.
She calls Yumeko crazy, but the girl doesn’t seem to be mind being called crazy. In fact, she loves it. She becomes enthusiastic about the new risks. Her eyes start to glow red, demonic like even. She explains how the lifeblood of money rules the world. She gets excited explaining to Mary how the risk and craziness of gambling makes the game even more fun. Yumeko loves money. Yumeko loves high risks. Yumeko loves insanity.
Yumeko loves gambling.
‘Maddness is the essence of gambling, isn’t it?’
-Yumeko Jabemi
(Alright. So Yumeko’s true personality [or at least parts of it] is revealed. She ins’t this modest and humble girl that she originally lead everyone to believe (althrough the OP animation foreshadow that, but whatever). Like a seasoned gambler, she conceals her hard earned knowledge of the game. Yumeko (obviously) is a different person when she takes a game seriously, taking a simple friendly game to high risk and rewards levels – because she loves it.
I’m hooked. No need to drop this anime on episode 1.)
Mary is enraged. She believes Yumeko is mocking her with her reckless behavior, and refuses her offer. Unemotionally, Yumeko taunts her – asking Mary if she has cold as she did her. Pissed, Mary accepts and regains her confidence. She believes that she can still win; entrusting her victory in the fact her classmate are voting in her favor (of course, Mary does have them in her pockets, taking advantage of their needs and wants).
However, Yumeko is hip to Mary plans and exposes her.
Yumeko figures that Mary has about 10-20 people voting in her favor – a fact she hid poorly. Yumeko notices that Mary was playing the same cards twice, mixed her cards while she wasn’t betting, and their peers’ reacting to their plays, sending each other signals to inform Mary on which card to play. She finishes with telling her that she can’t fool anyone if she isn’t prepared to lose money. Mary becomes enraged once more. Her plans broken down and revealed! But, she believes that Yumeko is merely bluffing! She couldn’t be that clever! She has no proof that Mary’s trying to play the system! With her egotistical mindset, Mary believes she can still win. She plays her final card: Paper. She slams her card down with the highest of confidence – but it’s all for naught.
Yumeko, with her sweet and friendly smile, reveals her winning card: Scissors.
Everyone starts to freak out in shock. Mary, the gambling queen of Hyakkau , has been dethroned. She starts to blank out, withdrawn in her thoughts. She just lost 10,000,000 yen – which she lacks. Yumeko demands that she pay up ASAP In shame, Mary bows her head, grits her teeth, and confesses to the victor that she lacks the money. Yumeko (back to her normal innocent nature), tells Mary that the joy of the game and it stakes was payment enough. She cheerfully leaves the room, expressing her hopes that her new classmates will treat her as an equal.
IMPRESSIONS
For a first episode, Kakegurui is excellent, and right on the jump! I like how we’re treated to the premise right away: gambling is law and status. An example of the risk and reward of obtaining victory or losing are presented – with Suzui becoming a pet to Mary, and Mary owing debt to Yumeko after losing to her. Like gambling itself, matches are exciting and the excitement factor is increased when the stakes are higher, as we see with Yumeko betting cash rather than simple plastic chips.
One thing that I’ve noticed that makes me enjoy the anime is the facial expressions of each characters and how it’s link to their reaction. Yumeko with her eyes widing, twisted smile, and facial blushing as she explains how much gambling gives her pleasure, or with Mary’s anger towards defeat expressed through her gritting her teeth, body trembling, lips quivering, and eye twitching.
I am looking forward to how this anime will playout throughout the summer season as it looks promising and refreshing (by my taste). Once completed, I’ll give the series an in-depth review and possible analysis in the future!
So, to answer my question: Did Kakeugurui impressed me?
Yes! Yes it did!
If you have any anime I should watch this season, please let me know in the comment section below! I need to build up my anime game this year!
Yuki The Snowman 