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I was expecting some amazing mind chess, but a got a sad attempt at that. Yeah, I've watched a lot of psychological anime and I can tell you this one does not compete.

Story - 3
The story is a basic high stakes game premise, and is basically like squid game except for it is a group of friends and not a ton of random people. The story has two big problems though. First, the pacing. The first game is over very quickly, while the second game goes on for like 6 episodes. Think about that, that is the length of a movie for just one game, ... one that is the least interesting out of all of them too. And it isn't like there are stages to the game or something dramatic changes everything about the rules halfway through, no, it's them going across the board of the game incredibly slowly. The second issue is that while the games are mediocre in terms of how interesting they are, the "mind games" that the characters play to outwit each other are really not that well thought out. They are laughable compared to the mind games in anime like Death Note. Even Kakegurui, whose characters too often relied on cheating to win the games, had better mind games than this anime. They are either stupid and easy to think of, or the methods are so far fetched that the player was relying on an insane amount of luck for it to work.

Sound - 5
The opening is eh, I don't like the ending. The general soundtrack isn't special but is not annoying either.

Art - 7
The art is fine. Some scenes are pretty nicely detailed. It isn't my favorite art style for the characters themselves, but there isn't really any problems.

Characters - 2
The characters are the worst part of this anime. None of them really have a personality, they are all just on a different level of ability to read and trick others well. But you don't really know anything about them. This makes the games so much less fun to watch, because you aren't rooting for anyone. You don't care who wins or who loses, who is suddenly the villain and who was lying the whole time. Even though shows with high-stakes game can grab attention pretty quickly, it won't be sustained if the characters are flat.

Enjoyment - 4
The hide and seek game seemed like it could be kind of fun, but overall this anime was not that fun.

Overall - 4
I wouldn't recommend this. If you really need something game related, Kakegurui is a better bet, but for mind games, Death Note 100%.

If you've ever had someone betray you, or you are following your dreams, or you like slow-burn romance, this anime is for you! Yeah, kind of a weird combination, but this anime gives you both and it's AMAZING. It is such a relatable anime, but also inspiring, and I think everyone could get something from it.

I also never really read manga, I've only read RELIFE because the anime was so good and I just had to read it. But this anime was so good that I feel I have to read the manga, so that says something!

Story - 9
The story is really engaging and ... has so many fun plot points. I really loved seeing Mogami keep fighting again and again to get a step further in the acting industry. However, I give a 9 because I did think the music video arc was a bit too slow and drawn out, especially since we didn't see much of the other characters during that arc, and I missed them. However, overall, great job at being interesting, and slow enough to sustain realistic character development, but not to bore you.

The romance is also done exceptionally well. It is a slow burn, but that makes it feel more real. But... I do think they should have made Mogami a bit older, it wouldn't have really changed the story. There is some... weird talk about the age gap between her and another man in one of the episodes, and it all could have been avoided if they just made her 18.

Art - 10
I love the art style. It is never really lazy, and the scenes are just so fun to watch. It is bright, lively, and vivid, without paining your eyes or looking childish.

Sound - 9
I LOVE the first opening, and love the second opening even more. The first opening gets you hyped up but still has a motivational vibe, while the second is more serious and gentle but I love it so much. The endings are both okay to me. Also, I watched the English dub, and they actually dubbed the openings and endings as well, so I am referring to the dubbed versions of them. I listened to the subbed versions as well, but I actually like the voices of the English dub better so I would recommend listening to those once even if you watch sub.

The general soundtrack is very good. There is a wide variety of pieces. There are many relaxing pieces you could listen to to study.

Characters - 10
This anime does characters so well. I generally like the entire cast, even though the guy who betrays the main character at the beginning is a genuinely bad guy, they still put thought into him to make him a character that isn't just a cardboard cutout and I appreciate that. I LOVE Kyoko! She is such a fun main character and her anger is so relatable. I really like Ren, he is such a sweet guy, and I like the rest of the cast too. The characters all have their flaws, but are still loveable and have great personalities. There is also amazing character development seen through the characters, the realistic type that is slow and not all of a sudden.

Enjoyment - 10
This anime is just so fun to watch, AND it has a great underlying message/tone. You are watching this girl chase after her dreams, even when everybody tells her to quit. She is truly inspiring. But she is also so relatable in her struggles and thoughts and emotions.

Overall - 9
I honestly might change this to a 10 in the future. I just love this anime so much! I think just about everyone would enjoy this, because we all feel anger at times, and watching Mogami unleash her anger is so enjoyable. Also, it's always good to watch someone follow their dreams so you remember you can too :)

If you have ever struggled trying to succeed at your passions, this anime is for you. Now, I know that there are many anime out there about characters working hard to achieve their dreams. But in many of them, the main characters have some special talent and end up being amazing at their passion, or gaining their skills very quickly. This is NOT that type of anime and I appreciate the creators so much for creating something different. In this anime, the characters actually struggle. They get turned down. They get told they should give up. They fail. They fail again. They achieve something, and ... you root for them, and then they fail again. But what matters is that over time, as an outsider, you can see them growing and becoming better slowly. This is what progress REALLY looks like for normal people and I love that it is portrayed realistically in this anime.

Story - 8
As I have explained above, I love that this story feels real. It is not just a classic story of someone working at their passion. It is a real story of someone struggling, but dusting themselves off and going forward despite everyone telling them to give up. I really like how the story focuses on two characters working hard, not just the main model we are introduced to at the start. It gives some perspective of the different types of challenges people face when chasing their dreams. However, I do think the anime struggled to maintain this balance just a bit. It felt like the story focused on the male fashion designer for a long time, practically forgetting about the female model's storyline. Maybe there is a reason for this, and maybe in the next part of the manga, there is a longer section focusing on the female model, but as someone just watching the anime, it did feel a bit off. I wanted to keep seeing the model's story as well as the fashion designer's. I did like the general movement of the plot though and how the characters advance to new challenges, without it being episodic. The story is entertaining and isn't as predictable as you would think.

Art - 8
The general art style isn't my favorite, and it doesn't have the amazing scenery of Re:Zero or Your Name. However, the art is still pretty good and I LOVE seeing the outfits. A lot of times in animated shows, the characters are usually just seen in one signature outfit, and obviously since this is a fashion show, there is lots of different outfits shown. I love seeing the designs even though I'm not someone super interested in fashion.

Sound - 7
I really like the opening, the ending is just okay. The general soundtrack is hit or miss. I like what is titled the "Main Theme" (at least in a youtube video of the OST), but there are some random techno-beat type songs that sound a little out of place to me and get repetitive. I also wasn't a huge fan of some of the songs with lyrics.

Characters - 8
I like the two main characters, but again it felt like the female model was neglected for some of the show, so I couldn't learn as much about her as I wanted to. I liked the side characters. There was a good mix of people, not everyone was nice to out main characters, but not everyone was mean and harsh either. I liked that other characters were shown to also have struggled with chasing their dreams, some having given up on them in the past. Overall, a good cast, but I wanted to learn more about the female main character.

Enjoyment - 9
This story was so refreshing. I loved seeing a realistic story of someone trying to achieve their dreams even when they have a lot going against them and aren't a prodigy. Moreover, even though I am not super interested in fashion, I still really liked the story and the dilemmas given to the characters.

Overall - 8
This anime isn't perfect, but it does something really important by showing people chasing their dreams in a realistic way. I really wish there was a season 2, but this is an anime that I will probably chose to read the manga for, even though I rarely do that unless I need to know the rest of the story that wasn't in the anime, like for Re:Life (another great anime).

I really hope you watch this anime. And I hope it inspires you to keep working hard to achieve your dreams, even it seems like you aren't cut out for it at all. However far you have come, you didn't get that far just to stop now. :)

I'll start this off by saying that I gave Neon Genesis Evangelion an 8/10. I really like the concept and although I wasn't completely disappointed in the last few episodes like many people were, I was excited to see the movie to see what really happens. But... I didn't really get that. Or at least, I saw stuff happen, but it didn't make sense.

Story - 3
The first half and second half of the movie are very different. The first half feels a bit more like a classic NGE episode, but somehow less dramatic, even though this should be the most dramatic point in the ... series. Also, nothing is really explained. I still don't completely understand why NERV was under attack. But yeah, probably the most disappointed part is that it doesn't feel as dramatic as it should.

The second half of the movie is confusing and eventful. A lot happens, and this movie is definitely something to watch if you just want to see chaos, which not gonna lie, sometimes I am in the mood for. But it is too confusing. Whenever I look up a question I have about the end of the anime, there are tons of different answers and interpretations. Am I okay with some things being left up to interpretation? Yes. But not the entire end of the plot. Like I do not understand what happened and what the actual ending is. I already know you are thinking I am just too stupid and only watch anime with the most simple plots ever, but I actually love psychological and mind-bending anime where not everything is just told to you. But there wasn't enough structure in the end of the anime in my opinion. Your questions are not really answered.

Art - 7
I gave Neon Genesis Evangelion a 7 for art, and I was watching this movie I was appreciating how the art seemed to be more detailed in parts, and how some mind-bending scenes were very nice to look at. However, I moved the score back down to a 7 because I have to agree that the real-life camera footage feels very out of place. I don't see the value that added to the anime at all. It wasn't even good footage in my opinion.

Sound - 9
I LOVED Komm, süsser Tod (English: Come, Sweet Death). This is an 8 minute song which somehow does not feel too long at all because of how beautiful it is. It is really, really catchy, and makes the scene in which it plays in so much better. I love the juxtaposition of the depressing, melancholy lyrics with an upbeat tune. I tend to not like when a song with words is played in it's entirety for a portion of a movie, like in Your Name. However this song was done so well.

So why did I not give a 10? Well, I originally felt like I should just for that song alone, but I want to rate the sound holistically. I thought that Neon Genesis Evangelion had a 10/10 soundtrack, which is what lowers my score for End of Evangelion. I felt that the dramatic tracks used in Neon Genesis Evangelion weren't carried over to the movie. Some spots in the movie almost felt awkward because of the lack of music in the background. However, the most dramatic scene of all is done well with Come Sweet Death, so I am thankful for that.

Also, I did not care for the music used halfway through for the credits. I wish they had just used Fly Me to the Moon or something.

Characters - 3
I really loved the characters in NGE, but it feels like new characters in EOE. I don't feel Misato's fun personality as much any more. I don't think Shinji's dad is expanded upon enough to be interesting. Characters are also just downright confusing in their actions. This movie takes the process of starting out down in the dumps but then finding the motivation to keep going, and speeds up the process by like 10x speed. I swear, characters will feel so completely lost and like this is it for them, and then SUDDENLY they are fighting again, in a blink of an eye. I wish we could see more of the transition period between being at their lowest, to having motivation to keep going again. I think it's a shame that Shinji is also victim of this. I seriously don't get how Shinji changed at the end. He changes... I think... but it's hard to tell what he is thinking, what is reality, and what he even does to cause the events at the end of the movie to occur. I also really didn't like the opening scene with him, it made me kinda hate Shinji.

Overall, it just felt like the characters went through the gap in between NGE and EOE. Like, EOE is supposed to happen right after NGE episode 24, but if you watch NGE and then EOE immediately after, you will feel like the characters have oddly changed.


Enjoyment - 6
The enjoyment factor is basically what is making me give this anime not a below average score. I gotta say, even though I am upset that a lot of my questions weren't answered and that it was overall disappointing, it was kinda fun to watch. Again, it is just pure chaos. Kind of reminds me of the end of Shiki, which I really enjoyed. Even though a lot wasn't explained, scenes like Come, Sweet Death are just so good to watch, and what you are seeing happen looks so interesting, even though I don't understand what is even going on.

Again, as in NGE, I didn't like the unnecessary fanservice.

Overall - 5
Not as good as I was expecting at all. This movie basically answers no questions, but hey, it is exciting and chaotic, and maybe as a lover of NGE, that's what you like.

If you watched NGE, I would watch the movie, but if you are confused going in, don't expect to have a ton of answers at the end.

If you look at my anime list, you will see that I have watched quite a few psychological anime. It is my favorite genre, with ones like Monster, Perfect Blue, Death Note, and Paranoia Agent topping the list. I had been putting off Neon Genesis Evangelion because I wanted to save if for when I wanted an amazing anime, since everyone seems to say it is so great. After watching a bunch of anime that didn't live up to my favorites, I decided it was time for NGE.

And... I was maybe, just a little disappointed. But also surprised. I thought that I would not ... like the first half of the anime, which was said to be more mecha and fighting based, and that I would really love the second half, which was supposed to be more psychological. To my surprise, I actually liked the first half of the anime better than the second half. So, do I see NGE as being a 10/10 next to my other 10's? No. But I do think it is good.

Two things I want to say before I start:
1. I would recommend watching the original English dub if you are going to watch dub. I thought that it was a lot better than the Netflix when I compared them. However, it won't make too much of a difference either way, and the absence of Fly Me To The Moon in the Netflix version is not as big of a deal as people make it out to be.
2. As you may have heard, the creator of this anime had depression and that is evident from some of the episodes. Specifically, the last two episodes are a very real, almost disturbing depiction of anxiousness, helplessness, and depression. I think watching these in a bad mental state could be... not beneficial. So be careful.

Story - 7
Neon Genesis Evangelion has a very engaging and exciting story. Although the first half may be considered a tad episodic, it is still very engaging and fun, and I say this as someone who dislikes episodic anime for the most part. I don't even like mecha anime typically, but this one was just so fun and exciting. I think that the different type of Angels they encounter and at different locations makes the story seem different every episode. I also like how new characters are introduced gradually.

Then, we get past episode 16ish, and things start to shift a bit, as people may have told you. I actually think this anime has done something very unique in that it has a complete tonal and almost genre shift partway through the anime. Do I think A shift was necessary, and that it was done okay? Yes. But did I like where the story went with the shift? No. I think there are many avenues that the story could have gone to explore psychological themes, and I think a lot of them would have done better than what they did. I personally found the backstory of the Angels to be not only confusing, but not worth trying to understand. Sure, you can think that I am just stupid and can't understand any complex anime, but I watch almost exclusively psychological, preferably very mind-bending anime, so I think I'm allowed to say that in my opinion, it was too confusing and not interesting enough. I wish they had maybe done a flashback to a time when only the angels existed (if that time exists) and show what happened from there, or two episodes dedicated entirely to the first and second impact.

The ending was also a little... concerning. The creator having depression make a lot of sense when you see the last two episodes. I do think that they are very monumental for an anime in terms of showing psychological distress. However, I don't think they were a proper ending to an anime. The story took a halt at a very awkward, unfinished spot.


Art - 7
The art is pretty good. The style isn't my favorite, and it seemed almost a little lazy in certain parts of the last two episodes. However, I think some scenes are done really well and it is overall great to watch.

Sound - 10
The sound is pretty phenomenal. I love the opening, it is incredibly catchy and really sets the mood. The soundtrack in general is full of gems, like Angel Attack and A Step Forward Into Terror. The sound really made the dramatic moments so exciting.

I think it is nice that the endings change slightly from time to time. I wasn't a huge fan of any of the Fly Me To The Moon's, but some of them were better than others.

Characters - 8
I like that this anime has characters who are flawed, but still likeable and fun to watch. A lot of anime struggle to do this nowadays, with either super annoying wimpy characters, or completely overpowered characters who lose all sense of relatability since they don't struggle with anything ever. Personally, I didn't think that Shinji being kind of wimpy was that annoying, I didn't even see him as that much of a wimp to be honest. When you remember that he is 14, and it isn't the norm for someone to be like Asuka who is ecstatic to pilot this machine that battles angels, it makes sense that he isn't entirely enthusiastic about using the Eva. I also think that Shinji is a great example of a character who has social anxiety, but it isn't used for a romance or anything. Usually when I see a socially anxious or socially awkward character in anime, it is a romance anime and it plays into the plot. But Shinji is just plain awkward and obviously cares way too much about what people think about him. It is really cool that Shinji's social anxiety isn't the main point of the film, but is still present to give him dimension, and is very realistic.

But back to our likeable characters still having flaws, I think it is great how you can see the flaws in these characters. Especially in the last third of the anime, you see the struggles all of the characters face and the problematic traits they have. But, I can't really say that I hated any character in the anime, so I think that means their flaws were done well.

However, I don't give a ten because while I didn't hate them, I felt as if I didn't really know Rei or Kaworu. Kaworu, for one, is barely introduced before he makes a huge impact on the story. I really would have liked to see Kaworu and Shinji interact with each other more, I think it would have made Kaworu's part in the story more meaningful and dramatic. On the other hand, Rei is present in just about every episode, but I wish I had gotten more backstory on her. I know there is technically reasoning behind why she is so quiet and blank, but I still would have liked to learn more.

Enjoyment - 8
This anime is very enjoyable to watch. As I explained in the story section, I didn't like where the second half went, so that lost my interest a bit. However, I think the first half is very exciting and super fun. I would probably watch the first half again for the thrill.

One thing I did find annoying though is the amount of fanservice, I guess you would call it. It felt out of place and unnecessary.

Overall - 8
Neon Genesis Evangelion IS good. Do I think it is a masterpiece? No, but not too far away from being one.

If you are looking for a psychological anime, watch NGE if you have already seen the ones I listed above. I could see how people could rate this a 10/10, and by no means is it bad at all.

Just to preface, I watched this without reading or knowing of the original story this is based on. I expected a great, exciting story of revenge and manipulation, but it didn't really deliver.

Story - 5
The story is meh. I think it starts out well but then goes downhill when you start to get close to the climax. It is a revenge story, but it doesn't feel as intense as you may think it would, and when you do get to super exciting/suspenseful moments, something will happen like someone being destroyed by a hug... not even joking. Or, someone will show how conceited they are ... and how all they care about is power by literally shooting people close to them for no reason... but then very soon after, be willing to give up their lives for those some people? Now I see how characters can change and go from wanting to kill someone to be wanting to save their life, but we don't see this development at all. Nope, all we see is characters who give the audience every reason to believe they are terrible and only care about money/power, suddenly switch into a good person for no reason.

If you are expecting an exciting story of revenge and manipulation of the main boy, Albert, you will not really get that. It is just not that exciting. Also, most of the punishments The Count plans on giving to the people who wronged him don't even require The Count to use/manipulate Albert, so it feels like Albert could have just not been in the anime.

I do like how we kind of see the development of friendships into romance, and what people are willing to do for the people they love. I wish they had either focused more on the friendship aspect or on the revenge aspect to either make this anime more wholesome or more exciting.

I did like the hallucinations Albert has after something happens to someone he loves.

Art - 6
Even though I am not giving a great score, I will be honest and say that the weird/different parts of this show's art style may seem very distracting at first, but you will get used to it. Basically the biggest thing is how the characters' clothing, and sometimes hair, look like some weird green screen thing and don't move with the character right. They also are just plain odd patterns a lot of the time. But if you are thinking of stopping the anime just because the art style annoys you on the first episode, don't worry about it, again you get used to it.

I am giving an above average score because the art style is obviously very creative, and it is different to see so much detail in characters outfits in an anime. Plus, their outfits change all the time instead of how in many anime, characters wear one or two outfits everyday. However, I am not giving a higher score because frankly I just don't like it. I think it is awesome that there is so much creativity in the art of anime, but that doesn't change the fact that I simply didn't find this pleasing to look at, and I felt it didn't fit in with the rest of the anime's tone.

There is a good amount of CGI, mostly for moving vehicles and the robot things they fight in near the end, but I don't think it is terrible.

There is a very wide array of colors in the anime which I like.

Sound - 4
This is one of the first times I REALLY dislike an opening. Many times I will skip it if it isn't great, but this one I HAD to skip, and even listening through the first time was unpleasant. I just do not like it at all. The ending is okay, very different from the opening. I think that the general soundtrack is alright, it feels like a couple tracks were overused. Nothing amazing.

Characters - 7
I had had this in my to-watch list for a while, but the reason I decided to finally watch it was because I saw the recommendations comparing this to the anime Monster mentioning how well characters are developed. I would agree that the characters are the strongest point in this anime, but in kind of an odd, incomplete way. They do all have personalities and don't feel necessarily forgettable, but at the same time, I don't really care about any of them (except Franz, Franz was the best), whereas in Monster, I remembered AND cared about all the characters. The anime has a good sized cast, and does a good job of slowly introducing you to each of the families involved before bringing things together. I also think The Count of Monte Cristo's whole backstory and character wasn't that bad, but not even NEAR Johan level. Some characters do feel a bit useless and like they only serve for when the writer needs a character other than the main cast to fix something, like Raoul, who I had to look the name up of because I didn't remember it at all.

I thought that Peppo's character was a bit confusing. I feel like maybe they played a bigger part in the book? It just felt like this character should have had more substance instead of just saying quirky things to Albert.

Enjoyment - 5
I thought I would be giving this anime a 6 or 7, but even though it does have some good qualities, I can't see myself ever rewatching it or recommending it. Especially since I think the ending was not well done. Also, I disliked the sci-fi elements of this anime. I thought it was weird how they still ride in a horse drawn carriage and have arranged marriages and behead people publicly, but also travel in space and have huge fighting robots and other insane technology? It's just so weird and feels like the anime wanted to be able to cheat with sci-fi features, while still keeping the french aristocrat era vibe.

Overall - 5
I would not recommend watching this anime. even though it has some good qualities. If you are looking for an exciting story of revenge or an amazing character story line and plot as in Monster., you will not find that here. It is okay, but don't think this is a must watch or insanely amazing.

If you want to see if you will like Kakegurui, watch kakegurui twin! It is honestly a good prequel and shows what the show will be like, but is even better. It is also shorter, so if you don't want to commit to double the episodes, this is a good option.

Story - 6
There is more of a story to this than Kakegurui. In Kakegurui, Yumeko basically just goes from person to person gambling with them. But in Twin, Mary has more of a reason to gamble, and we see her develop a bit. We see her character do things other than gamble, which is ... nice to see compared to Kakegurui.
The gambles themselves are also better. There is some "cheating", but the cheats are less annoying and still have a bit of mind games to them. I didn't like the last cheat Mary used, though. I did find that the coupling game "cheat" was a bit hard to understand at first, overall the game could have been explained better so that you understand how the cheat works. But, the cheat for the coupling game was actually smart.
So, in short, the mind games are better in Twin, and there is more of a story instead of just episodic gambling.

Art - 7
I thought the art looked better in this season. Not as much hyper detail on the eyes, but generally more crisp art.

Sound - 4
I didn't like the opening or the ending, and the general soundtrack wasn't as good as the two seasons of Kakegurui, it was just okay.

Characters - 6
In my opinion, Mary is the best character in the whole series. She is smart, but not unrealistically able to solve everything and guess everything right like Yumeko. She also acts realistically and has a likeable personality. She is harsh, but it makes her character fun.
There are two main side characters that are basically Mary's friends. I like them as well, they have actual personality traits and are likeable. We also see how the trio becomes friends, and a part of how they met is used in one of the gambles, showing how this isn't just an episodic anime,

I didn't really like the girl who seems like she is the president and has a housepet on a leash, like what. Just more unrealistic and kind of annoying. But I did think some other side characters were good, like the two girls the trio works with for the coupling game.

Overall, we don't have any characters who are simply unbeatable and always have a trick up their sleeve, which is refreshing. It allows for more realness and more mind games.

Enjoyment - 6
The anime still wasn't amazing. There was still some unrealistic parts, like the fact that they even have a coupling game at this school, like who is paying for this and what the heck are these rules. But it is still kinda fun to watch, especially since the characters are better.

Overall - 6
Not perfect by any means, but it is the best out of the entire series. It actually has a story and some of the best gambling games.

This season is basically just more cheating and insanely unrealistic moves done at the last second of the game. If you got tired of this in season 1, you might as well not watch this season.

Story - 3
Compared to season 1, this season just takes all the insane, unrealistic-ness to a whole new level. Our main character is again, pulling the most random and smart, but unbelievable moves out at the very last second to win it all. And the games are full of cheating, no surprise. However what really bugs me is that this time the gambling games themselves are made unrealistic. I could ... believe in season 1 that they had a deck of cards or dice to play with, but in this season one girl just whips out a whole BUILDING that has the sole purpose of being full of puzzles for a race between two gamblers. Obviously because all of the puzzles, this thing has an insane architecture, which isn't just doors opening when you solve a puzzle, but something else that I won't spoil. But it is just too unrealistic.
I did think that the auction "gamble" was a good one. It didn't have some random cheat - yes, some people did something not explicitly said in the rules, but it felt more realistic and not a cheat like having someone signal something to you. It was truly just something not said in the rules. And the response to it was well thought out too.
But the ending of the auction episodes, which leads to the overall ending... was just weird. This random guy has his backstory given and then grows wings or something, I don't know.

Art - 6
Same as season 1, the art is okay. Eyes are still done pretty well and certain things like flowers are very detailed at times.

Sound - 5
Again, I thought that the opening was creative. It isn't jazz this time, but it is kind of an interesting rhythm. However I again did not care for the ending, and thought the general soundtrack was just okay. Feels the same as season 1.

Characters - 3
So the difference between season 1 and season 2 is that a new set of characters are introduced, but I think this was really detrimental to the anime. Yumeko had not done a gamble with every student council member yet, so I feel like they should have just had her keep gambling them, or throw in an oddball character that she gambles that has something special/interesting about them. They added a bunch of new characters, so many that you can't remember them all or there personality/traits, if they even have any. It also made the games less interesting because I didn't care about these new people at all, but since they got some screentime which was then taken away from Yumeko, I started to care less about Yumeko, so now I am watching a gamble between two characters and I don't care who wins. It takes the excitement out of the show. Also, they could have just done more character development of the main cast because that was definitely needed.

And again, they take a while to show the backstory of this random guy at the end of the auction, and then he grows wings and is important for...some reason.

Enjoyment - 4
This season was not as enjoyable as season 1. Even though the gambles weren't incredibly worse, it just continued the boring cycle of cheating and then an insane wild card from Yumeko.

Overall - 4
Again, don't feel the need to watch this season if you are getting kind of bored with season 1. It doesn't have a conclusive ending to the arc either, so season 1 is a fine stopping point, though I would recommend Kakegurui Twin, which is a prequel so season 1 and is honestly the best out of all three shows.

If you are expecting some amazing mind games like that of Death Note, you will not be satisfied with this anime.

Story - 5
This anime is a little bit episodic, with a new transfer student entering the school and basically just taking up a new opponent every episode or two, although there is a logical progression since as she wins, she becomes more of a powerful opponent.
The gambling is just okay. I really liked the first episode, it felt the most like a mind game and was interesting to see the different tricks used. However, the opening where they describe the school as a ... school where "your grades don't matter, but your gambling skills do" should be changed to "your grades don't matter, but your cheating skills do" because practically every gamble done has one of or both of the opponents cheating. The person monitoring the game is always just like "well nowhere in the rules does it say you aren't allowed to do that exact method of cheating so FINE BY ME". It just makes the game less about strategy and more about using specially manufactured cheating tool.
Also, the gambles often play out like this: you watch the two characters are they gamble for like 10 minutes and see them react to bad plays or good plays, etc., and then at the very end our main MC reveals they had it all figured out and win the entire thing with some insane move/trick that is totally unbelievable to come up with in time.
I will say that there is still a good variety of gambles, and therefore you don't get too bored.
Oh also, don't expect this to have a school-anime feel to it at all. There are no teachers and they never go to class, the student council rules the school and can bully students, and all students do is gamble all day. This isn't a problem to me because I am just here to watch the gambling, but keep in mind that all these gambles could take place at a casino they all visit or something and it would make no difference from it being at a school.

Art - 6
The art is okay. Eyes are drawn exceptionally well, so if you appreciate some detailed aspects of art, you will find that here. Except sometimes the art is a little awkward, like the way tears look when someone cries.

Sound - 5
The opening is okay, it is a creative jazz. The ending is nothing special. Overall, the soundtrack only has a few that really hype things up.

Characters - 5
The "main character" or this anime is a useless guy who for some reason hangs around with these people who are insane about gambling. But honestly it's not that annoying. I really like Mary, she is the most real. There is a good amount of characters, and I like how there is the student council, it kind of gives a structure to the people our female MC will gamble with. However, don't expect any character development... except some that is a little random for our useless male MC.

Enjoyment - 5
The gambles were fun at times, especially in the first episode when you didn't know what it would be like. However the mind games weren't really there. Also, there is some sexual elements which just felt so random and like they didn't add anything to the story. They never really go anywhere so it was just annoying.

Overall - 5
This anime did not meet my expectations. It is exciting at first, and has some interesting gambling games to see play out, but doesn't end up being worth it.

Watch Death Note instead for some mind games!

Note: If you are going to watch Shiki, I highly recommend watching the Shiki Specials in their chronological order within the Shiki series. This means watching the first episode of Shiki Specials as episode 20.5 (after episode 20, before episode 21) and the second episode of Shiki Specials as episode 21.5. Some sites will not even list "Shiki Specials" and will literally just have them under the Shiki title as episode 20.5 and episode 21.5. I really recommend this, I didn't even realize they were specials until I came to MAL, and I'm glad I watched them where they chronologically fell instead of after the ... ending. They added a lot to the anime.

Shiki Special Episode 1 (or Shiki episode 20.5) may be the best episode in the series. It is REALLY good at showcasing just how chaotic the village becomes, and how insane humans will get under harsh circumstances and when killing is absolutely necessary. It was honestly very unsettling to watch this episode, but that is what you want from horror. Now I am not completely sure if my interpretation is right, but, if you want to know how unsettling it gets, basically one thing is that one guy is pretty uncomfortable with the idea of killing anyone throughout the episode while the other villagers are fine with it at this point, but then this guy sees some villagers killing a group of Shiki in such an extremely painful and torturous way, that he takes a weapon and physically kills all of the Shiki there himself, in a way which was still painful, but would end their suffering and kill them quickly. This isn't the whole episode but is just a part of it I found particularly disturbing, but if you want to know what you are in for... that should tell you. Another thing is that while some people are trying to escape a tunnel, they slowly realize that they have reached a dead end, and their enemy will be pulling them out one by one from the other end to kill them. And you basically just watch for 5 minutes as each person holds on to the person in front of them for dear life before being ripped away and killed. But I do think it is great that the anime wasn't afraid to be so raw and go to those extreme lengths.

The second episode is also good, but not as good. It shows how crazy one woman gets and how her actions lead to something bigger in the anime that is pretty important. Basically in the second episode you see more of how one character in particular goes crazy, where as in the first episode you are just seeing a bunch of war between the Shiki and the villagers.

Both of these episodes are some of the most disturbing in the entire anime and just serve to show the insanity that happens to humans when they are forced into basically a war. I think few episodes in ALL of anime surpass how chaotic, disturbing, and unsettling the first special episode was.

All in all, I give it a 7 like my rating for Shiki, as I basically see these as a part of the Shiki anime and don't think they should be watched after. It still makes sense though, as I saw the first special episode as stellar, and the second as good, but not as great.

Definitely DO NOT skip these though, they really add to the anime's tension and adrenalin at the chronological point.