Taking place a few months after the first arc, Kaiji is taken underground to pay his debt by manual labor which will take him around 15 years to complete his sentence. After a few months later, Kaiji is then allowed to be outside for a few days in which he hears about a casino with the infamous pachinko game "The Bog" which if Kaiji wins can pay off his entire debt.
The differences in this season being the 3rd series of the Kaiji manga include the lack of psychological thrills & games revolving around quick cunning & dangerous high stakes. This part only features a total of 2 games while the first part consisted of 4, plus the gambles in series 2 revolve around luck rather than strategy.
Benefits of Kaiji 2 include Kaiji himself as we see more of his intellect & role as a leader who never abandons hope. Aside from the main lead, the only other highlight would be the ending of the series as it brings a satisfying conclusion leading to its series 4 of the manga. Despite the lack of horrifying tension & the tragic moments in the first season, Kaiji does remain to have its feels & teary-eye moments. While it's not as complex in morality issues as the first series it is still well written & well directed.
Cons of Kaiji 2 mainly belong to its final arc as it is too long as it is a total of 18 episodes; more than half of the season. Essentially The Bog pachinko consists of Kaiji winning his freedom but it is a necessary arc & is handled mostly well. The beginning of The Bog starts off nicely & progresses smoothly with little to no problem, however the cons begin to show at episode 16 when Kaiji plays the bog for 9 episodes straight. While some scenes within those episodes are crucial to the story, I found myself skimming through the episode as it felt very dragged & repetitive. It would have benefited at least being half of the amount.
Overall Kaiji 2 is weaker in story in its first season & may have been a better series if it's Bog game was shorter. It definitely offers some good moments & great character writing but in terms of content it does lack a lot of areas done in the 1st season mainly its creative games & journey into the evils of men. Kaiji 2 instead focuses on classic Japanese gambling & a struggling journey towards freedom.
