Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji: Hakairoku-hen

Owing to an increasing debt, Kaiji Itou ends up resuming his old lifestyle. One day, while walking on the street, he stumbles upon Yuuji Endou, who is hunting Kaiji due to the money he owes to the Teiai Group. Unaware of this, Kaiji eagerly follows Endou, hoping for a chance to participate in another gamble, but soon finds out the loan shark's real intentions when he is kidnapped.

Given that Kaiji is unable to pay off his huge debt, the Teiai Group instead sends him to work in an underground labor camp. He is told that he will have to live in this hell for 15 years, alongside other debtors, until he can earn his freedom. His only hope to put an early end to this nightmare is by saving enough money to be able to go back to the surface for a single day. Once he is there, he plans to obtain the remaining money needed to settle his account by making a high-stakes wager. However, as many temptations threaten his scarce income, Kaiji may have to resort to gambling sooner than he had expected.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Itou, Kaiji Main

Hagiwara, Masato Japanese

Narrator Supporting

Tachiki, Fumihiko Japanese

Ichijou, Seiya Supporting

Namikawa, Daisuke Japanese

Hyoudou, Kazutaka Supporting

Tsukayama, Masane Japanese

Endou, Yuuji Supporting

Uchida, Naoya Japanese

Sakazaki, Mikoko Supporting

Sakazaki, Koutarou Supporting

Futamata, Issei Japanese

Ootsuki, Tarou Supporting

Cho Japanese

Miyoshi, Tomohiro Supporting

Yusa, Kouji Japanese

Murakami, Tamotsu Supporting

Kawamoto, Kunihiro Japanese

Tamura, Manabu Producer

Mita, Keiji Producer

Satou, Yuuzou Director

Yajima, Tetsuo Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

May 14, 2011

CEMPUNK

Recommended

Ok this is my first time to write a review so please go easy.

Let me start by saying I'm a huge fan of psychological thriller series and I must say Kaiji is one of the best there is in that aspect. Season 1 was just amazing, keeps you thinking and surprises you with the twisted outcomes. In Season 2 Kaiji has done it again, each episode keeps getting better and better makes you at the edge of your seat hunger to know whats will happen next.

If your a fan of Psychological thrillers such as Death note or Liar game, Kaiji is a must watch ... for you.

Story: The story continues after the incidents from season 1, Kaiji has been taken to work in an underground facility to work in hard labor so he can pay off his debt, however he then finds out that there is a dark side inside the underground which is ofcourse "GAMBLE!!" he now will risk it all again so he can leave the underground and pay off his giant debt.

Art: I can tell the art is better than Season 1, the characters are now more detailed and shows how they changed since the previous season.

Sound: The soundtracks in Kaiji season 2 are amazing, it keeps you hyper in every moment, as for the opening and ending I personally loved them as I am a fan of Techno metal and pop rock. And yes we get more ZAWA ZAWA !!

Character: As I said the characters have changed since the last season, there are new rivals and new friends. Men risking their lives to get out of this miserable life and there are men who plan to ruin their dreams of escaping.

Enjoyment: I assure you this the enjoyment of this show is VERY ADDICTING
it will keep you thinking what will happen next and keep searching for clues in the site/forums. As I said before if you enjoyed Death note or Liar game or any Psychological thriller show. Kaiji will MAGNET your emotions!!

I really hope I did great as a first time doing a review, Please enjoy the show!

Thank you for reading and enjoy the show ^.^

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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May 28, 2014

THEAnimeHERO

Mixed Feelings

Kaiji season 2 offers a solid conclusion to the anime series however the series itself is a decrease in quality from season 1 Kaiji Ultimate Survivor.

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.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jan 13, 2024

Shiftshaper

Not Recommended

Funny

Season 1 worked extremely well because it allowed for the exploration of the human psyche by pitting the most broken and desperate men against each other with their lives on the line, perfectly providing the opportunity to display the main character's ironclad desire to never let these evil games of chance turn him into somebody he's not, while showcasing deep strategy from the smartest players who best all of the systems they're forced into at all odds.

Simply put, Season 2 handles this poorly.

Throughout this 26-episode season, Kaiji only plays two games of "chance," with only one of them being against another human.
The first arc starts ... off slow due to our rather despondent Kaiji following the events of season 1, but ultimately returns to a satisfying battle of deception in the end as Kaiji slowly regains his senses.

The problem with this season lies in the fact that a large majority of the season is spent following Kaiji's
battle against... a pachinko machine.

There was no psychological battle between gamblers against all odds, no exciting turns of events, and the absolute worst pacing imaginable. If you had even the slightest grievance with any of the pacing of season 1, this season is sure to leave you disappointed with its constant redundancy and lack of any meaningful progression each episode.

Although the stakes are the highest they've ever been, the final gamble couldn't feel any less important, and Kaiji's character isn't given the same opportunity to shine. A very disappointing sequel to a great season 1.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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