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This is my first review, and Usogui is such an underrated manga that it deserves it.

Usogui is a manga that is unlike any other. I have read many gambling mangas, and none of them quite leave the impression that Usogui does. Usogui is about 2 characters Kaji and Madrame Baku. Kaji is your traditional gambling protagonist, a man with nothing to lose and everything to gain. He is somewhat new to the gambling sphere and then is introduced to the Lie Eater himself, Baku. What starts off as a somewhat generic gambling manga ends up going to places that I never thought it would. ... These include being trapped in a IRL mmo, being hunted by a serial killer in an apartment complex, or even something as simple as Old Maid. Despite all of these differences between games, there is something they have in common, and that is a well written and complex back and forth of mind games and intrigue. Even when playing Battleship, Usogui does a masterful job of making something mundane seem so tense. The best part is, it isn't the fact that these situations are life and death which make them intense, its the way the story is told. The art, and psychological aspects of the games and the characters are nothing short of fantastic. There are numerous times in Usogui where something that might seem as a cheeky joke or completely irrelevant come back 40 chapters later to foreshadow an event to winning the entire gamble. All of this aside I haven't even dabbled in the deep lore. or the over the top actual life or death fisticuff battles.

Yes you heard that right, fisticuff battles in a gambling manga. Boy oh boy are these a nice break from the mental fuckery of the games. To top it all off these fights are beautifully illustrated from top to bottom and only get progressively better as time goes on. You only need to look at a fight in the first 100 or so chapters, and ones from the last 100. The difference is night and day. Most of these battles too have more to them than just pure spectacle, usually an interesting strategy or a defining character moment.

Speaking of characters, let's talk about them, Usogui has a large cast of interesting and varied characters. Some of these characters are like the games themselves, deceptively mundane, and others freaks of nature. The list of rogues and referees you will meet throughout this series are nothing short of amazing. All of these characters playing the games, or presiding over them have their own way of adapting to the situation, or manipulating it into their favor. This isn't to short sell the two main characters either. Both Madrame and Kaji have alot of very memorable and interesting moments through out their time and experiences together.

In regards to these experiences, the art also grows to reflect them. A lot of people say the art is mediocre in the beginning, and while I agree it is objectively better later, I still very much enjoy the over the top art style used in the earlier chapters. However I can not stress it enough to say that some of the paneling in this manga is simply incredible, especially in the last half of the series. The manga goes from a cartoony aesthetic, to a somewhat more realistic one and the games and situations complement that perfectly. You will still find some amazing art in the first half of the manga, but the second half is a whole nother world of complex and beautiful art. The way that Toshi draws some highly exaggerated demonic versions of characters is impressive and does a great job of detailing the sort of mental situations these characters are in or trying to inflict onto others.

Along with the progressively impressive art, comes the winding and intricate narrative. The lore of Usogui is surprisingly baroque. Despite something as simple as a group of referees presiding over gambling games, even Usogui does something new and fresh with it. You will never meet characters who are forgettable, or unimportant to the story. The leader of the organization, and the back and forth they have with Usogui's crew is very alluring. There were many times that I would promise myself I would only read a few chapters and ended up reading 30 or 40. That's just the hypnotizing style that Toshio crafts for the readers.

Now no manga is perfect, so what are some of Usogui's flaws? Well mentioned earlier, the art takes awhile to adjust to. It evolves and changes very many times throughout the manga (and changes again in the spinoff that just came out in 2021) but almost always is this for the better. The narrative can be convoluted at first, but if you have patience it will eventually click into place. Some of the characters can seem very one note, especially in the earlier chapters, but the ones who stay for the long haul are usually (USUALLY) fleshed out, albeit even for a little bit. I also must stress that if you are not a fan of the battles in Usogui, it might dissuade you from checking out the rest of the manga. The battles can stretch to double digit chapters, and while I personally loved them, I could see if it filtered a few people.

In short, if you love or even like gambling or high stakes game as a genre you owe it to yourself to check out this masterpiece. Don't let the first volume cover, or the number of chapters scare you away. This is a gamble you'll regret not taking.