The story of Kaiji begins when he takes a massive debt from this friend forcing him to resort to gambling on a secluded cruise called Espoir. (French for Hope) From this point onwards, Kaiji enters the gambling world where games cost millions of money & where a person's life matter less than money. Throughout the series, there's many challenges that emphasizes hope being nothing than a dream; that human beings will backstab each other for the sake of their survival. Half of the anime follows this grim realistic concept as Kaiji learns society's vices through the most hellish experience.
I wish not to explain any further of the content found in Kaiji as it will lead to some spoilers. All I can say is be prepared to marathon the anime in the following sittings.
1-9 Espoir
10-15 Starside Hotel
16-22 Slave & Emperor
23-26 Tissue Box Lottery
The music of Kaiji is performed by Taniuchi Hideki whose done music for series such as Death Note & Aoi Bungaku Series giving a suspenseful & ominous tone in the Kaiji anime. Animation is done by Madhouse but due to being a gambling series revolved around dialogue, the animation constantly looks good & being dramatic when it needs to be. I should note that the mangaka's artstyle is very angular with characters having thick outlines & pointy chins or curvy faces. The anime for Kaiji is also accompanied by a narrator that can be over the top at times possibly to relive the viewers' tension. Narrator is voiced by Tachiki Fumiko (Madao, Zaraki, Akainu, Youpi,).
Overall, the Kaiji series can be very depressing as it constantly breaks human will leaving them to die full of despair. Its 2nd season however, offers the light at the end of the tunnel but is a bit dragged in its final arc. In this anime, Kaiji is pushed to the limit where he utilizes as of his intelligence to achieve survival at the cost of others lives. Lastly, expect a lot of crying in this anime that may make its viewers feel the same anguish as the characters in the series. Kaiji Ulitimate Survivor challenges morality due to the influence of human greed & this series possess the most despicable anime villains that I ever encountered. While the characters have no super powers and are placed in a realistic world makes the concepts of Kaiji all the more disturbing & relatable to anyone.
