*May contain minor spoilers*
Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji: The Ultimate Survivor is an anime that revolves around the concept of gambling, the greed and morality that surrounds it, and the despair that addiction to it causes. It isn't a guidebook on how to gamble play poker, mahjong, or stuff like that, so if you came expecting these things you should best leave this anime alone.
Story: 10 The Ultimate Survivor focuses on three arcs. During each arc, Kaiji is forced to wager his life in exchange for the opportunity to close his debts instantly and make some money during this time. All the arcs are filled to the brim with deceptions, betrayals, plots, schemes, and twists. Each arc is closed with no questions unanswered and it always leaves you with empathy for Kaiji. The transition from arc to arc is flawless, including the ending, which just made want to watch more.
Art: 8 The character designs was one of the reasons why I hesitated on watching this anime at all. It's a bit different, but you get used to it. Towards the end of the series I began to appreciate the uniqueness of it, and I now consider it to be Fukumoto's trademark style. The animators were able to portray the emotions that the characters feel, though sometimes it feels a bit over the top. I found every aspect regarding art to be above average, but not necessarily a masterpiece.
Sound: 7 The OP and ED songs were very suitable considering the central theme of the anime. The OP represented the gambler's high (the pleasure gamblers feel) and the ED represented the despair of gamblers who gave in to their addiction and lost control of their life (very cliche statement, but it's how I feel). Since I wanted my first review to be about The Ultimate Survivor, I tried to listen to the OST while watching, but aside from a few memorable moments, I just didn't feel its overall impact.
Characters: 9 I don't think that Kaiji underwent a big character development throught the entire series, aside from him getting better at gambling and a couple of changes to his thinking patterns. Likewise, the other characters didn't have or had little character development. That doesn't mean that they're not awesome in their own right. Kaiji had the potential to be a great gamer from the start; he tends to learn from his own mistakes and push through his hesitations. Tonegawa seemed like your average tough guy, but since the time his character last appeared, I began to respect him a little
Enjoyment: 10 I've always been fond of survival games such as Liar Game and Kamisama no Iuutori. I like how practical, ingenious and resourceful the characters on this type of genre are. The plot twists, the uncertainty, and even though you know what might happen, you're still gripped by the possibilty of it happening otherwise. The Ultimate Survivor had inspired in me all these.
Overall: 10 I put more weight behind Enjoyment and Story, since I almost always ignore Art and Sound when watching anime. This show makes up for its downfalls and I absolutely enjoyed the ride.
