Plot: So I went into this anime with high expectations due to the hype it got from the manga. This hype and optimistic outlook I had into the anime slowly decreased when I came back to earth; this anime is just about a compulsive gambler. I felt like there was no conflict in the plot. Jabami gambled, Jabami's opponents mostly cheated, Jabami saw through the deceptions and bets it all on the best strategy. She wins, ties, or leaves satisfied; rinse and repeat. She never improved, she never slacked off. The one time she actually lost and was put in debt wasn't even a struggle or satisfying because the anime mentioned that she won enough money to pay the debt and simply didn't want to.
Storyline: This storyline, in my opinion, has a hit-or-miss opportunity (some may love it, others may hate it). For the longest, Jabami had no goal and was just going about her school days. Her gambling skills remained constant and thus limited. The only thing that engaged me was trying to figure out what strategy she would take and that was only when I understood the game's rules. 1/3 of the games played relied on the viewer to be familiar with the rules prior the episode (Ex. poker), and if you weren't, you were left utterly confused until the end. Then once we see some inkling of a conflict or goal forming (gambling the entire student council), they missed 2 out of the 9 members (one being quite vocal) and jumped to the "final boss". Then, once we reached the final gamble against the president, the game wasn't rigged (no strategy, sly ability etc. needed) making it anti-climatic and the most important part of the gamble wasn't even done by Jabami. I watched each Sunday, but couldn't predict whether I'd like the episode that week or not.
Art: The art was very detailed. The anime managed to precisely show the viewers the intensity of the situation and the feelings of the players. The, almost sexual, high the players would experience during suspense, the sweat dripping down the stressed opponents face, the almost inhumane appearance of the callous cheaters and Mike abusers, the setting that focused solely on the gamble; all was expressed in great detail.
Sound: I like a soundtrack that is not distracting and can match the situation; I'd like it even better if the songs were memorable and able to blend in with the situation at the same time. The anime soundtrack did just that and the opening and ending songs had this jazzy, flashy, seductive feel in them, which fit the mood of the anime to me. However, I don't know if a dub will come out, but the sub actors were really hard to listen to. Some voices were trying so hard to be queaky and cute or raspy and tough that it was cringe-worthy (*cough* Ikishima and Yomozuki *cough*). Not the worst, but it was uncomfortable when the 2 most vocal council members had annoying voices.
Main Characters: Jabami had no depth to her. There was no reason given as to how she became a compulsive gambler. She was so good at gambling, but it was never revealed why. A lot of the side characters were given a backstory, but Jabami's was left a mystery. When she's not gambling, she kinda acts like any person would around strangers; polite, bland, and fake. She clearly holds her friends dear to her, but her friends weren't really friends. For a good half of the anime, I was still not convinced that Suzui wasn't just hanging around Jabami for "other reasons" ( ;D ). Mary hated her, had to team up with her once, and kinda hung out with her for the latter half because her friends were b****es. Sumeragi only joined her band of misfits because she wanted Jabami to become the new class president and give her a council seat back. I feel like the only reason Jabami really considered them as friends was because some gave her gambling money and others made the games interesting. It's kind of hard to like a character that had no development. She came into the anime as a gambling addict with no friends and came out a gambling addict with questionable friends.
Student Council: Although a school full of rich gamblers is rather uncommon (at least I think it is XD) there are still certain things I expect to remain realistic simply because it's a school setting; they weren't. A callous, tyrannical, student council; okay. A caste system treating those in debt like slaves who have to do ANYTHING the other students say; a stretch, but I'll accept that. A child can bring a loaded gun to school and use it for gambling; NO!! A student can poke another student's eye out; NO!!! The students have their entire lives mapped out until the debt is paid; even if they owe money, NO!!! Some of the student council members were so unbelievable and unrealistic EVEN FOR AN ANIME LIKE KAKEGURUI. There was this big, scary reputation built around the council president being even worse than her council underlings, but she was just another Jabami with power and a strong opinion not about gambling.
Enjoyment: The games I actually understood the rules to were fun to watch. The addition of cheating created a challenge for the bland Jabami and had me trying to guess how she would get out of the mess and win the pot. But, this anime was hit-or-miss for me; some episodes I loved, some I hated, and the last one left me utterly disappointed. Maybe my standards were too high.
