Reviews

I loved this show! I’m not sure what other people were looking for when it came to the execution of this show, but I really enjoyed the prequel and how it gave us more insight into the world of Kakegurui. In regards to these “types” of programs I think it would benefit most people to go ahead and read the manga as opposed to watching the anime. It didn’t have as much as of the same eerie shock value that was in the first rendition we were exposed to and that might be the reason why it doesn’t score as high as expected. Our protagonist, Mary Saotome, is still shrewd and discerning, but in this prequel you see her as more cooperative, strategic, and adorably doubtful. Something happened between the events of Twin and KKG. Something that made her lose hope, her small belief in justice and humanity, and her complete integration of herself into the system. Someone pointed out to me that in KKG she was holding the flower hair clip that her cute blue-haired friend, Tsuzura, had in Twin. So something must have happened to her between that time to make her become angry and unhinged.
I have only seen the anime so I’m only making a guess here, but I remember a scene in KKG where the little lollipop loli (Runa) told Mary that if she doesn’t shape up then she’s going to receive a Life Plan. A Life Plan is when a student has taken on so much debt that the student council has to create a plan that does essentially bail you out, but you’ll be paying a grave personal price. Runa told Mary that she could be betrothed to some old, gross but insanely weather geezer that’s into little girls and could have her do all sorts of sordid things, but would absolutely wipe out her debt. The look on Mary’s face when she’s given the news is absolutely terrifying. She’s disgusted but at the same time horrified. What if Tsuzura got herself into so much debt that Mary couldn’t save her? What if Tsuzura had received that kind of fate so Runa reminding her was what made her so terrified? I have absolutely no idea so if this is truly what happens in the story, I’m sorry, my intention isn’t to spoil it for anyone.
What really amazes me about this series is all the components that come together to make the games difficult and calculating. It’s not enough to just know math but it helps to know music, literature, history, science, and more. You couldn’t win a scholarship to this as a normal person like in Ouran Host Club and think you’re going to be okay. I enjoy watching the thought processes of these students and how they use their smarts and cleverness (two different things) to outwit one another. I wish I could be as crafty and witty as the young women in this show. Listening to them unveil how they win their games is like hearing how a detective solved a mystery.
I encourage everyone to watch Kakegurui Twin and not to put so much pressure on it to be as “charged” as its predecessor. The mechanics of how the characters operate in Twin is because they are still operating under the status quo. Jabami’s involvement in KKG is likely more exciting because the status quo is attacked and the system is at risk of being destroyed. I’m looking forward to the second half of Twin (I wonder if they did that on purpose?) and I believe that by watching the series in chronological order instead of order of release more people can appreciate the story.