[Anime Reviews]

Kaiji: the tissue box raffle

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Kaiji]

There’s a good reason why, at the end of the series, I’m not doing one of my customary ‘Final Thoughts’ posts on Kaiji. It is indeed the end of the series run without an official announcement regarding any sequel TV shows or OAVs but I can’t bring myself to view this as the end. The manga’s ongoing of course but this is no indicator of any animated sequels; the fact is, as a series end it’s unsatisfying and lacking in resolution. The final scene, in which the Mulleted One is being driven away from the hotel and swearing vengeance on Hyoudou suggests so much unfinished business that it might as well have a ‘To be Continued’ caption to go with it. I’m hoping we haven’t seen the last of Kaiji, but in all honesty there’s a fair chance that we haven’t - the second season may come along in a couple of months, or more likely, a year or so, but I won’t be surprised if it does.

As an end to the series, it was pretty poor; as the mere end to an arc, it’s still not quite as gripping as earlier arcs but fares well nevertheless. After the brilliance of E-card, complete with a brilliantly twisted Apologetic Tonegawa Barbecue Grill to round things off, the Tissue Box Raffle was weaker in terms of premise, even though Kaiji’s trademark tension-building plot devices were all out in force. Because it wasn’t as strong as the earlier arcs, I daresay I’d view the nature of the ending in a better light if, say, E-card had taken place after the Tissue Box stunt to round of the twenty-six outings. Therefore I’d say it’s more of a patchy content issue than a crappy ending; not to mention Unfinished Manga Syndrome, obviously.

[3 Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

Kaiji: the E-card arc

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Kaiji]

Yeah, it’s been quiet here due to RL commitments, blah, blah, e/n, tl;dr. Hey, at least I wasn’t the poor bugger whose blog mysteriously died on him. Or the guys who got real Hiatus Disease. I did find the time to watch the next arc of Kaiji though, which made me wonder just why I let my viewing slip in the first place - it’s a gripping new arc and a new hurdle for our hero, who winds up facing none other than Tonegawa himself. It’s epic, it’s gar and it’s awesome: I’d expect nothing less from the chief purveyor of Mullet Power, even when he’s reduced to Manly Tears. It wouldn’t be Kaiji without them, after all.

It has to be said that the odds are not on his side

The rules of E-card make for a slightly different game in comparison with the restricted Rock Paper Scissors, which involved mental arithmatic regarding strategy and the laws of probability; it’s also really different from the straight-up nailbiting test of courage that was the Human Derby. There is a lot strategy and luck involved in E-card of course, but there’s more of an element of psychology: the players have to read the opponent and second-guess their way of thinking, while maintaining a poker face to keep their own MO hidden. The expressiveness and relative honesty that have earned Kaiji my respect in earlier episodes put him at a disadvantage here, since Tonegawa’s extensive experience of playing against the likes of him offer an instant head start. All Kaiji has in his favour here is a drive to win but since he has more to lose and is a novice to the game, it’s a real challenge indeed.

The addition of the torture device attached to his left lug also adds a grisly edge of danger that wouldn’t look out of place in a Park Chan-wook or Quentin Tarantino movie; Fukumoto is one of those writers who explores the darker sides of human nature so we don’t have to. The first visual reconstruction sequences show the drill moving inexorably closer to the eardrum but as the game progresses and tension mounts, these cross-section mind’s eye cuts begin to show the drill bit chewing into the organ and sending crimson goo everywhere. Nice touch.

[5 Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

Kaiji: the human derby of the Starside Hotel

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Kaiji]

Man, that was intense! Although the Starside Hotel arc lacked the complex logic and backstabbing of the Espoir episodes, it pretty much made up for this through sheer palm-wringing tension. This was the first time that I had to hit the pause button and leave the room to wash my hands because they were literally dripping with sweat. Nice. In this arc, as with the Restricted Rock, Paper, Scissors section, Kaiji proved to be a masterful observation of human nature when placed under extreme duress - it’s hard to imagine how any of us would react if our backs were to the wall like this. Our hero was once again forced to make a choice between one terrifying path and one which is infinitely worse, all to get ahead and make something of his life at last. If you think about the options that were open to him, there is no choice at all: he can either take his chances and push ahead or go back to the life he had before and waste all the time and effort so far.

The return to a dead-end job…and what could well be the first female to appear in the show

I was all too aware of how Kaiji was little more than a plaything in the sick game: his debt was erased all right, but the effort he made on board the Espoir was all for nothing, bar the amusement on the part of Tonegawa and co. The the false hope of the chance to play again and pay off this new debt that they forced upon him was little more than an inevitability really - every time he makes any sort of progress, the goalposts are moved again. How long this can be repeated before it gets old I don’t know, but for now it’s still absolutely fascinating.

[1 Comment]

[Anime Reviews]

Kaiji 7-9: stabbed in the back

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Kaiji]

In a recent discussion with the ABC I noticed how our attitudes differ in terms of listening to music when writing blog posts; I usually have to have something playing in the background but in the case of Kaiji I prepared an especially GAR playlist featuring the likes of Metallica, Soundgarden, Diru’s new tune Dozing Green and a number of other manly rockin’ tunes to help me keep that defiant feeling in my head. Our boy has reached the end of the Espoir arc it seems, and in doing so he literally kicks ass - it’s not often that I get such a feeling of satisfaction from seeing the underdog pull through and tell it like it is…not Andou, the black suits, nor even items of furniture were safe from the onslaught of MULLET POWER. Huerrgh! indeed.

Famous last words…

As I outlined in the Kaiji-themed post in the Twelve Days 2007 countdown, our hero counters Funai’s below-the-belt tactics by exposing him and making sure his dirty dealings are thoroughly shafted. Unfortunately, the victory is short-lived after Kaiji risks it all by going into the Side Room of Nakedness and leaving his fortunes in the hands of Andou and Furuhata. Ah, the best-laid plans…

[5 Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

2007 in 12 day 7: Kaiji

Posted by Martin  [Tags: ABC, Kaiji, Twelve days of Christmas]

Gambling, mullets and manly tears…zawa zawa!

The first latecomer to this list is Kaiji, the black sheep of the autumn season. In a slew of new shows that seemed to be dominated by otaku-centric fantasy rom-coms set in schools, Kaiji bucked the trend with its ‘gar’ approach and no-nonsense storytelling. Firstly, it wasn’t a romance, a comedy or anything supernatural; as a matter of fact, at the time of writing it doesn’t feature any female characters at all. Given the unflattering character designs that make almost everyone look like rejects from the Gorillaz, maybe it’s best being all-male anyway…

The hero is introduced as a petty criminal and jobless bum who offers little cause for us to like him or even give a damn about where he ends up; he’s down on his luck but is otherwise a low-life who deserves pity perhaps but definitely not respect. When he gets the opportunity to erase his debts in a Yakuza-run casino aboard the good ship Espoir (lol@irony), Kaiji becomes a shrewd and irrepressible gambling force to be reckoned with who is determined to turn his life around. Huerrgh!

[4 Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

Kaiji 4-6: carpe diem baby

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Kaiji]

Life’s full of its ups and downs, ain’t it? The fact that our hero is still hanging around with the losers Furuhawa and Andou and shows no intent of stabbing them in the back is proof of his undeniable awesomeness I reckon - he understands that even when he’s surrounded by idiots, sticking together is better for all of them even when the going gets tough. Contrast that with the arrogance and lack of teamwork exhibited by Kitami and co…

Looking back even from this relatively early stage, it’s great to see how Kaiji has progressed from being a petty lowlife to someone more full of hope and determination - the strategy of Restricted Rock, Paper Scissors has really brought out his canny knack for playing the game to his advantage. Even when things take a turn for the worse (which happens repeatedly) and his two sidekicks are panicking and losing their cool, Kaiji’s moments of weakness don’t last nearly as long: our favourite mulleted underdog wastes no time in rethinking his plan and moving forward.

Our hero senses the danger. Zawa zawa!

[2 Comments]

[Anime Reviews]

Kaiji episodes 2 and 3

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Kaiji]

Double crosses! Despair! Manly tears! Kaiji is proving to be a real rollercoaster ride as he finds himself duped, spat on and left out on his own…only to meet Furahawa (the guy whose irresponsible cosigning got him there in the first place) and seek out a way to win the first game.

It’s a TRAP!

[2 Comments]

[First Impressions and Retrospectives]

Kaiji: first impressions

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Huerrgh!, Kaiji]

Not much has wowed me this season. Granted, Gundam 00 started well, ef and Blue Drop intrigued me and even Clannad promises good things but there wasn’t the equivalent of, say, Gurren Lagann or Dennou Coil to make me feverishly check daily for torrents for the latest episode. It’s all going to take second place to DVDs and other activities (such as the essay deadline that I’ve only just discovered is NEXT SODDING WEDNESDAY, dammit), or so I thought. Enter Ultimate Survivor Kaiji.

Everyone’s favourite low-life

[4 Comments]