Here’s my take after reading 45 chapters (8 Volumes) of Kakegurui by Tooru Naomura (Art) and Homura Kawamoto (Story).
First and foremost, when I see that the manga that I am reading is a manga created by a duo of writers and artists, I immediately get excited and my eyes light up. Not all mangakas are geniuses like (Togashi-san and Odachii) so I appreciate it when one person steps down for another person to improve the story through his art and give life to his art by writing.
Kakegurui is a story revolving around the compulsive gambler Yumeko Jyabami and her gambling escapades at the Hyakkaou Private Academy.
From the very start of the manga, you will notice a distinct treatment of the art. All characters are drawn pop out, and their expressions are strongly portrayed on every panel. You will feel the sense of tension from every raise, call, or challenge in every game that the characters gamble on.
But what grabbed me and glued me in the story is how the main character Jyabami characterized. Her split persona is reminiscent of Yugi (Atem) from the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise but magnifies the lunacy and gambling perversion ∞. This is simply amazing and so addicting to consume from start to finish.
I would say that the games played here are mere tools for the characters to show their quirkiness and characterization and most of the characters are not too fleshed out but I believe this was intentional for the main characters in the story to stand out and do their thing.
You may feel that the story is fan servicey at some points; however, this was not forced and was perfectly written and executed.
All in all, if you like gambling manga aside from Kaiji, this is a must-read, or if you like psychological/mind game type of stories I advise you to bet on your time here and you will surely not regret it.
I gamble 9 Jyabami chips out of 10 on Kakegurui. (I want to keep 1 for myself)
