Kakegurui

Imagine a high school where math and history are tossed in the trash, and the entire curriculum is just "how to develop a crippling gambling addiction." This is Hyakkaou Academy. The student body is a hive-mind of rich, sweaty idiots who bet millions on poker; if you lose, you become a "House Pet"—essentially a slave with a nametag. Into this madness walks Yumeko Jabami, a girl who looks innocent but gets... way too excited about the prospect of financial ruin. She’s not here to win money; she’s here to destroy the hierarchy while making faces that look like demon masks.

• Season 1 Review
• Season 2 Review
• Twin Review

Useful links

MyAnimeLIst: Season 1 | Season 2 | Twin
Streaming (Netflix): Season 1 & Season 2 | Twin

Should you watch it?

Mixed

Here is the deal: Kakegurui is the definition of "style over substance." If you want neon colors, jazz music, and girls making terrifying "ahegao" faces while screaming about odds, you’ll have a blast. Visually, it’s a fever dream. But if you turn your brain on for even a second? It collapses. The main series (Season 1 and especially Season 2) suffers from convoluted games that need mid-episode tutorials, zero actual consequences for the main characters, and a male lead (Suzui) who is as useful as a screen door on a submarine. However, the prequel, Kakegurui Twin, is actually... good? It has character arcs, logic, and Mary Saotome, who is infinitely better than Yumeko. Watch the main show for the memes, watch Twin for the story.

You will also like

Well... Kakegurui is one of those anime that is difficult for me to place in a bucket. If you were here for the high stake games I would say that Death Parade might be a good anime for you. It has a better emotional core and has a gorgeous art.

But let's face it: you were not here for "high stake games". You, as a fellow man of culture, were here for something else. And for that I could recommend either Prison School or Food Wars. Personally I think that the latter is a worst product overall (and too long to my liking), but both scratch that itch if you know what I mean.