English Dub Season Review: Kakegurui XX

The larger the ambition, the greater the risk.

Kakegurui is…an interesting anime, to say the least. I will admit, season two is definitely more haphazardous than the previous season, allowing the anime to grow in ways that were previously inhibited due to the cliche plot of season one. That said, Kakegurui XX fails to save Kakegurui from the faults that have pervaded it since its inception.

The season opens when Kirai Momobami announces that she’s relinquishing her position as the student council president at Hyakkaou Private Academy. Oh, yeah, and she’s disbanding the Student Council, thus creating a power vacuum that prompts the more ambitious students at the school to jockey for the position of president. Not only that but Kirai also invites fellow members of the Momobami Clan to run for the position. What ensues is nothing short of a merciless and iniquitous campaign for the Iron Throne.

Of course, this wouldn’t be Kakegurui if there weren’t any gambling. Rather than following the traditional manner of campaigning and amassing votes, candidates gamble among each other for votes with victorious students racking up massive amounts. The ensuing onslaught is a vicious continuation of what occurred last season, with a cheerfully indifferent Yumeko Jabami taking on candidates for the sake of a thrill.

This leads to my first issue with this season: Yumeko is an utterly unlikable protagonist. At least during season one, viewers could find themselves cheering for her due to her enigmatic nature and her ability to befuddle even the most arrogant characters in the series, effectively turning the school upside down and trouncing a hierarchy that reduces humans to “house pets.” In season two, Yumeko has been accepted as the wildcard of Hykkaou Private Academy — a role that she plays well throughout the season. In fact, this seems to be the only defining character trait of hers: she’s batsh*t insane. You know, like Melanie Martinez in most of her songs. Or countless of other seemingly pollyanna characters from various anime series. I mean, all of the characters are insane to some degree, but none of them are on par with Yumeko. The fact that she only lives for the thrill of gambling renders her incapable of character development, making her more uninteresting compared to the rest of the cast, who are driven by their own plausible ambitions to become president.

Ironically, Kakegurui XX gives development to some of the least expected characters. Forget about Ryota or Mary, how about we focus on Yumemi, the two-faced idol who gambled against Yumeko and lost? Or how about Sayaka, Kirai’s neurotic secretary? While I will admit their development made them more interesting and sympathetic, it makes me wonder why none of the protagonists were given any real development (except making Ryota less dense about Yumeko’s behavior, I guess). Honestly, it’s kind of infuriating, especially in a setting where many of the characters are unsympathetic to begin with.

Aside from the lack of character development, Kakegurui XX falls short due to its lack of heart. It might be trite to say, but as I mentioned before, but I personally believe this is an integral part of any successful series — anime or not. Most of the characters are simply driven by power lust or the thrill of the game, seemingly unconcerned for the welfare of others. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, but displaying some of the worst traits of humanity is the gist of the show.

As for the English dub, it’s alright. Nothing really spectacular and certainly nothing that moved me in any way. This isn’t to say that the English voice actors aren’t talented or anything, it just seemed like they were simply doing their job. As for some of the casting choices, I’m a bit unimpressed. Griffin Burns as Ryota makes him sound like an absolute wet noodle and Michelle Ruff as Kirai makes her seem less mysterious and more boring than anything else. (Again, absolutely nothing against these VAs, I just think their talents could be put to better use elsewhere.) The only VA that truly got my attention was Sarah Anne Williams as Midari Ikishima, who not only makes Midari seem like the unhinged masochist that she is but also delivers some seriously amusing lines.

Do I have anything positive to say about the show? Absolutely. As was the case with season one, the animation is on point and the juxtaposition between some of the characters’ facial expressions are a jarring indicator of a character’s true nature or intentions. As far as character designs go, however, the only characters who struck me as unique is Runa and her election committee, who can be easily recognized by their animal hoodies.

The overarching plot of season two has a certain madness to it that wasn’t seen in the first season. I guess part of it has to do with the fact that the established order from the previous season has been dismantled, leaving the very nature of the school vulnerable as the characters do what they can to survive this new landscape. While I applaud this new direction, at times it’s sloppily conveyed throughout the series and it’s quick to forget what’s going between different characters from episode to episode.

All in all? I genuinely give props to the writers for writing such a needlessly complicated and contrived anime. I genuinely do. I certainly couldn’t write anything like it. That said, the direction of this season was too focused on the politics of gambling and the school to give substance to its actors.