English Dub Review: Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor: Episodes 10-15

Overview: Kaiji (Jeremy Gee) is recruited into more sick machinations created by those with wealth and power to escape his debts. 

Our Take: Ultimate Survivor took the rock, paper and scissors ruleset and crafted it into a nail-biting gambling trial. Suffice to say, there needs to be a follow-up equally as exhilarating. Thankfully, the series delivers on that promise. 

Crossing a slim metal beam, on paper, is simple enough. Broken bones with no huge payout almost sounds paltry, especially with the consequences of the last game. However, the stakes escalate to death-defying heights when the setting transitions to a high rise with nothing to cushion one’s fall except a cool breeze. Other extreme measures are added to increase tension, like electrifying the steel beam or the psychological grip that chokes contestants. 

The messages about societal greed and complacency carry over with yet another look at how selfishness enforces everything we do. Although, rather than merely retread the same ground, it digs deeper. The show explores the shared isolation and disconnect between contestants that’s, ironically, a source of understanding and comfort in knowing they aren’t the only ones. 

For Kaiji, there continues to be in-depth looks at his moral decisions when weighing his life versus others. It is how he battles his own self-centered tendencies and the mental warfare that makes him so compelling. Kaiji is always few and far between in his kind heart, compared to his competitors’ desperation. While that makes him admirable, it can become unrealistic when he is the only one. The series rectifies this by smartly highlighting the human decency that extends beyond merely him. It is a clever and impactful way of reinvigorating his hope in humanity. 

The series is excellent at upping the ante and delving into character’s psyche through creative imagery. That said, there are a handful of cheesy, heavy-handed ones too. Although hit-or-miss, it only adds to the goofy, over-the-top feel that the narration helps cement.

The ending of his test houses a handful of sadistic twists, acting as a bittersweet, short-term reprieve for Kaiji. With Kaiji thrust into another pulse-pounding challenge, a brand new game is intriguing in the continued physical and psychological hell he will have to endure.