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| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
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| Buy | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
 Dreamer
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[series:1755#2279] |
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Wow! Let me say that again. Wow! I highly, highly recommend this to anyone. No matter what genre you like, you cannot miss this one. This series really had me thinking about my "habits" and to what length I would go to fulfill them. Read on.... Art, Animation & Character Design The art and animation at first was a turn-off. Well, let me clarify. The protagonist, "Kaiji" looked horribly designed and seemed lacking in art. Of course, after watching through a few more episodes you get use to it. However, I think the designers made it deliberate as to give him an appearance of someone "shysty", "greedy", "snake-like" or someone who would backstab you if given a chance. If that's the case, then it lends to the anime greatly. As for the other characters, they seem average, if not grotesque in a deliberate way. Some the facial animations or expressions was done so well... a bit slightly over-emphasized but purposely, that it would pull you into the character's emotions. There are scenes where Kaiji is so distraught, so tormented by fear, anxiety and a sense of utter loss that it almost translates right out the screen into your own body and soul while leaving you nearly breathless. There are times I caught myself yelling, "OMG"!! or "YOU IDIOT"!! Music Surprisingly, the theme song was enjoyable! Normally I skip the intro but this series had me almost always watching through the opening. There's a part in the song, near the end where Kaiji yells as part of the song... which made it that much better. I just found it to be a neat effect. Series and Episode Stories Okay, without recapping the synopsis above, I will sum the story up by saying that this is all centered around gambling. You would think that there wouldn't be much of a tale about gambling however, there's much to tell. This story is an epic battle of wit, emotions, mental strain and the struggle to choose right or wrong... or what is moral over greed and addiction. The thing is, there's very little physical action but mostly mental and you get an amazing story that paints an ugly picture of us humans, as individuals and the banes of our existence... greed & addiction, and their catalyst, "money". It paints a very real picture of us in the real world and shows you how far one is willing to go to achieve money or how much one is willing to sacrifice for their addictions. It's kinda scary really. At the end of the series, I think I had an enlightenment. I actually sat and pondered at my own "addictions" and greed for money. How far am I willing to go? How important is it in my life? At one point do I say, "enough is enough. I'm happy with what I have. Or, I don't need that 6th twinky". Overall, this is one anime you shouldn't miss. It seriously draws you into it's ugliness and shows you the sides of yourself you've really never looked at. I'll say for sure, there's a Kaiji in each of us. Last updated Sunday, November 30 2008. Created Sunday, November 30 2008. | ||||||||
Other Sites
| Name | URL |
|---|---|
| Japanese (Language) Series Web Site | http://www.ntv.co.jp/kaiji/ |
| Wikipedia - Entry for the manga series | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiji_%28manga%29 |
