Anime Reviews (2010-2019): Kagerui Xx - Season Two Collection (2019)

Dark, twisted but entertaining, “Kakegurui Xx” continues the storyline of high stakes gambling! Does Yumeko have a chance the second time around?

Click here to purchase this Blu-ray on Amazon

TITLE: Kagerui Xx – Season Two Collection

ANIME TV SERIES RELEASE DATE: 2019

DURATION: OVA Episodes 1-12 (300 Minutes)

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (16×9), Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0

COMPANY: Sentai Filmworks

RATING: 14+

Release Date: January 25, 2022

Originally created by Kawamoto Homura, Naomura Toru

Director: Matsuda Kiyoshi, Hayashi Yuichiro

Series Composition by Kobayashi Yasuko

Character Design by Akita Manabu

Art Director: Matsuda Haruka

Music by TECHNOBOYS PULCRAFT GREEN-FUND

Anime Production by MAPPA

Featuring the following voice talent:

Hayami Saori/Estelle Link as Yumeko Jabami (Sentai Dub)

Tokutake Tatsuya/Adam Gibbs as Ryota Suzui (Sentai Dub)

Okubo Rumi/Brittany Lauda as Miri Yobami (Sentai Dub)

Udono Mayu/Brittney Karbowski as Runa Yomozuki (Sentai Dub)

Ishida Akira/Bryson Baugus as Rin Obami (Sentai Dub)

Wakai Yuki/Cat Thomas as Itsuki Sumeragi (Sentai Dub)

Tanaka Minami/Christina Kelly as Mary Saotome (Sentai Dub)

Kitahara Sayaka/Elissa Cuellar as Nozomi Komabami (Sentai Dub)

Hosoya Yoshimasa/Eric Vale as Ibara Obami (Sentai Dub)

Nanami Karin/Genevieve Simmons as Yuriko Nishinotouin (Sentai Dub)

Taketatsu Ayana/Hilary Haag as Erimi Mushibami (Sentai Dub)

Obsessive gambler Yumeko Jabami may know when to hold them and when to fold them, but knowing when to walk away and run has always eluded her. That’s bad news at the insane Hyakkaou Private Academy, where students must gamble their fortunes, futures and lives in an endless series of competitions to determine who rules and who become slaves.

Yumeko’s razor-edged instincts, skills, and the devil’s own luck have kept her going thus far, but when the ruthless Momobami clan arrives, intent on taking over the school, the stakes rise even higher while the intrigue, both in and out of the games, hits the deadliest level yet. To survive, Yumeko will have to adapt and make alliances with former enemies, knowing that every minute could result in a knife in her back as the nightmare continues in Kakegurui XX!

Back in 2019, a manga series written by Kawamoto Homura and illustrated by Naomura Toru titled “Kakegurui” was released.

The original series revolved around a prestigious school, Hyakkaou Private Academy, a school in which its hierarchy is determined by gambling.

The main character was Jabami Yumeko, a transfer student who seems beautiful and innocent, but in truth, she is a compulsive gambler, so addicted to it and the thrill of high-stake situations.

She is highly observant and can detect when one is cheating, Yumeko hopes to destroy the twisted hierarchy at school.

The first season aired from July to September 2017,and even led to a live-action drama adaptation from January-March 2018 and a second season aired in April 2019. Followed by a film adaptation in May 2019 and a sequel was scheduled for 2021.

As for the anime series, a second season titled “Kakegurui Xx” aired from January to March 2019 and was originally streamed by Netflix outside of Japan. And now the anime series will be released on Blu-ray courtesy of Sentai Filmworks.

For the second season, the school is now holding a tournament of who will become part of the new student council in which many will compete in various gambling where the stakes are high and people may die.

As Kirari introduces new members, numerous competitors vow to win the election as their goal is to take over Hyakkaoou Academy.

So, with 30 Days of Gambling, each student will start with 1 gambling chip counting as a vote. The more chips one wins, the more votes they can get.

With Ryota by her side, how many games will compulsive gambler, Jabami Yumeko win, especially with each game in which the stakes are much higher each time.

For the most part, it’s an intriguing second season as we see Jabami Yumeko and Ikishima Midari taking on Mushibami Erimi in a gamble of the “Finger Cutting Guillotine” game, a game where one cuts strings and if they cut the wrong string, a guillotine will fall and cut off one’s finger.

And when Mushibami feels she has the game in the bag, because she knows how to cheat. She is unaware that Yumeko can spot people trying to cheat her.Nor does Mushibami realize that when it comes to gambling, Yumeko and Midari can be quite twisted, especially Yumeko who loves it when the stakes are high.

If you enjoyed the first season of “Kakegurui”, more than likely you will like the second as this series is a continuation of that storyline. And for the second season, the stakes are much higher for Yumeko.

It’s another short season at 12 episodes but it’s always interesting to see when Yumeko goes twisted and turns the tables against competitors when she takes part in the thrill of near death.

Dark, twisted but entertaining, “Kakegurui Xx” continues the storyline of high stakes gambling! Does Yumeko have a chance the second time around?

Click here to purchase this Blu-ray on Amazon