Kaiji often presented as a brutal death game similar to (and inspired by) Squid Game; this comparison is incorrect, as is what makes Kaiji special. Kaiji is the story of the main character, Kaiji Ito, who was tricked by his friend into signing a loan with high interest rates. The money was used for gambling, and when all the money was lost and the interest rates increased, a loan shark named Yuji Endo appeared at his doorstep.
Endo tempts him with a Espoir — the ship of hope. There, a death game will take place: the winners will be debt-free, while the losers will be even more indebted, destined for an (at the time) undisclosed fate. Kaiji initially refuses, but he realizes that his salary will virtually disappear until the loan is paid off, which will take years. Kaiji makes his first big leap and boards the Espoir—the story of a true gambler begins.
Draw a dangerous portrait of Kaiji
Kaiji is both relatable and unrealistic.
Some people call Kaiji a gambling addict. However, Kaiji's spirit is reflected in all of us. The thrill of the series lies in how he both approachable and unrealistically brave.
Kaiji reflects the monotony of everyday life. One of the first things shown in Kaiji is his grueling daily work, which pays terribly for the stressful boredom. Risk in any form has the power to break the monotony.. It's something any viewer can relate to. So when Kaiji is drawn to the interruption of monotony, it's clear why he's drawn: the reward is an escape from his abject boredom. But in Kaiji, all levels of society gamble, showing that the dreaded boredom is actually built into the fabric of society.
Studio Madhouse produces Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor based on the manga series by Nobuyuki Fukumoto.
This theme, like the reality of Kaiji’s salarymanship, comes back frequently. That doesn’t mean Kaiji isn’t responsible for his actions. He is—even his friend’s initial deception is ultimately Kaiji’s fault. What it does mean, however, is that his fixation with cyclical risk is contagious. Kaiji is definitely a sometimes annoying hero, but never unlovable.For me, not liking Kaiji is like not liking something inside myself: something that, above all, craves disruption from routine.
The main difference between Kaiji and most viewers is He is ready to star in another story.: a risk-taker, not to mention the kind of stress that would make a normal person go bald in a day. But it also takes him places I would never go, experience things I could never imagine, and think in ways I could never dream of. That's what makes him fundamentally interesting.
Kaiji's strange optimism stands out
In dire circumstances, Kaiji still maintains hope.
While most death games are dull, Kaiji is full of optimism. A strange person flirting with the taboo, but still optimistic. Kaiji is one of the best gambling anime ever; gambling, he did. It was wrong to support his recklessness. However, no matter how disappointed his decisions may be, I couldn't help but constantly root for him.
This optimism is reciprocal as Kaiji always keeps hope for himself. To take any risk, there must be a core of hope. Even when fighting against impossible odds, there is never a moment where Kaiji completely gives up. A side effect is that the moments when he almost gives up are devastating. I especially remember the shocking and harrowing betrayal of the first season. The relationship Kaiji builds with the viewer is one of shared hope, which makes the shared despair all the more powerful.
Kaiji's stakes betray complex human motives
Kaiji shows the dangers of fair-weather friends
Just as Kaiji portrays the viewer's repressed desires, the film also shows how emotions often turn into something else, If it weren't for the collapsing social norms in Kaiji's environment. Kaiji is one of the darkest anime of all time, but for some reason it's misunderstood. For all its physical and mental brutality, the darkest part of Kaiji is its social brutality.
Not all of Kaiji's characters are evil. In fact, Kaiji has many close friends, and their relationships remain strong until something—sometimes death—tore them apart. Can't understand what Kaiji is saying “trust no one but yourself”. Faith is what makes all of Kaiji's plans work. What Kaiji shows is doubt: not only towards the potential for evil, but also towards the hidden intentions of kindness.
The philosopher Nietzsche attempted to point out the flaws in “good” actions, arguing that they stem from motives that are often considered undesirable. Kaiji makes a compelling argument for this. Kaiji forms many friendships out of common circumstances. Most are temporary, and the fact that betrayal shares its circumstantial basis with friendship is clearly depicted. Undermining others makes sense in its context—almost more so than friendship. The broken norms break down any second-order justification behind the characters' actions: all that remains is survival of the fittest, from which the characters' most sincere actions (even the building of friendship) emerge.
Kaiji himself is ruthless: artificial deaths and temptations are everywhere, and relationships are not built to last. One touching moment is when, in one game, Kaiji befriends a middle-aged man who takes on his son's debt. He then meets the man's son, an irresponsible and resentful twenty-something. Since true friendship is rare in Kaiji's situations, I share Kaiji's anger at his son's ingratitude.
The film shows something rare: the open cruelty of the game's organizers is somehow a kindness compared to the son's complicated anger toward his father. The most traditionally evil characters in Kaiji are a farce.; they are comic relief as the show exposes the darker side of any emotion the viewer may have. Kaiji suggests that selfish underlying motives are only concealed when it is safe to do so. While this is a landmark gambling anime, human connection is the biggest gamble throughout the series.
Gambling with Kaiji: The Cyclic Price of Disappointment
Kaiji uses frustration to his advantage
Knowing the stakes of intimacy, I found myself disappointed in Kaiji for making friends with everyone. I expected an eventual betrayal of my new friends. But it never happened. It was a new rush of hope and happiness. when they win together.
A friend of mine once complained while watching Kaiji, saying that Kaiji was annoying and irresponsible. He found it hard to relate to Kaiji because of that. Yes, But that's also the secret of the series.and the element of surprise makes it great. Consider when Kaiji, forced into slavery to pay off his debt, finds himself in a situation where any kind of luxury, like beer or cigarettes, reduces his wages for days. He was enticed by the warden with a payday loan.going deeper into debt but still enjoying luxuries. When he tries to be strong but eventually gives in, I can't help but feel disappointed.
If it were any other shōnen hero, they would say “No!” and that would be the end of it. But he's not Goku. Actually, he's just like me.
If it were any other shōnen hero, they would say “No!” and that would be the end of it. But Kaiji is not Goku. Actually, he was just like me. Angry, I also thought: am I really strong enough to do what I expected him to do? In the end, he won over the warden. The satisfaction when that happened was unbelievable.
The cyclical frustration is a subtle and clever way Kaiji forces the viewer to relate to the protagonist. After all: like Kaiji, don't viewers who invest their time and energy in the series become disappointed, doubtful, regretful? If they're watching on Crunchyroll, they've also made a literal monetary investment in a hope that Kaiji denies through disappointment. Despite that, don't they continue on to the next episode, investing even more in search of payoff?
In Kaiji, when rewards are given, it's like a payment. At certain times, It even feels like a jackpot. Kaiji draws out his triumphs, tragedies, and failures in ways that can be very painful—only to be all the more powerful when they finally happen. I relate to Kaiji most precisely at that moment. As each arc resolves, so does all the tension and frustration; but inside me, I always feel like I need a little more. Kaijieven knowing the risks.