Mary and the Kirari sisters are a match that I didn't realise I wanted to watch, but here I am taking full advantage of. At this point, I am certain that Mary and Ririka are meant to be. What's going on with Yumeko? If Yumeko becomes your friend, you will require therapy every day.
The election arc is dragging on forever, Yumeko Jabami gets sidelined this volume, and I'm finding it hard to remember why I like this series at the moment. Usually games wrap up in a single volume, but the poker game here between Mary Saotome and the twin sisters continues on to the next. So I already know I won't like the next volume either . . .
The Election arc of Kakegurui nears its climax as Mary goads Ririka, maskless and increasingly emboldened, to face her twin Kirari in a winner-take-all poker showdown. This arrangement results in Kirari rejecting a one-on-one with Yumeko, who to everyone's surprise vows never to gamble again (and seems to mean it). There's also a subplot with the other Obamis trying a convoluted scheme involving their "Scumcoin" NFTs, whose purpose will become clear in the next volume. Kakegurui has never really been a character-driven series, but this installment spotlights the Momobami Twins' relationship with surprising poignancy. Ririka, forced since childhood to sublimate her identity to Kirari, is still so close to her sister that they view each other as a symbiotic entity, able to anticipate their every move or thought. Mary, for reasons of her own, pushes Ririka to break free from her sister's influence - easier said than done, after a lifetime of conditioning and abuse. The poker game is simpler (and thus easier to follow) while also being higher-stakes (and thus more involving) than your average Kakegurui bet, and the interplay of the sisters makes for an unusually engaging chapter in the Crazy Gambling Manga.
Piętnasta odsłona serii to zaskoczenie.. kolejna dawka hazardu i kolejna gra mająca wyłonić przyszłego przewodniczącego szkoły. Nie oznacza to jednak, że zabrakło tutaj w ogóle jakichkolwiek niespodzianek. Wręcz przeciwnie twórca pokusił się o parę fabularnych zaskoczeń, które powinny zostać dobrze przyjęte przez fanów mangi. Jednym z nich jest, chociażby zepchnięcie Yumeko na dalszy plan opowieści. Nastolatka oczywiście się tutaj pojawia, jednak nie odgrywa kluczowej roli i znacząco zmienia się jej podejście do całych trwających wyborów (co niezwykle intrygująco zapowiada się na przyszłość). Gwiazdami recenzowanego tomiku są Mary, Kiraki i Ririka, ze szczególnym naciskiem na te dwie ostatnie postacie. Trio to zmierzy się ze sobą w pozornie zwykłym pokerze. Jak każdy fan serii zdążył się już przyzwyczaić, nic nie może być tutaj jednak nazbyt „normalne”. Gra w karty przeradza się więc w psychologiczną wojnę, w której wygra najtwardszy umysł. Nie zabrakło tutaj również pewnej dawki retrospekcji pokazujących przeszłość wybranych postaci, która dość mocno wpłynęła na ich obecne zachowanie.
Well, this volume ends in the middle of an arc, but it's been good! The first time Kirari Momobami gambles against any character of the main cast. She's proven to be an incredibly intriguing antagonist, in a similar way to Yumeko - and well, obviously they're bound to gamble together.
Slowly, but surely, we're reaching Yumeko's backstory, and I have been waiting for that for a long while. Especially since Terano dropped that line one or two volumes ago.
I think I'm going to refrain from reading the series further for a while, to focus on another novel. I will most probably re-read this when I come back to keep reading this.
I also want to read some trashy manga before getting a few more long-running series going. We'll see! Either way, you must've already noticed I really like Kakegurui.
Minor thoughts about Sayaka's re-appearance in this volume aside, the pivot Kawamoto made here was a great decision. We're now seeing Kirari's gameplay style for the first time in the manga, and it's clear the buzz surrounding her is well-deserved. The way she's able to get under Mary's skin shows the latter still has a way to go in order to be a "perfect gambler" despite her growth there. Her partnership with Ririka was also fun to analyze here because of minor fleshed out details surrounding the twins' past. The dehumanizing way Ririka was raised has led to the self-doubt we've seen in bits and pieces, yet also depicts how easy it is for her to slip into the Kirari persona.
It's going to be a while before I can read Volume 16 (unless I buy it), but my Big Dramatic Question leading into it is: How will Yumeko's fire for gambling at Hyakkaou return?
when yumeko's request to gamble with ririka is denied she vows to never gamble again; ririka rejects yumeko's game to play a game of change poker with kirari and mary - with 900 votes on the line
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.