brian.shields - 2015-08-17 00:48:29

erika59 - 2014-12-14 09:10:14

Over shadowed by the other greats of 2007, if you want thriller and strong bouts of tears this is the show for you. This manga to this series is done by Nobuyuki  Fukumoto, and it's famous all over the East for it's suspense and unique gambling   style. It started back in 1996 but only recently got an adaptation. 

Story & Character 

Kaiji is a jobless bum who wastes his days drinking and gambling until a loan shark arrives to collect money for a loan Kaiji had cosigned for. Massive debts and huge sums of money are involved as well as gambling with the more shady parts of society and some dark themes of what it means to be successful in life and others. I can't say much though, because the real excitement of the show is not know what will happen next in the story, but I will say that it kept me glued to my seat. Kaiji is a down to earth and naive fellow who spits at the face of authority and sticks it to the man, and is easily the stupidest guy for his gambling addict but an absolute genius with his strategies. He's still a human being of course, and will have flaws that will cause mistakes. He will lose at times but that's okay. You want to root for him to win and see what he'll come up with next. Don't be surprised if he's your new waifu when you finish the show. Other characters, you will simultaneously hate and love, as the villains are well written with wise insight. But there isn't much to it than that. They just serve the purpose of aiding or hurting Kaiji but still manage to be interesting.The pacing is a problem with a lot of people. Some have said it's too slow, while others think it's raging fast. It really depends on your attention span, but as for me it was a bit in the middle. 

Animation

The animation is good for it's time in 2007, though there isn't any 720p vids of it that I know of. There are interesting visual metaphors, over the top scenes, and since there isn't much action going on, the stills are often polished. I know you're thinking that the character designs are ugly, but they're a step up from Fukumoto's drawings early in the manga. Those designs allow of crazy expressions and eventually it will grow on you. I can't imagine Kaiji without his giant nose or the villains not looking like they're drooling all the time. 

Sound

The sound is amazing with the voice actors being over the top and, especially with Kaiji, very expressive and emotional that shows the actors' talents. The background is filled with Fukumoto's trademark, "zawa zawa", which describes tension and it fits so well that I found myself using that very sound effect. At first, I didn't pay much attention to the soundtrack, but after the show was done I looked back and I was surprised. The electric guitar-like ballads and synths made me wonder why I didn't notice them before. By itself it's above average, but I think it could've done better in making itself noticed in the show. 

Enjoyment

To be honest, Kaiji is my favorite series hands down. Despite some of the pacing problems in the later parts, I still found it enjoyable with Kaiji's character and the tension in the story. I thoroughly recommend to check out the second season if you liked the first one, and try to read the manga, as part four is one of my favorite arcs and is often over looked. I also recommend the anime Akagi, as it was by the same author and also involves gambling, but with mahjong. If your still not satisfied, there's still a plethora of other manga series by Fukumoto dealing with the same themes. I could go on about this show but it would just be too much to fit into one review! 

~zawa~zawa~

grant.beau - 2014-08-03 07:10:58

[This review covers both, S1 and S2]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I’ll try to keep the review short (It’s not like I can write long reviews anyway ._.) The review contains no spoilers, so you can read it even if you're reading it before watching it. (I gave it a 9/10 because that's what it deserves, but for me, it is 11/10, lel)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[-] Actual review:

Kaiji (character) is a failure of a person, as you can see from the setting itself. He is unlike most of the protagonists who are strong as hell or are weak, but get some sort of power-up and completely destroy the enemy. He is a normal man (more of a loser), like A LOT of us. He is very emotional and hence cries many times in the series (usually because of money). Yeah, that’s right, money. You need money for every damn thing in the universe. You’re hungry? Buy food with money. You’re bored? Go buy a game or something with money. You’re ugly and hence can’t get married? Get money, girls all over you. The whole world is all about money, and so is the anime. Kaiji (anime) brings out the real nature of humans, that is, they will do anything for money. See? Money again! Kaiji (character) gets betrayed by his friends (or rather acquaintances) many times. However, there are some good people like Ishida in the series. Ishida is another loser like Kaiji, but I won’t explain about him in detail since saying about him would be giving out spoilers.
Now here’s the thing, Kaiji is very smart. He figures out how one is cheating soon. That is how he survives gambling, unlike others who either cheat or leave everything to their luck. However, there are times when he is too late to figure out how one has cheated. He also trusts people too much, causing his own downfall. Also, I think some of you must have guessed it, but for those who haven’t, this is kinda like the new anime “No Game No Life” (or rather NGNL is kinda like Kaiji ) that is, an anime that makes you want to guess or rather figure out stuff that’s happening or about to happen. (Though most of us won’t be guessing shit and will just blankly watch the anime.) Either way, doesn’t matter, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: Prepare yourself for the end of S1. Also, S2 is a bit dragged, but it is still pretty good.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[-] Ratings:

Animation:
The main reason people ignore this anime is because of the animation/art. It is terrible, or so it seems, at first. But believe me, this animation/art actually is the best kind that could be used for the series. (dat triangular nose tho xD)
Score: 8/10

Story:
The story is excellent, 11/10 would make love.
Score: 9/10

Soundtrack:
SO F**KING BADASS OPENING. HOLY SHIT I FELL IN LOVE WITH IT THE FIRST TIME I HEARD IT. About the bg music, I didn't really pay attention to it because of the tension. However, with that 'zawa zawa', you don't even need a bg music.
Score: 9/10

Character Development:
If I talk about this, I’m bound to give spoilers, so I won’t be talking about this, I’ll just score it.
Score: 10/10

Enjoyment:
Well, I was so damn excited about this anime that I myself didn’t know when I was on episode 26, I mean, the last thing I remember was turning the PC on and watching episode 16, how the heck did I reach episode 26? I’ll deduct one point here since there are some moments that you just can’t enjoy, which is obvious since it has 'Psychological' in its genres.
Score: 9/10

FINAL SCORE: 9/10.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

bryce.collier - 2014-01-11 09:32:48

Kaiji is about a deadbeat young man named Kaiji (who would have guessed) with a very large pointy nose, who, after drowning in debt gets reeled into playing in a gambling tournament revolving around card based rock paper scissors in hopes of winning some easy cash. It eventually turns into a life or death struggle for victory where our hero has to make tough decisions to survive. ULTIMATELY SURVIVE THAT IS!

What’s this? A gambling anime? GoatJesus, that sounds boring as all hell. I don’t wanna sit around my computer and watch people play rock paper scissors. Well, that’s where you’re wrong cause you absolutely want to sit around and watch people play rock paper scissors. The thing about pretty much any story, is that you can take any premise no matter how weird, no matter how uninteresting it sounds and turn it into something special as long as it’s well executed. I never dreamed this show would turn into one of the most engaging thrillers I’ve ever seen, but that’s exactly what it did.

Yes, Ultimate Survivor is a thriller, but not like any of those phonies people keep toting around (Mirai Nikki/Danganrompa). No. This one really is one and it’s up there with the first half of Death Note and Naoki Urasawa’s Monster. It constantly builds upon itself and raises the stakes higher and higher--and our protagonist doesn’t always win in the end which adds to the tension. On top of that, there are consequences for loss, extremely high ones and sacrifices get made around every corner, which will be sure to keep you clicking on that next episode button. A vast majority of the show has something also to add the tension, whether it be a ticking clock Majora’s Mask style or some kind of potential handicap, and thankfully, the show switches around between games and strategies to keep you hooked.

There are a few convenient things in terms of how our hero gets out of a tight spot once or twice, but they’re not quite "asspulls" and it almost never drops the ball otherwise in keeping suspension of disbelief sustained. And since the loss is usually great anyway it never feels cheap. It really picks up after episode one and from there continues to be blazing fast in terms of pacing. Despite being one of the most fun shows to watch in recent memory, it also doesn’t shy away from bringing up deeper subject matter involving human nature vs morality and monetary gain vs human life. It seems a tiny bit preachy in a few places, but it doesn’t preach anything inherently bad--nor does it come across too heavy in subject matter. But if nothing else, you should check this one out for the manly waterfalls. Because they are amusing and they are everywhere.

Kaiji’s story is amazing, with clever writing, consistent pacing and thought provoking themes, but a story wouldn’t be complete without a compelling main character. Thankfully, Ultimate Survivor supplies.

Kaiji himself is a very interesting lead and is the crux of the entire show. He starts out spiteful and extremely naive but in the end rises to each occasion (kind of). Even though he is flawed as all hell, we want to root for him because of the way the world is against him and the fact he’s genuinely kind hearted without feeling like a gary stu. I’ve hardly ever seen such a perfect mixture of badassery and imperfection, which is why he’s one of my all time favorite characters. Not even kidding. He really is that likable.

As for the rest of the cast, well...they aren’t as amazing. A majority of them don’t really develop whatsoever and are mostly there to help out Kaiji’s character growth. That being said, I did come to care about these bozos for whatever reason. Some of them under stayed their welcome though, which is unfortunate. But that’s not really a detraction in this situation since the lead really does hold everything together.

The villains though are pretty amusing and definitely serve their purposes. They’re fun to hate and are genuinely interesting (at least the ones introduced later on are).

The animation is pretty solid. Madhouse works their magic again producing a technically good looking show with only a few visual hiccups. Either way, the first thing that’s going to strike most people is how ugly the character designs are. But to be honest, this is another one of those things that you’ll probably get used to in two episodes. Once you do, you start to understand that Kaiji is actually the sexiest looking character on the show, yeah I’m not joking. The way that they’re designed allows for some seriously expressive expressions which express emotions very well. To be honest, I can’t imagine this thing without a giant nose slapped on our hero that could gouge someones eye out.

There’s not much in the way of action in the show, so a lot of it is focused on making it look as good as the year 2007 would allow. What better way to do that than with visual metaphors? Yes, this thing is full of visual metaphors. From jumping across deep chasms, to swimming wif da fishies. They definitely add to the scenes where otherwise not much would be happening and make everything feel manly as all hell. There was obviously a lot of love and care that went into animating specific aspects of the show. The use of lines for shading along with the thick borders on the characters helped give the show a manga aesthetic, working quite well with the rough feeling of the story. The style of shading is traditional madhouse fair, with highlights and lowlights being solid and spread evenly across the base animation. It supplies a distinctly familiar feel to pair with the unusual designs.

The music perfectly goes along with every scene and eventually sinks into the back of your mind. When something crazy’s going on, the music starts flaring with a plucky guitar and hard cords while the more low scenes are synthesised calming beats. It was composed by Hideki Taniuchi who wrote ballads for Death Note and Kaiji’s predecessor, Akagi. Kaiji also happens to have one of the most blood pumping kick ass openings ever, so that’s something~

The seiyuus also do a fantastic job. Kaiji is an incredibly emotional character. When he fails, he cries torrents of tears. When he’s happy, you’ve never seen a guy more ecstatic. Masato Hagiwara manages to showcase every emotion Kaiji feels in a convincing and strong way.

The show also features a narrator who talks over pretty much every scene in the show. While not annoying, he feels kind of unnecessary. Sometimes silence can be just as effective as any actor or musical score. There are moments that should have just been allowed to sit and the audience allowed to just react to what they’ve seen. Instead the narrator starts talking and it kind of interrupts the flow.

It’s also worthy to mention the use of the phrase Zawa, (which means tension) sprinkled on top of scenes with some voice acting. It adds a hint of originality to a lot of what’s going on and completes the Kaiji experience.

Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor is one of the best shows I’ve seen in a very long time. It has a gripping storyline, a fantastic main character and decent presentation. I’d recommend it to almost anyone who’s a fan of thrillers regardless of whether or not gambling is your thing. If the art style bothers you, all I can say is get over it or miss out on something good. I’m gonna be awarding Kaiji an amazing 8.5 out of ten and a definite recommendation to watch it. If you liked this show, I’d suggest checking out Naoki Urasawa’s Monster which is about a surgeon trying to hunt down a serial killer. Or the show One Outs which is heavily inspired by Kaiji and it’s predecessor Akagi and is about psychological battles involving baseball.

Thanks for reading~
GJ~

angeline94 - 2013-12-08 19:57:28

Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor is a psychological thriller/game anime. The plot itself primarily focuses on gambling. This is exactly what drew me to watch this series. But what is it exactly that made Kaiji that good? There is only a single male lead, that cries all the time like a baby, I hate the art style. It is weird and character designs look ridiculous. You know what? I LOVE THIS SHOW.

Story 9,3/10
The story is about a bum called Kaiji. He is debbed, very badly and on a night he is being sent to a cruise ship. On this cruise ship there are lots of people with huge debts. Everyone on this ship will be playing a game. A gambling game called "Restricted rock-paper-scissors. They will be gambling putting their lives at risk. If they win, they could be erasing away their debts. This is where Kaiji's adventure begins.

The story of Kaiji, is one of the most original stories I've encountered in anime. The things that are so good about Kaiji's story, are the intelligent games the people will be playing. It also has a good pacing. It's very clever and it depends a lot on the psychology and stratey of the players. It's very addicting and entertaining. The story is really unique, and after watching an episode you just keep guessing of what's actually coming next.

Art 8,3/10
Like I said, I hate the art style of Kaiji. It's unique and I've never seen anything like it. But that doesn't mean it's bad. Yes, it may look really weird, but it's actually pretty good. When I just started watching Kaiji, I couldn't keep my eyes of his nose. It was just huge and it look ridiculous. But even though Kaiji's nose is as long as my dick, the art was very detailed. There is a lot of emotion and crying in this anime, and face expressions are very detailed. You could see immediatly how someone felt. The character designs also fit the whole atmosphere of the anime. The black outlines and facial expressions make it more realistic. The background art is also very detailed. It really fits the dark theme of Kaiji.

Sound 8,5/10
The voice acting is impressively done as well. Most of the voice actors were really fitting for the characters they portrayed. Especially Kaiji's voice was impressively done. You could easily hear from his voice how he was feeling. You could read his emotions from his voice.

The background music is fits the story and atmosphere of Kaiji well. But when it got really intense, the music made it even more thrilling! The OP is really cool and fits the series well. The ED is also nice, but didn't stand out. Where the sound of Kaiji mostly stands out is the background music and the voice acting.

Characters 8,5/10
The characters of Kaiji were very well done. Kaiji himself is one of the best single leads I've seen. Yes, he is a cry baby. And yes, he is ugly. And yes, he can be annoying at some times, he is also very clever. I really liked how he always came up with a brilliant plan or strategy to outsmart his opponent in a gambling game.
I didn't really care for most of the supporting characters, only Kaiji.

Enjoyment 9,8/10
I really enjoyed the shit out of Kaiji. It's a very addicting anime, with brilliant games and after each episode it keeps you guessing of what'll happen the next time.

Overall 8,88/10
Kaiji is a very entertaining anime, with a very cool male lead. It's story is very clever and original. Weird, but good looking character designs. Awesome OST and great voice acting.
I could recommend this anime to anybody. Especially if you like psychological thrillers, I think you're going to love Kaiji!

iweimann - 2013-11-18 16:14:36

When it comes to mainstream anime,there are a lot of things to expect such as shonen,slice of life,fanservice,shojo,harem,ecchi and all things mainstream.The world is set in a high school setting and all of the cliches repeated time after time.There are some anime that say "screw the cliches" and do it on their own,some being hits while some being terrible.But there is one genre that hasn't been in the light and at times is better than other anime: The gambling genre.These type of anime usually get high rating but it's been underrated.There is one anime that caught my eye and gave me a thrill ride and that is Gyakkyō Burai Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor (Suffering Outcast Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor)

Story:The story is about Itou Kaiji,a poverty stricken man who lives alone in an apartment stealing car emblems and resorts to pranks, constantly in debt and resorts to playing cheap gambling games with neighbours and loses.One day,Kaiji is handed over a 3,850,000 yen debt by one of his co-worker who had cosigned a loan and has to pay back within a year.The loan shark gives Kaiji 2 options : Pay the debt in 10 years or risk it all in one night in a ship called Espoir,where the game is held. Kaiji is pressured and accepts the deal.When he enters the ship,he realises that there are others like him who took this choice.The game led by Hideo Tonegawa is Restricted Rock Paper Scissors,a card version of the rock paper scissors.If you lose,you'll be sent to hard labour for 15 years or either worse.When it comes to story,it's simple : Win it or die.The setting and the action,strategies involved make this anime fantastic by the hook.It's not always a win-win situation,sometimes there are those decisions that impact the storyline and takes a quick turn of events.The metaphors used in this anime are stunning.Furthermore,it's a drama-suspense gambling anime great enough to make me wanna have more.

Characters:The characters can be arranged from tricked simple minded debt-attached people to the cunning,shrewd cheaters to the sly,evil millionaires.For once,the characters aren't that idiotic at all and they never whine.There are those type of people who you wouldn't trust ever in your life,not even to get you ice cream.One of the notable characters who I like is Kaiji. With his skill in gambling,he tries to struggle in every situation that faces him. Tonegawa,whose attitude impresses me to a certain point of hating him.

Animation:The animation is good,throwing away the moe type animation and moving to the gritty plot it is.There is strictly no fanservice and a bit of humor at all.What is noticeable about the animation is the faces and the emotions.The emotions itself are the pinpoints of the anime as well as the way how the faces are drawn.The metaphors in the anime which depict the situation are in contrast the main point of the anime.

Sound : The soundtrack was plausible,the openings and endings were good.The 'zawa zawa' sound which indicates something's not right was one sound which sticks to my head.The narrator was narrating the whole story with an extreme voice which made me say "Why can't he narrate my life ?"

Overall Verdict : If you're a fan of gambling manga or anime,a guy that wants something different and a guy that wants a suspense drama anime or if you're any guy,be it human or not human,then this anime is for you.I liked the anime as it was different from all other anime.

ellsworth.farrell - 2013-07-27 02:40:51

Money is a very important part of our lives. To even do anything, you need money. Food? Money. Anime? buy a computer, which costs money. Clothes? Money. The only thing I can think of that won't cost money to build or maintain is yourself. So what do you do when you desperately need money, fast? Kaiji's answer to this question is to gamble for it. And damn, there's a hell of a lot of gambles in this anime.Basically, the story revolves around Itou Kaiji, who's broke and also in debt for about 3 million yen. Some black suits come and talks him into gambling on a ship to pay off his debt. There's a catch, however. Fail, and he will be forced to do manual labor on an island for 1-2 years. Getting 3 wins (stars) allows him to get off the ship. However, a star will be taken away for each loss. And this is only the first arc. The second arc pits Kaiji on a bridge, the third on a bridge that's electrocuted, another settling with a card game(and a very interesting one at that), and another a lottery. All of these arcs are very interesting, in their own way. Morals, Luck, Right or Wrong, Cheating, and Greed are only some of the things it discusses over the series. Mind that the story is also dark and very psychological.The art has it's own distinct style. I admit I was turned off by it at first, but then I grew to like it. The animation is very smooth and flawless.Sound was pretty good. The right BGM at the right moments, and the theme songs kind of fits Kaiji's tone. The voices were perfect for each character (except for Furuhata, didnt like his voice)Each main and supporting character is very different in their own special way, mostly guys. Kaiji is really a character that I can relate to. He will be betrayed, lose limbs, sees the deaths of his comrades, and thrown into impossible gambles and still Kaiji survives it, mostly through mixed emotions and strategic planning. The rest of the cast is memorable, except the lackeys in which Kaiji usually tells them to do stuff (you'll see what I mean)I enjoyed it a lot. More than I expected to enjoy it. Kaiji's character, the daredevil gambles, the strategic planning, everything! Well, almost everything. Some of the plans will make you think "why the hell would you do that" and the bad ending might be a turn-off to some people.Overall, a 9/10. Trust me, you'll have a good time with this series.BTW this is my first review, please give me feedback on this!!! Thanks!

hilpert.jaeden - 2013-07-11 08:23:51

"Money, it makes the world go 'round." It seems people, in general, will do all kinds of illogical and stupid things just for a little bit of cash. And, people who are well off generally find that amusing. But, when someone has their back against the wall in most cases they will do anything to make it out. Kaiji, a series about a man up to his neck in debt and who is forced to participate in all kinds of twisted "games" with the stakes seemingly much higher and repercussions much more sever each time he plays, gives the viewer a surprising and quite truthful look at the darker side of human nature. Fukumoto Nobuyuki seems to run on the belief that people can, and will, screw over each other when their back is against the wall. This is shown quite early, as Kaiji is tricked at the beginning of the very first arc and from then on it seems as though the series is just an exercise in him getting continuously screwed over. But, here's the thing: that is actually a good thing for the story. In a story where people continuously backstab one another and don't look out for each other, Kaiji is one of the few who seems to actually care for his fellow man to some extent.Fukumoto deftly and skillfully contrasts the overall dark tone of the series with his protagonists' altruism and never really picks a side. Which makes it all the more effective, as morality should be handled as morally grey. That said, it isn't as though the characters that aren't Kaiji are particularly well developed. The villains of the series, for instance, Tonegawa and "The Chairman" are very obviously portrayed as evil for the most part, though they do have some interesting philosophies, with the typical "bad guy" poses that overly dramatic series like Death Note do. Think Light Yagami when he comes up with some dastardly plan.But, strangely enough, this kind of works to the series' advantage as well. Because, to Kaiji, these people ARE evil. They put him in this terrible situation where he could die or possibly worse, so the dramatizing can be effective in this situation. That said, those who dislike melodrama may be kind of turned off. But, personally, I think it fits the tone and situations for the most part.Of course, every one who has any passing knowledge of this series and anything else by Fukumoto knows that the art can be kind of a turn off for certain people. The faces, in particular, look strange at first with the overly stylized nose. But, all but the most close minded should be able to get over this once the series gets into the swing of things. In fact, the art is effective in showing character reactions whether it be fear, shock, happiness or any other human emotion. Very effective stuff here, most viewers will probably be pleasantly surprised by the art.The music and sound effects do the job nicely, with the most memorable part being the "Za" sound effect used throughout when ever something or someone takes a dark turn. Unfortunately, it is very easy to imagine this being an annoyance to some people. Personally, I thought it greatly added to the tension in key scenes. The OP and ED are okay, nothing overly memorable. Pretty good voice acting across the board, though nothing was overly amazing.A very effective series, all things considered. As someone who isn't exactly into gambling by any means, I was personally more pulled into the glimpses of human nature and the general darkness the series presented. Story- 7The story about a man thrown into a series of games to make money isn't particularly interesting. But, when the story gets going this series has an interesting opinion on the human condition. The games themselves are interesting, with the most entertaining ones being the Rock, Paper, Scissors and E Card. Honestly, the series high point is the over the top but incredibly intriguing "Brave Men road" arc. It has to be seen to be believed.Art-8Great facial expressions in dramatic situations. The artstyle takes a few episodes to get used to, but once the viewer is into the thick of things it shouldn't be a problem. The art has far more advantages than disadvantages.Sound-8Good voice work, well done sound effects, and decent music. The sound effects, in particular, work extremely well in heightening tension.Character- 8Kaiji is a surprisingly believable and easy to relate to character and his contrast with many of the other, "look out for yourself" characters is intriguing. Takegawa is pretty much the only other particularly interesting character as he has some interesting thought processes. Fukumoto wisely doesn't choose a particular side, though the "evilness" of the other characters does counter act this a bit.Enjoyment- 9A very addicting series, Kaiji can really suck the viewers time away. It's also entertaining for people who want "something more" from their entertainment while not digging to deeply. It's easy to imagine that the games could be entertaining to watch without the food for thought as well.Overall- 8An impressive series that wasn't like what I thought it would be, aside from the sense of style. The world view of this series is particularly gripping. Definitely worth the watch.

strantow - 2013-03-22 05:21:06

This is such a cool anime.

The main character has no special abilities. He's not particularly smart or discerning or fearless, he's just determined to win.

He's in some crazy debt so he leaps at the idea of this dude giving him a chance to get some cash...plus he likes gambling.

The first gambling venture is in a boat, where they play rock paper scissors with cards. But he gets taken advantage of and ends up in the most desperate situation, then takes advantage of that fact to gain leverage on the other players, but then that changes, and he has to change tactics.

Eventually he starts counting cards, and it seems like he's going to win, but then that gets foiled too.

So then he gives it all, believing in his friends, but then they let him down.

There are lots of manly tears, clever strategies, and a strong sense of reality in spite of the risk taking, which underlines the idea that risks do end badly from time to time, which is a great relief from characters that, no matter what, always pull out some extra clever trick, or some secret hidden trap, or some super secret latent power to come out on top.