Kaiji β The Gambling You Have Never Heard Of Posted Feb 21, 2020

Since time immemorial, people have enjoyed gambling, and it is not hard to see why; the prospect of predicting or counting on an outcome and putting a wager on it is incredibly exciting.
If you are a gambler who also happens to love anime, then you would be pleased to know that there are some anime created around this theme.
While there are many such animations, Kaiji is one of the most popular gambling-themed anime out there. Hereβs what you need to know about it.
Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor
Kaiji is a viral Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuyuki Fukumoto. It came out in 1996 as a comic book (manga) but later received adaptation for television in 2007. Although it ran for only a year, Kaiji became a popular name in many households throughout the country.
The second part of the series aired from April to September 2011. The manga also has two live-action films, one released in October 2009 and the other in November 2011.
The Plot
The story is about a troubled young man known as Kaiji Itou. After completing high school, Kaiji moves to Tokyo in search of employment but is unable to find any. Depressed, he spends his days gambling, drinking liquor, and vandalizing vehicles.
One day, a representative of the Japanese mafia (Yakuza), known as Endo, shows up at his door and informs him that he owes the Yakuza a large sum of money. Being the bum he was, Kaiji had carelessly agreed to be the guarantor to some cash that a former friend of his owed the mafia. Unfortunately, his friend had not paid his dues, and the debt had now accumulated a massive amount of interest. As expected, Kaiji had nothing on him.
Endo went ahead to give Kaiji two options: one, he works the next ten years to repay the Yakuza, or two, he boards an illegal gambling cruise and tries to make enough money in one night to repay the debt, and the Yakuza will forgive all. Endo pressures Kaiji to get aboard the ship and use his gambling skills to pay off the debt.
Once aboard the ship, Kaiji finds himself on a literal hell on earth where he has to use his wits to not only gamble but also to keep himself alive. Our protagonist finds out the hard way the atrocities that people are capable of when their backs are against the wall.
Conclusion
If I had gone any further, I would have spoilt this great anime for you. Nonetheless, it is a great watch as it mirrors the deceit and cunning that are part and parcel of high-stakes gambling.
As a slots player in games such as 918kiss, you may never have to go to the lengths that Kaiji did, but it is liberating to know that when push comes to shove, the wits that you acquire through gambling can get you out of tricky real-life situations. I highly recommend checking out this manga, as well as its animated version.