Gambling Apocalypse: KAIJI, Volume 1
£16.10
“If the contestants in The Hunger Games had been forced to kill each other by playing rock-paper-scissors instead of with bows and arrows, they might have earned a place at the gaming tables of (Kaiji).” ―The Hollywood Reporter
Ne’er-do-well Kaiji Itou’s shiftless existence is suddenly rattled by a visit from the yakuza. Burdened by debt and resentment, Kaiji is coerced into gambling for his worthless life. As the stakes grow higher and the rules become increasingly more bizarre, Kaiji must finally take the future into his own hands! Legendary mangaka Nobuyuki Fukumoto finally makes his English-language debut. The inspiration for the infamous anime by the same name and the Netflix live-action film Animal World takes readers into the dark side of Japan’s post-bubble economic society by thrusting them into a world of debt, debauchery, and delusion.
Nobuyuki Fukomoto made his manga debut in 1980 and has penned more than one-hundred and fifty volumes over his illustrious career. In 1998 he was presented the Kodansha Manga Award’s Comic of the Year for his work on Gambling Apocalypse: Kaiji.
Known to incorporate both elements of gambling and finance in his works, Fukumoto’s most memorable titles tend to focus on the consequences of Japan’s economic culture. Kaiji was recognized by the publishing world for how it rendered a changing social landscape after Japan’s economic bubble had burst. Outside of Kaiji, Fukumoto is best known for his other international best-sellers, which include: Akagi (Take Shobo), Gin and Kin (Futabasha) and Kurosawa: The Strongest Man (Shogakukan).
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Additional information
| Publisher | 1st edition (23 Jan. 2020), DENPA BOOKS |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 544 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1634429249 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1634429245 |
| Reading age | 16 years and up |
| Dimensions | 14.61 x 3.81 x 20.96 cm |
by Pennywhistle
Although I brought my copy of rightstuf Because it was out state side before uk and I needed it as soon as possible. Kaiji is a fantastic series and I feel that it’s underrated as hell! Probably because of the art stile (which imo is great) but nevertheless I thought this manga would never see the light of day to get an english release until I herd news in earl 2019 that denp licensed it. So if you are interested in great gambling ,characters and intense ,anxiety thrill ridesthis is it. Now it does have a lot of text in it which depending on who you are may be difficult but this is coming from someone who hates reading lots of dialogue in his manga and comics but for whatever reason I still love reading it.
Now my main concern is that it wont sell because of (art and being underrated) but if someone reads this review and loves all thing Fukumoto and gambling please spread the love of Kaiji I would love to be at all the parts of this series in print as possible. And more of Fukumoto’s works would be great to thank you Denpa!
by Sue
Kaiji is by far one of the best gambling mangas ever written-well worth a read.
by Pennywhistle
This is the the pinnacle of the niche genre. What it gets right, where others fail, is Kaiji is distinctly human. You’ll see him struggle to come up with new strategies to turn the tables on his situation, you’ll see him break down and get angry. Most importantly, he won’t always win; and the price of those losses are harsh and impactful.
This isn’t your run of a mill gambling manga with a perfect, cocky protagonist who outwits all their opponents with a smirk. The manga is a a story for those society has failed, and a testament to trying as hard as you can regardless of how badly you get screwed over.
Take this first volume, which centres around “restricted rock, paper, scissors”. What initially seems like a game of chance opens up into a deep arc of manipulating economics and preying on people’s mental states. You won’t get the boring, last second “Haha actually this was my plan all along” twists that pollute the genre. It’s rough for Kaiji, but you see him develop his tactics, strategy, and frustration as the game unravels.
I cannot stress this enough, this series is gambling manga as good as it gets. I am so grateful it’s FINALLY being released in English
by Mzuza2004
Honestly, I only started reading this because of squid game. I was recommended Kaiji because of the gambling element and putting it on the line, I was not disappointed by the first volume. Already creating tension and putting the main character in a predicament. Can’t wait to see how it ends!!!