Kakegurui Twin is based on Mary Saotome and Tsuzura Hanatemari, who attempt to reach the top of Hyakkao Private Academy, where gambling decides your worth.
Story
Mary Saotome and Tsuzura Hanatemari come across each other in Hyakkao Private Academy, a school where your gambling skills ascertains your rank.
Recently transferred to the school, Mary loses her first gambling match but Tsuzura provides her the money to play a second round and win, taking her to the top of her class.
This starts their journey together to become winners. Tsuzura is a house pet, the lowest rankers in the school who are bullied, and Mary wants to help her escape that.
The two, along with Literary Club head Yukimi Togakushi, start running a gambling den that makes profit.
Aoi Miboumi invites Mary to join Full-Bloom society that opposes the Student Council, which is responsible for the hierarchy.
Mary must choose the best path for all of them; joining the Student Council or Full-Bloom.
Positives
The premise is unique. A school where gambling decides where you stand instead of studies or sports is a creative concept that feels novel.
Mary is a great protagonist. While she can be headstrong and stubborn, she has a sweeter side that she displays, especially to her friends Tsuzura and Yukimi. She also takes it upon herself to protect them.
All the constant twists make the narrative extremely engaging. The games are also quite interesting as well as Mary’s opponents.
The portrayal of Mary and Tsuzura is quite progressive. Tsuzura is strongly hinted to be attracted to Mary and while she hasn’t explicitly been shown to reciprocate, this is a relationship rarely seen in anime.
Negatives
The episodes, standing at six, are too few to make any sort of lasting impact. The ambition and conflict are also cliched as the series relies too much on the gambling twists for excitement.
Such a creative premise could have been used to create a bolder narrative that inherently questions the hierarchy.
Verdict
Kakegurui Twin captures your attention for the entirety of its six-episode length. Although not groundbreaking, it definitely deserves a watch for all ardent anime fans.
Rating: 3/5
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