Gambling Apocalypse: KAIJI, Volume 1

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

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!

Good book but it reads back to front which must be the Japanese way. The story is very much like Squid Games on Netflix.

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!!!

Kaiji is by far one of the best gambling mangas ever written-well worth a read.

A gambling manga that is very good

I just discovered this Manga 1 month ago. I’m pleasantly surprised. This thriller is really captivating. Do not hesitate to buy it.

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I hope more give this a chance,got it for my wife who like me,LOVES the series and the Anime.

I feel like the Kaiji series has enough of a pedigree by now to need no introduction, and in case I'm wrong, I'm sure other reviewers can provide ample coverage of its greatness. So I'd like to talk about its presentation here, as Denpa is a publisher I've never heard of before this series. Despite the numerous delays this volume experienced, which shook my confidence in their capabilities, I must confess that this blew me away. The book is nice and large, and the paper is of decent quality. The covers are folded inward, like Vertical's Monogatari novels, and they appear to be made of rather sturdy material. It's definitely more pleasing to the touch than the cheap productions of companies like Yen Press, and I feel confident that the book will resist the unsightly warping that cheaply-made ones are prone to. As for the translation, I am again pleasantly surprised. Whoever did it (it's credited as a company, so I can't put a name to the text) clearly knew what they were doing, as they've deftly captured the tone of the world Kaiji lives in, not afraid to use stronger language when the situation calls for it, and the little note about Fukumoto's zawas on the inside cover was a lovely touch that shows an intimate knowledge of the series. The translation also appears accurate to the original text, but I can't say that for sure, as I don't have the Japanese version of the series. (It's long, okay?) The typesetting is also good, beating out a few other companies in terms of how well text is placed in the bubbles (seriously, some publishers seem to struggle with this), and font choices are mostly on-point, though I do think the one they used for the narration is a bit of a chore to read. There are a few misused commas and some missing punctuation here and there, but that does little to dampen my enjoyment of this quality release. It's clear to me now that the delays in this book's publication were a product of Denpa wanting to get it right, and that's exactly what they did. Kaiji is a fantastic series, and it deserves every bit of love they're giving it. If this is the sort of quality we can expect from future releases, I think we're in for a real treat. Incidentally, Denpa... any plans for my boy Akagi?