Based on the anime Kakegurui, Bet follows Yumeko Jabami (Miku Martineau), a transfer student at the prestigious St. Dominic’s boarding school. Unlike other schools, St. Dominic’s is concerned with only one thing—gambling—while Yumeko is concerned with two things: gambling, and finding her parents’ murderer.
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Saori Hayami
Yumeko Jabami
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Tatsuya Tokutake
Ryota Suzui
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Miyuki Sawashiro
Kirari Momobami
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Minami Tanaka
Mary Saotome
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The connection between the live-action show and anime is obvious, as the anime (whose title literally means “compulsive gambler”) also focuses on Yumeko’s experience playing high-stakes games at school. However, various other aspects of Kakegurui were altered, added, or completely cut in the Bet adaptation. In some cases, these changes were to the show’s advantage, while in others, the gamble didn’t quite pay off.
Here are the biggest changes Netflix’s Bet made to Kakegurui, the anime it’s based on.
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New Characters
Kakegurui already had a colorful ensemble of characters, and Bet added some more memorable faces. Most noticeably, this included Michael (Hunter Cardinal), who tried to help Yumeko on her quest for revenge until it became too personal. Some other new additions included Yumeko’s roommate, Blake, her step-dad, Ray, student council member, Chad, and all the board members. Each of these characters played an important role within the series, even if some of those roles were a bit confusing.
Not Quite a Match
Blake’s appearance at St. Dominic’s is interesting, as she seems to be there in order to work on her music. However, the school is specifically focused on gambling and developing the world’s future leaders. Certainly, she seems to have somewhat of an interest in power and gambling, but based on how often she’s seen practicing, and the obvious wealth she’s amassed, we have to wonder why she didn’t attend a music academy instead.
Similarly, Michael hates gambling, and later in the series, his father threatens to remove him from the school. Since Michael so obviously didn’t wish to be there, and since his dad thought so little of him and chose to pull him out so quickly, we wonder why the character was at St. Dominic’s to begin with.
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New Character Designs
Along with adding new characters, Bet changed the design of many old ones. For example, in the anime, Kirari Momobami’s silvery hair, blue eyes, and blue lips highlight her calculating, somewhat cold personality, while Itsuki Sumeragi’s pink nails (and later, bandaged fingers) were central to her development as a character. However, in the live action show, Kirari’s (here Kira, played by Clara Alexandrova) makeup job isn’t chilling so much as confusing, while Sumeragi (here Suki, played by Ryan Sutherland) has switched her gender, race, and apparent sexuality. Numerous other characters also experienced race/gender/sexuality/name changes, as well as altered personalities that were sometimes at odds with the originals.
Personality Changes
Ryan’s (Ayo Solanke) mannerisms are more understated than Ryota’s (except, perhaps for the last few episodes) and Kira seems power-hungry as opposed to hedonistic. Yumeko also seems more concerned with avenging her family than trying to enjoy a gamble and root out cheating at school, even walking away from a game out of fear she can’t win. We’re not saying it’s bad that she wants to find her parents’ killer, only that, in Kakegurui, the thrill of the gamble was what mattered most to her.
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The Main Character
Yumeko’s motivation wasn’t the only thing to change in Bet. In the Kakegurui anime, elements of her backstory are revealed during Season 2, including her connection to the Momobami clan, but she largely remained a mystery. Additionally, the series stopped short before finishing her story, so fans were left with more questions than answers. Bet tried to fill in some of these gaps, but in doing so, the show drastically changed who the character was, what she wanted, and why fans were invested in her story.
Yumeko’s Motivation
As mentioned before, Yumeko’s quest for revenge is more important to her in Bet than is her love of gambling or desire to play a fair game. This greatly contrasts with both the anime and manga characters, who are driven by a lust for gambling that is, as the title suggests, compulsive. Additionally, while Yumeko’s parents are also dead in the manga, this is a less significant plot point. As opposed to something she’s obsessed with avenging, their deaths are a reminder to Yumeko of where her compulsive gambling could lead—a warning that she ignores in the quest for her next gambling high.
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Frequent Death
Although the gambles in Kakegurui often got intense, they rarely led to injury and never led to death. Even moments that should have been fatal, such as Kirari and Sayaka jumping from a tower or any scene involving Midari Ikishima, wound up not severely harming the characters. Yet, in Bet, deaths were widespread, with Blake dying in a car explosion and Blake’s previous roommate mysteriously being killed off. In the last episode, Yumeko even played a role in another character’s murder, bringing the idea of high-stakes gambling to an even deadlier level.
Compulsive Killers
Yumeko nearly killed an innocent man, only for Michael to stop her. She then successfully targeted Michael’s father before vowing to take revenge on the rest of the school board. Similarly, Kira seemed to have no qualms with trying to murder Yumeko (arguably, twice), and the students (with a few exceptions) barely batted an eye when discussing the apparent deaths of Blake or Ryan. Rather than majoring in Gambling, these students should consider Assassination.
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Setting
In Kakegurui, Yumeko attends Hyakkaou Private Academy in Japan, while in Bet, she attends St. Dominic’s. The two schools share several traits in common, such as being ruled over by the student council and abiding by the house pet system. However, in Hyakkaou Private Academy, this system is far more sadistic, with “owners” destroying their “pets'” property and even sexually assaulting them. Additionally, Hyakkaou Private Academy didn’t have the same secret pet passages as St. Dominic’s, and the House wars system and House Pet Hunt were entirely new to Bet.
A Critical Change
Perhaps one of the biggest changes from anime to live action was the fate of characters who lost too many gambles. In Kakegurui, the characters’ lives could be sold away, requiring them to abide by the student council’s prescribed “life plan” until death. While this grim outcome is hinted at in the show, it has yet to be explicitly revealed, and given the added focus on murder in Bet, we wonder if the characters’ fates might somehow be even worse.
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Different Games
The games in Bet greatly differ from those in the anime. For instance, instead of playing Vote Rock-Paper-Scissors against Mary, Yumeko plays Skirmish. Later, rather than play Double Memory/Concentration, she and Suki play Icebreaker. To be fair, there are some similarities between the various games, such as Ryota/Ryan helping Mary cheat in Vote Rock-Paper-Scissors and Skirmish, respectively. However, in general, the games in Bet are less about skill and identifying cheating and more about Yumeko’s luck.
A Fun Callback
Toward the end of the series, many of the anime games appear in the secret room at the end of the pet hallway system. Most noticeably, this includes the finger-cutting game that Mary and Yumeko play. However, that game goes much differently than it does in the anime between Midari, Yumeko, and Erimi.
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New Storylines
Bet added several new storylines that didn’t appear in Kakegurui, such as the aforementioned House Wars and House Pet Hunt. There was also more of a focus on side betting and how it disrupted the student council system. Plus, the entire plot surrounding a bet made about Ryan’s virginity was new, as was Yumeko meeting the school board and killing Michael’s father.
A Different World
In some ways, these new plotlines fleshed out the original anime, adding depth to the characters and their stories. In other ways, they made Bet appear as though it were taking place in an entirely different world. While we don’t fault Bet for trying to build off the original, fans of the anime might find themselves wondering why these additions were included at all.
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Character Relationships
Numerous character relationships have been altered in Bet, with some becoming less ambiguous and others being entirely different from the original. For instance, while Riri (Anwen O’Driscoll) and Mary (Eve Edwards) appear to have a connection in the manga and anime, in Bet, there is an explicit romantic connotation. Similarly, Yumeko and Kira have a more adversarial relationship, as opposed to one based on mutual respect and interest in the anime.
Kakegurui Twin
Something that fans noticed immediately about Bet was the change regarding Kira and Riri. Instead of being identical twins, Kira and Riri are half-sisters, and this relationship is established early on. In contrast, Riri’s identity was a central mystery in the original anime. In this sense, not only were some of Bet’s relationships changed, but the way and time in which they were presented to other characters (and viewers) also changed.
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Small But Important Details
A few changes between Kakegurui and Bet might seem unimportant at first glance, but they actually add layers to the live-action version, such as the aforementioned reveal concerning Kira and Riri’s relationship. As another example, in Bet, Mary starts the show as a member of the student council, and it’s her goal to reclaim her place. Additionally, she later becomes Yumeko’s roommate (Yumeko having a roommate at all is also new). Plus, Dori doesn’t lose an eye, Runa’s signature rabbit costume constantly changes, and Suki accidentally breaks his nails as opposed to Sumeragi intentionally pulling them off. Again, these changes may appear inconsequential, but some have some significant implications.
Why They Matter
Mary originally had no interest in joining the student council—in fact, she despised them—so this backstory makes for a very different character arc. Other changes, like Runa’s costume, don’t affect the viewers in quite the same way, but they’re certainly noticeable to an anime fan. Plus, changing the story about how Dori (played by Aviva Mongillo and called Midari in the anime) lost her eye drastically changes the tone, as it was one of the most warped events in all of Kakegurui. Even though it was replaced by another disturbing story, this new one doesn’t quite hit the same way.
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Tonal Differences
Perhaps the biggest change between Kakegurui and Bet lies in the difference in tone. In the anime, every scene is intense, with the characters making exaggerated movements and facial expressions every time they play a card. Additionally, most scenes are heavily sexualized, with the gambles themselves falling somewhere between a bizarre power play and mating ritual. Plus, Yumeko’s obsession with playing fair dominates every episode—and yet, these intense emotions, charged sexuality, and obsession with fairness are largely missing from the adaptation.
Cheating the Viewer
The main issue fans of Kakegurui likely have with Bet is that it isn’t Kakegurui. In other words, Bet has added some unique characters and plotlines, but ultimately, it doesn’t feel the same as the anime. Sure, parts of the anime were a little ridiculous, and the overt sexualization and exaggerated lust for gambling could be a little much. However, those bizarre elements were what made the show what it was, and their absence (or at best, reduction) is to the show’s disservice.
In short, Bet is in a weird place between wanting to stand on its own while simultaneously trying to entice fans of the original series. It’s not a bad watch, but it might not be the best viewing experience for Kakegurui fans to gamble on. Fortunately, if you’re a fan of both Kakegurui and live-action spin-offs, here’s a show we bet you’ll love.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
