Kakegurui×× – 06

「ハリウッドスターの女」 (Hariuddo Sutaa no Onna)
“The Hollywood Star”

Well I’ll be damned, I certainly didn’t see this coming. A feel good drama, in my overcharged gambling addiction show? More likely than not apparently. Have to give Kakegurui some credit for the break (well, half break) in the usual shenanigans though, as it would be hard finding a more deserving person for it than Yumemi. Honest goals and heartfelt dreams: who doesn’t want to see that succeed?

As foreshadowed at the end of last week, Sumika was a far bigger threat than Yumemi originally gave her credit for. Guarantee a win through a little bribery beforehand? Nothing the opponent cannot also do, and with greater force. Ironic Yumemi couldn’t foresee a similar strategy being employed against her, but in reality the girl was beaten as much by herself as Sumika. Yumemi’s issue from start to finish was that she always pinned herself as the lesser of Sumika; no matter what she would do, what she could do, Sumika would always come out on top. With that mindset there’s no point in trying, and thus Yumemi effectively gave up, outright admitting no intention beyond getting recognition and head pats acknowledgement. Is it a sad state of affairs? Definitely, but it’s an understandable one. If you believe a battle is wholly unwinnable sometimes it’s best to throw in the towel and retain some dignity rather than going down in flames.

The thing about Yumemi’s situation however is that it wasn’t as hopeless as she led herself to believe. Yumeko might’ve been all gambling and no mercy in her responses this week, but that harsh (and hilarious) attitude was right for moment: Yumemi wasn’t destined to lose, she simply had to give it her all. No gains ever came without a little pain, and while Yumemi understood this somewhat (in probably too literal a sense), she still needed Yumeko to ram home the consequences of that. You want to win and succeed? Then stick with the fight (especially ones you initiate) because nothing says your effort won’t succeed in the end—but tapping out early certainly will guarantee no chance of victory. No goal was ever reached without a little effort, and a lot of time you can find the experience of getting there was worth far more than the final reward. In the end Yumemi learned far more about what she really wanted in life, and got the acknowledgement she desperately craved from the girl who she always looked up to. It may have looked like an inglorious victory, but it was everything our little idol could’ve ever hoped for and more.

Whether or not this gamble and its aftermath is enough to keep Yumemi alive in the student council “election” is anyone’s guess, but I think we all know who the main target really is by now. Another Momobami may be down for the count, but Yumeko’s fun and games are only just getting started.

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