, also known as ''Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler'', is a 2009 Japanese

live-action film Live action is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live action with animation to create a Live-action animation, live-action animated feature film. Live action is used to define ...

based on ''Gambling Apocalypse: Kaiji'', the first part of the

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series ''

Kaiji Kaiji may refer to: People *, Japanese manga artist whose works include ''Eagle'' and ''Zipang'' *, Japanese voice actor; see List of Ultraman manga characters * Kaiji Tang, (born 1984) an American voice actor *, Japanese ceramist of the Showa er ...

'' by

Nobuyuki Fukumoto is a Japanese manga artist, well known for his work including unique and original gambling ideas, deep psychological analyses of characters, and his distinct art style. Gambling and yakuza are recurring themes in his manga. In English-speaking c ...

. It is the first film of a trilogy directed by Tōya Satō and premiered in Japan on October 10, 2009. It was followed by '' Kaiji 2'', released in 2011.

Plot

Kaiji is a 30-year-old man trapped in a life of mediocrity, working at a small shop and barely making ends meet. Though he longs for change, his aspirations remain unfulfilled until a loan shark named Rinko Endō confronts him about a co-signed debt left by a vanished acquaintance. Unable to repay the staggering sum, Kaiji accepts Endō's offer to participate in a high-stakes gambling tournament aboard the ship ''Espoir'', where success would erase his debt. Once onboard, he realizes the true cost of failure: losing contestants are forced into brutal labor camps, constructing an underground city for a ruthless crime syndicate. The syndicate's second-in-command, Yukio Tonegawa, subjects the prisoners to increasingly cruel and deadly games. Determined to reclaim his freedom and transform his life, Kaiji resolves to outmaneuver the sadistic challenges before him.

Cast

Tatsuya Fujiwara is a Japanese actor. Internationally, he is best known for his leading roles as Shuya Nanahara in the '' Battle Royale'' films, Light Yagami in the ''Death Note'' films, Kaiji Itō in the ''Kaiji'' films, and Rikuhiko Yuki in Hideo Nakata's '' ...

as Kaiji Itō *

Yūki Amami is a Japanese actress. Career Amami joined the Takarazuka Revue in 1987 and retired from the stage company in 1995. Amami was the youngest actress in the company's history to be cast in a top male role. As an , she belonged to the ''Moon Trou ...

as Rinko Endō *

Teruyuki Kagawa is a Japanese actor, kabuki actor (as ), and boxing commentator. Unlike most other Kabuki actors in his family (such as his father Ichikawa En'ō II and his cousin Ichikawa Ennosuke IV) who play both male and female roles, he is a ''tachiyaku' ...

as Yukio Tonegawa *

Ken Mitsuishi is a Japanese actor. He has appeared in films such as ''Chaos (2000 film), Chaos'' and ''Tokyo Playboy Club''. Filmography Film ;1980s *''Tora's Tropical Fever'' (1980) *''Foster Daddy, Tora!'' (1980) *''Sailor Suit and Machine Gun (film), Sai ...

as Kōji Ishida *

Kenichi Matsuyama is a Japanese actor. He is known for his affinity for strange character roles, and he is best known internationally for playing L in the 2006 films ''Death Note'', '' Death Note 2: The Last Name'' and '' L: Change the World'' in 2008. He was ca ...

as Makoto Sahara *

Tarō Yamamoto is a Japanese politician and former actor, who is the founder and current leader of the anti-establishment political party Reiwa Shinsengumi. Yamamoto currently serves in the House of Councillors representing Tokyo, and previously served in the ...

as Jōji Funai *

Suzuki Matsuo is a Japanese theatre director, actor, novelist, and screenwriter. Career Born in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Suzuki started his own theatre troupe, Otona Keikaku, in 1988 and was joined by such talent as Kankuro Kudo and Sadao Abe. He won the Kishida ...

as Tarō Ōtsuki * Kei Satō as Kazutaka Hyōdō

Production

In October 2008, it was announced that the film would be directed by Tōya Satō and

would star as Kaiji Itō. The Watarase Film Commission, a non-governmental organization that supports film production, posted a casting call for 70 men between the ages of 20 and 40 to be extras to play contestants of the "restricted rock-paper-scissors" game.

Soundtrack

Yugo Kanno is a Japanese composer and musician known for his work on many television dramas, anime series, and movies. Biography Kanno was born in Saitama, Japan. He attended junior high school in Kawagoe before later moving to Takanezawa for universit ...

composed the music for the film. The original score was released on October 7, 2009. Two songs by Japanese

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

singer-songwriter Yui were featured in the film, "

It's All Too Much "It's All Too Much" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album '' Yellow Submarine''. Written by George Harrison in 1967, it conveys the ideological themes of that year's Summer of Love. The Beatles recorded the track ...

" and "Never Say Die", used as theme song and insert song respectively.

Release

''Kaiji'' was theatrically released on October 10, 2009 in Japan. It was released on Blu-ray and DVD on April 9, 2010. In the UK, the film was released on DVD by 4Digital Media under the title ''Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler'' on July 26, 2010.

Reception

In September 2011, ''Goo Ranking'' conducted a web poll of "Live-Action Manga/Anime Adaptations That Worked" and ''Kaiji'' ranked sixth out of 38 live-action adaptations.

Box office

The film became Japan's sixteenth highest-grossing film of 2009, earning () at the box office that year. Overseas, the film grossed $460,073.

Critical reception

Carlo Santos of ''

Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...

'' gave the film a C grade, praising its psychological tension and gambling theory for staying true to the source material. However, he criticized the flat characters, forced "closed-room" setups, and the clichéd "working-class hero versus evil old rich guy" dynamic, calling it more of a "fantasy" than a grounded story. He also noted the awkward plot adjustments made to condense the story into two hours. Chris MaGee from ''Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow'' called the film an awkward blend of ''

Kani Kōsen is a 1929 short novel by Japanese author Takiji Kobayashi which was first serialized in the May and June 1929 issues of the communist literary magazine ''Senki'' In September of the same year, it was released as a standalone book by Senki Compa ...

''s social critique, ''

Battle Royale Battle Royale may refer to: * Battle royale, or battle royal, a fight among many combatants ** Battle royal (professional wrestling) Fiction and literature * Battle royale genre, a narrative genre of films, manga, anime and visual novels inspire ...

''s intensity, and televised poker He criticized the exaggerated performances of Fujiwara, Matsuyama, and Kagawa. MaGee dismissed the film as a self-indulgent spectacle, enjoyable only for its creators, and that for the audience "the whole experience is just painful."

References

External links

Official website

VAP official website

* * {{Kaiji 2000s Japanese-language films Films about death games Films directed by Tōya Satō Films scored by Yugo Kanno Films set in Japan Japanese films about gambling Kaiji (manga) Live-action films based on manga Toho films