Netflix’s Bet shuffles the deck on the beloved gambling anime Kakegurui - but does this flashy Western reimagining hit the jackpot or fold under pressure?
Netflix’s “Bet”, a loose adaptation inspired by Kakegurui, the high-stakes gambling anime and manga by Kawamoto Homura, has climbed into the platform’s Top 10. But does it succeed? That depends on what you're betting on.
A Stylish Reboot… But Of What, Exactly?
Kakegurui is known for its intense gambling matches, psychotic characters, and a tone that veers between dark comedy and psychological horror. It’s also infamous for scenes that walk a fine line between seductive and outright disturbing.
Bet keeps the basic blueprint: an elite school where gambling dictates social power, a mysterious new girl with a hidden agenda, and an oppressive student council – but it opts for a hybrid identity.
While the character names and basic structure are retained, many personalities and motivations have been heavily altered.
One Reddit commenter describes its identity as follows:
"Bet" is inspired by Kakegurui the same way 50 Shades is inspired by Twilight.
High Stakes, Low Impact?
Cinematically, Bet shines. The show has been praised for its stylish direction, effective visual gags, and creative sound design. Its campy, exaggerated humor at times echoes the absurdity of the anime.
But despite this flair, it’s also been widely criticized for missing the heart of what made Kakegurui tick: the gambling. Fans lament that the games often play out off-screen or lack any real sense of strategy, turning crucial showdowns into quick-win plot devices rather than tense battles of wits.
A fan of the original anime noted on Reddit:
“By the end, I was so upset they never really emphasized the games, at some point it was just ‘Kira wins’ or ‘Yumeko wins,’ but we never saw their hands.”
Casting Praise, Directional Critique
The cast has been very well-received.
Viewers praised Martineau’s nuanced take on Yumeko and highlighted Solanke’s portrayal of Ryan as a standout.
Yet many felt the direction leaned too theatrical, undermining the actors' potential and failing to ground the show emotionally.
Perhaps the most controversial choice was the softening of Yumeko’s character. In the anime, she’s unhinged and thriving on risk, chaos, and the thrill of potential ruin.
Bet transforms her into a more sympathetic protagonist, giving her a tragic backstory and a clearer emotional arc involving her mother and a quest for revenge. She cries, falters, and hesitates - traits that might make her more relatable to new viewers, but which feel out of character for fans of the original.
An Identity Crisis
Bet often feels caught between two worlds. The characters are Americanized versions of their anime counterparts, and while some viewers appreciated the localization, others wished the show had either fully committed to original storytelling with new names and systems, or stayed true to the source material.
The result, critics say, is a series that feels stuck in limbo - neither homage nor wholly new creation.
Ironically, the show tones down the original’s sexual content and wildness, perhaps to appeal to a broader Western audience... But then casually introduces murders, often treated like punchlines.
Verdict: Middling
Bet is a curious experiment. It lands somewhere in the middle: not a total bust, but far from a royal flush. Fans of Kakegurui may find it cringy, especially with its pop-culture references and softened characters.
Newcomers might be more forgiving, especially if they approach it as a standalone teen thriller rather than a faithful adaptation.
The show’s finale hints at a potential second season, likely depending on its continued streaming success. And for all its flaws, Bet does succeed at one thing: sparking conversation.