Tobaku Datenroku Kaiji

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Tobaku Datenroku Kaiji is Part 3 of the Kaiji series, and is the first part not yet adapted into anime as of writing this review. If you've watched the anime, this is where to start reading.

I've not read the previous instalments myself, I've only watched Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji, and from there, began reading the manga.

With that in mind, let's begin the review.


Story : 9

Tobaku Datenroku Kaiji begins after the Pachinko Arc. Kaiji, having finally come out of debt, lives a quiet life. But he's not particularly happy with it, as it lacks the thrills that he's had over the course of the previous instalments. he ... lacks a goal in life, and as such, simply loafs around, penniless, crashing at old man Sakazaki's place for the time being.

At this point in time, Kaiji is approached by two of his friends from underground, Maeda and Miyoshi, who explain to him that they've gone back into debt thanks to the wiles of their boss, a shady casino owner. Together with Kaiji, they resolve to get back at him and win their lost money back using a daring plan.

From here on out, the gamble unfolds, and as one might expect of a series like Kaiji, it's filled with to the brim with advanced strategy and twists. It is certainly up to par with the previous instalments.

One of the prerequisites for reading this part of Kaiji is a basic understanding of the game that is Riichi Mahjong. However, there are many sources that can adequately explain the game, and the translation I read has an explanation of the rules as well, so this shouldn't be a difficult requirement to meet. From there on out, you'll be able to understand the nuances that go into Part 3's gamble.

After reading it, I can say that it was quite a ride, and I really enjoy this part of the Kaiji series. I didn't notice any weird ass-pulls or plot holes, and one of the slightly off things I did notice can easily be explained away by the foresight of Kaiji's opponents.

Overall, this part is stellar. Fukumoto is on his game, and it shows. Kaiji part 3 is worth the read as far as story goes.


Art : 8

Fukumoto's art style has never been particularly flattering, but it has certainly grown on me. In part 3, it seems like it's lost none of its detail, and it will look very familiar to anyone reading this after the end of the anime.

The art style is as always very expressive, and lends itself well to showing the emotions of the various characters as the story progresses. It's far from typical, but that doesn't mean it isn't good. It simply takes a bit of getting used to, and it's honestly one of the appeals of the series as a whole, since it's simply so different from the usual; a fresh breath of air.


Characters : 8

The character of the previously introduced characters feels on-par, so no complaints there. The new characters Kazuya and Muraoka also fit in, although Kazuya feels somewhat underdeveloped during this arc. This is understandable given his minor role, but I feel like the focus could have been on him a little bit more often.

Muraoka is the president of the casino that Maeda and Miyoshi work at. He's sleazy, annoying, and tenacious, and it fits his role as well as the story. He's not the kind of antagonist we've really seen before in Kaiji, which is also good, as it means we've not really got the understanding of his character type that we would have if he were more like some of the previously established characters. It's not until far into this part that we begin to grasp the nuances of his character and modus operandi.

Overall, the major new characters that have been introduced feel like they truly belong in the series. I definitely have no complains regarding this aspect of the manga.


Enjoyment : 9

Part 3 is just what you might expect from a Kaiji sequel. It's thrilling, the strategy runs deep, and the outcome feels like it'll swing either way until far into the story.

This means that I enjoy this manga for the same reason that I enjoyed the anime. In my view, it's almost as good. There are a handful of things that could be improved when compared to the previous instalments, but overall, I have very little to complain about.

If you enjoyed the anime, I have very few doubts that you'll enjoy this part of the manga as well.

= Alright so i am a huge Kaiji fan having read all the Manga to date that i can. I truly love the character and the well developed scenarios,the settings and the general atmosphere of the series. I am gonna go over the good and bad points of this particular serialization of Kaiji.

The story is pretty much the same as past Kaiji arcs except this is not started by force because of a debt he must pay. This time Kaiji makes the decision to try and gamble for a sure win and help his friends in the process. A fairly noble yet self serving plot ... for Kaiji but still noble enough for a character like him. The problem with the plot of this particular serialization is its about Mah jong, for anyone who has no idea about Mah Jong they may be completely lost in this arc. Every panel gives specific information about different Mah Jong hands and plays that generally no average Joe would know. Though if you pay close attention you can get a general idea of what he needs to do and what he is doing. I had to have someone fully explain what was happening at the start of this because i have never played any form of Mah Jong before. I can tell you this Mah Jong without your life on the line is one thing if only one thing, extremely boring. The best part of the story is actually just Kaiji lamenting and making realizations the actual game is kinda long and drawn out with some very obscure knowledge needed to fully understand.

The characters the main characters for this series are very bizarre ones at that. The best part of them is that from the way there faces are and the sounds they make and even the trembling you can get a really good grasp of what they feel and just what kind of person they are. A new set of gambling opponents for this series being the manager and a mysterious loan shark. Miyoshi,Maeda and Kaiji are back in the game trying to win there freedom and a little spending cash to get back on there feet. Kaiji seems to be himself for the most part but in this story hes more relaxed and rusty and he lacks the desperation that makes him complete at the start. Half way threw the Manga he starts to show his true character more and more sweating and panicking as he laments at his poor judgement and trust.

The art of Kaiji is not exactly a master piece. It is a very unique art style with some pretty specific quality's to it. It has some very pronounced features like for the face like the nose,eyes and chin. Kaiji only shares this art style with Manga produced by the same creator and it can be delightful if you pick up on what its trying to convey. It is not exactly pretty but its expressive and that’s whats needed for this Manga.

I touched on this in the story portion of the review but the Mah Jong element really brings down the excitement when reading for this. I maybe might not be a big Mah Jong fan but its a pretty simple table game and it's just not as over the top as some of the past games. Kaiji has not cut off his ear or watched anyone die over it so its watching a board game essentially. Though i do enjoy the drama and atmosphere of Kaiji so much that i do keep reading and i can get past this one game just like Kaiji.

I think true fans of Kaiji's saga will like this even if its not as exciting as the past books but Kaiji is still Kaiji, the most miserable and unlucky person ever. I consider this a good Manga but not great compared to the books before.

I am really confused as to why this part has not had an anime adaption yet. Even as someone who went into this part had ZERO IDEA about how mahjong is played (especially Japanese mahjong at that) I was absolutely engulfed by the story very quickly. What was supposed to be an easy win for Kaiji and the former, "45ers", turns out to be a lot more of a bargain than Kaiji fought for. The casino boss ended up being such a scumbag character it is great and as always in a Kaiji part, betrayal thy name is well every character. Plus, a certain monsters ... son makes an appearance in this part as well. If I had to criticize something it is that getting to the climax is a little bit lengthy in terms of the individual game lengths in the second half of the story but overall, out of the arcs I have seen thus far in Kaiji this was definitely my second favorite arc after the dice arc in the underground hell.

This review may contain small spoilers, though I have avoided any major plot points.

Tobaku Datenroku Kaiji continues Kaiji's struggles and is the arc directly after where the anime leaves off. If you had watched the second season of the anime, you might even recognize that the ending theme was an animation of some of this arc's early scenes where Kaiji is forced into cohabitation with Mikoko.

Quickly, the story thrusts Kaiji into a situation where he gambles for more than he's worth, a mainstay of the series at this point.

The characters in this part, both old and introduced, are compelling. Kaiji's opponent is absolutely ominous ... and helps makes this my favorite part in terms of characters. Coming from the second arc of the series where he fights The Bog, I felt that the combination of characters, situation, and game played are all better and more exciting -- if you understand riichi mahjong, it's even better.

I've thought quite a bit about whether you need to understand mahjong to enjoy this arc. And really, while you don't need to, it would of course enhance the experience. I myself had been playing mahjong for more than a year by the time I read this arc and the logic used in the game is not anything bizarre that a normal player wouldn't learn if they played for more than a week or two. Some of the terminology may be lost on someone unfamiliar, but even then it doesn't often matter. There is just one scene in particular that I wonder what someone unfamiliar would think, because without working knowledge of the game the scene loses some tension and panic. Overall, it should not impact the reader too much.

It also helps that it is the trend that the games played in the Kaiji series are modified, usually simplified, versions of real games. Or, original ideas where the rules can be deep but understanding the game at face value is simple. This is to say, I think the way the game is explained suffices. A lot of the complexity of mahjong is eliminated, and the type of game it is is summed up perfectly very early on when they reveal the name and rules.

If you have enjoyed the previous Kaiji parts or want more of what the anime offered, don't be intimidated by mahjong. The reward is what I believe to be the best arc.

When you step into minefield and start playing game that involves huge pain and efforts can you push through?

This will be my first manga review.

Tobaku Datenroku Kaiji, or commonly known as Kaiji Part 3, which gives basic setting for Kaiji series and goes many uncertain roads, which in the end don't save it from falling to be one hell of a gambling arc. It's not certainly bad but it's don't give that Kaiji feel we can sense when reading through series.

Story - 7

Story is OK, I would say not the best ones out there. It's really slow paced one. They dragged so ... many things when they just could had ended things with one time. However, in the end it's basic Kaiji story you can enjoy it some but less than other series.

One point it felt like I was sitting in a empty room with mahjong tiles going all around my head and spinning endlessly. That's great way to describe it's story.

Art - 10

I really like overall art in Kaiji series and people who say it's just bad looking and don't feel like same when you read those other manga series. I can understand not many people will desire this kind of art style but it's something so unique from many different manga's and author has found his own way to make art look his own and putting own elements in.

Art gives really meaning for that Kaiji is definitely dark and psychological series. You will notice this when you start seeing that art. It's so flashy and all those effects with bold underlines will just make it so dark and evil it's just incredible how author managed something like that. This kind of art style combined with story is like putting 2 pieces together.

Characters - 8

I think some of characters were a bit too dramatic in some scenes and President was just horrible with his whining and playing bad guy. Still his atmosphere were freaking scary, almost like those clowns in some horror movies. I still think his character development was bad, it's miss but can't help it.

Kaiji overall amazed with his reasoning, but his character development stayed in same level like in other series. He wasn't too brave or too coward but something more interesting, he was gambler without understanding golden rules of gambling until the end.

All other characters, expect one were almost same kind of greed mindset overall whole manga. It would been better if they have could shown some new sides of them.

Enjoyment - 7

I enjoyed this manga some of but not so much that I could give it higher scores. It's really decent, but nothing so awesome. Still, kaiji fans either like it or hate it, most of fans have hate it. I think it's decent, because it changes storytelling and whole setting upside down overall.

Overall - 7

Overall Part 3 manages to lose something dear to other series and falls to bottomless end. It's balance is very low and you can not think enough why they made this manga while there is only 1 same arc.

Despite this Kaiji is still number 1 leading gambling manga and this gives also some hope for series to be remain in that position, but this was like hit and miss situation kind of like in gamble. You get something and you lose something it's a DRAW!

The third part of Kaiji surpasses the second part in regards to its ending and the way it finally moves the narrative forward (or seemingly does), but it flounders in regards to the actual gamble. Fukumoto falls back on his old faithful, Mahjong, for this part's game, and while it is an interesting spin on Mahjong, it is still Mahjong. What I mean is that this Kaiji arc feels more like Akagi then Kaiji - it's an endless labyrinth of tiles and hands and clever complexities that Mahjong players are sure to appreciate.

While I enjoyed Akagi, despite having very little knowledge about Mahjong, and I ... enjoyed this part too, Minefield Mahjong just isn't as interesting in Kaiji. The first part of Kaiji has Restricted Rock Paper and Scissors, followed by games where the contestants are literally balancing themselves on a beam, and then concluded with a simplistic, but psychologically complex card game and Kaiji's rigged lottery. These are all simple games, explained thoroughly and very easy to follow for the reader. Fukumoto shows just how good he is at coming up with these gambles. Part 2 keeps this up - the dice game and the pachinko machine are just very easy to understand.

But Mahjong, on the other hand, is a lot more to process. The chapters started to blend together for me, and I was getting deja-vu of Akagi's antics, and, well, I'm only going to remember the most exciting moments of the game. Kaiji's solution is very satisfying, though.

I was honestly hoping that they'd play Uno...

Mahjong Legend Kaiji: The Genius Who Descended Into The Darkness.

Picking up immediately after the end of the previous part in Kaiji’s saga, Kaiji is now a penniless layabout in Sakazaki’s home, much to the latter’s disdain, and ultimately, is told to leave before things get nasty, which neatly coincides with Miyoshi and Maeda, two of the 45ers, confronting Kaiji with a get-rich-quick scheme involving the president of the underground casino they now work at. This involves 17 Steps, a form of Mahjong he invented, where both players start in tenpai, and must declare mangan to survive a round (for a total of 17), and declare ... ron to win instantly, and if neither player does, then their hands are reshuffled, and the next round begins, with the wager doubled. And this is the basis for the volumes of this manga, and all I can say is, if you thought E-Card or The Bog went on too long, then you’ll have to prepare yourself, because this is definitely much longer than those two, and truthfully, though enjoyable, and I never once did find myself bored, I think this is certainly one of the weaker games, perhaps because I’m a baka gaijin whose understanding of Mahjong is rudimentary at best (though great effort is made to help explain things, so it’s not as though it makes no sense), but really, it’s not until Kaiji develops his major strategy to win the unwinnable, as he so often does, which occurs by about the 80th chapter, that it really picks up the pace, which is a shame, because those chapters in which he does reminded me precisely why I loved the nail-biting intensity of Kaiji so much, it just makes it unfortunate it gets off to such a slow start, because from this point onwards, it’s as good as the previous games in the series. It’s also interesting to get some character development for Maeda and Miyoshi, and an interesting one at that, in particular it can be compared to Ishida and his son, and in a sense the same can be said for the ‘Young Master’ who also accompanies them in the room, but that’s also where my final complaint lies, for now at least. When the gamble is over, he offers to do one himself with Kaiji, which he instantly accepts, claiming he’d been hoping he could all along, but I don’t particularly see why, it may be an act of bravado, but it just seemed so instantaneous, I should probably keep my mouth shut in case it does get explained early on in the next part, but really, he had very little reason to do so.

Ultimately, it’s Kaiji, part 3, and that should be enough of a review for anyone, I can’t imagine anyone would’ve gotten this far and remained unsure whether they liked the series or not. Admittedly, it does start off rather slowly, and while perfectly enjoyable, it’s certainly not the same quality as seen in the beginning of the previous gambles, but once the brakes are off, it’s rushing forwards with the same intensity any reader of Kaiji’s familiar with, unequivocally exceptional quality through and through, but I must give one final complaint, I preferred the greasy and unkempt look of Kaiji’s hair and face in earlier volumes, which has since disappeared.