Kakegurui Lands Live-Action Adaptation at Netflix Following the Anime's Global Success
The acclaimed gambling anime series Kakegurui is set to become Netflix's next live-action anime adaptation going under the new name BET. BET will be overseen by Warrior Nun showrunner Simon Barry. The original manga by Homura Kawamoto and Tōru Naomura follows a young woman named Yumeko Jabami who attends a school where the students participate in high-stakes gambling games to establish social dominance.
BET is just the latest in Netflix's attempts to fund high-budget adaptations of popular anime and manga series While Netflix had initially seen mixed success with adaptations such as Cowboy Bebop and Death Note, the streaming giant hit the jackpot with their live-action adaptation of One Piece. One Piece live-action ranks among Netflix's most downloaded shows, finally breaking the curse of poorly received Western adaptations of anime and manga franchises. With BET, it appears as though Netflix is gambling that lightning can strike twice.
What We Know About Netflix's Kakegurui Adaptation So Far
Information On BET Is Sparse So Far
Beyond the name change and the showrunner, not much is known about BET. The Tweet revealing the show also contained a cast list of eight actors, though it doesn't specify who each actor is playing. The safest bet is that Kate and Star Trek: Section 31 actress Miku Martineau will play Yumeko. Beyond that though, it's difficult to say which actor will correspond to which character from the manga and anime series. Given that, at least based on the casting choices, BET will most likely take place in America rather than Japan, it's likely that characters will have their names changed.
Cast |
|---|
Miku Martineau |
Ayo Solanke |
Eve Edwards |
Clara Alexandrova |
Hunter Cardinal |
Anwen O'Driscoll |
Aviva Mongillo |
Ryan Sutherland |
Fans of the anime already appear skeptical of Netflix's attempt before much has really been revealed about the series. Currently, the top reply to the announcement post is anime fan @BasedLIDA saying "Cancel it bruh", and it's not difficult to find others echoing that sentiment. Whether the backlash is fair skepticism due to past anime adaptation flops or if it's unfairly prejudging a project, it's clear BET will have an uphill battle to climb in terms of winning over some anime fans.
How We Think Netflix Will Translate Kakegurui Into Live-Action
The Series Will Certainly Undergo A Facelift
Kakegurui is one of the best gambling anime and is never afraid to go over the top, naturally raising the question of how Netflix will adapt such a bombastic series into live-action. While fans will have to wait till the first trailers and promo images drop to truly know, the safest bet given the casting and Netflix's own history is that BET will be a far more grounded high-school drama with the gambling elements present, but less melodramatic. What will be more interesting will be comparing Netflix's version of Kakegurui to the live-action Japanese drama produced in 2018.
Upcoming Netflix Anime Adaptation Has A Massive Live-Action Challenge That Won’t Be Easy To Solve
A new live-action series based on a popular anime is in the works at Netflix, and it has to solve a major challenge that can make or break the show.
Though fans may complain about Netflix's new series, it truly is too early say much of anything about its quality. A certain level of skepticism may be warranted, certainly, but live-action anime adaptations like One Piece and Battle Angel Alita show that miracles can happen. Even beyond that, reworked anime/manga adaptations like Tom Cruise's Edge of Tomorrow show that these projects can actually bring in new fans. Whether this will happen with Netflix's Kakegurui adaptation, or if BET will be far more like failures of the past, remains to be seen.
Kakegurui
- Release Date
- 2017 - 2019
Cast
Saori HayamiYumeko Jabami- Tatsuya TokutakeRyota Suzui
- Creator(s)
- Mckenzie Hammonds
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