i suppose this is where i put my thoughts for the entire series up till now. to preface this, i watched the anime when it first came out, and recently i watched 'Bet' on netflix which was based on this manga but was so different i needed to check if i was tripping and misremembering everything or not. well good news is, i am not.
i love how the games play out in this series. the highlights for me are the nit type zero, war game, fasciation hall and whatever is happening on this gamble cruise arc. personally i am awful at gambling and these mind games in general and these are so entertaining, especially with the scheming.
i admit the election arc was happening for way longer than i expected and the payoff at the end of it was pretty meh, but i loved Mary's character development through it all and how she actually went from a power hungry admittedly small fry to someone who plays and gambles with her heart. rock paper scissors wasn't my favourite game to watch but holy shit that rematch between Mary and Yumeko!! that was so tense and i love how we got insight into how they see each other? no one else understands fr.
one thing i did not expect was Mary/Ririka actually being a thing?? they're not canon but plsplspls they gotta be. Ririka is finally her own person thanks to Mary and the whole side bets happening during that poker match was so smart. (Mary should have won, argue with the wall)
but that is not to discount the protagonist Yumeko because her character is genuinely so entertaining to read. yes it gets weird but the way she plays genuinely sucks me in. and the whole backstory with her sister Souko and Kabura was honestly heartbreaking so i am curious to see what kind of role Souko will play in the current arc.
many many excitement for what's to come.