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When it comes to betting, Asian cinema knows how to raise the stakes, both on-screen and off. With sports betting, card games, and the classic game of chance woven into the fabric of so many films, these movies don’t just depict a quick soccer bet. Instead, they capture the adrenaline, the tension, and yes, the inevitable heartbreak of gambling. Asian filmmakers don’t sugarcoat the gambling world; they throw you right into the fire, where fortunes are made and lost in the blink of an eye.

The High-Stakes World of Tazza: The High Rollers

Take Tazza: The High Rollers from South Korea, for example. This film isn’t just about gambling—it’s a crash course in the dark side of betting. It shows us the seduction of big wins and the catastrophic consequences of chasing losses. You’ve got your slick conmen, the hustlers who make you think...

Big budget blockbuster versions of old school anime and manga favourites are still very much in vogue in Japan, with the likes of “Space Captain Harlock”, “Space Battleship Yamato” and others having hit the screen in recent years. “Gatchaman”, better known to western viewers as “Battle of the Planets” (or possibly “G-Force: Guardians of Space”) is the latest to make the leap, director Sato Toya (“Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler”) offering up a new, special effects heavy take on Yoshida Tatsuo’s early 1970s series “Science Ninja Team Gatchaman”, with Ayano Go as Joe (“Rurouni Kenshin”), Matsuzaka Tori as Ken (“Love for Beginners”), Goriki Ayame as Jun (“Kiyosu Conference”), Hamada Tatsuomi as Jinpei (“Umizaru Brave Hearts”) and Suzuki Ryohei as Ryu (“Forbidden Superhero”). The film is set in 2050, with the world having been invaded by the Galactors, an evil race of humanoid beings led by the evil Berg Katse, who manage to conquer half the planet,...

Released on DVD on July 26 is Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler, based on Nobuyuki Fukumoto's award-winning manga Tobaku Mokushiroku Kaiji and 26-part anime series.

Kaiji Ito (Tatsuya Fujiwara - Death Note/Battle Royale) moves to Japan after graduating from high school. Unable to find a job and frustrated with society at large, Kaiji spends his days gambling, vandalising cars, and drinking.

Two years later and his life is no better. A debt collector named Endo arrives to collect payment. She then offers two choices to Kaiji: spend 10 years paying off his loan or board a gambling boat for one night to repay his debt and possibly make a whole lot more.

Meanwhile, the unscrupulous Endo is actually conning Kaiji, believing he won't come back from his voyage. Kaiji is then up for the night of his life......

The film stars Tatsuya Fujiwara (Death Note, Death Note: The Last Name, Battle Royale 1 & 2), Kenichi Matsuyama (Death Note,...

Director: Toya Sato. Review: Adam Wing. Gambling is a matter of life and death in the 2009 thriller Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler from director Toya Sato. Death Note fans rejoice. Tatsuya Fujiwara stars as Kaiji, the hero of the title who gambles for his life upon a ship that promises salvation. A ship that promises hope but serves up cold beer, hot chicken and what was the other thing again? Oh yes, that would be life as a slave then. We're talking about the lucky ones of course, for many hapless participants the endgame is death. Based on Fukumoto Nobuyuki's manga, the film reunites Fujiwara with Kenichi Matsuyama, otherwise known as "L" from the Death Note series. The impressive cast also includes Yuki Amami, Teruyuki Kagawa (Tokyo Sonata), Taro Yamamoto and Ken Mitsuishi (Noriko's Dinner Table). Who will master the cards and the mind games for the ultimate victory? The answer...

Speaking of Tatsuya Fujiwara [see below] it was announced this past weekend that his costar from the Death Note films, Kenichi Matsuyama, will be in a supporting role in the upcoming manga adaptation Kaiji. We’re pretty outspoken about our admiration for Kenichi these days and Tatsuya kind of lost me after Battle Royale 2 but the Death Note films were so much fun I would give him the benefit of the doubt. Not that a film about gambling can even be compared with a thriller about death gods and their note books.

Based on Nobuyuki Fukumoto’s manga “Tobaku Mokushiroku Kaiji” about a gambler named Kaiji (Fujiwara) stuck in a dangerous game trying to clear an enormous debt. Kaiji Ito moves to Japan after graduating from high school. Unable to find a job and frustrated with society at large, Kaiji spends his days gambling, vandalizing cars, and drinking booze. Two years later and his life no better,...