Netflix Announces ‘BET,’ Live-Action Series Based on Popular Manga and Anime ‘Kakegurui’
Gambling School, also known as Kakegurui is a manga series written by Homura Kawamoto and drawn by Tōru Naomura. The story takes place in a prestigious academy attended by wealthy students who have adopted their own hierarchy based on their gambling skills. The manga has been published since March 2014, and there is also an anime adaptation that currently has two seasons (24 episodes), as well as a prequel manga. Kakegurui is one of the more popular series outside the mainstream works, and it seems that the popularity of the series inspired Netflix to produce a live-action series based on the Kakegurui manga and anime. The series will be titled BET and it has been officially announced recently!
To make it clear, BET won’t be a direct live-action adaptation of Kakegurui, so it is not like Cowboy Bebop or One Piece; instead, it will be a standalone live-action series that is heavily inspired by and based on Kakegurui, but as we’ve said – it is not a direct adaptation and will follow a somewhat different story. Still, fans of Kakegurui should enjoy it, as it does seem to be similar enough for the fans of the original series to wholly enjoy it.
Contrary to usual practice, Netflix has revealed a significant amount of information with this confirmation, although no release window has been given, so we don’t know whether the series will be released this or next year, but as we’ve said, a lot of other information has been revealed.
Boat Rocker Media is producing the series, with Simon Barry (Warrior Nun) serving as the series’ showrunner and executive producer. Other executive producers include Jeff F. King, David Fortier, Ivan Schneeberg, Jon Rutherford, and Nick Nantell. The series will, as has been confirmed, have a total of 10 episodes, and the official synopsis has been described as follows:
In BET, the boarding school’s hierarchy is upturned when Yumeko, a mysterious transfer student arrives from Japan with a dark secret and a gambling prowess that puts her in the crosshairs of the powerful Student Council. Ultimately, her revenge quest threatens to upend the school’s status quo entirely.
Netflix has also confirmed the main cast members of the series, and they are (most of their roles are not specified as of the time of writing):
- Miku Martineau as Yumeko (TBC)
- Ayo Solanke as TBD
- Eve Edwards as TBD
- Clara Alexandrova as TBD
- Hunter Cardinal as TBD
- Anwen O’Driscoll as TBD
- Aviva Mongillo as TBD
- Ryan Sutherland as TBD
As you can see, the overall structure of the series and its cast shows a lot of similarities to Kakegurui, and while BET is going to be an original take on the original manga, we think that fans of the original will like it! In case you want to know more about the original, here is a brief synopsis:
Hyakkaou Private Academy. An institution for the privileged with a very peculiar curriculum. You see, when you’re the sons and daughters of the wealthiest of the wealthy, it’s not athletic prowess or book smarts that keep you ahead. It’s reading your opponent, the art of the deal. What better way to hone those skills than with a rigorous curriculum of gambling? At Hyakkaou Private Academy, the winners live like kings, and the losers are put through the wringer. But when Yumeko Jabami enrolls, she’s gonna teach these kids what a high roller really looks like!
Of course, keep following us for more updates, as we are going to bring them to you as soon as they are released.
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