High Card

High Card, the unexpected mashup of Kakegurui and Kingsman, surprised everyone by being a fantastic new anime this season. Unfortunately, it seems to be flying under the radar. Just when it seemed the breakneck pace and lack of mainstream appeal might doom the show, AnimeJapan 2023 announced a second season! This is fantastic news, as it will allow High Card to wrap up its intended first act within this season. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's rewind a bit...

High Card might seem like a brand new anime, but it's actually a bigger project created by several companies. TMS Entertainment is the main animation studio, but the writer is especially interesting. Homura Kawamoto, known for the crazy and suspenseful gambling anime Kakegurui (including the recent Netflix spin-off), is back with another story centered around games of chance. Just like Kakegurui, High Card uses playing cards as a theme, with the title and locations all referencing poker and other card games. He's not working alone though - his brother, Hikaru Muno (who wrote the Kakegurui light novels), is also involved. The animation looks fantastic thanks to TMS Entertainment and the character designer Ebimo.

Instead of a high-stakes school gambling den like Kakegurui, High Card throws the school setting out the window and injects a world of constant danger. The key lies in a secret deck of magical cards, each granting unique powers to its user. These "X-Playing Cards" are controlled by the mysterious Fourland royalty. Think X-Men meets Kingsman: the creators were heavily influenced by Kingsman and aimed for a global audience, reflected in the diverse cast and international settings.

Our hero, Finn, is a scrappy orphan trying to save his orphanage from eviction. Determined to help the kids, he hatches a desperate plan to steal from a Las Vegas-style casino. But instead of riches, Finn stumbles onto a life-or-death situation involving a stolen X-Playing Card. This thrusts him into a battle to recover the scattered cards. Now armed with a card himself, Finn joins High Card, a secret group tasked with retrieving the cards. Their cover? Selling luxury cars for the Pinochle company.

Both High Card and Kingsman share a similar dynamic duo. High Card's Finn Oldman is like Kingsman's Eggsy: a talented young pickpocket with exceptional focus and eyesight who can strategize several moves ahead. Finn wields the 2 of Spades, granting him the "Neo New Nambu" power - summoning a loaded Nambu revolver and conjuring extra bullets at will.

Chris Redgrave mirrors Kingsman's Harry Hart. A charming ladies' man and a skilled driver with a weakness for sweets, Chris utilizes the power of the 5 of Hearts. This "Calorie's High" ability allows him to instantly heal fatal injuries by burning off excess calories.

Leo Constantine Pinochle is the Navy Blue Chester "Arthur" King, the 14-year-old son of Pinochle's CEO Theodore Constantine Pinochle, being the manager of the Old Maid branch office, with an abrasive demeanor that often grates on his colleagues.

Wendy Sato is the Grey Roxanne "Roxy" Morton, the daughter of a master swordsman from the Far East, and the accountant for Pinochle's Old Maid branch office. She wields the Ace of Spades with the ability of "Love and Peace," a large sword with a mind of its own that summons her sadistic side, and goes away once the power is under control.

Vijay Kumar Singh is the Green James "Lancelot" Spencer, the highly intelligent PhD student at the University of Cribbage and the system manager-cum-cook at Pinochle's Old Maid office, with his aloof personality making him difficult to approach people.

Pinochle is constantly under siege. From the ruthless car company "Who's Who" out to destroy Pinochle, to the sinister Klondike mafia coveting the X-Playing cards, Pinochle faces a relentless barrage of threats. But there's one thing standing in their way:

Norman Kingstadt, the flamboyant and charismatic CEO of "Who's Who" in a one-sided rivalry with his childhood friend Theodore. He is aided by Blist Blitz Broadhurst, his personal secretary and bodyguard, who prefers to keep a strictly professional attitude while on the job, constantly reminding the charismatic CEO about pay and labour regulations even as he works to collect X-Playing cards for him.

Ban Klondike is the Dark antagonist Richmond Valentine, the head of the Klondike mafia family, though he appears to have a softer side when dealing with women and children, seeking the X-Playing cards for his own ends and has a shared history with Theodore and Norman.

Bobby Ball, the one who started the battle of the X-Playing Cards against the unsuspecting Finn. The young and no-nonsense cruelty member of the Klondike family who works under the young executive Tilt servng as a mediating force for inter-family struggles, while managing the search for the X-Playing cards.

The show's strength lies in its characters. Each has a unique card power and can perform amazing feats with clever card manipulation, like the X-Hand that grants wishes. The creators clearly focused on making them likable. In the words of director Kawamoto, "We want the audience to love the characters just as much as we do." Every character plays a role and has a reason for being in this world, as Muno, another creator, explains: "We hope you find your favorite!"

Take Finn, for example. He's on a rags-to-riches mission to save his orphanage, Sun Fields. This goal unknowingly involves those close to him, like Lindsey Betz, the director who took him in after his parents were mysteriously killed. Finn might be using High Card to find answers about their deaths. Chris has a similar motivation: saving a family member after a near-death experience of his own.

The story's larger than life, hinting at a darker plot lurking beneath the surface. This season sets the stage for something even bigger in season 2, and I can't wait to see where it goes!

It's been a while since Studio Hibari made a solo anime! Their last big project was "Clean Freak Aoyama-kun" in 2017, and since then they've mostly collaborated on smaller productions. This is because their subsidiaries like Lerche took over most of the animation work. So, with High Card being their first solo anime in 6 years, it's exciting to see the studio back in action! They're bringing their A-game with impressive visuals, a constantly evolving world, and a clean animation style. Season 2 looks even better, and I can't wait to see more of this unique concept come to life. In short: awesome animation, cool world-building, and a promising future for the series!

High Card's music is incredible, arguably the best part of the show. Composer Ryo Takahashi, known for his work on Princess Principal and Classroom of the Elite, delivers a truly magnificent soundtrack. Compared to last year's favorite, Healer Girl, High Card is full of action with pumping beats that perfectly complement the high-stakes atmosphere. The soundtrack is my favorite of the season, featuring the insanely catchy opening theme "Trickster" by newcomers FIVE NEW OLD and the squad-themed ending theme "Squad!" by utaite Meychan. Both songs are guaranteed hype anthems. "Trickster" is a fantastic debut for FIVE NEW OLD, while "Squad!" is Meychan's second anime theme song (after Estab-Life: Great Escape) and a super fun, catchy track perfect for belting out at karaoke.

While High Card has a lot going for it, the storytelling across the 12 episodes feels a bit messy. This might be due to the director, Junichi Wada. Aside from SukaSuka in 2017 (which was a fluke success), he doesn't have a strong track record. Here's hoping that if there's a season 2, Wada will get a chance to prove himself as a director we can rely on.

Season 1 introduces a world centered around a deck of 52 unique X-Playing Cards, each granting special powers to whoever holds them. It's a chaotic scramble for power, like wannabe Kingsmen vying to collect all the cards. But that's just the beginning. Season 1 also sets the stage for the various organizations and characters - High Card under Pinochle, their rivals Who's Who, and the mafia-like Klondike Family - all maneuvering within their own structures to achieve their goals.

Season 2 delves deeper by exploring the history of these X-Playing Cards. We travel back in time to witness their creation in the Kingdom of Fourland. The season explores how greed and the allure of power caused the cards to spiral out of control, highlighting the potential for both peace and utter destruction represented by these cards.