Kirari Momobami

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Kirari Momobami
Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler character
Kirari Momobami face.jpg
Kirari as illustrated by Tōru Naomura
First appearanceKakegurui – Compulsive Gambler chapter 2: "A Boring Girl" (2014)
Created byHomura Kawamoto
Tōru Naomura
Portrayed byElaiza Ikeda
Voiced byMiyuki Sawashiro (Japanese)
Michelle Ruff (English)
In-universe information
Full nameKirari Momobami
GenderFemale
RelativesRirika Momobami (older twin sister)
Momobami Clan (distant relatives)
NationalityJapanese

Kirari Momobami[Jp. 1] is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the manga series Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler, created by Homura Kawamoto and Tōru Naomura. She is depicted as the Student Council President and the head of the Momobami Clan. She had defeated the former President in a high-stakes game two years prior to the story. Upon taking office, she created the hierarchy that turns the students with the largest debts into house pets. She comes to have an increasingly great deal of respect and admiration for the series' protagonist Yumeko Jabami with every victory she obtains.

In the 2017 television series, Kirari is voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro in Japanese, while Michelle Ruff voices her in English. In the live-action adaptations of Kakegurui, including the 2018 drama and the 2019 film, Kirari is portrayed by Filipino Japanese actress Elaiza Ikeda.

Characterization[]

Design[]

Kirari is a very light-skinned girl of average height. She has long platinum hair that she wears in two knotted rings with ribbons entwined in them and squared bangs which have cheek length locks on either side. Her eyes are blue and she is shown with matching blue lipstick and blue painted nails.[1] She wears the standard Hyakkaou Private Academy school uniform, which is a red blazer with black trim on the cuffs and around the neck and it is decorated with gold buttons that is complete with a black tie. Kirari sports a gray colored skirt with patterns on it, black tinted panty hose and Hyakkaou Private Academy's brown loafers with black soles.[2][3]

Personality[]

Although Kirari is a refined and proper lady on the outside, she is in truth a calculating, manipulative, psychopathic individual with little regard for anything other than herself. A complete narcissist, she belittles everyone besides herself, believing everyone is to play by her terms alone.[4] Being the creator of the infamous Pet System, where she purportedly encourages mistreatment, bullying and subhuman conditions on other students, Kirari is a sadist with no regard for human life and simply follows through what interests her; she actually doesn't worry about herself too much either, as she believes as long as the journey is entertaining, the outcome doesn't matter.[5]

When it comes to gambling, Kirari doesn't care about winning or losing and simply craves excitement and with this she masks all her other emotions.[6] Kirari often bets on everything she has and since she takes many risks, her outcomes always favour herself. She takes great pleasure in watching people suffer at the hands of her gambling outcomes, setting up life plans and being overy confident knowing that she will win.[7]

Appearances[]

Kirari as she appears in the Kakegurui Manga.

In Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler[]

Kirari Momobami appears as the main antagonist of the manga series Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler.

In the past, when Kirari and her older twin sister Ririka are born into the Momobami Clan,[8] the rest of the family decides which one of them would become the future heir of their family by giving each one of the newborns a dice to see what number they would draw. The dice eventually "picks" Kirari to be the future heir, while Ririka is forced to wear a mask and become a living shadow to Kirari, externally experiencing her twin sister for the rest of her life.[9] Two years prior to the start of the series, Kirari becomes the Student Council President of Hyakkaou Private Academy when she is a first year high school student; it is known that she wins the election not through voting, but by gambling against the former President. After becoming President, Kirari creates the infamous Pet System, which causes the discrimination already present at the Academy to become stronger with the oppression increasing strongly against those who are weak against gambling.[10]

In the present, after Yumeko Jabami wins the gamble against Itsuki Sumeragi, Sayaka Igarashi enters the Student Council room where Kirari is sitting. She asks the Student Council members what they should do against Yumeko, to which Kirari responds to her that they will "intervene a little with her and see how it goes".[10][11] After the debt settlement game, Kirari is impressed with Mary Saotome and Yumeko deceiving the Pet System and profiting so much from it. She invites the former to join the Student Council. However, she refuses, which makes Kirari threatening and somewhat aggressive towards her. Kirari claims that she loves people like her, people she can't understand. Mary says she has a problem with the Pet System, but Kirari points out that she didn't always have problems when she was making a profit. Maria then gets angry and leaves.[12] Later, Kirari has a meeting with the other branches of the Momobami Clan, but Ririka goes in her place while Kirari stays behind and dresses up as her sister.

When Kaede Manyuda is challenged by Yumeko, she steps in as the dealer and explains the game.[13] When the stakes get higher and higher, Kaede says that it is too much. Then, Kirari reveals herself, much to everyone's shock. Kirari explains that she wanted to see Kaede lose personally, and then she asks Sayaka to do her braids and then continues on with the game.[14] After Yumeko's win, Kirari is left incredibly impressed and they decide to bet it all in one gamble.[15] They play a Tarot game and whoever loses must leave the school. Kirari takes the most valuable card to show everyone and seems to have marked it "accidentally" with her nail polish. She then draws a very good card, while Yumeko a bad one. Reaching the end of the game, with everything depending on Ryota Suzui, he gives in to the rush of risk and chooses a random card. With his choice, the game ends in a draw. Kirari is later seen comforting a relieved Sayaka and says she can't wait to see more of Yumeko.

In other media[]

In the anime adaptation of Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler, Kirari is voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro in Japanese,[16] while Michelle Ruff voices her in English.[17]

Apart from the main manga series, Kirari also appears in the spin-off prequel series Kakegurui Twin. In the spin-off parody series Kakegurui (Kakkokari), Kirari is drawn with big eyes and a constant smile on her face, rarely changing expression. While she doesn't commit any cruel act, she's always depicted as an extremely eccentric person; she enjoys teasing/pranking her fellow Student Council members or doing weird, unexpected things.

In the live-action drama, Kirari is portrayed by Filipino Japanese actress Elaiza Ikeda.[18] In the series, Kirari's role is diminished so that she is mysteriously absent for most of the first season; she is mostly depicted in the shadows as a silhouette and, as a result, her face is never shown. Another consequence caused by Kirari’s absence in the first season is that much of her scenes from both the manga and anime are altered so the role she plays in them is filled by other characters, such as Ririka (who is also portrayed by Ikeda)[19] and Kaede. It is only in the second season that Kirari is officially introduced in the series.[20] A notable change in the character's design for the drama is that, instead of using blue lipstick as her manga/anime counterpart, Kirari's lips are purple, like in the manga covers. However, the promotional material for the second season features Kirari wearing blue lipstick.[21][22]

Ikeda reprises her role as Kirari in the 2019 film Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler and its 2021 sequel Kakegurui: Zettai Zetsumei Russian Roulette.[23][24] Both films are set in the same continuity to the television drama.[25]

Reception[]

Kirari has become an extremely popular and somewhat of a breakout character in anime and manga fandom. She has also become a popular subject of cosplay, causing a trend in Japan where women attempted to replicate her iconic look.[26][27] In August 2019, anime director Yuichiro Hayashi was asked during an interview who his favorite student council member is, and he replied that Kirari is one of his favorites, alongside Midari Ikishima.[28]

Mariko S. of Okazu said, "Kirari is a crazy sadist who sees the school as her personal aquarium and the students as the fish to be used, observed, experimented on, or discarded at whim. Kirari, though powerful, isn't power-hungry – she just wants to be entertained as well. In her case that doesn't always mean gambling, as long as she gets to watch someone squirm under her microscope."[29]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ 桃喰 綺羅莉, Momobami Kirari

References[]

  1. ^ Guest Author (April 23, 2021). "Sponsored Post: Mahjong Soul Launches Special Collaboration with Kakegurui xx Anime For Game's 2nd Anniversary". Crunchyroll. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  2. ^ Komatsu, Mikikazu (November 13, 2018). "22-Year-Old Elaiza Ikeda Reveals Her Visuals as Kirari Momobami in Kakegurui 2nd TV Drama & Film". Crunchyroll. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  3. ^ Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler chapter 17: "The Loving Girl"
  4. ^ Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler chapter 28: "The Passing Girl"
  5. ^ Gwilliam, Michael (February 11, 2021). "Kakegurui cosplayer gambles big as Student Council President Kirari". Dexerto. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  6. ^ Grimes, Hannah (January 16, 2021). "Kakegurui: The 10 Best Quotes From The Series, Ranked". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  7. ^ Salazar, Bruno (January 6, 2021). "Cosplay de Kirari nos muestra a la presidenta del Consejo Estudiantil en Kakegurui". BitMe (in Spanish). Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  8. ^ Galicia, Chaiana (February 16, 2021). "Best Kakegurui Cosplays, Ranked". Screen Rant. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  9. ^ Fantasma do Trem (June 13, 2019). "Crítica: Kakegurui — 2a Temporada". Metafictions (in Portuguese). Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Martins, Mayko (April 16, 2020). "Crítica: Kakegurui — 1ª Temporada". Portal Cinerama (in Portuguese). Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  11. ^ Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler chapter 2: "A Boring Girl"
  12. ^ Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler chapter 16: "Refusing Girls"
  13. ^ Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler chapter 23: "The Selective Girl"
  14. ^ Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler chapter 26: "The Revealing Girl"
  15. ^ Martins, Mayko (June 9, 2020). "Crítica: Kakegurui — 2ª Temporada". Portal Cinerama (in Portuguese). Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  16. ^ Antonio Pineda, Rafael (May 2, 2017). "Kakegurui - Compulsive Gambler Anime Casts Miyuki Sawashiro". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  17. ^ "Anime Boston 2020 Announces Its First North American Guest". Anime News Network. November 25, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  18. ^ Antonio Pineda, Rafael (January 20, 2019). "Live-Action Kakegurui Series' 2nd Season Reveals Visual, March Premiere". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  19. ^ Lee, Allen (2020). "10 Things You Didn't Know about Elaiza Ikeda". TV Overmind. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  20. ^ Komatsu, Mikikazu (December 11, 2018). "Meet Elaiza Ikeda as Kirari Momobami in Kakegurui Live-Action Film Teaser". Crunchyroll. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  21. ^ Antonio Pineda, Rafael (November 13, 2018). "Live-Action Kakegurui Project Casts Elaiza Ikeda as Kirari for Season 2, Film". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  22. ^ Laube Gonzalez, Matheus (2019). "Kakegurui - Longa em Live-Action ganha sua primeira imagem oficial". Alternativa Nerd (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  23. ^ Ressler, Karen (February 6, 2019). "Live-Action Kakegurui Film Announces 4 Original Characters". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  24. ^ Antonio Pineda, Rafael (March 8, 2021). "Live-Action Kakegurui Sequel Film's Trailer Reveals Theme Song, Full Title, April 29 Opening". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  25. ^ Sánchez, Kate (August 26, 2020). "FANTASY FEST 2020: 'Kakegurui'". But Why Tho?. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  26. ^ Flausino, Rodrigo (May 22, 2019). "Cosplay: Veja uma bela caracterização da Kirari Momobami, de Kakegurui". Select Game (in Portuguese). Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  27. ^ Flausino, Rodrigo (June 25, 2019). "Kirari, Midari e Yumeko Jabami nestes cosplays incríveis de Kakegurui". Select Game (in Portuguese). Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  28. ^ Curzon, Joe (August 23, 2019). "An Interview with Anime Director Yuichiro Hayashi". Otaku News. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  29. ^ Mariko S. (July 3, 2019). "Kakegurui Season 2 Anime (English) Guest Review". Okazu. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.

External links[]

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