This series really wants to have it both ways. On the surface it's another high school manga with hardly any homework and tons of fan service including up-skirts and groping. But it is also a bizarre and dark take on Hunger Games or Lord of the Flies with the teens carrying out various cruel acts to ensure they are top winners in the school's wild games of chance and thus members of the school's top caste. The losers end up deep in debt, the targets of sanctioned abuse and bullying by their classmates and tokens in a darker game the school hierarchy is playing. The games are presented as if this were all just a battle manga, but between the gaming action serious triggering events like sexual assault and suicide attempts are tossed in in an over-the-top or satirical fashion.

The lead character, Yumeko Jabami, is simultaneously objectified by the art while seemingly using her physical attributes to manipulate those around her. She appears ditzy, but she strategizes brilliantly, seeing the cheats around her and cheating herself when necessary. She seems motivated only by compulsive gambling, but her actions work to expose and weaken the school's student council. She's a loner who is constantly labelled "crazy" but she keeps pulling more and more of her classmates into her orbit. Is she hero, antihero, or fanboy dreamgirl?

Anyhow, it's not for everyone, but if you can handle the wholly inappropriate moments, it's a pretty wild ride. ( )