My love for Sayaka and Kirari

Spoilers for Kakeguri and tw for obsessive behaviour

Kakeguri was one of the biggest animes around about a year ago, and it definitely did well with queer representation. As anime, it definitely has a lot of ups and downs (which I’ll be discussing in a later post), but the most significant aspect of it for me was the relationship between Kirari Momobami, the school president, and Sayaka Igarashi, her assistant. Even before I realised what my own sexuality was, seeing this couple made me happy in a way that I couldn’t quite put to words. In this post, I’ll get into why I loved them. 

- They aren’t just irrelevant side characters who barely get any screentime: In many shows, the queer characters will be the ones who get little screentime and are badly developed- their personalities will lack the complexity that straight characters have. Though has improved a lot recently, queer people are still underrepresented in many forms of media. As well as being two important side characters who are significant to the storyline (Kirari is Yumeko’s main rival, as well as the reason why the school turned into what it is today), both are given personalities and aspirations, as well as little traits which are unique to them. From Sayaka’s studious, logical approach to Kirari’s warped and incomprehensible, yet almost philosophical, way of seeing the world, both characters were given depth and complexity.

-Their feelings for each other are expressed quite explicitly at several points: After the towers of doors game, it becomes obvious that Sayaka has romantic feelings for Kirari, with Yumeko herself confirming it verbally. While Kirari doesn’t explicitly say she returns these feelings, her actions speak for her when she jumps down with Sayaka and pins her down to the ground, before giving her a hand up and asking her to be her secretary (with Sayaka blushing like mad all the way through the conversation) despite the promise that they would become “strangers” if Sayaka lost. There’s also another subtle detail which most viewers might have missed- during this conversation, the two are surrounded by lilies, which are a recurring motif in this episode. Lilies are associated with wlw relationships in Japan, with the word for lily, “yuri” being used to describe wlw manga and anime. Throughout the anime, Sayaka is shown almost obsessing over Kirari- doing everything she can for her, and always being by her side. Whenever someone hits on Kirari or talks to her in a way Sayaka deems disrespectful, she is quick to lose her cool and threaten that person, even if the former is unfazed. With all this, it becomes evident how the two feel about each other, and there’s no other way of interpreting their relationship. Many anime will use subtext to hint that a character is queer, or has romantic feelings for someone of the same gender, but it will never be explicitly confirmed, which doesn’t make for particularly good representation. Due to this, I loved that their relationship was so boldly what it was, leaving no room for interpretation. 

- Opposites attract is one of the best tropes: This is just a personal opinion, but I love seeing people who are polar opposites fall in love- it creates such interesting and entertaining, yet endearing, dynamics. This is definitely the case when it comes to Kirari and Sayaka- Sayaka views everything from a very logical point of view, whereas Kirari prefers to do whatever she feels like, even if it’s impulsive or risky, as she despises feeling “bound” by logic. They introduce each other to completely opposite worlds, and each girl doesn’t quite understand how the other thinks, but that’s why they love each other so much- they are out of each other’s comprehension. 

- Their relationship was a part of, but not their whole story: Admittedly, this point applies more to Kirari than to Sayaka, whose being is very much centered around Kirari. Outside of her relationship with Sayaka, Kirari is still the main “antagonist” in the story- she was the one who designed the brutal gambling system in the school and who sits on top of the hierarchy, undefeated. She’s also the next head of her clan, the Momobami clan, which is made up of several families, and this causes a lot of conflict between Kirari and members of the other families, who later transfer to Hyakkao private academy after she steps down as president in an effort to overthrow her. Although there’s nothing wrong with making a character’s sexuality or love life a big part of them, it was nice seeing a queer woman in media who also had several other traits to her, from her insanity to her stylish way of doing her hair and makeup- she felt more realistic due to this. Sayaka too is given her own distinct personality and backstory as a “genius girl”. Both characters are well developed, which was great to see. 

- Sayaka’s strong feelings for Kirari are really touching at certain points: despite her coming across as obsessive in certain scenes, Sayaka’s devotion to Kirari and her simple wish of serving/being by the side of the one she loves were genuinely endearing. The example that sticks out most is when, after losing at the tower of doors game and being told she has to jump from 5 floors so that Kirari can “truly” become a stranger to her, she’s unable to convince herself that Kirari is nothing to her. Because of this, she smiles at her and “offers” her love, right before jumping- it’s evident that Kirari really is her everything, and while that’s not necessarily healthy, the devotion is somewhat touching to see.

- They aren’t just the stereotypical overly fetishized Yuri couple: While they do have their intimate moments, Sayaka and Kirari have a complex relationship, the relationship of two opposites that no longer fully exist without each other. They’re shown spending time on student council work and doing other things together, as well as having deep conversations. They also aren’t portrayed in an overly sexual light for the sake of fan service, which was nice to see, and this, along with the better development, made them seem like a more authentic, and endearing couple that viewers can really root for. 

Masterlist

Kirari: You love me, right, Sayaka?~ Sayaka: Normally, I’d say yes without hesitation, but I feel like this is going somewhere and I don’t like it.

YUMEKO JABAMI

Sayaka: What do you identify as?

Kirari: I identify as a problem

๛ 𝐊𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐑𝐈

[ Kakegurui ]

Manga: Kakegurui

Chapter: 97.5

I'm still surprised how alike are Yumeko and her big sister

Got a new tattoo cause I’m not delusional anymore 😂😂

How I felt getting it though

Huge SPOILER!! THE TRANSLATION OF CHAPTER 94 IS OUT!!!

Goddamn it, Sayaka, how does it feels to live my dream?! Jk i am very happy for both of u <33

Btw it is broadcast to the entire school, so Kirari here, confessed in the entire school!!! So much KiraSaya that I am so fed and left no crumbs!!! I am so happy for my girls <33

"Sinoalice" x "Kakegurui XX" collaboration!

I really want to thank everyone for all the love that my Sayaka and Kirari post got- I was really not expecting it to do so well, and seeing so many people like and reblog genuinely filled me with pride. I appreciate you all <33

If you haven’t read the post yet, click here.

In the future, I plan on releasing more content related to Kakeguri, so stay tuned for that :)

Poker Face with Kakegurui Girls ♥️♠️♦️♣️

Kakegurui XX

Song title : Kono Yubi Tomare (コノユビトマレ)

I feel like Kirari would do something like this in the council room just to make them uncomfortable. And Sayaka is just silently dying from embarrassment in the background.

Kirari looks so good with her hair down