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Fans of the mahjong series featuring cute girls, yuri overtones, and ridiculous mahjong powers will be pleased to hear that Saki Episode of A Side will be airing its next episode on December 24. Tension rises as Achiga’s mahjong team competes for their spot to move on to the finals. They have already survived the onslaught from one of the most feared players in Japan, but can they survive the next wave of action?

Anyone who knows fighting games will most likely have heard of Daigo Umehara. He is known as “The Beast” to many fighting game players and for good reason. Umehara has been winning tournaments for around twenty years now has been an influential figure to gamers all around the world. However, there was a period of time when Umehara had quit fighting games and turned to mahjong for entertainment. These events, and the popularity of Umehara in Japan have most likely been why Umehara will be staring in a Mahjong manga. Any fans of Umehara or mahjong manga should definitely look forward to reading the story when it releases.

[Source: Beast Note]

Mahjong fans and anyone interested in an over the top manga will enjoy the manga being wrote about today. The Legend of Koizumi is known as Mudazumo Naki Kaikaku in Japanese and has been ongoing since 2006 in the magazine Kindai Mahjong Original. I will say this right now: this is one of the most amazing manga I have ever read. The Legend of Koizumi features some of the most extraordinary scenarios and actions that defy logic on numerous levels. Although the manga’s setting uses Earth and fictional depictions of famous figures, the author is able to make them all outstanding through this comedic, political, gambling, seinen story of mahjong filled with manliness.

Tsumo! 8000/12000 points! The spinoff to the Riichi Mahjong anime, 咲-Saki-, has arrived. Saki is a show known for two great qualities: cute girls playing Mahjong and the yuri undertones within the series. With how the times have changed now, we now have a currently airing show of a Saki series in high definition. Considering how anime has evolved to providing high resolution episodes now, has this spinoff evolved the standards of an animated Saki series? Thankfully, Saki fans will be glad to know that the series is going in strong with its lovable girls playing Mahjong and yuri themes. Like the usual first impressions, I will be covering the first two episodes of the show.

Loli Nodoka? Magnificent!

Plot: A couple of friends since childhood who play Mahjong are separated with time due to various circumstances. After a time lapse, one of our heroines sees their old friend that moved away on TV, winning a Mahjong tournament no less! The sight of her old friend she lovingly used to play Mahjong with winning ignites flames of passion she once had for Mahjong and immediately decides to revive the Mahjong club at their future high school. Thus begins the journey of our heroines who will compete fiercely to make it to the finals of the inter-high tournament.

Characters: The Saki universe is known for its huge cast of lovable characters with interesting quirks and qualities. With this side story introduced, there is even more appealing characters for viewers to love. One particular character that will stand out to viewers is Matsumi Yuu. She is the older sister of Matsumi Kuro and is very sensitive to cold weather, which makes her dress up interestingly strange outfits even in the summer.

While the cast is abundant in females, the characters are designed quite well to distinguish them from each other and spark interest in a viewer’s attention. A main aspect of what makes the cast unique is how they are brought to life through the voice acting of the seiyuus. Having respectable seiyuus like Hanazawa Kana, Yuuki Aoi, and Touyama Nao assuming the roles bring fantastic personality to the characters.

Art and Animation: A lot of wonderful art is featured in Saki Achiga-hen Episode of A Side. There are many beautiful backgrounds throughout the episodes and the animation is smooth and does not have any glaring errors. The characters transition well from the manga to anime and look fantastic.

Music: Featuring tracks from the first season of Saki brings back the relaxing and lively soundtrack Saki has. However, the new adaptation features new tracks as well which are great additions to the well composed musical score of Saki. The opening and ending songs sound good and fit the show nicely.

Overall: Such a satisfying spinoff has been delivered to Saki fans. The show is presented in such way that makes it appealing to those who are not even into Mahjong. If you are looking for an adorable and relaxing show to watch, be sure to check out Saki Achiga-hen Episode of Side-A.

Personal Statement: Oh god, this is a gift from the gods. This anime is so yuri.

I’m not a lucky person, readers. Being a hermit doesn’t mean I get blessed with good fortune or things of such nature. Personally, I think lady luck has it in for me. Every once in a while, she does send a bit of fortune my way. For example, several weeks ago at a friend’s barbeque, I learned how to play Mahjong. Given a generous handicap for the first few rounds, (if you count the numbers 1-9 translated from Chinese to English on a picnic napkin a “handicap”) I managed to secure a six-game winning streak to the shock of everyone there. Probably because I wasn’t Asian, but still winning. Go figure. While musing about my recent bout of luck, I thought back to another game of mahjong. A simple mahjong game where the plays were high, the bets were higher, and the stakes were astronomical. A simple mahjong game that gave birth to a legend.

Tokyo. 1959. A grimy, nondescript mahjong parlor. A man tries to bet his debts away to the reigning yakuza in the area. However he finds his chances of victory washing away, like the grime off the windows of the parlor on that stormy night. Just as the noose of defeat tightens around the man’s neck, the game is interrupted by a youth –soaked to the bone. Seeing a chance to break the momentum, the man covers for the boy and allows him to stay. The short reprieve does little to help the man’s poor standing and poor hand. He has a chance to turn it around, but does he risk it, or play it safe?

Wraparound jackets on the eighth volume of the manga 咲-Saki, have gloriously announced that the second season of 咲-Saki is in the making. To those who may not know of the series, it is about a high school girl, Miyanaga Saki, playing mahjong with her teammates from the mahjong club at her school. The show displays unbelievable skills and feats pulled off by many of the girls throughout the show. Yuri/Shoujo-ai fans will enjoy the great amount of yuri undertones overtones between the girls.

Author’s Note: Well, if you know me, you’ll know I just love yuri/shoujo-ai. I have also reviewed the first season of 咲-Saki and found the series very enjoyable. It was actually my gateway to becoming interested in Japanese mahjong!

Source: [Anime News Network]