Saki

Storyline- In my opinion, the storyline is awesome and completely takes on a world of it's own. This anime somewhat relates to anime such as Hikaru no Go and Shion no Ou, but the family situations in this anime allow it to stand alone. Even though the story is kind of slow moving with the flashbacks and the many matches, the details make it easier for viewers to catch on to what is going on.

Music- The music is really cute and it lightens the somewhat serious mood in this anime. What caught my eye though is that the endings change depending on the episode (episode 6 had the first ending and episode 7 had the second ending then the first ending came back in episode 8). Normally I see anime with a serious atmosphere and then out pops something cheery that destroys that tense mood, but the ending changes in Saki fixes that.

Characters- The characters definitely suit this anime and their personalities give a bit of fan service to certain viewers. Sure, the characters blush alot and you can easily spot the pairings, but I think it makes the anime cuter. The characters in Saki also relate to the usual types of characters that you see in most anime like the short one (Yuuki), the glasses girl (Mako), the clumsy main character (Saki), and some others which throws in humor to this series.

Overall- When you add my reviews from the other sections, you can tell how much I am hooked on this anime. The humor, the drama, the suspense (as in what will happen in a certain person's match), and the magic quickly swept me off my feet and left me hungry for more. Until the series ends, I can't wait to see more episodes and when it does end I hope there is a second season. That's pretty much all I have to say.

First I would like to apologise for any ensuing rants that occur within the review once I get going I tend to not be able to stop, also I didn't write this in order so it might end up a bit all over the place but I think I get the basic point accross. Also the rating is to do with comparison of animes OVERALL which is why it might seem low, I don't believe that a 5 for music happens unless your Skankfunk (Air Gear) for instance.

Well I'm personally a sucker for sports animes, though this is not technically speaking a 'sport' (though god knows anymore), but it follows the character styles and plot devices used in classic sports animes. So I was immediately looking forward to the series. One other reason was more specific, it was another anime about Mahjong, which in itself is a vastly fascinating game and I've always found that animes do a good job using it as a subject.

Why its good
I do consider 'Mahjong Animes' (thats right I'm making a new genre right here, right now) to be fairly special so I feel the best to look at Saki is to compare it with the others. Now the first thing about this is that it is FAR more commercial then the others which has its ups and its downs, the downs I'll talk about later, but the ups that come from it is the spreading of Mahjong as a game itself and the fact that hopefully it will compel people to look back at the others, which are well worth the watch. Also it will hopefully lead to more spins on the Mahjong Anime, this is just speculation the show itself shows this as the other Major Mahjong Animes were very serious and this shows that Mahjong can just be a game. Akagi definitely won't appeal to a lot of people because of its dark nature but its hard to say the same of Saki. All around it is very well crafted, the storyline is not complex like Shion no Ou the characters aren't as strong as in Akagi but I watch it every week and am never disappointed. It keeps things simple and does very well by it

Criticisms
I think my most crucial criticism of the series (so far obviously), is the fact that it dumbs down mahjong quite a lot I think, unlike Akagi and Shion no Ou it was made with us westerners (apparently that is an actual word, I'm skeptical myself) in mind. The depth that Akagi and Shion no Ou went into Mahjong made me stop and have to look back at things which I simply didn't understand, this was made to be easy to watch. This is probably more evident in the fact that the characters are basically there to look cute, I don't find that in itself a problem, but I don't like the idea that animes might loose some of their culture or worse still dumb it down simply because they believe either we won't understand or we are too lazy to find out. I find some of the characters depths to be far to shallow it seems like some characters have no background whatsoever (and they aren't exactly side characters) obviously theres room for expanding but it seems even the characters with backgrounds are given no mystery (except the captain) all the back stories are just handed over to us. This is obviously a little to much over analysis but what almost always draws me to an anime is the rich characters that star in them and how easily I become attached to them.

Summary
Though there are these criticisms, and it appears in size that there are more bad things then good things to say I hasten to add that I love this anime to bits and even got off my ass to get membership purely to watch this as soon as possible. Take the criticisms with a pinch of salt or, as most of you who read this probably will, disregard my comments all together and just sit back and enjoy yourselves =D because its hard to stretch out THIS ANIME IS AMAZING as much as very specific problems.

I first thought this would be like one of those ordinary school animes where there is a gay club about one specific activity. I was saying in my head why does CR keep putting crap like this onto the site! We should have the old anime back! But out of everyone, I'm guessing you have the case of natural curiosity. So I clicked on the 1st episode. At first I was like brace yourself here comes the loud Japanese high pitched voices. After watching this anime I was amazed/shocked and made me want to learn how to play "Japanese style" mahjong.

The storyline
It was so unique! I never thought that anyone would use mahjong in a anime. I thought it would be just a bunch of wannabe granny's flipping tiles and screaming there heads off.So back to the point. Ok so it starts of with this freshman saki who just got in a school. One day her friend forces her to play mahjong with him in the mahjong club. Once she gets there and play they realized she has almost the best skills as anything they have ever seen! (too bad im not going to tell you what happens next) :P

Music
ok so i thought the op of the anime wasnt so good. It sounded a little to strike witches just a little deeper and a little more annoying. While the ending was amazing! it was also in the Oricon charts of japan,which is a pretty good reward to many jap artist.

Characters
Every character is different and special in there own way. Ever time one of them plays they each like have something to offer. When I was watching this anime the 2 of the main characters acted like the other 2 main characters in strike witches, You get the feeling there lesbians every time someone pairs them together because they either blush or hesitate. Overall the characters all put in something to look forward too and make every episode exciting. -hiko

Yes. Read the manga. Or you can spend forever waiting for a second season.
(Saki isn't very popular back in Japan, so there is the chance of you waiting forever.)

Anyway. Saki is one of my favorite animes. Namely because it's unique in its content. Not many animes/mangas are about mahjong, you know.
But besides the fact that I can now play Japanese mahjong because of it... it has a very heartwarming storyline.

--Not going into the storyline because you should watch it--

Music: Great.
Story: Awesome.
Lessons: Cute. Wait... I mean enlightening.
Mahjong understanding: +1000 pts (riichi!... just kidding.)

Anyway. Watch it.

This anime wasn't all that great, in my opinion.

In most animes where the goal is "aim for nationals", the main character at least has some skill, and tries to improve it. In Eyeshield 21, for example, Sena has good running speed and works to develop it. In The Prince of Tennis, all the characters are constantly getting better moves even though they already HAVE special moves. In Slam Dunk, the main character starts out new to the sport and develops various skills. It seems like in Saki, half the game is people somehow knowing that they will draw a particular tile at a particular time. They'll declare Tsumo without even LOOKING at the tile they just drew. When your play is determined by luck to that degree, there's really no way to have the characters improve.

The anime also doesn't do much for you if you're trying to learn how to play. The rules and the details of scoring are not really explained.

That said, by the time I got halfway through it did have me rooting for Saki and her teammates, and most of the opponents are likeable too.

I was a fan of mahjong before, played it a few times so naturally I was drawn to Saki. Knowing that it was a Gonzo title, I expected a fair amount of CG use. I didn't know much about the title itself other than it was a mahjong based series and that it focused around a mahjong club. The experience was enjoyable and I found myself looking forward to next weeks episodes at times. There were weeks that I wasn't too excited about the follow-up episode.

Characters I felt were good, however outside of the main characters, I did feel that there were a few that were cardboard cutout characters. Ones who didn't matter, or who felt like a copy of other characters I've seen in the past. Sometimes it's understandable. In Saki's case, the other characters weren't too bad. Perhaps the Kazekoshi school fit that description in for me, they weren't too bad, but they certainly weren't too memorable, save for the character interactions in that group.

Some of the elements in the story felt a little forced, the sequence on how Saki joined particularly didn't really sit well with me. It didn't seem natural, but what can you expect when plenty of the tiles give off electric shocks when there's a decent tsumo or ron. As a tournament style series, I found myself waiting for each sequence. Between the tournaments and games felt the weakest but still managed to make me smile.

I found myself with this series surprised by the ending sequences. Cute, fanciful, and a hundred percent enjoyable. It tied in perfectly with the aspects of the series. Besides the opening and ending sequences, I didn't notice much of the music. Oftentimes I found myself paying too much attention to the mahjong games or character interaction. By the time I finished the series, I was surprised that there wasn't a follow up season until recently albeit a side-story. Rewatching is still just as enjoyable.

I found writing this review to be quite interesting. I am the type who rather stays away from the shoujo-ai and ecchi genre, but the mahjong just got me completely addicted to this story!

Storyline:
The storyline is what gets you addicted to this story! I have never thought something I had initially believed to be so boring could turn a 180° turn into something so exciting! Mahjong never seemed like a smart theme to use in an anime, but the way it was used in this anime made me excited as though it was a sports anime. Technically, the layout is quite similar to that of a sports manga or anime with the tournament and whatnot, but the writers for Saki have created a rare jewel with the series. The mahjong gets you pumped, and every single move and action the players made either quickened my heart or stopped it in a flash. The series really gets you into the game. I didn't understand the rules at first, but the anime helps in explaining it so newbies can get an idea as to how the game is played. Even if you get lost and still don't understand a thing, the anime will still keep you wanting for more with the intense tension between the players and the exciting moves they end up playing.

There were only a few things that I found rather annoying with the series, especially during the tournament. There were too many flashbacks! Normally, I enjoy the occasional flashback as it brings us more in depth with the characters, but since there are four players during one game, it was as though the writers wanted to bring us closer to every single character. All the flashbacks made it hard to keep up with the game, and frankly, I found that it disrupted the flow. Compared to the manga, I found that the anime added too many unnecessary flashbacks to all of the characters.

I have read the manga and found that the anime stuck with the exact storyline! There are some minor differences though, but I found that the anime made it work into the series and made the differences seem very natural. Comparing the two together, I also noticed that the anime emphasized more on the shoujo-ai aspect of the series. Frankly, I don't enjoy shoujo-ai, but I found that the manga was very subtle with it. The anime was more out there with the pairings and if you're not into shoujo-ai, you may want to watch out for those types of scenes since they're much less subtle in the anime.

Music:
I found the music to be pretty average. It fit the genre of the series and didn't go into deep emotional song. Most of the music was pretty upbeat, so you can expect your feet tapping to the beat or screaming your head off from the "racket", but really, it's the typical anime song. I find the openings and endings to be easily skipable.

The background music fit the scenes. Some of the music in the mahjong "battle" scenes got me pumped up for a good fight. It helped bring in the excitement for the series. Also, the music for some of the other scenes fit the mood and brought out the scene more.

Characters:
There are multitudes of characters in this series, which is to be expected since there are four players per a game in mahjong, and the fact that they're playing as teams also plays in. The lead, Saki, seemed like the typical normal girl at first, but once everyone recognized her mahjong ability, you could really tell how special she was. Throughout the series, I found that the special light began to die out. There were moments when I was upset with how she was dealing with things, and there were times when I really wish she had more confidence with herself and her abilities, but as long as she was kicking butt with her mahjong skills, I felt that she could be tolerable.

The rest of the characters definitely arouse your interest, but due to so many flashbacks, I began to become annoyed with some of them. If I take away the flashbacks, I find that most of them can be very likable, especially Hisa whose personality definitely made her an enjoyable character to watch on the show. All of the characters have personalities and differences, although I found some characters to simply just "be there". I felt like some of them had this big build up on being special, but they didn't have enough "oomph" to show just how special they really were.

Animation:
The animation was fine. It fits the storyline being cute and all, but I found that it needed to lessen on its "shiny-ness". There were too many shiny kneecaps and too many blushing cheeks. I felt that this was one of the main reasons why it emphasized itself to being an ecchi and shoujo-ai series, but there were just too much "shiny-ness" that I felt suffocated in merely tolerating it. The manga doesn't show any "shiny-ness" at all, and if I had imagined the animation from the manga, there would be only "shiny-ness" on the hair and maybe very subtle "shiny-ness" on the cheeks and body parts.


Overall, the anime is a winner, especially because of the mahjong! Even if you don't find it interesting at first, this series will have you at the edge of your seat! This anime definitely deserves a season two, especially with the unfinished business left off at the end! Hope you give this anime a chance!

OVERALL:
When I first read the synopsis I was actually really excited to start seeing this. It's been on my watchlist since it first came out. My one apprehension came from the drawing style. Whenever you see cute girls with shiny red cheeks you know it's gonna be echii. What's worse is that's it's Yuri (a personal turnoff. I am entitled to this opinion. please don't call me a homophobe.). You also know that if it's echii, the animation, characters, and bubble gum j-pop are going to be really bad. But once I started watching the series, I found it did in a way live up to my (good) expectations, and I was able to shrug off the bad.

STORYLINE:
The most exciting part of the show is obviously the mahjong playing, which always takes center-stage, as it should. It is YuGiOh-esque in how every move is played up and how they manage to give each player a signature style and how they visualize auras and such. The show actually got me so excited about mahjong I joined an online game website and learned how to play Hong Kong mahjong and about some of the special hands, like 13 orphans. see? it's educational too. ;D So in this respect, the show exceeded my expectations.

MUSIC:
The music is ordinary. nothing that outstanding, but it wasn't annoying either. The show uses 5 theme songs -- oneof which I ended up liking so much I added it to my playlist. Usually I skip OPs and EDs after seeing them once, but that one is sublime. Breakdown:
1st OP: "Glossy:MMM" by Miyuki Hashimoto = hated it. sucked. super annoying. always skipped. but the part where the purple-haired girl flips out is funny.
2nd OP: "Bloooomin'" by Little Non = its good. but I still skipped it.
1st ED: "Netsuretsu Kangei Wonderland" = it's an energetic and catchy song. I think it's safe to say I kind of maybe actually liked it. I my head would bob along.
2nd ED: "Zankoku na Negai no Naka de" by Ueda and Koshimizu = this one I love love love LOVED! I love how it sounds and everything! it sounds like another song I know but I just can't put my finger on it. If anyone figures it out, do pm me!
3rd ED: this ones OK. it hums along nicely. the little story that accompanies it is cute.

CHARACTERS:
Where do I get started? There are just so many! Your bound to find at least one heroine who you'll cheer on for the rest of the show. Each team has their own chemistry and history and it really is sweet (when I ignore the Yuri). Each character has their own looks and strengths so seeing the match ups play out is really exciting. You're just wondering the entire time who is gonna win? Because characters in this show make extreme comebacks and rare hands like its nothing, you're never quite sure who will come out on top. And of course there is some character development along the way, but it's the subtle kind that really works well throughout the show. I should mention that there are only 2 guys on the show. Even though Kyoutoro is really more of a 6th wheel, the anime manages to never really stick him out that far. He's also a bit one note, but it never gets annoying. And he does show a surprising amount of maturity throughout the series. The show walked a very cautious line with this character in making him the comic relief, but never carelessly. I'd say this anime did a great job in getting me to care about all these characters in such a short time. There is also a great display of sportsmanship at the end which I really loved. Tsuruga's prez, Kiyosumi's prez, Ryūmonbuchi's Jun, Kazekoshi's prez, and of course Saki, are my fave characters.

ANIMATION:
To be honest, I'm not good at judging animation. Some people can judge the use of CGI or the quality of the backgrounds or panning and other animation short cuts. I don't how to pick out particular things like that. What I can tell you is that the animation was never distractingly bad, but never amazingly fluid or particularly eye-catching either. Just average. I have seen some animes where the animation is so detailed and yet extremely fluid and oh so beautiful to watch again and again to take in all the movement and details. So I know what amazing quality is, and it's not this.

ECHII FACTOR:
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH. Do you know how much I hate echii shows? They usually have no plots and are extremely random and stupid. Saki doesn't fit that bill. It treated the fan service as more of a bonus. It was never really that bad to be honest. There was no:
1) excessively cute cosplay type or magical girl outfits (very very minor and very very briefly)
2) panty shots. none at all
3) accidental boob grabbing or other stupid slap stick pervy jokes
4) no super naive ditzs
5) no kissing and hardly any cliche awkward "tense" moments (which makes sense since there's no boys)
There was:
1) decently dressed girls in school uniforms whom we occasionally saw in bathing suits and in onsens with lots of steam
2) lots of annoying blushing and shiny knee caps
3) somewhat realistic body proportion variations
4) only 1 girl with really giant jiggly boobs. shocking right? the jokes about her didn't bother me at all. I call my sis fat all the time too for that lol.
5) there was a lot of leg and butt curves though

I'm surprised by how much I remember. Now that I've written this I'm going to try to forget this part.

SUMMARY:
The reason I watched this show was for the mahjong, and in that respect the series delivered. The music was mostly irrelevant except for my fave ED which blew me away. The characters and character development is subtle and sweetly intertwined with the game play in a way that it completes the show. The fan service can be seen as a bonus or a distraction, depending on who you are, but it doesn't take away from or add to the main plot. I don't know about you, but currently I can't wait for season 2. I was never bored by the show and I can't wait to see Saki's story come to a grand finish.

At the begining of the series, I thought this was just gonna be another fanservice show, with zooms on all the girls crotches in super super short skirts, and camera shots of how rediculously big nodoka-san's boobs were, but after they entered the mahjong touramnet, many of the fanservice went away (or at least quieted down), and the mahjong battles themselves were very intense and I found myself waiting in suppense throught most of the battles (to my delight, I really enjoyed that). And now with the series over, I REALLY want to learn how to play 4-player majhong! (b/c all I know how to get are kongs....)