Saki Achiga-hen: Episode of Side-A

A couple years ago when I started Saki, I didn't think I would enjoy a series about mahjong because I knew next to nothing about mahjong but Saki sure did change my mind. So when Saki: Achiga-hen was announced I just had to watch it, even though it focused on another set of characters. Although it was not as well done and as memorable as the original, it is still an enjoyable series and very entertaining even if you have no knowledge about the game of mahjong.

Compared to the original season, Achiga-hen is much shorter in length so the pacing of this season is extremely ... fast until the last couple of episodes which is a major weakness. The fast pacing allows the story to progress faster than the original season (as this season just blazed by the prefectures). However, the reason why the original season is so enjoyable, is because of the intense rounds of mahjong that happen. These matches were very enjoyable to watch because of the epic battles between characters where each displayed their play style and their super natural ability (if they had one). In Achiga-hen we get very little of that until they face off against Senriyama in the quarter finals. During this time, the series really starts to pick up because we get to start seeing some action. The actual story itself is nothing spectacular but it is still fun to watch these girls on their journey to the final table and the struggles they endure to get there.

The girls of Achiga aren't as overpowered, and aren't as thoroughly explored as the girls in Kiyosumi. I think Shizuno is supposed to be the main character but we only get to see her play in one hand. Out of all the main characters in Achiga-hen, Kuro is the only one that develops at all (as we see her overcome one of her hurdles in life) which makes her stand out a bit from the other main characters. However the character that stands out the most in this series is Toki, who is a side character, the reason why she stands out the most is because we get to see her past, how she became part of Senriyama's team and her relationship with Ryuuka. She also makes all the matches in this series fun to watch. Other than that no other character is explored that much, making this cast of characters not very memorable. However each character is still likable, fits well in the series and each have their own unique playing style(even though I don't know what some of character's playing styles are).

The art is different from the original. The colour tone is a bit lighter and the character designs look cuter. In my opinion, this style of art actually fits the series. However the art is still nothing spectacular and nothing really stands out. Here's a fun fact, if you watch the animation of both seasons, you will see that they are nearly identical.

The sound is also done well, each of the voice actors do a good job voicing their characters, they all match their personalities. The opening Miracle Rush really fits the series because this season is more light hearted than the original. There are two endings for this series, SquarePanicSerenade which is very similar to the ending of the original series, which is sung by the voice actors of the main characters which is used when the mood of the episode is light hearted and Futuristic Player, a more serious ending which is used when the mood of the series is more serious. Both endings fit the series but are not too memorable.

Overall, the series is still very enjoyable, unique and still has that Saki charm. It's fun to watch but not as well executed as the original season because of the horrible pacing. Also I still can't wait for the last 3 episodes.

The girls in Saki: Achiga-hen were childhood friends of Nodoka. It starts off showing their elementary friendship. In the beginning, it was cute, funny.....but then Nodoka left, and just like how the girls were trying their best to catch up to Nodoka, this anime was trying it's absolute hardest to catch up to the greatness of it's parent story.

For the entire first half of the series, everything felt rushed. You don't see any real majong games, and although you know the girls have grown in talent, you don't actually get to see it happen. It was almost like a summery, rather than it's own show. ... Then once they finally catch up to the prequel, it slows down and becomes a great show. By the last handful of episodes, it really finds it's flow, and you get to see great majong games and great characters. You get to see the personality of Saki's sister, and you actually get to see her play :) Old friends show up in this anime, and new ones are made. If you loved the Prequel to this anime, then you will really like this one!

Story - starts at a 7 and ends at an 8, almost 9. It was cute, but maybe instead of rushing through the entire first half, they could have broken the series into 2 seasons, or spread the story out over more episodes.

Art - I liked the characters in Saki. As always, some of the hairstyles draw a huge question mark for me, but I didn't see any real flaws in it. It wasn't the best art out there in my eyes, but it was really good....actually, to be more precise, it was very CUTE. This anime was more so CUTE than it's predecessor. So in art, I'll give it a 9.

Sound - I'll give it a 9. It extraordinary, but it wasn't bad at all. I like the voices of the characters.....but I do question if Teru's voice was that high in the first series of Saki...I know she only spoke once, but I could've sworn the timbre of her voice and the tone was a little different...........but maybe it doesn't really matter since she only said like 1 word in the prequel (as far as I can recall)

Character - I'm tempted to compare these characters to the prequel. But in truth, the reason why I liked the Saki characters better than the Achiga girls, is because I got to know them better. This show was so busy trying to catch up, that you didn't get to really know the characters as well as you may have wanted to.

Enjoyment - I really enjoyed the show! However, because of the rushing to catch up, I really thought the were headed to the exact match that the previous show left off at.....ok, I don't want to write any spoilers, so I'm going to stop here and leave it at that. This show is cute, and by the end, it reminds you of why you like the Saki series so much! :D I give it an 8.

Overall - 8. This show had lots of potential, and even with the few hiccups the series had, the show managed to find its pace and hold its own. It was very good :)

Appreciating side dishes after you have tasted the main cuisine is something I don't find feasible.
That's the case when I started watching Saki - Side A.

It wise to rate the story at the range of 6-7. Doing a side story had the potential to dive into the a whole new dimension and Saki - Side A gave a solid writing to support their cause. Side A chose to do a special adaptation to a group of girls who are directly connected to Haramura Nodoka, a deuteragonist of the Saki series. Much to my surprise is, it is given a 16 episode run which is something ... I find wasteful.

As the story goes, it was the usual Saki mahjong content. A lot of occult and 1/100th chance of it happening in real games, a lot of extravagant special mahjong effects, the good mind game dialogues. However, the pacing on Side - A exceeds the main story. They literally jumped from starting point in order to catch up to the main story's plot time and connected them fluidly in order to broaden the horizon of the Saki series. Unlike the main Saki story, I found Saki - Side A too less impressive.

Adapting a main cast of boring characters, seemed to ticked me off the whole 16 episode run. I was always thinking after an episode, "Why did they bother making a 16-episode story for this bunch of characters? They should've use the budget for the Zenkoku!". It was like that until the end.

As far as the content is concern, the only interesting parts for me are the cameos of the main Saki casts. They were literally limited to just 3-4 lines which is a sad watch for me. I ended up falling asleep at some intervals and never bother re-watching the missed parts. However, if I were to disregard the relation to the main Saki series, Side A should've been able to touch at least the border of my interested portion however, it was like convincing myself that 1+1=3 which spells impossible from the very start.

Art and Sound remained faithful. Aside from the OP/ED themes, the bgms were still retained in order to drag the feel of the original Saki series to this side story. The character designs also remained similar and is visibly better than the 2009 version.

To be fair, Side A finishes strong however, it still drives me nuts as to why this was adapted to a 16 episode run. A 5-episode OVA compressed should've done the trick. The adaptation is full of annoying flashbacks that will either reveal a trick or two, or some 3rd rate drama to make the audience empathize with the characters but in my case, OH CRAP. I felt uninterested all throughout.

Finishing, Side A had some good scenes however, it felt they have overdone their part as a side story. For spoilers, pardon me, I cannot help but root for their adversaries in the whole 16 episode run and I don't feel like cheering for the Achiga girls in the finals.

I said "Achiga-hen Side-A Episode is too hardcore for my taste." But I went and watched it anyway since it wouldn't hurt.

It's more of the same: CGDCT ("Cute Girls Doing Cute Things)". The dreaded "moe" animu; and said cute thing is mahjong.

The lot of them have weird powers to help them win. And IMMHO, this BULL$#!7 needs to stop. Else, they need to use their powers on something a bit more fruitful than playing games. (I heard "taking over the world" is pretty popular. :P )

And, as with the lot of CGDCT animu, there are TOO many cute girls herein. I stand by my opinion ... that Koihime Musou is created only because the reality-challenged slobbering otaku-base would rather masturbate to cartoon girls instead of actually learn history. But this takes the same amount of teeth-rotting cake.

Not to say that guys shouldn't run behind the skirts of animu chicks in order to escape the harshness of reality. But watching animu like this reminds me of visiting a mosque (that one day, long time ago) where the opposite sexes aren't allowed to intermingle. It all felt pointless and it's something I should never invest my time and money into.

It would be nice if animu wasn't created by and for grass-eating herbivores...

Saki: Achiga-hen (I'm not going to write the full name as it is just too long...) is sort of like a sequel to the original "Saki" anime. However rather than calling it a sequel, I would much prefer to call it a side story.

For viewers who have not watched the original "Saki", I will try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but however since you are already watching a sequel, the viewer will obviously know some spoilers for the original.

As the girls of Kiyosumi High battle their way through the national mahjong tournament. A small group of friends of the moe, popular side ... character Hanamura Nodoka saw Nodoka winning the middle school championship on television. They got motivated to revive their childhood mahjong club in hopes of someday meeting and playing again with Nodoka. Hence starting the Achiga Girls' High School Mahjong Club, and aims for the national championships as well.

For viewers who have not watched or finished the original "Saki". Since there were so many participating schools, the national tournament groups were split into two. Kiyosumi High drew the brackets for "side B" of the tournament group, and the story of the Achiga Girls tells the story and battles that were occuring through "side A" (hence the title)

I am going to draw some comparisons to my earlier review of the original "Saki" anime, which you can check out here:

http://myanimelist.net/profile/Fate25/reviews

Most of the good points from the original anime were carried into this side story/sequel. First is the introduction of a huge cast of characters. Each equipped with fully distinct colourful looks and personality. So much so that you will never notice that the story surprisingly does not have a main character. Since every single character is so interesting in this anime, there wasn't a need for a main character to carry the story.

Second is that the anime dedicates a huge amount of time to developing the stories of its side characters, even the opponents that the Achiga girls face. So much so that you even feel sorry for the opponents when they lose to the heroines.

The anime is dedicated to creating an emotional bond between the viewers and all its characters. Even if the opponents initially appear cold and ruthless in their attempted destruction of the Achiga Girls tournament hopes, in the following episode you will see the emotional story from the opponent's viewpoint. Seeing that in the end, every one of them are just sweet high school girls who fight hard to keep the hopes and dreams of their precious teammates and friends alive. Every single girl has deep emotional bonds with their supporting family and friends, and doesn't want to let them down, which creates a valid reason for them to fight so hard.

In my opinion this is the greatest appeal of this anime, all those moments which make you feel "awww.... she's just such a sweet girl....". So much so that you actually feel really sad when the girls lose their tournament matches and breaks down crying, as they get overcome with emotion from letting their precious friends and family down.

The third plus point is in the "special moves". Ever since the days of Dragonball Z and their super saiyans, good shonen anime has always followed the example of exaggerating their special or finishing moves with added animation and silly over-the-top names. It continues to work in this anime. With the new characters come new special moves, with the highlight being that you get to see Saki's undefeatable sister, the last boss Miyanaga Teru, in action.

The sequel also does well to remove what I consider to be a slightly negative part of the original "Saki". Lesbian, aka "yuri" themes resound strongly in the original "Saki". Even though there no hentai girl on girl scenes, I do feel that the lesbianism in the original went overboard and this sequel tones that part down considerably. Making the viewing experience more smooth and enjoyable, as you don't get sudden, uncomfortable lesbian moments interrupting the development of the emotional character backstory, and makes the anime more acceptable by the mainstream viewing audience.

In summary, Saki: Achiga-hen is a enjoyable anime, especially if you have watched the original. A huge cast of varied, adorable and sincere high school girls trying their best. The shonen-esque animations and special moves. The emotional connections you feel for these girls, as they battle their hearts out on the mahjong table, will keep you waiting eagerly for every next episode.

First things first. My "reviews" system is explained on a blog entry. Which can be found through my profile.
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✦Story
About Saki side-characters and their adventure through tournaments. I'll be honest, It's been a while since I watched Saki and I cannot really remember most of it let alone side-characters. But nevertheless I found this series fairly enjoyable and cute. It had fair flair of drama and also impact packing mahjong games as always. Not really much else to comment. A fair enough moe show about mahjong.

✦Art & Sound
Not impressive, not bad. Fitting enough, bright and enjoyable. Gotta love the "no pan" style. It's always a mystery ... whenever they wear anything or not.

Also, Nodoka confuses me as always. She feels so out of place with her giant melons. And her large/loose and light shirt with tie inbetween of her breast does not help. Funny to say, but she feels immersion breaking. Obviously not in a serious manner, but her way too giant melons bother me in this specific franchise.

As for OST and music. Some were memorable and okay, rest really didn't notice. So good enough.

✦Character
3 things.
1. Sakurako Gibbard adorable. (the side-side character. The cheerful minigirl with adorable facial expressions.)
2. Toki, love her soothing voice (She looks like warai neko character and has same VA)
3. Arai Satomi (VA). Love her voice anywhere.

Aside that, cute enough characters, some adorable stereotypes. For example the always cold/shaking girl. And ones I mentioned previously. (excluding Arai Satomi voice acted character. I simply love the voice actor). Can't say there was much development, aside the "battle hardening" and some flashbacks regarding their past. So once again, overall good enough.

✦Enjoyment & Overall
Wasn't sure whenever to "review" or not, but eh, screw it. Quite a solid 6 Anime, not bad, nor good. Not too interesting nor boring. I don't care about mahjong nor really sure of how game works. But it was presented in an enjoyable moeblob way with some impactful battles and a bit drama.

If you're a fan of mahjong and superpower sports/game anime, THIS is the real Saki.

This is Saki without the meandering backstories, the boring yuri-bait that never gets anywhere, and the gratuitous fanservice shots of every loli character in the show (mostly). Side-A cuts out most of Saki's original grievances while being even better at what Saki did best: Intense, chaotic, and ridiculous mahjong battles.

In fact, since 95% of this anime doesn't rely on the original Saki, it's completely watchable as a standalone. Just make sure that you know the rules of mahjong, because there isn't as much time to explain everything like in Saki. ... If anything I said about the original Saki worries you about that series (I wrote a review on it if you want more detail), I recommend giving Side-A a try instead.

If you watched Saki or any sports anime, Side-A has a lot of what you'd expect: A simple school-tournament plot structure, games full of twists and turns, and fun/exciting/beautiful animation flourishes to emphasize the characters' emotions after pulling off a daring play or a nail-biting victory.

The difference for me is mostly in the characters. Saki leans too hard into making every character gimmicky with lots of unfunny running gags to make sure that you remember everyone, even if you also hate them in the process. Meanwhile, Side-A immediately introduces compelling reasons for all of the main girls to want to win the mahjong inter-high. With maybe one exception, they are more believable and more characterized than much of Saki's main cast, so it's much easier to get invested in their journey right from the start. It's almost jarring how much more respectful Side-A treats its characters compared to Saki, like an actual sports/game anime.

And by the end, the mahjong tournament battles DO deliver--in spades. Mahjong being a 4-player game, like in Saki, allows for complex yet emotionally charged battles of wits that leave you on the edge of your seat. Any player can be a relevant threat, and sometimes you never know who will take over the narrative in the end. And this aspect of chaos and unpredictability is even stronger than it is in Saki, which was what made that series refreshing to me as a sports/game anime in the first place.

This is also where the Saki series turns up its superpower tag to 11.
*MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD*
Side-A starts with one character with an incredibly impossible mahjong "talent" in episode one, and then continues to introduce some of the most ridiculous "totally-not-superpowers" I've ever seen in sports/game anime. And it's great, because every one of them has clear strengths and weaknesses and can be played around within the rules of the game, and they'll also have some crazy interaction with another character's almost-equally ridiculous superpower. And even with all this craziness, the superpowers never manage to truly overshadow the actual game of mahjong, so it just adds another layer of excitement and intrigue.
*MINOR SPOILERS END*

The biggest storytelling obstacle in these matches is the need to establish every character's background, personality, and playstyle during the match, and it's really difficult to do this without bogging down the pacing with constant flashbacks. However, Side-A manages to avoid this problem well enough by the end. There aren't excessive flashbacks to bog down the final matches' pacing, the characters are given just enough characterization to establish entertaining dynamics, and the buildup to the climax is just superb.

Now for the elephant in the room, while I do like the characters and characterization in Side-A better than in Saki overall, they are still quite weak, especially in the middle portion of the anime. Saki will at least drip feed interesting mahjong plays before moving onto the tournament, but Side-A isn't interested in showing the main girls' intermediate steps toward the mahjong inter-high. There might be a training montage but without delving into what they learned or improved on, which hurts the overall emotional payoff when they actually do win over a tough-looking opponent. I think the final matches succeed in spite of that, but it does hurt that a third of the anime feels like a slog to get through.

But none of those dull moments were painful like in Saki. I can at least excuse Side-A for rushing to the main event when it knew it didn't have much time to do so. The result is still that Side-A accomplishes more in SIXTEEN episodes than Saki does in 25. (The "Specials" episodes are just the last four episodes of the anime. They are a direct continuation and you should watch them after finishing the first 12.)

With maybe more effort put into the characters and drama in the middle episodes of the anime, Side-A could have easily been an 8 for me, regardless of its dressing as a mere side story to Saki. It's kind of depressing to me that Side-A will just be in the shadow of Saki forever because of that. Despite its flaws, Side-A manages to simultaneously be the more entertaining and the more well-rounded experience, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who knows or is willing to learn the rules of mahjong--and isn't afraid of a little zaniness in their battle-of-wits.