STORY: 7/10
As stated in the earlier paragraph, the story revolves around a young man by the name of Akagi Shigeru. Unexpectedly thrown into the world of competitive Japanese Mahjong with skilled yakuza, Akagi shows himself to not only be unexpectedly good, but perhaps one of the best players in the world.
There are two huge problems that arise from Akagi. One of which is a spoiler, so please keep that in mind. I will point it out before saying so. The first of these problems is the surprising lack of tension at some points. At times, it can be tense. Terrifyingly so, even. However, the narrator states within practically every episode that he becomes famous, is unbeatable, and is a genius. While you still fear every move for the fact that Akagi could lose, in the back of your mind you continue to wonder whether or not he really can, due to the narrator's praise of him.
The spoiler will be placed at the bottom of the review, past my overall score, for those who are willing to read it. Otherwise, you can feel rest assured any and all spoilers will be kept out of the review until after it is complete.
ART: 9/10
Nobuyuki Fukumoto's art style is fantastic and one that personally inspires me to continue my own art. Lines are heavy, points are sharp, characters are exaggerated. All of this is used not for comedic effect as other highly stylized shows seem to enjoy doing, but instead to further the tension. These stylized faces can easily be bent, warped, or shaped to show intense emotions. The intense line art adds to this, along with the visual "zawa zawa" and the occasional dark, visually muddy art styles. It's all used to further the tension, unease, and fear that the show uses to pull you in. However, if I were to find a flaw, it's that sometimes this art style can make things like long hair and spikes look a tad odd, and it also looks somewhat strange in regular situations, with simple dialogue and uninteresting backgrounds.
SOUND: 10/10
Akagi's soundtrack is stellar. There is no generic song within Akagi. All of it is extremely moody and helps to further the tense moments. Whether its slow, uneasy blues that plays between games or unsettling, slow electronics with creeping tingles that move from one ear to the other to fill you with the sensation of fear. Heavy guitars and slow-paced tunes carry this unnerving feeling throughout its entirety. Fukumoto's classic "zawa" on top of this unsettling and heavy soundtrack leads to furthering the intense atmosphere that Akagi strives for and executes so brilliantly. Not to mention the fantastic OP that is not only unique, but fits perfectly into the tone of the series and one I go back to listen to over and over again.
As for voices, all of them are well cast. The two that I definitely think stand out are Akagi and the narrator. Akagi's voice is cold, emotionless, intense. It comes across not as a simple thug, but much more than that. He almost seems like he could be the boss of the very Yakuza he is facing. He's mean, cold-hearted, a gambler, yet is so confident in himself he has no waver in his voice, and at the same time no cockiness. It perfectly portrays the way he plays Mahjong and the way he lives in general: analytical, confident, and heartlessly. The narrator's voice is similar. It's a cold and placid mutter that tells exactly what is happening. The analytical voice of an aged man, telling the story as if he was himself an avid Mahjong player during a previous point in his life.
CHARACTER: 8/10
The reason that this area isn't a 10/10 is because not all characters are, well, interesting. Some of them are reduced from key character who is integral to the plot to nothing more than simply a man who reacts to the goings on of the current game of Mahjong, or the one who explains rules, which the narrator also does much better. Akagi's character is amazing, as well as the opponents he faces. They brilliantly confuse the viewer by showing more of the opponent's thought process than that of Akagi himself. It shows you what mental fortitude Akagi has, it shows the thought process of his opponent and how easily he can read them. They strengthen the character of Akagi by strengthening those around him and showing just how much of a genius he truly is.
ENJOYMENT: 9/10
Most of the time, Akagi is brilliant. There were a few times I wished things would speed up, simply because the voice in the back of my head knew he wouldn't lose, which broke the well-built tension for me, but that doesn't stop Akagi from being a brilliantly intense joyride the rest of the time for me.
OVERALL: 8/10
What else can I really say about Akagi? I've doted on it pretty much the entire time I've been here. If you're looking for something tense, dramatic, and entirely focused on the inner workings of Japanese Mahjong, well... You're looking for something pretty specific but you hit the jackpot with this beauty of a show.
SPOILER BEGINS -------------------------------------------------------------------
The second problem pertaining to the story is the show's need to "complete" it. The problem is that, during the production of this anime, the manga had been ongoing for a while and was in the middle of the match that the final game of the anime shows. This forces them to leave it on a cliffhanger, as no more of the story had been written up to that point. The ending is unsatisfying and destroys the pacing of the otherwise beautifully paced tense final match.
SPOILER ENDS ----------------------------------------------------------------------
