Pon no Michi

Pon no Michi, a typical CGDCT 1 cour show. Being someone who doesn't normally watch this genre, I found myself wholeheartedly enjoying it more than some of the bigger titles this season.

It's not everyone's cup of tea, or even close to it, but at the same time, it's lighthearted and enjoyable. There have been some reviews complaining about how most of the girls have similar personalities, but it's a 1 cour show (12 episodes), and that doesn't leave much time for background or much development. The characters are likable despite their lack of development (besides them all becoming friends), ... and the designs are honestly, great. While the CGI is a bit uncanny, the animation itself is great.

A good show to watch in the background, or even to focus on completely whether you're new to the CGDCT genre or you've seen many related shows before. This show's been my gateway into that genre, and now I'm thinking about watching other CGDCT shows. Once again, it's not everyone's thing, as the plot is well...slice of life worthy, and somewhat slow, though excellent if you want to zone out. Definitely give the first few episodes a try and see how you feel.

Pon no Michi is an anime about girls playing mahjong. By the way, the only reference to mahjong anime is Saki (which I highly recommend), which was more focused on mahjong. Going back to Pon no Michi, although it's initially presented as an anime centered around mahjong, it's clear from the first few episodes that mahjong is just a pastime for the girls. This approach might be disappointing for those who were expecting a more mahjong-focused plot.

The disconnect with mahjong is evident. Despite the anime being about this game, they barely show the girls playing a match and it doesn't demonstrate how mahjong is an ... integral part of their daily routines. The anime doesn't stand out in either of these areas; it neither focuses on mahjong nor explores the girls' daily lives.

But you know what? I loved it. It's one of my favorites this season. It even made me want to be a cute high school girl and do cute high school girl things (stereotypical, I know, but I don't care). Even though they don't play much mahjong, the girls are always talking about it. They're a lively group. The anime starts with a trio of friends, Nashiko, Pai, and Izumi, who were always together and already had great chemistry. Then Richie, an ojou-sama, joins them and quickly becomes friends with the trio. They do teenage things together and sometimes play mahjong. Richie is good at the game, which catches the attention of Haneru, and the quintet is formed! It's interesting because it's similar to the setup of the go-toubun, but that doesn't matter.

It's true that this anime doesn't deliver on either of the two points I mentioned at the beginning, but it mixes them in the outings of these girls. This anime exudes that feeling of youth and friendship.

There's also a mahjong spirit, which is very cute and plays mahjong, too.. yes.

This is more beginner friendly than stepping into other Mahjong anime such as Akagi or Saki, but that's only because often the girls won't even bother playing it anyways, Instead of the Mahjong Club they could just as well be the big boobers club (Except for Emi the Scene Goth looking girl)
Basically, knowledge of game rules isn't that big of a deal and you won't benefit that much more from it here.
If you are an experienced person of culture, then the fan subs by [Mahjong Soulless] make it a much more enjoyable watch than what it would be by default.
BGM is minimal; the OP theme ... is memorable but not in a fond way of recollection. The quality of everything else is good enough.

What the anime does do well is that the character designs are pretty good and unique; all the girls have themed names even.
I particularly like that when they do actually bother to play Mahjong the girls keep it real with the casual cheating they all do which is something you would never see in Saki, and even in Akagi it is a bit uncommon.

Should you watch this? Generally no there's better stuff out there. If you're really into Mahjong and are stuck frustrated in some tier of Elo Hell in MajSoul playing into obvious rons, maybe tuning out for a while to see this will improve your mood.