Pon no Michi

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.

Pretty unique story setting. So much parody in it but it was enjoyable. Glad to watch the version subbed by "MahjongSoulless" because they explained the references (or else I won't get the majority of it) but their translation is pretty trash (I think they did it purposely for entertainment?)

I watched this anime because I missed the OP mahjong series "Saki". I hope they continue to create more of Saki. Speaking of Saki, this parody anime played Saki's ending song "Netsuretsu Kangei Wonderland" in the 1st episode as the ending song (bringing back the nostalgia and the joy in me - because I watch this anime ... because I loved Saki)

An interesting, but very basic CGDCT anime, that is entirely made to be a time-waster.

Is this anything special?
Well... Not really, It actually doesn't have much to talk about, since it feels like every other basic CGDCT anime for the most part. BUT, it has Mahjong, and it is the only thing stopping this show from being entirely obscure.
That being said, I think the producers kinda expect people who already go to watch this to have knowledge on the mahjong, since not a lot of it is really explained, so you the viewer will be somewhat confused on what anything means, or at least if ... you are like me (a poor visual learner, who cannot decipher basic mahjong tactics with the tiles).
All that out of the way, mahjong really is the only defining point of this anime, I personally cannot sense anything special for the characters here since they are very forgettable.
Other than that, I have found problems with this anime's art, that being the side shots of characters sometimes look very mediocre and makes a very obvious quality changes within scenes, which is very noticeable if you pay any attention to the screen.

Other then the fact it has mahjong, I really do not see anything different from any other typical basic CGDCT, like having chats while eating, etc. But it's still early and I cannot fully judge a show on it's first three episodes entirely, but it really doesn't give off the vibe of being a surprise 10/10 sleeper anime this season, so this in no way will be the next anime that can compete with K-On for being an amazing CGDCT.

Probably would recommend it though if you like slow CGDCT and have a basic understanding of Mahjong.
To anyone else though, its kinda generic and bland to some degree and probably will not be too intriguing, unless you like generic CGDCT animes or wanna be shown mahjong every few episodes.
🗿 6/10 🗿

Here is my review of this anime in 2024!

Story (6)
The story is about a small group of girl who enjoy playing mahjong in one of their houses. Not only that, they also have a machine which makes them play it more fair. Mostly the story is about mahjong and slice of life.

Art (6)
The art in this anime is quite good. I like the color they were using but I think it's better if they can put more animation on mahjong battle to make it more intense.

Sound (7)
All the sounds that they used were suitable and adjusted to the animation.
...
Character (6)
The main and supporter characters are quite memorable since they have their unique personality.

Enjoyment (6)
It's quite enjoyable to watch this movie in 2024.

Overall (6)
It's recommended to those who love slice-of-life, mahjong, and board game.

Pon-thetic.

I was personally quite interested in The Way of Pon when it was first announced. A cute-girls-doing-cute-things low-stakes slice-of-life anime about a bunch of insanely cute girls, who were designed by the mangaka behind The Quintessential Quintuplets, hanging out and playing Mahjong. Unfortunately, cute character designs are the beginning and the end of my interest in this show and my investment doesn’t span over four episodes.

Not that you’ll be able to watch this anime if you live in the UK. Because this is an Amazon Prime Original if you live in a certain region then fuck you. As of the time of writing you’re ... going to have to either make a voyage on the seven seas, make use of a VPN or wait and hope Amazon will be benevolent enough to dump the whole season on your lap once spring arrives.

Not that I can recommend that you go out of your way to watch Way of Pon. It is a thoroughly mediocre story about ganki girl Nasiko getting kicked out (literally) of her home by her parents for being too ganki, taking over her dad’s old parlour and turning it into a place for her and her friends to hang out and discovering a Mahjong table. Also, a magical Mahjong-Phoenix… thing appears from nowhere that only Nasiko can talk to… I guess?

The thing about Mahjong is that it’s not a very interesting game to obverse let alone try to make an entire season around. You can only have your cute girls sit around a table and make Kaiji and Yu-Gi-Oh references so many times until the joke becomes stale so the show mixes it up by having an episode dedicated to the girls making curry or mobile gaming which is just as thrilling as it sounds. I don’t dislike the girls. I like them a lot. They’re incredibly well-designed and they all have likeable personalities (Haneru with-standing as she’s only just been introduced by the end of episode four) but the script feels very safe and very mediocre.

Speaking of designs, despite the overall art and hand-drawn animation being pretty good, the digital backgrounds and the use of CGI are not. Some of the digital backgrounds have a strange fish-eye lens effect to make the interior of the parlour seem more spacious, but it doesn’t blend well with the characters and art. The CGI hands used when the girls push all of the mahjong pieces into the centre to be shuffled or when they’re making places are distractingly uncanny like they're disembodied from the characters. It’s not OLM’s best showing.

The Way of Pon isn’t good or bad. I hate to use the word, but “mid” is the best way I can describe this anime that you’ll have to pirate unless you live in a territory that Amazon has decided to permit you the honour of watching it weekly. I came for the Quintessential Quintuplets character designs and I left to watch something else. There are much better cute-girls-doing-cute-things anime out there, like Yuru Camp! I’ve been catching up on season 2 because season 3 is coming out in spring! It's a great show! Watch that instead.

5/10 Mediocre.

The Way of Pon - Is this a lesson about Japanese mahjong, or is this the plot for a promotional campaign for a lesser-known city in Japan? Hmm...

It is often said that niche things are the hardest to teach to foreigners, and in the case of Japanese Mahjong, we've had series that span back years trying to relay this information to people to various successes. Shows like Fall 2005's Akagi or even Spring-Summer 2009's Saki, these are the classics when it comes to the niche topic. And once again, even in 2024, we are presented with one more series: an original show that's part-Mahjong, part-promotion, ... and a full-on CGDCT show, called Pon no Michi a.k.a The Way of Pon.

The show...is really nothing special, though it's the usual gathering of girls through a rather eccentric girl named Nashiko Jippensha, who got chased out of her house because she's been fooling around with her obsession of idols, therefore making her a lazy and unproductive daughter. What she has got left is an old mahjong parlor that her father seemingly left her with, and that becomes her hangout place while learning all about Mahjong. She is soon joined with her friends of Pai Kawahigashi and Izumi Tokutomi, who are more adept at the sport being beginner and advanced players respectively. And also...a mahjong spirit in the form of a sparrow taken off the design of the 1 Bamboo (bird) tile? Ok...at least he's named Chonbo for a reason. The leftovers with Riche Hayashi, who hung out at Nashiko's parlor thanks to her parents in its past active days, as well as the competitive Haneru Emi who always tries to desperately win games over the girls with a very deep obsession for Mahjong, rounds up the "5 girls plus a talking bird" gang, having their time of fun in a once-used space that's left for their taking in the city of Onomichi, Hiroshima.

Just about the only thing worth of note is how the girls all look like with their rather big bodies of boobs and thighs, and this is not a coincidence as the creator of Gotoubun no Hanayome a.k.a The Quintessential Quintuplets, mangaka Negi Haruba himself contributes as character designer of the series. So, if you're thinking that Nashiko's liveliness and Izumi's character design is a lot like Yotsuba, you have your answer.

Both the production and music leave a lot to be desired in this original series. OLM, especially on Team Inoue that's targeted more towards the kids' category, as mentioned at the beginning of the review, the producers must've had an inkling to promote the city of which the series got its footing on, and promote the hell out of it, which is not the first series to do so (see other shows like Yuru Camp). But otherwise, it's just fairly decent with some occurrent 3DCG in the mahjong scenes, and that's it. The music, while also just all over the place, evokes the feeling of happy memories of hanging out with friends, and if that's the goal, the anime certainly has Riichi-ed it. I do like the OP song by Rika Nakada and the entire VA cast, which is actually quite catchy, while halca's ED, is the usual halca standard of decent to good.

But then again, for Crunchyroll to not pick this up, leaving the doors open for Bilibili and French's ADN a.k.a Animation Digital Network to get the rights for the series, you're practically not missing much by watching a rather niche product that's catered to those who already knew how to play Japanese Mahjong, or simply for a lack of better words, a planned act of a promotional campaign to visit Onomichi, Hiroshima.

If you're any interested at all, just try an episode to see if it's your thing.

This won't be a long review simply because this show doesn't have a lot to talk about, nor would I say it has an audience large enough to justify one.

Pon no Michi (The Way of Pon) feels like your run-of-the-mill style CGDCT/slice of life anime, and to me, that'd be fine as I rarely ever find a show like this were I don't like anything about it. Problem is, Pon no Michi is woefully plain for a slice-of-life/CGDCT anime that at points it is rather tedious to sit through.
Pon no Michi advertises itself as a slice-of-life/CGDCT anime all about the strategy tabletop game Mahjong. If ... you look at the genres/themes side for this anime you'll notice it says supernatural, but, trust me, don't get excited for anything grandiose on that front as I'll get into shortly. One of the huge cruxes that plagues this show is just how much mahjong really has nothing to do with the show. There's no competitions, nothing of high stakes is ever present and everything is just presented as good old harmless fun. Which, don't get me wrong, I have no issue with, but it just lacks substance and is made to feel like mahjong just takes a backseat to whatever the characters are doing.

Let's talk about the characters now and the most critical aspect of having a CGDCT anime is having your characters be fun to watch. Well, sad to say, the characters are so one-note, 1-dimensional and mostly devoid of a personality that isn't a trope, cliche or sterotype. Nashiko's a typical ball of energy, good natured protag. Izumi's a textbook tomboy. Riche is your rich ojou-sama type. Haneru is a stoic yet serious character who at least has to the best design out of all the characters. As for Pai.... she has no real identifying traits to her personality and is the most forgettable. Then there's Chonbo, which leads me to the next point where this show fails at ultilizing its components.

What even is the point of Chonbo in this show? From the first episode he is introduced as a spirit of mahjong and literally the only thing he ever does in the show is help motivate Nashiko to learn mahjong and by extension open up the parlor for her friends to play with her. AND THAT IS IT! His presence in the show is so minimal I have to question once again why he even exists in the first place. Only Nashiko hears him, he contributes nothing to the activities the girls undertake and nothing about why he's present and for what purpose does he have is nevered brought into question. If his role is to be a mascot character then that'd be fine, but he does nothing and is barely ever present in most episodes. It's just baffling and frustrating that you have this supernatural aspect to your show, but it contributes next to nothing about the show and half the time you just forget that Chonbo is even a part of it.

The only somewhat enjoyment I had was the nods and references to other shows like Saki or Akagi/Kaigi, but after awhile it is tiring especially when the show already had an issue with it's own identity.

Pon no Michi is quite the letdown, honestly. Speaking as someone who enjoys a lot of slice-of-life/CGDCT anime, this one did so little for me that it's just best being a forgotten addition to those genres. If you want a show about mahjong with cute girls in it, just watch Saki.