I like that the story takes place in the 1950's / 1960's japan and that it focuses on high stakes gambling in the form of Mahjong games against the mafia. I dont really see too many animes set in this time period that focus on gambling or in general mahjong style gambling.
Character wise i like a majority of the characters but the two that stand out to me the most are Akagi and Washizu. While Akagi isnt as relatable as Kaiji hes still an incrediby mysterious and interesting character. Washizu was both disturbing in appearance, backstory, and voice acting.
Animation was great and even better in key important scenes. As for the artwork, madhouse kept fukumotos unique artstyle which is something i really like alot.
Sound design was on point and like Kaiji, Hideki Taniuchi composed for the Akagi ost as well. The music tracks on Akagis osts are more dark electronic with some experimental ambient vibes and grungy guitars combined with pianos. I felt it was very fitting especially in the second half as things escalated story wise. Voice acting was great especially from Ichikawa, Washizu, and Akagis voice actor plus he also voiced Kaiji as well.
As a final verdict Akagi was very tense and entertaining to watch. First time viewers who have not heard of Mahjong or may not know the rules may have a hard time grasping it but the matches and mind games in the anime are great and interesting to watch progress. Madhouse did their best to make it easier for the viewer to understand what is going on in the games and explain some of the rules and situations.
Definitely recommend watching Akagi and i wont spoil it but my only gripe with the anime is that it ends abruptly with a cliffhanger which was kind of dissapointing but other than that it was an enjoyable watch.
