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Akagi

Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 1:44 am
by Tang
You have to be kidding, this is how the anime ended? I read the last chapter of the manga, it went on just a little longer, like, 5 minutes. Not only were the last 8 episodes Washizu going on and on about the same thing, it ends like this. Sure, a technique of moving making is to make the audience wonder near the end, but come on. Maybe if they cut down the continuous yammering of Washizu, I\'d be less irritated by this ending. It has some sense to it, and has worked to good effect before.

HOWEVER, the constant repeats of practically the same thing over and over again can be compared to Dragon Ballz random power up screaming. The 8 episode arc could have been dropped to probably 4 or 5. Sure, at first it was alright, used to create suspense and stuff. However, after the third time of \"KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL\" 6 times in a row, or something like that, it\'s not that effective anymore. Some situations were obvious, but it was prolonged for no reason with the same yammering over and over again.

Though, I will admit there were surprises here and there. The anime definitely proved to show the psychological aspects of JMJ. But honestly, the Washizu art was just painful near the end.

This is my mini rant. This thread is actually to ask if anyone knows or can link to the actual end? In Wikipedia it states that he did actually win, but what source of media is that from?

Re:Akagi

Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 1:50 am
by Monadology
The manga hasn\'t ended yet. I\'ts ongoing, and has proceeded about 10 volumes past the ending of the anime, and Akagi is still playing Washizu.

Akagi was written AFTER the manga Ten in which Akagi appears as an old man. So it was already established that he was alive into old-age, hence the anime ending. For those unfamiliar with Ten, that makes the anime ending seem more of a cop-out than it really is.

I agree that the Washizu arc dragged, but I wouldn\'t say it was repetitive or that the same thing happened over and over again. I think they tried to go for the oppressive, brooding atmosphere that was appropriate, but messed up on the pacing.

Also, you posted this in the wrong section. It should be in the Media section.

Re:Akagi

Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 1:45 am
by OldSchoolRPGs
This is very common when adapting a Manga to an Anime while the Manga is still being produced. The Anime can\'t pass up the Mangas storyline so they have to drag out the episodes somehow.

If you notice in DBZ with things like the Garlic Jr Saga, Goku and Piccilo getting their licenses and such, all of those were just filler episodes until the Manga could catch back up.

Technically they could wait until the Mana is done, but by then the series has usually lost its flare and the Anime probably won\'t do as good in terms of viewers. And so you\'re left with dragged out episodes.

Re:Akagi

Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2009 6:49 am
by Benjamin
Don\'t forget financial reasons. Right now, Kinda Mahjong, the magazine that Akagi is serialized in, is struggling. Akagi is its biggest hit, if it ends the magazine is in trouble. This is why Akagi and Washizu have been playing the same damn game for practically two years.

I asked Fukumoto (the author) about this the other day and he just smiled at me and didn\'t answer.

Re: Akagi

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 12:00 am
by or2az
Up until about a week ago, I had no idea about who or what Akagi was. I've seen the name pop up many times in various posts (and in Barts guide) but I didn't pay much attention to it. Due to my recent focus on pronunciation, I decided to finally see (and hear) what this "cartoon" was all about.
I just finished watching the 26 episode anime on youtube, (with english subtitles, naturally), and I found it quite interesting and addicting. It wasn't what I expected. This was serious mahjong and these guys were playing for blood! It somewhat reminded me of Return of the Jedi with a different kind of battle against the dark side of the force by a hero-like character who in some ways, can alter the way his enemies think.
The ending was a bit abrupt. I assume the jump to 1999 leads us to believe that he is alive and well, and was naturally, victorious..... and rich.
Now that it's over and having really enjoyed it, I was wondering if there was any more like this out there.

Re: Akagi

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 12:53 am
by Ignatius
For me the best options on are always Akagi アカギ and Saki 咲. Akagi has an incredible plot. And amazing speech lines. Nobuyuki Fukumoto is a genius. And Saki is a manga that doesn´t take seriously itself and it´s enjoyable. "Moe" (more or less: excessive cutesy) and superpowers, you know... Maybe that´s why is that famous, with spinoffs as Saki: Achiga-hen (which is the second season of the anime, and is completed), Shinohayu: the dawn of age, and the 4 panel comedic manga, Sakibiyori.

Also the guy who made Mudazumo Naki Kaikaku: The legend of Koizumi, Hideki Ôwada, made one-shots about Saki´s author Ritsu Kobayashi and her companions, which are the Saki´s spinoff´s co-authors...

The three seasons of the Saki´s anime are cool... But too much fanservice. Still, I love it. Waiting for the next...

I watched Legendary Gambler Tetsuya anime, which was interesting, but compared to Akagi it´s just an OK production.

I know there is an old OVA of Naki no Ryû. I would like to see it. I saw the Mudazumo Naki Kaikaku: The legend of Koizumi OVAs. And, man, that was hilarious. I have the manga, but it´s hard to read, as Akagi. I have those, and Saki and it´s spinoffs in japanese. I must say now I can only read Saki. But someday I will devour Akagi and Mudazumo Naki Kaikaku.

There is not too much animation about mahjong. I would like to see the old anime Super Zugan, a comedic mahjong anime where the main character always loose and he says: Zugan, when he does. There is a reference to this series in Saki (when, in the first season, the blonde guy Suga Kyôtarô loses, end below zero points, and a empty box fall upon his head, and then he screams: zugan.)

But to find and see the old animes as Naki no Ryû or Super Zugan it´s hard, let alone if you try to find subtitles for those.

Re: Akagi

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 3:25 am
by Senechal
I've seen Naki no Ryu along with a few of the Mukoubuchi OVAs and read some of Usagi: Yasei no Touhai. I have the 9 NNR Gaiden books, along with volumes 1-5 of the other two series.

The stories told in these series actually has plot and intrigue. Akagi lacked the former, Saki lacked both. (Cue the evil Saki fan mobs...)

Re: Akagi

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 1:54 pm
by Ignatius
Oh, sh**. I'm a Saki evil fan!

Let's all, fellow fans, bow down to the moe mahjong! :D

Re: Akagi

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 5:25 pm
by Referee
*bows to moe mahjong* (But Nodocchi FTW)

Re: Akagi

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 11:50 pm
by Ignatius
Referee wrote:*bows to moe mahjong* (But Nodocchi FTW)
I don´t like Nodoka and her huge fat blobs. But I like her voice actress, Ami Koshimizu. Is the lady who voiced Ryûko Matoi from Kill la Kill or Holo from Spice and Wolf.

Re: Akagi

Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 6:32 am
by or2az
Ignatius wrote:I watched Legendary Gambler Tetsuya anime, which was interesting, but compared to Akagi it´s just an OK production.

Well, I just finished watching the 20 episode Tetsuya anime online and I totally agree. It was interesting, enjoyable, and never boring, but not even close to Akagi.
What I didn't like was what I perceived to be a basic underlying premise in the story: Mahjong is a game of cheating. What was called skill was nothing but cheating techniques and when someone was on the top of his game, that meant that he was a better cheater than everyone else.
Now I realize that this is just fiction and not meant to be taken seriously but it was so widespread and seemed to be an acceptable practice. Not a good message to send.
Maybe I should start to keep an eye on the ladies I just started playing chinese mahjong with....just in case. (Just kidding!)

On another point, at the end of episode 18, Boshu only needs a white dragon for kokushimuso (13 orphans) to win. Tetsuya declares a closed kan of white dragons whereas Boshu calls ron by Chankan (robbing the kong), which is perfectly legal. Tetsuya then points out that this was the 4th declared kong (this was the 2nd by Tetsu and there were already 2 on the table), and that the hand is a draw which invalidates the kokushimuso. (Excellent strategy, I have to admit)
Problem is they refer to this as Su Kantsu, more than once. I don't think this is correct. I think it's called Su Kai Kan.
Am I missing something here?

Oh, and that character Yuu, looked like Steven Seagal, in his prime.

Re: Akagi

Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 3:43 pm
by Iapetus
Few mahjong manga concern healthy mahjong, even though it's form of mahjong relevant to most of us. Healthy means no gambling, no drinking, no smoking, no cheating. The only translated ones I know of are Saki and Mahjong Club. There seem to be some running in Kindai Mahjong as well.

Re: Akagi

Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 12:21 am
by Ignatius
or2az wrote:
Ignatius wrote:I watched Legendary Gambler Tetsuya anime, which was interesting, but compared to Akagi it´s just an OK production.

Well, I just finished watching the 20 episode Tetsuya anime online and I totally agree. It was interesting, enjoyable, and never boring, but not even close to Akagi.
What I didn't like was what I perceived to be a basic underlying premise in the story: Mahjong is a game of cheating. What was called skill was nothing but cheating techniques and when someone was on the top of his game, that meant that he was a better cheater than everyone else.
Now I realize that this is just fiction and not meant to be taken seriously but it was so widespread and seemed to be an acceptable practice. Not a good message to send.
Maybe I should start to keep an eye on the ladies I just started playing chinese mahjong with....just in case. (Just kidding!)

On another point, at the end of episode 18, Boshu only needs a white dragon for kokushimuso (13 orphans) to win. Tetsuya declares a closed kan of white dragons whereas Boshu calls ron by Chankan (robbing the kong), which is perfectly legal. Tetsuya then points out that this was the 4th declared kong (this was the 2nd by Tetsu and there were already 2 on the table), and that the hand is a draw which invalidates the kokushimuso. (Excellent strategy, I have to admit)
Problem is they refer to this as Su Kantsu, more than once. I don't think this is correct. I think it's called Su Kai Kan.
Am I missing something here?

Oh, and that character Yuu, looked like Steven Seagal, in his prime.
I saw Tetsuya´s series long ago, how many years? So I don´t remember it very well.
But it left me a strong impression about the game being reduced to cheating. (Is this sentence ok?)

The series ir overall OK, and enjoyable. But, as you say, looks like everything gets done whith cheating techniques. There´s no "real" skill involving the game, but cheating. (There is skill but it has a minor role in the games.)

That´s why I prefer Akagi, which it´s about mindgames, toying with the rivals´s confidence, being smart...
Iapetus wrote:Few mahjong manga concern healthy mahjong, even though it's form of mahjong relevant to most of us. Healthy means no gambling, no drinking, no smoking, no cheating. The only translated ones I know of are Saki and Mahjong Club. There seem to be some running in Kindai Mahjong as well.
I like the concept of healthy mahjong. Mahjong in manga is almost always related to mafias or shady guys, and of course, gambling...

I wonder if the healthy mahjong it´s becoming the norm... Who knows...



And changing the subject a little, I saw there is a Fist of the North Star/Hokuto no Ken/北斗の拳 mahjong game made by Ateam Inc. for Android and iPhone. it´s a shame the game is only downloadable in Japan... And it has zero chances to go global...

http://appget.com/appli/view/64664

I´m a big fan of the Fist of the North Star, a classic 80´s manga about fights. And I know it has a "meh" plot, with unforgettable quotes. The plot gets worse and worse after Kenshirô, the main character, defeats Ken-Ô. And what came before was not a plot that could be called the best of the best with honours, you know...

Re: Akagi

Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 2:14 pm
by Gnom
I feel Tetsuya is not so much about the game of mahjong than about the mahjong culture. In Europe mahjong is seen as an exotic reflexion game, but in Japan it really has an aura of gambling. Tetsuya is about showing the roots of this culture, when reach mahjong was a younger game than now (I don't have any actual figures but it looks like the reach rules appeared somewhere after the war, and Tetsuya's story is, as far as I can remember, supposed to take place somewhere in the late 50s). What's interesting in Tetsuya is not so much the many cheating stuff* than the atmosphere. I wouldn't choose between Akagi and Tetsuya —although I'd definitely leave Saki out, since I've been watching it recently and found it to be little more than panties shots and bath scenes.

*That being said, cheating is also interesting. Many players like to show their cheating skills after a real game, more in the way that you may like to fiddle with cards and perform some magic tricks. You can actually find on youtube some kind of archives of a seemingly 80s TV-show demonstrating cheating tricks, starring none other than... Takeo Mister Mahjong Kojima (notice how thick and dark is his hair) !

Re: Akagi

Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 4:39 pm
by Senechal
There are many organizations claiming to promote "healthy mahjong", including the WMO. But I can guarantee you that even MCR players in Europe drink beer like it's water.

Back to the main topic though, the whole reason autodealers exist was to put a stop to a lot of the cheating that was endemic to the mahjong culture in Japan. From a source I was shown recently, the first was made available in 1979. There are still ways to cheat obviously but they lose a lot of effectiveness on a proper table.

As for complaints on how it's so bad to see shows about cheating with mahjong, I remind you that Italian soccer and world cycling are things that still haven't died.