|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 7:37 am
SHOW SYNOPSISAmidst the 1950’s in Japan, a legend in the world of gambling is born on a stormy night. A man in debt is playing a game of Mahjong with the local yakuza and is deep in the clutches of a losing streak. If he loses, he will have to pay with his life. Suddenly, a young teenaged boy barges in, drenched from the rain. After watching a couple of games, he offers advice to the struggling man in debt. Sensing the young boy’s talent, the man asks the boy to take his place on the Mahjong table. With no prior knowledge of the game, a new legend is born. SHOW HISTORYAkagi is a Japanese manga that started in 1992 written by Nobuyuki Fukumoto about the game mahjong. It is featured in the weekly magazine Modern Mahjong, and has even been adapted into two live action movies because of its popularity. It is a prequel to the author's previous work Ten, which covers Akagi's later life. In the fall of 2005, it began its run as an anime series on Japanese television for 26 weeks. MY REVIEWWow. I never would have thought a story centered on mahjong (a very old Chinese tile game not unlike Spades, Rook or Gin, more or less) and gambling could be so interesting. First of all, just let me say that this is not really an anime series. No, it is a Manime. Ever heard of those? A simple term – man anime - a series that features a male lead who mocks any and all danger and is so awesome, so badass that his impressive manliness will actually crawl out of a TV or computer screen, manifest itself into all male bodies present (there are even some cases of this happening to women) and instantly make them want to consume large amounts of raw meat, chug hard liquor and, in many cases, make them spontaneously grow a magnificent beard. This is exactly what happened to me after I watched the first three episodes of the MANime Akagi. Seriously, I had to rush to the bathroom and grab my razorblade and dry shave the hair on my face because it was growing so fast. I was even tempted to go find a cow or some other large animal and start tearing into it with my bare hands and teeth so that I could consume its delicious flesh. Hell, this anime has even caused certain websites to crash when links to new episodes are put out! Not even the infamous 4chan can handle the manliness of such a MANime. Akagi begins in a mahjong parlor, which is pretty much a place where people go to play the game for stakes. Amidst a heap of cigarette smoke, we are introduced to four men playing the game. One of them, Nangou, is in a lot of trouble; he’s got a huge debt that he’s trying to pay off and the only way he can do that is to win the night’s mahjong game. (it’s either that or the other men present, who are part of the yakuza, will take his life) Just when it seems Nangou has lost all hope, the door to the parlor opens, thunder clashes, and everyone’s attention is given to the tall, shadowy figure standing in the doorway, dripping wet and looking like the devil himself. (this guy actually makes the devil his personal whipping boy later in the series … or so I’ve been told) Enter Akagi, the most fearless and vicious gambler you will ever see. Oh yeah … and apparently he’s only thirteen years old. Events transpire and Akagi ends up taking Nangou’s place on the playing field and proceeds to methodically and mercilessly destroy the opposition. It should be noted that when Akagi entered the parlor, he had no idea how to play mahjong, but after a five minute crash course and a few rounds of play, he’s ripping the other players new holes bigger than the supposed ones in the Ozone. His demeanor is that of a ferocious statue chiseled and carved out of the stone of the ninth level of Hell. His eyes are blacker than the depths of the bottomless deeps and his words are as calm and quiet as the noise before the mother of all storms. Threats are meaningless, bluffs to him are as transparent as the clearest sky and when you gamble with him, it’s all or nothing. He will not stop until there is only one left standing. Fire up the grill, grab a keg, butcher a cow, get your straight razor ready and get your hands on any episode of Akagi : Mahjong Legend you can find.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 7:39 am
WHERE TO GET
Two unfortunate circumstances are present when it comes to getting your hands on this series. It has yet to be officially translated into English and the only way to get your hands on an English version of the show is through torrenting it. It has been collected into one large download at such sites as mininova.org and animesuki.com, so you can stomach the idea of being a pirate with a capital ARRRRRRRRRRRRR, get to torrenting.
MAHJONG TERMINOLOGY
The Wall – Arrangement of tiles on the board. Each player sets up a wall in front of them, thirteen tiles long and two tiles high.
The Dead Wall – Fourteen tiles set aside for Dora tiles as well as tiles drawn when a Kan is made.
Pin Tiles – Mahjong tile suit depicted as “Dots”
Sou Tiles – Mahjong tile suit depicted as “Bamboos”
Man Tiles – Mahjong tile suite depicted as “Characters”
Honor Tiles – Special “Bonus” tiles (ie. Three Dragons and Four Winds)
Melds – When a player discards a tile, any other player may "call" or "bid" for it in order to complete a meld (a certain set of tiles) in his or her own hand. There are three kinds of Melds:
- Pon: Set of three identical tiles
- Chi: Three tile sequence (ie. 1-2-3 Sou) NOTE – Can only be declared by the person to a player’s right.
- Kan: Set of four identical tiles. BONUS! When a Kan is declared, the player draws an extra tile from the right side of the Dead Wall and another Dora tile is revealed
Ron – A player declares they have won the game from the discarded tile of another player.
Tsumo – A player declares they have won the game from the card they just drew from the Wall
Tenpai – A situation where a player is one tile away from completing his/her hand. If a game ends and no one has won, players in Tenpai receive a small amount of points from the players in No Ten.
No Ten – A situation where a player is not one tile away from completing his/her hand.
Han – The point system in Japanese Mahjong. Each hand is worth a certain amount of Han. (see website chart for more information)
Dora – Special “1 Han Bonus” tile changes with each round of play. It is the tile next to the one revealed tile on the Dead Wall. (ie. If 1 Pin is visible, the 2 Pin is a Dora; if the 9 Sou is visible, the 1 Sou is a Dora)
Scoring Chart
http://www.mahjongtime.com/Japanese-Modern-Mahjong-Scoring.html
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 7:40 am
GUILD VIEWING FOR AKAGI
Start Date - May 12th, 2008
Episode 1 - The Genius Who Descended Into the Darkness
Episode 2 - Awakening of Talent
Episode 3 - The Strategy of the Maverick
Episode 4 - The Betrayal of a Genuine Thing
Complete by ----> May 18th, 2008
Episode 5 - The Treacherous Tse Ii Men
Episode 6 - The Talent of the Villain
Episode 7 - Innocent Demon
Episode 8 - The Sign of Rebirth
Complete by ----> May 24th, 2008
Episode 9 - The Authenticity of Genius
Episode 10 - The Announcement of the Counterattack
Episode 11 - The Groundwork of Despair
Episode 12 - The Magic of Coincidence
Complete by ----> May 30th, 2008
Episode 13 - The Path of the Storm
Episode 14 - The New Chapter of the Demons
Episode 15 - The Meeting With Evil
Episode 16 - The Mahjong Game of Destruction
Complete by ----> June 6th, 2008
Episode 17 - Proof of Genius
Episode 18 - The Chains of the Tiles
Episode 19 - The Bewilderment of the Demon
Episode 20 - Hope and Folly
Complete by ----> June 12th, 2008
Episode 21 - Hope and Folly
Episode 22 - The Contrived Shackles
Episode 23 - The Power of Luck
Complete by ----> June 18th, 2008
Episode 24 - The Will of the Demons
Episode 25 - The Temptation of Murderous Intent
Episode 26 - Madness and Darkness and ...
Complete by ----> June 24th, 2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 2:19 pm
*DANCES*
If you build it they will come. mad
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 1:17 pm
Sweetness, a viewing schedule! I am excited! heart whee
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 9:34 am
The Genius Who Descended Into the Darkness
And so it begins!
There is a long list of factors in this anime that are done so well, but the strongest factor that the first episode starts showing is Akagi's ability to set a very compelling atmosphere. From the voice actors and the music to the choice of color tone, it all fits together very nicely.
Another thing this show does in its beginning steps is not assume that its audience knows anything about the game of mahjong. We get a crash course in the basics of the game and gradually learn the eccentricities of the game right alongside Akagi. I think this is a large part of why this show works so well. There are not a lot of mahjong anime out there (I've only seen three other ones) but there is a fair amount of mahjong manga. From what I've seen, Akagi is in the minority when it comes to being a work that attempts to educate its audience about the game as well as entertain them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:53 am
Awakening of Talent
An absolutely solid episode from start to finish. A continuation of what started in the first episode as well as an episode that offers further insight into the realm of gambling.
Akagi's first real opponent is a real snake, in just about every sense of the word. He's nobody's fool, he just has no idea what he's really up against. The fun part from here on out is finding out more of the full potential of Akagi.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 12:54 am
I SO SORRY, SCHOOL WINDING DOWN WATCHING EPISODES TOMORROW. crying crying crying
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 11:57 pm
Ashram McDuck The Genius Who Descended Into the DarknessAnd so it begins! There is a long list of factors in this anime that are done so well, but the strongest factor that the first episode starts showing is Akagi's ability to set a very compelling atmosphere. From the voice actors and the music to the choice of color tone, it all fits together very nicely. Another thing this show does in its beginning steps is not assume that its audience knows anything about the game of mahjong. We get a crash course in the basics of the game and gradually learn the eccentricities of the game right alongside Akagi. I think this is a large part of why this show works so well. There are not a lot of mahjong anime out there (I've only seen three other ones) but there is a fair amount of mahjong manga. From what I've seen, Akagi is in the minority when it comes to being a work that attempts to educate its audience about the game as well as entertain them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 7:09 am
Red Scully Ashram McDuck The Genius Who Descended Into the DarknessAnd so it begins! There is a long list of factors in this anime that are done so well, but the strongest factor that the first episode starts showing is Akagi's ability to set a very compelling atmosphere. From the voice actors and the music to the choice of color tone, it all fits together very nicely. Another thing this show does in its beginning steps is not assume that its audience knows anything about the game of mahjong. We get a crash course in the basics of the game and gradually learn the eccentricities of the game right alongside Akagi. I think this is a large part of why this show works so well. There are not a lot of mahjong anime out there (I've only seen three other ones) but there is a fair amount of mahjong manga. From what I've seen, Akagi is in the minority when it comes to being a work that attempts to educate its audience about the game as well as entertain them. The story, for all intents and purposes, is relatively straight forward. It's the attention given to gambling philosophy that makes this show so appealing for me. Yes, the character designs are indeed made of much awesome and win and it fits what the writer was going for I think. (a show about bad a** gamblers) The game of mahjong itself is pretty simple, but the rules used in Akagi are Japanese based and are a lot more complicated than, say, Hong Kong rules. The game plays a lot like a mix of the card games Gin Rummy and Poker. The Strategy of the MaverickI really like how they pull off the crucial moments in this show. The build up to Yagi's decisive win and the follow up to Akagi's rebuttal is handled very well. We continue to learn alongside Akagi and we also get to witness his first big mistake in the game. Also, the birth of his unorthodox style, which we'll continue to see throughout the show. Another good episode!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 9:31 am
I decided to alter the viewing schedule a bit so you have a chance to catch up. 3nodding You've got finals coming up, right?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:25 pm
Ashram McDuck I decided to alter the viewing schedule a bit so you have a chance to catch up. 3nodding You've got finals coming up, right?
God yes, and work is suddenly like "LOL, you have a full time schedule now - we fired two people."
I'm, really, really freaking out.
gonk
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:31 pm
Red Scully Ashram McDuck I decided to alter the viewing schedule a bit so you have a chance to catch up. 3nodding You've got finals coming up, right?
God yes, and work is suddenly like "LOL, you have a full time schedule now - we fired two people."
I'm, really, really freaking out.
gonk Are they paying you for a full time schedule? If not, I would take the time point out, "LOL NO U!!!" Don't let the job dictate.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
