Saki Zenkoku Hen - 06

It's Hibiki Snow again with an impression of the latest episode of Saki Zenkoku Hen! Since I enjoy playing mahjong a little too much, I there's no way I wouldn't be watching this.

Getting right into it, this is the 6th episode of Saki, this being the 3rd season. To give a short summary, high school mahjong clubs across Japan go face to face with each other in order to reach to nationals and ultimately be the best team in the nation. First thing that most would come to notice is the fact that all the players, and some of the high schools in general, are all girls. There are a few male characters, but there are very very few. There are some fan service but nothing over the top. What I think makes this anime interesting to most people is some of the characters have a unique ability that gives them an edge in playing mahjong, whether its supernatural like seeing a couple turns ahead, or something more realistic like reading the flow of the game well and waiting on bad waits. This anime does require knowledge on Japanese mahjong rule set to fully understand what is going on. As a mahjong player myself, I do enjoy watching this even though some parts of it are a little excessive with the possible yuri pairings.

Something about Ikuno Akasaka makes Takako Kubo and Fujita-pro uneasy

Now onto the episode itself. This episode centers on Kiyosumi's president, Hisa Takei. I really like her character so this was a treat for me. 

Hisa Takei getting pumped for her match

Hisa was always portrayed as a strong individual. She's the calm and cool type of character, with many of her peers looking up to her. You would rarely see her flaws due to her confidence and strong mindset. She prepares for the upcoming match with excitement, but as she heads out, something feels wrong through Saki's eyes. When we see Hisa approach the stage, she takes a moment to observe the room she'll be playing in, knowing she's about to go up against two of the top eight high schools in the nation. After the realization, things started to go down hill. Hisa slips up in the middle of the match, accidentally showing her opponents one of her tiles. Its obvious that she's playing very nervously, which is something we never see from the president. I liked this personally because it shows how human she is rather than just a stale "I'm gonna win all the time because I'm the president" person.  

And then there's Hiroe Atago. The ace player of Himematsu High School and one of the players that Hisa was fearing. Despite her rude personality and her loudness, I actually do like this character. She's from the Kansai region of Japan so her accent is the first thing you'll notice. I love Kansai dialect so that's a plus on my book. She has amazing self confidence and her title as an ace shows. She has really good insight and when she sees Hisa slipping up throughout the match, she questions if she really is as scary as people say. Hiroe takes advantage of Hisa's low self esteem and easily hits her directly with a Haneman (18000 points).

Hisa feeling the pressure of Nationals

There isn't much to say about Kurumi Kakura from Miyamori Girls' High School. She acts very childlike and acts snarky towards her teammates and her opponents. She does seem to know what goes on around her and adapt accordingly so she isn't someone to take on lightly. I also notice she doesn't declare riichi when in tenpai, just so her opponents won't easily read her hand.

Haru Takimi from Eisui Girls' High School has a very stoic personality. Her cousin is Yoshiko Kainou, a professional mahjong player and has similar personality traits as her. She appears to always eating these brown sugar treats and becomes excited when discussing about her snack or about the demon world.

Hisa bounces back and is herself again

Hisa was looking unimpressive throughout the majority of the match, until she finally figures out what was weighing her down. It's as simple as having fun. It's been done before, the character worries themselves to death and over thinks things, beating themselves up. They forgot what they are in it for. And for Hisa, it was the enjoyment of mahjong. The burden of going through nationals, facing some of the strongest teams in the nation, and fearing they'll be eliminated was weighing heavily on her mind. And as soon as she realizes it, she quickly turns the tide, revealing her famous "horrible waits" and her instincts were on the mark. That's the Hisa we all know.

The episode ends with the first round being over and the second round about to start. Now Hiroe sees Hisa as a potential threat but she's as confident as ever saying she'll defeat everyone with ease. Haru ends the first round quickly with the help of Kurumi playing into her hand after sensing that Hisa's flow of the match was starting to be overwhelming.