Saki was a very special anime for me. While none of its individual parts were outstanding, the show managed to bring them together in a way that made the series more than the sum of its parts. When I heard the franchise was going to get a spin-off anime, I could only approach the show with bated breath. Spin-off titles often fall short of the main series’ quality and this anime was no exception. While it matches the parent title on a technical level, Saki: Achiga-hen did not have Saki’s great storytelling or an overall cast of characters anywhere close to distinct.
The first shortcoming of Saki: Achiga-hen’s narrative is where the back story explanation for the main characters is placed. Almost everything we need to know about Team Achiga is at the beginning of the series. While it is often a good storytelling choice, in this franchise committing to character development so quickly is an exception to the rule. What makes the Saki franchise stand out is not the content itself but the way in which the material is presented. In the original show, many pieces of back story are placed in such a way so that each game can take on new perspectives or provide insight on the players. This directional move kept almost every episode fresh. Saki: Achiga-hen, in comparison to Saki, is straightforward and fails to revitalize many of its games.
The storytelling of Saki: Achiga-hen is made worse by its inconsistent pacing. Some of the matches move by so quickly that it’s nearly impossible to be immersed in the game while other rounds are slow to the point of distraction. This is further exacerbated by how the more “detailed” games tend to focus on the characters from the original Saki anime and “detailed” is used loosely. While these rounds focus on the characters from the first series, they do not focus on them enough to let them stand independently in Saki: Achiga-hen. Or in other words, this show is cameo-centric.
Unfortunately, Team Achiga itself is a bland group of characters. Shizuno Takakamo, Ako Atarashi, and Kuro Matsumi are barely identifiable from each other personality-wise while Yū Matsumi and Arata Sagimori do not have enough story development to really care about them. Harue Akada has the most development from the main characters but unfortunately her back story is nothing more than an excuse as to how Team Achiga won the prefectural tournament –in-between episodes–. The side characters are worse off as only one of them gets any substantial development; ironically, she is the best character in Saki: Achiga-hen and one of the best characters the Saki franchise has given to its audience.
It is through this character that the series storytelling returns to form in all of its deliberately placed content glory. It is through this character that shows how an event can be revitalized after going for a long period of time. It is through this character where the pacing is sharp yet subtle enough to catch viewers completely off-guard. It is through this character where returning fans of the franchise will once again experience the intensity of the main series while newcomers to the show will come to understand just what made the Saki anime so special. It is because of this particular character that Saki: Achiga-hen manages to redeem itself from mediocre to well above-average.
It is also through this character where many of Saki’s trademark animation quirks are most apparent though fortunately it’s still obvious in the rest of Saki: Achiga-hen. Thunderous tile dropping and dust cloud-creating footsteps are just some of the pointless exaggerations to be seen in this anime. Trying to make sense of how one character spontaneously grows cat ears or how another character’s arm transforms into a high-powered drill is ultimately futile. Then again, competitive mahjong is serious business.
Perhaps the only thing better than lightning eyes alluding to a player’s strength is the sound of electricity to accommodate it; every “ability” in the anime is given a unique sound effect so that even the quirks which seem to be nothing more than copies of each other will convey different messages. In particular, two characters whose abilities revolve around their eyes give a sense of “mastery” and “newly learned” respectively. The rest of the audio serves its purpose though does not stand out enough to warrant any mention. If nothing else, the ending theme switches between two songs depending on the overall mood of the episode.
Some people might be wondering why the discussion on Saki: Achiga-hen has been referencing Saki. Normally, the mark of a good show is that it is able to stand on its own. Unfortunately, this anime is cameo-centric to the point where only returning fans of the franchise could possibly appreciate all the appearances of the old characters. Then again, the spin-off lacks the storytelling or interesting characters that defined the main series so it might be difficult to like the show beyond the cameos. Newcomers to Saki could be worse off due to “side” characters who all but replace Achiga-hen’s “main” characters.
Of course, if you’re anything like me, having one particularly outstanding character will be more than enough to redeem the series. However, if inconsistent pacing, straightforward storytelling (bad for this particular franchise), and bland main characters are too problematic for you then feel free to either approach this anime with bated breath or avoid it entirely. This show is nothing but an afterthought for the main series whose greatest strength was likely not its main intention anyway. At the very least, Saki: Achiga-hen is an enjoyable if flawed experience.
On a side note, I would love to see the stand-out side character and her closest friend go on a double-d—er, play mahjong against Saki and Nodoka.
