 |
| One of the most badass shounen characters you will possibly never see again. |
Has it been four years already that I got really into Akagi? I have recently been wanting to re-watch the series from the beginning, but seeing that my animes-to-watch list keeps growing day by day, it is probably best not to. To think there was a time in my life when I was desperate for new series to watch; it's something that probably will never happen again.
Looking back, I remember that it was period when there were a bunch of shitty anime titles released that were either poor adaptation of the manga or had a story/genre that I was not interested in at all. I thought that once and for all I would quit anime. Well let's see how that turned out. I was on a site randomly browsing through titles. I didn't care about its vintage or popularity. I just wanted something different than usual. What's this? A gambling title? It's about mahjong too, a game that I played with my friends during lunch. Wow, you can really create an anime about anything. Well how about I give this a try.
Descended Into Darkness
I was really surprised at the bizarre art style. Being an art student myself, I didn't let the art style deter me from trying to enjoy it. But holy shit those pointy ass noses and chins can really stab someone. And I thought Yu-Gi-Oh was the king of pointy chins. Rather than going on and on about how to play mahjong, the story basically takes you through the psychological mindset of characters while playing mahjong. You don't need to understand the game at all (even now I don't understand some of the rules) in order to enjoy Akagi.
My interest in mahjong was revived again and I got dragged further into the world of Akagi. Soon I started to immerse myself into the Fukumoto universe and eventually start watching Kaiji, another great series about gambling. What really sparked further interest was the character of Akagi. How can one be so calm and reckless without regard for their own life? Akagi is fearless and it is exactly this type of charisma that draws in a lot of fans.
Suspension
You may start to wonder, if this series is just about mahjong and gambling, how do you contain the attention of the audience with just mahjong games? I must add, the manga for Akagi is still ongoing since 1992. The answer is metaphors. Many of the events are told in the form of metaphors to make these matches as exciting as possible. Otherwise I think most of us who are not gambling manga addicts would drop the series almost immediately.
How can I say this, I was genuinely looking forward to the next episode each time. The same can be said for Kaiji. These gambles are intense with incredibly high stakes. What also makes these gambles unique is how Fukumoto designs new games. It's more apparent in Kaiji where he creates original games for the various gambles. Washizu mahjong is perhaps the most unique in Akagi, a set of clear mahjong pieces with select opaque pieces that forces you to reveal your own hand to your opponent. Must I mention that in every single gamble, your life is suspended on a thin piece of thread?
Conclusion
It's most likely safe to say that watching or reading Akagi and Kaiji, you are most likely dissuaded from gambling ever again. It's cool to watch others gamble, but I'm definitely not touching it. Akagi had a catchy soundtrack containing suspenseful themes, melancholy tracks, and some unnerving vibes. In the end, I even started to find the art style quite appealing.
 |
| Very true for most of us. |
No comments:
Post a Comment