Episodes: 26

Year: 2005

Alternative Titles: Tohai Densetsu Akagi – Yami ni Maiorita Tensai (Mahjong Legend Akagi – The Genius Who Descended into Darkness)

Status: Complete

Subbed by: The Triad Fansubs

Official Akagi Site (Japanese)

Rating: Great

Review: One stormy night, a man named Nangou is immersed in a game of mahjong with some Yakuza men – desperate to win away his debt. However, as the night progresses, Nangou finds himself going deeper and deeper in his own grave. In one final desperate attempt, he thinks “someone save me – even if it is the devil!” At that very moment, a teenage boy walks into the Mahjong parlour after having scarcely survived a game of chicken. Soon, he displays a keen sense for gambling and Nangou hands over his game to the boy who learns mahjong minutes before he begins to play. On that fateful night, a legend is born as the boy, Akagi Shigeru, plays and gambles in a way that seems almost godly and inhuman to onlookers and his opponents. Akagi’s genius, his numerous death-matches with Mahjong masters, and his frightening sense make him a legend in the underground world.

I have to admit – I am completely clueless when it comes to the real game of Mahjong. I have a hard time following the Man Gan hands, Ten Pai and god knows what else that goes with a Mahjong game. But I was hooked. From beginning to end, Akagi is more than just about Mahjong. It is about the frightening insight a teenage boy has into the human psyche and how he can exploit and manipulate it. The storyline is filled with strategy after strategy, layer after layer that enable Akagi to predict the unpredictable, and to toy with the money and lives that ride on the game.

This series, however, is not for everyone. Since this a psychological drama, don’t expect action or adventure and the like. I’ve read a couple reviews of this and some love it while others hate it. True that it is unrealistic to be mahjong genius overnight. True that game after of mahjong can get tedious. On the other hand, how realistic is most of the anime we watch? Akagi, apart from the questionable animation style, has little else truly bad about it. This story focusses solely on Akagi’s genius in Mahjong and his descent into the Yakuza. From what I understood of the strategies being played, there wasn’t a time when Akagi ever repeated the same strategy in winning a game. Whether you know Mahjong or not, if you like suspense, intricate strategies, and understanding the human psyche Akagi is a good pick.

More mind-twisting anime:

Monster

Death Note