Saki [TV]

Saki Miyanaga is a high school freshman who dislikes the game mahjong. Since her early childhood, her family would always force her to play. The game would always conclude with Saki at the losing end, even when she technically wins the game. Due to this, Saki had learned to play mahjong in a way that her score would remain at a neutral 0; a skill said to be more difficult to learn compared to actually winning streaks.

Unaware of these circumstances, Saki’s friend from middle school naively takes her to their high school mahjong club. There, after discovering Saki’s unique skill, the club recruits her and convinces her to win instead of breaking even. Since then, Saki discovers her new love for mahjong, and thus their journey to the national high school competition begins.

About the Show

Saki is an anime adaptation of the sport manga series under the same name, written and illustrated by Ritz Kobayashi. Produced by studio Gonzo and Picture Magic, the anime series aired a total of 25 episodes between April 6, 2009 and September 28, 2009.

Season Summary

Episode 1: Encounter
Saki Miyanaga is invited by her friend Kyoutarou Suga to see their high school’s mahjong club. There, Saki displays her skill of finishing with a score of +-0 consistently across multiple games, and explains how she came to hate mahjong.

Episode 2: Battle
After finally learning how to appreciate the game, Saki decides to officially join Kiyosumi’s mahjong club. Meanwhile, Nodoka laments after losing to a player who hates the game.

Episode 3: Confrontation
Nodoka remains distant from Saki. She had been secretly trying to replicate her playstyle through practicing with online games, but had failed. However, Saki befriends her, and promises that they will go to the national mahjong tournament together. Hisa and Mako proceed to register for the Nagano Prefectural Tournament.

Episode 4: Beat-down
Hisa takes Saki and Nodoka to play against customers at a maid cafe, w