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Old 2012-07-02, 09:40   Link #1789
Triple_R
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Newfoundland, Canada
Age: 42
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A few general points:

1. My favorite Saki mahjong match of all time is still Saki vs. Koromo vs. Yumi vs. Kana. That's going to be very hard to beat for me, as I just loved it to pieces. I suspect it'll be my favorite Saki mahjong match until Saki and Teru go head-to-head.

However, I'd now put Teru vs. Toki vs. Kirame vs. Kuro as a solid second favorite Saki mahjong match.

After those two, there's a bunch of interesting matches in both shows, but none stand out to me all that well. Nodoka vs. Touka vs. Stealth Momo vs. Sumiyo had its moments, but it was actually a bit of a letdown for me in how Nodoka vs. Touka had kind of been built up (especially by that flashy OP ) as "the first half of the double main event" (the second half being Saki vs. Koromo, of course). Touka's performance in that match was pretty disappointing for such an important antagonist.

So, on the whole, I would say I like the mahjong matches in both shows about equally well. Maybe a slight advantage to the original Saki.


2. A good friend of mine compared Kuro's handling of the Teru match to Kyon's handling of Haruhi's Endless Eight. I think that's a rather fitting comparison, actually, lol. In both cases, how you view Kyon/Kuro depends on what you think is more important - The epic final episode comeback, or the epic suckitude in the episodes before it.

I do get Sol's points. But for me, the problem with Kuro was less a matter of statistical performance, and more a matter of how she carried herself at the table. Here is where me being a pro hockey fan colors my opinion some, admittedly. This sort of heavy crying and whimpering during competition is a MAJOR turn-off to most pro sports fans (likewise, Teru's professionalism is something I have to tip my hat to, also due in part to my experience as a pro hockey fan). I really hope Kuro shows a bit more spine and composure next time. For me, that's more important than her actual statistical performance.

All of that being said, I'm glad Kuro did get to win a hand, and a big one at that. It would have royally sucked for her character if she came out of this without winning a single hand.


3. I think Sol is right about the format issues here. The way this anime series went was largely unavoidable, baring the creation of anime original material, and that can be risky. So I don't fault it much for that.
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