Akagi!

[sukreih]

Originally Posted by eris_sama

What are some good Akagi fanart sites? Much as I love the show, I would like to look at some prettier char designs

http://www.abcoroti.com/~fkmt
Above site is ZawaZawa Search,a search engine for Fukumoto Nobuyuki manga related sites.Look in the アカギ category..
Gotta warn you,the sites contain a lotta spoilers.Huge ones,too.


..And there a are lot of yaoi related sites.(I am very serious.)..not that I like them;


Some of my favourite sites are
http://www.monster.ne.jp/~underdog/zawa/zawazawa.html
http://megane.web.infoseek.co.jp
http://zzfl.x0.com
http://flapon.hp.infoseek.co.jp
http://www3.ocn.ne.jp/~tra/zawa/

The spoiler tag is <SPOILER=title of spoiler>blablabla</SPOILER>
replace <> with []

@ddraggy- I'll organize/summarize the dice game part and put it up when I get to it

[Laharu]

Spoiler for NUUUUU:

poor fake akagi. Kinda sucks that he ends up dieing >_>

[ddraggy]

Originally Posted by Laharu

Spoiler for NUUUUU:

poor fake akagi. Kinda sucks that he ends up dieing >_>

Spoiler for ep14:

Yeah, I didn't expect him to die, either. I'll miss him. Ironic that the man with enough common sense to refuse chopping off his arm on a 3% chance would end up getting all his blood sucked out over a lousy Mahjong game. He was the Anti-Akagi. Should've become a snazzily-dressed math teacher or something. That guy was not cut out for DeathMatch Mahjong.

Originally Posted by sukreih

@ddraggy- I'll organize/summarize the dice game part and put it up when I get to it

Thankies I'm guessing that Akagi was just being his usual insufferable self again

What does the "Zawa zawa" sound effect mean, and when is it used? I keep coming across the term on Fukumoto websites.

~ ddraggy

[eris_sama]

Thanks Sukreih for the links. No spoilers for me since it seems they're all in Japanese and I know zip. As for the yaoi pics, lol, it's just amazing how fans come up with pairings from a completely unromantic show. Then again since there's no female char, that's all they have to work with.

Spoiler for Ep 14:

At first I thought fake Akagi had it out with real Akagi and lost. But then I thought blood is something Akagi would bet on but not fake Akagi.
Did the manga dice scene explain how Akagi won every game? Maybe he has that super hearing like in those kung-fu movies.
I liked the previous comparison of Akagi to Johan from "Monster" (one of my favorite anime/manga) and now Akagi is being called a monster and being used to hunt a monster.

[sukreih]

Here's a brief summary for the ommited parts of the dice game in episode 14:

Spoiler for dice game:

here is Akagi Shigeru on a winning streak(notice that he still has that bag he carries around). For 3 months,he has won 20,000,000 Yen.Among them 6,000,000 Yen is from the Kurata gang,since Akagi has been driving away customers with his continuous winning and less customers=less money(street tax) for the gang.Also less customers=less betting money,so the gang had to spend their money for the sake of working expenses.(yeah,Akagi is nothing but trouble :P)
(Notuce the 'Zawa Zawa' in the background. 'Zawa zawa' is basically the sound of people talking amongst themselves.It is usually used when people are in disturbed/stirred up situations.For example,people go zawa zawa when some crazy person causes a commotion such as stripping naked in the middle of a street. It became a trademark in Fukumoto mangas,because it's used so much.)

But of course Akagi does not stop.
And no,Akagi does not use any kind of trick for this,just his pure instinct.Gotta tell you,I'm pretty sure he's an esper.

We're sorry,but you've reached your limits!



oooh,bet he didn't see that one coming.
"Beg for mercy! Then at least we'll spare your life!"

No threat scares Akagi. Seeing that Akagi won't budge,the gang offers one final match betting all 20,000,000 yen Akagi has.Akagi accepts the challenge,saying that it'll be interesting.However,the gang has doubts about Akagi's 'guessing' ability,and as important the match is,they want make sure that Akagi isn't cheating.

Akagi takes out a 10yen and a 5yen coin from his pocket,saying he'll guess first before the guy rolls the dice.After putting these coins back into his pocket,Akagi will randomly pick out a coin.If he picks a 10yen coin,his guess will be Even.If he picks out a 5 yen coin,his guess will be Odd.(I see Akagi's handwriting..heehee!)
Akagi then picks out a coin from his pocket.The guy rolls the dice,and Akagi removes his hand which he covered the coin with.

Akagi's pick was Even. And as you all know from the anime, the dice came out Even as well.

And of course the bystanders were told to shut up and play with the 'dice is Odd' theory.
Then the gang mocks Akagi for being so stubborn and stupid,since he's the only one who doesn't agree that the dice came out as 'Odd'.Akagi's response:

"You should all go rot in hell...........!"

And that's where the anime is continued from.
I wanted to make it as brief as possible,but it kindda came out long

and an Easter Egg:

Spoiler for the only woman character featured in Akagi:

Old lady who sells smoke to Akagi.It can be seen that Akagi smokes 'Hilight'.And geez he buys two packs.
I'm serious,there are no women even as bypassers.

[ddraggy]

Many thanks for the excellent dice game summary and easter egg, sukreih

Spoiler for omitted ep 14:

It's clear from what Akagi did with the coins that what he has isn't "just" ESP. It goes beyond his instinct of what the roll will be, seeing through tiles, and reading the psyches of others. If he can randomly fish around in his pocket and pull out a winner before the roll is even made, it really is the heavens (or possibly the opposite) telling him to win. It was like his fate-deciding dice roll against Ichikawa. It's Luck, but the word doesn't seem strong enough. Maybe a better one would be Chaos.

Akagi Shigeru is a monster that changes the impossible into the inevitable. I get the sense that the reason he can do this is because he just doesn't care, as long as it pisses people off

~ ddraggy

[eris_sama]

Spoiler for Ep 14 omission:

Akagi has a 50% chance of his coin and dice matching which are good odds so it's not amazing but just daring to bet it all on a 50% chance.

Does the mangaka draw women in his other manga? Do they look as weird?

[sukreih]

Originally Posted by eris_sama

Does the mangaka draw women in his other manga? Do they look as weird?

Spoiler for Women characters:not spoilerish,but for the sake of scrolling:

not really... in fact the manga ka actually pays a lot of attention when drawing female characters.Above is one(one of Ten's two wives ) from Ten,one of Fukumoto's really early works.In fact,Ten's where Akagi made his first appearance.


Here's the girls from Saikyou Densetsu Kurosawa, one of Fukumoto's recent works(the guy with the hearts all around him is Kurosawa).He's currently drawing three mangas: Akagi,Tobaku Datenroku Kaiji,and this.In Kurosawa,there is a whole swimming pool scene with pretty women in bikinis..
Female characters never play a major role in the story..probaly cuz Fukumoto has a hard time drawing them.But he tends to put a lot of female characters in Kurosawa than his other works,so who knows..there might be a kickass female main character in the future.


The only weirdest looking female character is Kaiji's 'Girlfriend' Mikoko from the Kaiji series.Kaiji's expression when he first sees Mikoko's pictures is priceless.I love Kaiji.Though Kaiji's one of the most ingenious guys out there(well..only in gambling),he just can't stop being a gambling addicted loser.But he's really,really attractive,character/personalitywise.I'm really waiting for this to be made in anime(it was announced),but I don't when it will come out..

[eris_sama]

The first pic looks like a typical older anime style. The second looks pretty normal. And the third is purposely homely. He does homely very well, lol.
I'll be on the lookout for his next anime

[ddraggy]

Originally Posted by eris_sama

Spoiler for Ep 14 omission:

Akagi has a 50% chance of his coin and dice matching which are good odds so it's not amazing but just daring to bet it all on a 50% chance.

Spoiler for omitted 14:

Ah, but what are the odds that he'd win on a game of chance every single time? Beating one game with a 50/50 chance is understandable, but Akagi's fortune is just ridiculous. The man would win a coin toss 100 times in a row. Heh, I'm probably extrapolating too much

After taking a closer look at the manga pics, it seems that Akagi emotes better than in the anime. Anime Akagi is good at being chilling, but Manga Akagi is better at being surprised and pissed off.

Fukumoto's female characters actually look pretty decent. I was almost expecting long-haired Urabes!

@sukreih: I sent you a PM, I'd really appreciate your input

~ ddraggy

[physics223]

We all know that Akagi's going to kick ass. It's the way how he does it that makes seeing it all worthwhile.

[Trinary]

What a shame. I brought akagi to my local monthly anime meeting and it wasn't received well. Though to be expected, with akagi being a bit different artwise, and probably not seemed to have much actions to most. It probably doesn't help that mahjong may not be as mainstream and as simple to understand as some other games and that only the first episode was shown.

I personally love the mind game which is what akagi is all about, and art (sharp character features, thick lines, straightforward) art style.

[noisytime]

Originally Posted by Trinary

What a shame. I brought akagi to my local monthly anime meeting and it wasn't received well.

Umm... Blasphemy!

After reading Trinary's post, I think it needs to be asked: Akagi. Great anime or greatest anime?

[eris_sama]

Originally Posted by Trinary

What a shame. I brought akagi to my local monthly anime meeting and it wasn't received well.

How many eps did they watch? I think it took me 6 eps to be completely hooked - when Akagi shoots someone, lol.

[Trinary]

Only one episode, unfortunately. They didn't even want to watch the second episode.

[Nergs]

Shocking.

By the end of the first episode I was hooked. This is my favourite anime ever tho...

I have watched the first 13 eps 4 times in the last week. Is there any other series similar to Akagi?

[physics223]

Dude. Your anime friends should know great anime from run-of-the-mill anime. Guess where Akagi belongs to. That's scary - if people can appreciate stuff like Naruto and not THIS stuff. x|

[Trinary]

*nods*
Loves akagi myself, from the very first episode.
Happens I guess, sometimes in small anime clubs.
Downloading Akagi 15 now. ^^

[eris_sama]

Originally Posted by physics223

Dude. Your anime friends should know great anime from run-of-the-mill anime. Guess where Akagi belongs to. That's scary - if people can appreciate stuff like Naruto and not THIS stuff. x|

Naruto and Akagi are both great in their own way! I would not recommend Akagi for kids under 13. Beg/blackmail your anime friends to watch more Akagi. I liked it from ep1 but the char designs took me a few eps to get used to.

Ah, just saw ep 15. I need more Akagi!

[ddraggy]

Spoiler for ep15:

Interesting. Now we have an idea of what Akagi would be like if he ever really went insane. Forever looking for a challenge and never finding it, going crazier and crazier with every success... I doubt he'll ever reach Washizu's ripe old age, though. It looks like Akagi will end up offing them both at the same time

I'm surprised that Akagi managed to bum around with the Inada Group, doing nothing, for two whole weeks without going stir-crazy. And to add insult to injury, he had to buy drinks for the whole lot of them, too!

~ ddraggy