(L) Saki manga

[Myssa Rei]

You just KNOW that the anime is setting up Miyamori for the team watchers will root for besides Kiyosumi. Ah, those tears, when they come...

[King-Slayer]

it hurts me just remembering. I so wanted Miyamori to advance.

[Requiem-x]

Originally Posted by Myssa Rei

You just KNOW that the anime is setting up Miyamori for the team watchers will root for besides Kiyosumi. Ah, those tears, when they come...

And don't forget the shock when the big breasted mikos don't make it. It won't be Achiga levels of mad, but...

Originally Posted by King-Slayer

it hurts me just remembering. I so wanted Miyamori to advance.

I was just happy Eisui didn't make it, no offense.

Seriously, people are gonna be pissed, but I guess in the end, Ritz favors normal players more than one would think.

[tjalorak]

Originally Posted by Requiem-x

And don't forget the shock when the big breasted mikos don't make it. It won't be Achiga levels of mad, but...

The Achiga storyline problem was that the players didn't seem very smart or strategic (despite what some of them said) and that they didn't build up the development for Achiga such that power ups came out of nowhere or seemed nonsensical.

At the end, the fact that you could see any of the Side A QF 4 making it through - leaving aside the meta consideration that Kiyosumi has to win to get to the finals - is a testament to how balanced and strong the teams were. All the Captains played pretty smartly given the information they had and they adapted to players pulling out different powers as needed.

Seriously, people are gonna be pissed, but I guess in the end, Ritz favors normal players more than one would think.

Hiroe and Suzu's performance were the big outliers - Hiroe because she dominated her table and Suzu because the other three managed to get going (if briefly for Jindai). But even then, you could sense that no one was playing particularly bad, aside from Nodoka's SOA, just that others were putting their hands together first. In any case, Himematsu's normal players seem pretty used to playing against 'occult' players and are all pretty adaptable. They're basically what Kazekoshi should have been -- stronger, analytical, and adaptable.

Re: anime viewers - It seriously feels like some of them just jumped straight into S2. Watch S1 and you won't be lost on the callbacks!

[Requiem-x]

Originally Posted by tjalorak

The Achiga storyline problem was that the players didn't seem very smart or strategic (despite what some of them said) and that they didn't build up the development for Achiga such that power ups came out of nowhere or seemed nonsensical.

At the end, the fact that you could see any of the Side A QF 4 making it through - leaving aside the meta consideration that Kiyosumi has to win to get to the finals - is a testament to how balanced and strong the teams were. All the Captains played pretty smartly given the information they had and they adapted to players pulling out different powers as needed.

I'm not saying it was broken or anything, I know very well it was much more balanced in side A, I'm just saying that people will be shocked the total dark horse beats the first team you see in the series and the fetish team.

Originally Posted by tjalorak

Hiroe and Suzu's performance were the big outliers - Hiroe because she dominated her table and Suzu because the other three managed to get going (if briefly for Jindai). But even then, you could sense that no one was playing particularly bad, aside from Nodoka's SOA, just that others were putting their hands together first. In any case, Himematsu's normal players seem pretty used to playing against 'occult' players and are all pretty adaptable. They're basically what Kazekoshi should have been -- stronger, analytical, and adaptable.

Re: anime viewers - It seriously feels like some of them just jumped straight into S2. Watch S1 and you won't be lost on the callbacks!

Not complaining about the way Himematsu does things. I meant that Ritz doesn't drop normal playstyle altogether in favor of monsters and crazy breast powers, and that's a good thing. I love that Saki's biggest threat so far is just some random girl with a good head above her shoulders (No clue if, and how, knowing about 3P mahjong can help you against Saki).

And seriously, do you really expect a sequel to let you know all that happened before? Even if it did, then people would just complain it's a flashback/exposition fest.

[Myssa Rei]

Originally Posted by tjalorak

In any case, Himematsu's normal players seem pretty used to playing against 'occult' players and are all pretty adaptable.

Hiroe and Kinue's cousin Hiroko is in the same team with a girl who can measure body heat to predict what her opponent's going to do next, and another who can outright see into the future. I expect the Atago clan in general to be inured to the mahjong craziness at this point.

[raincrow]

Originally Posted by tjalorak

The Achiga storyline problem was that the players didn't seem very smart or strategic (despite what some of them said) and that they didn't build up the development for Achiga such that power ups came out of nowhere or seemed nonsensical.

I was ok with the first four girls in terms of development, but Shizu's really came out of no where. It's a really cool power, don't get me wrong, but they should have given it a bit more background before hand. Especially since she was mostly portrayed as kind of an airhead the whole time

To be honest, I sort of feel the same with with Touka and her cold state. I don't think anything was hinted about it before the training camp, but her team seemed to know of it the whole time.

[tjalorak]

Originally Posted by mhazaru

To be honest, I sort of feel the same with with Touka and her cold state. I don't think anything was hinted about it before the training camp, but her team seemed to know of it the whole time.

It was mentioned in S1 and even showed up for 1 hand in the vice captain match. Hajime even comments on it when it occurs.

[raincrow]

Originally Posted by tjalorak

It was mentioned in S1 and even showed up for 1 hand in the vice captain match. Hajime even comments on it when it occurs.

You're right. I remembered her S1 hand, but for some reason I thought that was something else since she seemed aware of it.

[tjalorak]

Originally Posted by mhazaru

You're probably right. I remember her S1 hand, but her state in S2 seemed so different from that, that I thought it was something else entirely.

More intense for the course of a match rather than showing up for one hand.

All things considered, the vice captain match in S1 wasn't set up for her to shine (in either of her personas). Stealth Momo has no presence and wouldn't exert force on her, Nodoka is fairly well known for her lack of presence as well given her digital playstyle, and Fukabori was pretty much a non-entity but also in the same vein of steady, digital play.

Cold Touka only seems to come out when pressured by strong players so she shows up briefly when Touka realizes that Nodoka is about to get a perfect game. After that, her desire to show off to Haramura disrupted any rhythm she'd get going in her Cold Touka state.

[Marina2]

Originally Posted by Requiem-x

A
Seriously, people are gonna be pissed, but I guess in the end, Ritz favors normal players more than one would think.

Yes!, Yes!, that's why Himematsu is going to go to the final round. NOT Rinkai / Uzuzan.

[The Green One]

What? You mean people can't look at the teams objectively instead of obsessively pulling for their favorites? How silly!

[raincrow]

Originally Posted by tjalorak

More intense for the course of a match rather than showing up for one hand.

All things considered, the vice captain match in S1 wasn't set up for her to shine (in either of her personas). Stealth Momo has no presence and wouldn't exert force on her, Nodoka is fairly well known for her lack of presence as well given her digital playstyle, and Fukabori was pretty much a non-entity but also in the same vein of steady, digital play.

I watched that episode again and noticed the cold front behind her when she did go into it. I didn't realize it was her real 'power' at the time, but more like she just snapped and got angry (which I'm sure she did too)

By the way - did anyone else feel like we saw the 'real' Saki when she said that all her opponents were going down?

[teja208]

The current ED: worst OP/ED of this franchise IMO.

From the discussion. I'm start to worry whether the end of Quarterfinals is a good stopping point for anime only watchers:

Disappointment in Jindai lack of action

Disappointment in Miyamori not advancing and we have yet to see all of Toyone's abilities.

Frustrated with the way Saki is scared of Kyouko, the most normal one, even though she completely owned everyone on the table. (This may require some elaboration to clear things up.)

Worst of all: CRYING TOYONE

If only they could do 25 episodes instead.

[The Green One]

There's got to be something deeper in Saki she hasn't shown yet if she was able to break Teru's table control abilities at will to be able to reliably get +/- 0 when Saki was a little girl.

[night_sentinel]

^
Yeah. Ritz is practically foreshadowing Saki isn't in full strength left and right.

Anyway, speaking of the OP/ED does anyone know of the translation? I rather like the OP to be honest. But, I can't really get into the song when I only understand some words. ^^

[raincrow]

Oh, for sure! Without a doubt she hasn't shown her full power yet. I was referring more to her personality though. Nodoka seemed a bit worried about it

[fukarming]

Seeing cold Touka animated, it makes me wonder if the whole purpose of cold Touka is to setup the semi-final (pumping up Megan,), or will we later on really see cold Touka in a tournament. Though the natural ending point for the series is after Teru trounced everyone in the vanguard; Saki trounced everyone in captain match, the sisters finally meet in individual final to resolve everything.

[King-Slayer]

Cold Touka probably prepared Saki for Nelly i'd say. Both have flow control and it seems that Cold Touka's is most likely the best.

[night_sentinel]

Originally Posted by fukarming

Seeing cold Touka animated, it makes me wonder if the whole purpose of cold Touka is to setup the semi-final (pumping up Megan,), or will we later on really see cold Touka in a tournament. Though the natural ending point for the series is after Teru trounced everyone in the vanguard; Saki trounced everyone in captain match, the sisters finally meet in individual final to resolve everything.

There is still the national tournament thing and world tournament thingy that was silently being built up in the manga. Touka can be of use there.

Anyway, I just finished doing a review of the second episode and it really surprised me how the manga and the anime has been silently building Hisa's inevitable breakdown in the quarterfinal. I didn't notice that on my reading of the manga. And the OP is a troll, btw. They are building up Eisui and Jindai which is understandable but lol. ^^