Mahjong Legend

[Maricel Fergason]

Itwas adapted as two V-Cinema live-action films directed by Kenzō Maihara in 1995 and 1997. A 26-episode anime television series directed by Yūzō Satō was broadcast on Nippon Television from October 2005 to March 2006. Two live-action television dramas directed by Mitsuru Kubota aired on BS SKY PerfecTV! between July 2015 and June 2018. The series has also spawned several companion books, spin-off manga, video games, and other merchandise.

Six years later, Yasuoka orders Yukio Hirayama (平山 幸雄, Hirayama Yukio) (voiced by Ginpei Sato) to pretend to be Akagi to impress some yakuza bosses and make money. Meanwhile, Nangō finds the real Akagi, now aged 19 and working at a toy factory. Akagi, however, does not need to play with Hirayama as Hirayama is defeated by Urabe (浦部) (voiced by Morio Kazama), a professional mahjong player for another yakuza group who is later defeated by Akagi. Akagi's ultimate rival is Iwao Washizu (鷲巣 巌, Washizu Iwao) (voiced by Masane Tsukayama), an old man who has made a lot of money and become one of the most powerful people in the Japanese underworld. Having built up massive funds from shady dealings in Japan's post-war era, Washizu tempts people to bet their lives for the chance to win a large amount of money. Washizu and Akagi play mahjong in an unusual way that Washizu calls "Washizu Mahjong," in which transparent glass tiles replace most of the tiles and make the game different in many ways. Three years after the fight with Washizu, Akagi is last seen winning big in Tehonbiki, a gambling game that leaves no room for chance, and wandering around local gambling dens with Osamu Nozaki (野崎 治, Nozaki Osamu) (voiced by Yūdai Satō), a freckled young coworker from the toy factory they used to work at.

In February 2017, Takeshobo started to display eight different posters at 15 major railway stations on the Yamanote Line in Tokyo to announce the series planned conclusion on February 1, 2018.[1] However, the series editor said it did not mean the manga would really reach its conclusion but that it would continue irregularly. To announce it one year before the ending was in fact a marketing strategy to attract the readers who quit reading the series and those who did not read it yet.[7] A shinsōban three-on-one edition featuring new cover illustrations started to be published on February 15, 2017,[15] and marked the start of what the editor called their one-year "grace period" as part of their tactic to attract readers.[7][16][17] The 33rd and latest volume of this edition was published on December 26, 2017.[18]

Several related books and spin-off manga have been released. A series of three mahjong commentary books illustrated by Makoto Fukuchi and titled Akagi Akuma no Senjutsu (アカギ悪魔の戦術, lit. "Akagi: Diabolical Tactics") were released between May 17, 1999, and January 27, 2001.[19][20] An anthology written by several other manga artists, including Clamp, Shinobu Kaitani and Mikio Igarashi, was released on July 27, 2011.[21] An Akagi-themed mahjong introduction guide was released on two parts on July 27, 2011, and July 17, 2013.[22][23] A character book was released on July 17, 2012,[24] and an anthology compiling dōjinshi written at 2013 Comiket was released by Broccoli Books.[25] Several crossovers between Akagi and Ten[26][27] as well as between Akagi and Hero, another series by Fukumoto, have also been published by Takeshobo.[28]

Washizu: Enma no Tōhai (ワシズ閻魔の闘牌, lit. "Washizu: Lord of Mahjong Hell"), a spin-off manga written and illustrated by Keiichirō Hara focusing on Iwao Washizu's past escapades, was serialized in Monthly Kindai Mahjong Original starting on June 28, 2008.[29] The series spawned eight volumes released between February 17, 2009, and January 26, 2013.[30][31] Washizu: Enma no Tōhai was also published as two "B6 Series" released on October 27, 2012, and January 17, 2013.[32][33] A one-shot on Washizu was also drawn by Clamp for Monthly Kindai Mahjong Original and released on August 8, 2008.[29] On November 8, 2012, Monthly Kindai Mahjong Original published the first chapter of Washizu: Tenka Sōsei Tōhairoku (ワシズ 天下創世闘牌録, lit. "Washizu: The Mahjong That Ruled a Nation"),[34] a sequel to Enma no Tōhai, and it moved to the magazine Kindai Manga in May 2014.[35] The spin-off series concluded as the fourth volume was released on May 15, 2015.[36][37]

A "chapter 0" of a manga titled Yami-ma no Mamiya (闇麻のマミヤ, "Mamiya: Dark Mahjong"), written by Fukumoto, was published in Kindai Mahjong on May 1, 2019. The story is set 20 years after the events of Ten.[38] The series started a regular serialization in the same magazine on July 1, 2019.[39]

VAP compiled the series and released it as two DVD box sets on March 24, and May 24, 2006.[45][46] Several types of tie-in merchandise were also released,[47] such as an official guidebook published by Takeshobo on March 29, 2006[48] and a 35-track official soundtrack album published by VAP on January 25, 2006.[49][50]

Warashi adapted Akagi into a PlayStation 2 game released by D3 Publisher on December 12, 2002.[56][57] It was rereleased as part of the budget-priced "Simple series" on October 14, 2004.[58] In 2006, Taito released two mobile games based on the anime.[59][60] Two video games based on the anime series were developed and published by Culture Brain. The first, a Game Boy Advance game, was released on March 3, 2006,[61] and the second, for Nintendo DS, was released on August 9, 2007.[62] Fujishoji released a pachislot machine in 2008,[63] which was adapted by Sunsoft into a mobile version released in 2009.[64] Okumura Yuuki released its first pachinko machine in 2008,[65] which was followed by another in 2012.[66] A smartphone game was developed by Imagineer and made available from March 5, 2014,[67] while Gloops released a social network game for Mobage on August 1 of the same year.[68] A new pachislot machine by Universal Entertainment was made available from April 24, 2017.[69]

A Japanese television drama that adapts the manga starting from its eighth volume aired on the channel BS SKY PerfecTV!.[70][71] A ten-episode first season, directed by Mitsuru Kubota, Hitoshi Iwamoto and Hiroshi Itō, produced by Itō and Atsushi Nagauchi, and written by Mitsuru Tanabe and Eizō Kobayashi, was broadcast from July 17 to September 18, 2015.[70][72] Kanata Hongō and Masahiko Tsugawa play Akagi and Washizu respectively, while its theme song, "Don't Be Afraid," is performed by Shōnan no Kaze.[73] Crunchyroll licensed the drama for streaming it in about 150 countries.[71] Pony Canyon released the series into a DVD box on March 2, 2016.[74]

By February 2017, the Akagi manga had over 12 million copies in circulation worldwide.[1] Individual volumes have been featured in Oricon's weekly charts of best-selling manga in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2016.[80] The series has a cult following,[5] and has aroused interest for mahjong in the West,[81] especially in Russia, where it "ignited a boom".[82] Nevertheless, Akagi has been surpassed in popularity by Fukumoto's other work, Kaiji.[3]

Bradley Meek wrote for THEM Anime Reviews how it differed from traditional sports anime, describing it as a "hard-boiled, grimy" anime in which "there's a tangible sense of danger". Concluding that "it has an appealing package, but not a lot of entertainment value. This anime is a dark tale about characters who gamble for very high stakes illegally in smoke filled rooms guarded by bulky men in sunglasses. There's a tangible sense of danger in this anime; when characters sweat over what their next move will be, they have a good reason". He also mentioned the fact that one layperson cannot understand the jargon of the mahjong matches; that Akagi plays.[83] UK Anime Network's Elliot Page gave the anime series a 8 out of 10, he argued that mahjong's understanding was not necessary, as the entertainment is not provided by the mahjong itself, but by the characters' attitudes, and highlighted how the narrator provides further tension in the events. Page praised the uncommon animation style that, "while not amazing by any metric, are tuned to be highly expressive, dragging you into the action and the intensity of the moment". He also mentioned that the last arc does not finish in the anime series, and concluded with, "arguably this isn't very important in the grand scheme - as the main joy of the series is watching the mind games on display as the opponents try and mentally dismantle each other, which it does still deliver in spades".[84]

But this game is different. One of the players, Nangou, is deep in debt to the mob. Three of the other players are Yakuza guys. One of them, a local mob boss, has had his mistress take out a life insurance policy on Nangou. You can see where this is going.

When the game starts again, the Yakuza players have no idea what the hell is going on but they roll with it anyway, figuring that some kid will probably be even easier to beat in mahjong than Nangou. And they might be right.

One by one, each of the other dragons are thrown out, and Akagi lets each one pass, completely wrecking his hand. Nangou starts cursing himself for letting this stupid kid take over his life-or-death mahjong game.

Nangou is pretty miffed at this suggestion. This kid just let a monster hand get ruined and he wants me to help him? Nangou points out that Akagi needs something to offer him to make such a bold request. Akagi says he does have something to offer.

Twisted World Animania - Mahjong Legend Akagi: The Genius Who Descended Into the Darkness is a notebook fan-comic later rewritten into a notebook fan-novel written and illustrated by someonestupED.

While mahjong is a game that is often played with family and friends, it is also a game that is played in the darkest corners of society. Nangou is a compulsive gambler who has accumulated debt over three million yen. In a last ditch attempt to clear his record, he decides to wager his life on a game of mahjong with the mafia. Unfortunately, as the game progresses, Nangou only moves further from the prize and closer to death.

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