| Akagi | |
 Firsttankōbon volume cover, featuring Shigeru Akagi | |
| アカギ 〜闇に降り立った天才〜 (Akagi: Yami ni Oritatta Tensai) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Nobuyuki Fukumoto |
| Published by | Takeshobo |
| Magazine | Kindai Mahjong |
| Original run | June 1, 1991 –February 1, 2018 |
| Volumes | 36(List of volumes) |
| Anime television series | |
| Tōhai Densetsu Akagi: Yami ni Maiorita Tensai | |
| Directed by | Yūzō Satō |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Hideo Takayashiki |
| Music by | Hideki Taniuchi |
| Studio | Madhouse |
| Original network | Nippon TV |
| Original run | October 5, 2005 – March 29, 2006 |
| Episodes | 26(List of episodes) |
| Television drama | |
| Directed by | |
| Produced by |
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| Written by |
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| Music by | Tarō Makido |
| Original network | BS SKY PerfecTV! |
| Original run | July 17, 2015 – June 8, 2018 |
| Episodes | 18 |
| Spin-offs | |
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 Anime and manga portal | |
Akagi: Yami ni Oritatta Tensai (アカギ 〜闇に降り立った天才〜; lit. "Akagi: The Genius Who Descended into Darkness") is a Japanesemanga series written and illustrated byNobuyuki Fukumoto. First published in 1991 inTakeshobo's weekly magazineKindai Mahjong, it is aspin-offprequel to the author's previous workTen. It revolves around Shigeru Akagi, a boy who defeatsyakuza members well versed inmahjong at 13. He returns to the game six years later, carrying a mythical status and still impresses his opponents.
It was adapted as twoV-Cinema live-action films directed by Kenzō Maihara in 1995 and 1997. A 26-episodeanime television series directed by Yūzō Satō was broadcast onNippon Television from October 2005 to March 2006. Twolive-actiontelevision dramas directed by Mitsuru Kubota aired onBS SKY PerfecTV! between July 2015 and June 2018. The series has also spawned several companion books, spin-off manga, video games, and other merchandise.
By February 2017, theAkagi manga series had over 12 million copies in circulation.
The story revolves around the mahjong gambling exploits of Shigeru Akagi (赤木 しげる,Akagi Shigeru) (voiced byMasato Hagiwara in the anime adaptation). After a death-defyinggame of chicken one evening in 1958, Akagi nonchalantly enters ayakuza mahjong parlor to shake the police's trail. Although he is unfamiliar with the rules of mahjong, his gambling intuition saves a small-time gambler, Nangō (南郷) (voiced byRikiya Koyama), and grants him a seat at the gambling table. As the night progresses, the stakes are raised both within the game and for Akagi, who is under the suspicion of the local policeman, Yasuoka (安岡) (voiced byTessho Genda). However, Akagi manages to defeat Keiji Yagi (矢木 圭次,Yagi Keiji) (voiced byWataru Takagi)—despite Yagi's cheating during the game—and impresses the members of the gambling house. Yasuoka arranges a new match against other yakuza members, in which Akagi defeats Ichikawa (市川) (voiced byHideyuki Tanaka), a blind professional mahjong player with very accurate hearing. After defeating him, Akagi gains mythical status at 13 but then disappears, becoming a legendary figure all over Japan.
Six years later, Yasuoka orders Yukio Hirayama (平山 幸雄,Hirayama Yukio) (voiced byGinpei 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 byMorio 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 byMasane 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.
Akagi: Yami ni Oritatta Tensai, written and illustrated byNobuyuki Fukumoto, is aspin-off of Fukumoto's 1989 manga series,Ten: Tenhōdōri no Kaidanji.[2][5] Its first chapter was published inTakeshobo's magazineKindai Mahjong on June 1, 1991.[6][7][8] The manga's firsttankōbon (collected volume) was released by Takeshobo on April 24, 1992.[9] Some volumes—26 and 28—were published both on a regular and a special edition.[10][11][12][13] The former had a 13-year-old Akagi plush doll as a bonus[12] and the latter included aZippo lighter in the format of a mahjong tile engraved with Akagi's and Washizu's faces.[13] Its latest volume—the 36th—was published on June 27, 2018.[14]
In February 2017, Takeshobo started to display eight different posters at 15 major railway stations on theYamanote 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] Ashinsōban 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 titledAkagi 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, includingClamp,Shinobu Kaitani andMikio Igarashi, was released on July 27, 2011.[21] AnAkagi-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 compilingdōjinshi written at 2013Comiket was released byBroccoli Books.[25] Several crossovers betweenAkagi andTen[26][27] as well as betweenAkagi andHero, 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 inMonthly 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] Aone-shot on Washizu was also drawn by Clamp forMonthly Kindai Mahjong Original and released on August 8, 2008.[29] On November 8, 2012,Monthly Kindai Mahjong Original published the first chapter ofWashizu: Tenka Sōsei Tōhairoku (ワシズ 天下創世闘牌録,lit. "Washizu: The Mahjong That Ruled a Nation"),[34] a sequel toEnma no Tōhai, and it moved to the magazineKindai 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 spin-off manga titledYami-ma no Mamiya (闇麻のマミヤ; "Mamiya: Dark Mahjong"), written by Fukumoto, was published inKindai Mahjong on May 1, 2019. The story is set 20 years after the events ofTen.[38] The series started a regular serialization in the same magazine on July 1, 2019.[39]
A prequel manga, titledAkagi: Nyūmon no Tōhai Zero (アカギ 入門の闘牌ZERO), by Tomoki Miyoshi and Yoshiaki Seto, with collaboration from Fukumoto, was published inKindai Mahjong on April 1, 2024.[40][41]
An anime adaptation of roughly 13 volumes of the manga, titledTōhai Densetsu Akagi: Yami ni Maiorita Tensai (闘牌伝説アカギ 〜闇に舞い降りた天才〜; lit. "Mahjong Legend Akagi: The Genius Who Descended Into the Darkness"), premiered in Japan onNTV on October 5, 2005, and ran for 26 episodes until March 29, 2006.[42] Produced by NTV,VAP, Forecast Communications andMadhouse, the series is directed by Yūzō Satō, with Hideo Takayashiki handling series composition, Takahiro Umehara designing the characters and Hideki Taniuchi composing the music. The anime's opening theme is "Nantoka Nare" (何とかなれ,"But It'll All Be Fine") byFuruido and its two ending themes are "Akagi" byMaximum the Hormone and "S.T.S." by Animals.[43] In September 2013, streaming serviceCrunchyroll announced the licensing of the anime in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbeans, and South and Central America.[44] The first six episodes were available in these countries from September 10, 2013, with five more episodes streamed every week thereafter.[44]
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]
TwoV-Cinema film adaptations ofAkagi have been released, produced byGeorge Iida, directed by Kenzō Maihara, written by Mitsuru Tanabe, and composed byYoshihiro Ike.Tōhai-den Akagi (闘牌伝アカギ,Mahjong Legend Akagi), an adaptation of the Ryūzaki/Yagi arc, was released November 11, 1995,[51] whileJanma Akagi (雀魔アカギ,Mahjong Devil Akagi), an adaptation of the Urabe arc, was released July 25, 1997.[52] Takeshobo rereleased both films in DVD format on January 27, 2006.[53][54] A video game based on the first film was released by Micronet forPlayStation on January 19, 1996.[55]
Warashi adaptedAkagi into aPlayStation 2 game released byD3 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 twomobile games based on the anime.[59][60] Two video games based on the anime series were developed and published byCulture Brain. The first, aGame Boy Advance game, was released on March 3, 2006,[61] and the second, forNintendo DS, was released on August 9, 2007.[62] Fujishoji released apachislot machine in 2008,[63] which was adapted by Sunsoft into a mobile version released in 2009.[64] Okumura Yuuki released its firstpachinko machine in 2008,[65] which was followed by another in 2012.[66] Asmartphone game was developed byImagineer and made available from March 5, 2014,[67] while Gloops released asocial network game forMobage on August 1 of the same year.[68] A new pachislot machine by Universal Entertainment was made available from April 24, 2017.[69]
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AJapanese television drama that adapts the manga starting from its eighth volume aired on the channelBS 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 andMasahiko Tsugawa play Akagi and Washizu respectively, while its theme song, "Don't Be Afraid," is performed byShōnan 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]
A five-episode sequel,Akagi: Ryūzaki–Yagi-hen / Ichikawa-hen (アカギ「竜崎・矢木編 ／市川編」; lit. "Akagi 'Ryūzaki–Yagi Arc' / 'Ichikawa Arc'"), directed and produced by the same staff and written only by Tanabe, was broadcast on the same channel from October 13 to November 11, 2017.[72][75] A three-episode sequel titledAkagi: Washizu Mahjong Kanketsu-hen (アカギ～鷲巣麻雀完結編～; lit. "Akagi: Washizu Mahjong Concluding Chapter") was directed by Kubota, produced by Nagauchi and Itō, and written by Tanabe.[72][76] Shōnan no Kaze announced a different theme song, "Kokushimusō" (国士無双,Thirteen Orphans), for the second sequel.[77] The latter was broadcast from May 25 to June 8, 2018.[72][77] A DVD box containing this two latter series was released by Pony Canyon on August 17, 2018.[78][79]
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By February 2017, theAkagi manga had over 12 million copies in circulation worldwide.[1] Individual volumes have been featured inOricon's weekly charts of best-selling manga in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2016.[80] The series has acult 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]
English-language reviewers have analyzed the anime adaptation more than the manga. David Cabrera ofOtaku USA called Akagi a "nihilistic badass," highlighting how he can "psychologically dismantle a man."[81] Both John Oppliger ofAnimeNation andAnime News Network's Michael Toole compared it toKaiji.[3][5] Oppliger, however, stated thatKaiji relies ondeus ex machina events butAkagi is based on "skilled gamesmanship."[3] He opined that the series is "engrossing and addicting because of its smart, suspenseful writing."[3] Toole found it reminiscent of aperiod piece due to the 1950–60's setting, calling it a "cool series" because of this. He also declared that "Akagi isn't about whether or not the title character will win—he willdefinitely win. It's about the joy of seeing how he wins, about observing a young man who seriously does not give a fuck relentlessly picking off bad guy after bad guy."[5]
Bradley Meek wrote forTHEM 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 that he, as a layperson, could not understand the jargon of the mahjong matches that Akagi plays.[83]UK Anime Network's Elliot Page gave the anime series an 8 out of 10, he argued that understanding mahjong was not necessary as the entertainment is provided not 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]
