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Okay, without further do, I'll be initiating a review to the latest Conan movie.

This year's installment is still a good standalone film. However, due to the ambiguous plot and some haphazard twists, this movie might not be as appealing as the previous ones.

Plot was simple, Japan through Suzuki Jirokichi had boldly announced to the world he is about to collect the 7 Van Gogh paintings to open an exhibit boasting the privilege to present every Sunflowers to some selected audiences. So coming next like a pair to wealthy old man will be Kaitou Kid, a popular and recurring character who often plays the double ... standard opposition to our majestic child detective.

The movie did start with a bang, surprising everyone the new version of the 1412 infamous phantom thief. He's somewhat more audacious and his motives were really hostile unlike his usual frolic attitude. Though setting aside his major transformation, a profound twist was enveloped involving the 2nd and the 5th Sunflower paintings that has to do with the film's cast and the overall main mystery. Like a routine, it's a tug-of-war between the two cool characters and the mystery intensifies soon after wealthy advisor highlights a series of characters.

So going further, the risky actions of Kaitou Kid baffled everyone. And to serve as the oil to the fire is a character named Charlie who appears to hold a deep grudge to the phantom thief. He was a part of 7 chosen partners of Suzuki Jirokichi and his character's role is to antagonize Kid by labeling 1412 a criminal who murders and eventually plastering him to a title of terrorist. Of course, as an avid fan of Kid, Sonoko, who had some quite a screentime to this film, defended his ideal crush over the sharp mouth of the American detective. This twist was supposed to contain potential, however, this ends here. Nothing gripping happens afterward, even his reason for targeting Kid's life had never surfaced as a part of a logical explanation. So what I did was just sit back, digest the remaining plot and clap my hands afterwards the teaser for 20th movie.

More to mention is the part of the routine where Conan executes life-threatening stunts, of course, Kid's maneuvers as well. Though aside from the two main leads, the other cast played a very minor participation and that is somewhat of a minus. Even the film's culprit had a really unconvincing overall impact. This is indeed a very sad fact.

Btw, there's this Haibara's vague opinion of Conan slightly changing and appears suggestive, though like in any movie installments, it doesn't necessarily affect the main DC story. With Haibara encountering an important character, she was made to realize her lingering feelings for Conan but again, this ends here. Nothing happens... Even Ran's screentime was limited to her crying and acting emotional and that's it. Oh dear... why, oh why?

Moving on, despite the lack of sharp quality on the story, the art and animation department was clearly a standout. This movie definitely outdid the previous films in terms of the points mentioned, the OST where Porno Graffiti performed the ED was also amazing. Unfortunately, aside from these two factors who fully deserved an outstanding 10/10, none of the other aspects seems captivating.

So concluding, like in every Conan movies, the plot revelation of the case started very intricate. We get to see a lot of actions, some drama, goofy moments, however it lacks, the usual detailed deduction show. As aforementioned, this movie definitely ranks lower than the previous in terms of fluidity. The execution of the plot while the movie goes on and on was somewhat poorly done and it will definitely catch the watcher's attention to the extent some will surely display dismay. Even I as a massive fan, find the movie un-compelling as a whole. But please, do not write off the movie as a BAD installment. Though it surely played short on its potential, with a forgiving mentality, anyone can still enjoy this.

Aaa, Psycho-Pass... Once a great doesn't mean it can get a legacy.

After a whole week of pondering whether to see Psycho-Pass movie, I finally gave in the urge and actually enjoyed the first half of it. While it may have been driven by my bias since I like the prospect of the original protagonist returning in the spotlight, soon, in the latter half, it was crushed by an anticlimactic conclusion.

Given Psycho-Pass already embracing their fallen grace, from the great season one to the poorly-written sequel, I was foolish to think that the movie would serve as a holy gargle to wash out the bad taste ... of the season 2. And yeah, like aforementioned I did enjoyed the first half and literally got bored on the latter parts.

So I'll start the points to my review in my usual format.

The story wasn't bad nor it was any good either. Though a "mediocre" term is simply an insult as well. Frankly, the story had given the movie a good drive.

Enters Shamballa, a newly-made cage for those who had just adapted the Sybil System. With its inferior function compared to the original, misfits and the rule of the systeml itself wasn't stabilized in the said country.

Then comes Kougami, in his recurring main role. This is why I'm always telling my friends that without Kougami, Psycho-Pass can never be such a bad-ass title. He now staged a guerilla faction opposing the Sybil as always. With his drive for his self-defined justice, he opted to act on his proven instincts to help the minority live another day.

Finally, Akane. The notion of having Kougami and Akane in one movie was mouthwatering, but unfortunately, their reunion was bland and as far as I'm concerned, really unconvincing. With hopes of arresting her admired model, Akane sets off to Shamballa to start of her investigation but it seems like the ever-calculated Sybil System had already seen through her intentions from the very start and purposely let go of her so that she won't pose a dent to their plans.

Thus, the fateful reunion emerges and Kougami showed her the real situation of the country and so on and so on...

Now we point on the focal minus of the movie and that is the villains.

By now, we all know that Sybil System is a mass of Zero crime-coeffiecient brains, so the movie took a slightly different approach to their previous portrait of bad guys. Coming on this movie is a bunch of foreign mercenaries, which were totally honed as veterans on the warfields only to turn like idiots in the last part of the film. Aside from the big gorilla boss, who posed lethal threat to Kougami's hand-to-hand combat, the bunch who were pretty much intensified from their initial appearance were reduced to mincemeat without even resisting in the end and it was such a major turn-off.

Another was this Colonel who initially appeared like an obedient dog turned out he is the mastermind of all. He was a waste of character development as he never acted like a real villain. The textbooked aspect of his has never left an impression and like any of the other villains, he was simply shot in the end, splattered his insides and that's it.

The only villain worth mentioning is the ever-charismatic Makishima Shougo who appeared as Kougami's delusion. In the midst of their discourse, Makishima has indeed labelled Kougami as a bloodhound, only driven by his own view of justice. That itself served as a salvation for the majority of the bad dialogues and it was enough for me to tolerate the rest of the show.

In the end, it was Akane's "Talk-no-jutsu" that finished the squabble. It was good at the least I think, one of the few worth mentioning. After all, Akane was written as the type to adhere the law and maintain it as fair as it can be.

Ending this review, while the movie has indeed showed glimpses of greatness, it was all because Kougami was included in the cast. Imagine the movie without him and it will certainly, turn into one of the most forgettable films ever made.

Still, with Kougami's tenacity towards finding his peace or perhaps, his resting place remains unsolved, there's still so much to expect from his character. With him still lurking outside the cage, I think it's safe to expect a third season years from now. Whether we see Akane finally arresting him, or he becomes the biggest villain the System has ever face yet faced, I'm still hoping that Psycho-Pass can redeem themselves into one of the greats.

Seikoku no Dragonar... If there's something like a huge basketball ring in front of you, larger than the usual and there's a normal basketball ball in your front. You can't definitely miss from close range, can you? That's how I can picture a perfect analogy to the premise of Seikoku no Dragonar. But in this case, we are left wondering how Seikoku no Dragonar missed a blatant open chance for winning its potential.

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Story...

I gave it a 6, honestly. Sometimes, even the most generic story can achieve better heights if given a thoroughly direction. But yet again, ruing their chances is this particular series. The story ... itself is solid. With a fantasy setting, the variable factors that can be used were supposed to be almost unlimited. But why? Why did Seikoku no Dragonar limited themselves to such product?

Blaming the storyboards and the director must be a vain thing to do. Why? Because from what I saw, the director had very good series to his helm, so the last definite thing that could've dragged Dragonar to the bottom must be, yeah, the reference material.

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Art...

A beautiful realm was presented, with fictional beauty that is out of this world. I can easily point this out as a standout in terms of the drawings. Whether it be character designs or the setting world, it was consistently beautiful. There's nothing to doubt that the art department definitely wins a deserving 10, isn't it?

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Sound...

6, I guess... Something inside me just made me skipped the OP and ED successively whilst watching in marathon since I didn't enjoyed the theme songs. The BGM(s) were also quite bland in my opinion. So a 6 makes perfect sense...

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Character(s)...

This is where they got nastily messy. I am no reader of the reference, but if the anime makers had been thoroughly confused on the characters, then I can find the salvation to pardon them.

Most of the characters were so... plainly bland boring... No one is even interesting at the slightest. Eco, the generic loli and Silvia, the voluptuous princess as tsunderes failed to materialize the true charm of their characters. Neither the supporting casts, including the smexy maids or the student extras in the background had even made a scene worth praising. All is played by the point of "seduce the men" and "show your booty and tits for fanservice's sake".

Now, focal character, Ash Blake. Is he decent? Maybe, to some, I guess. I suppose I've outgrown his types, but frankly, he did a fair job as MC. Started out simply as an outcast then gaining new powers, he played the MC well. But in the end, he is not interesting. That's the point in appreciating the MC, right? Whether he/she is interesting, it all comes down to this focal issue. And this is where Dragonar failed miserably. The ability to make the MC interesting, is the least they should've done keenly.

We go to their adversaries faction. Do anybody stroke as interesting? The answer yet again, is a big "no." There's really little point in delving too much on the characters since Dragonar had utterly failed on this aspect.

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Enjoyment and Overall...

Nothing except for a 3. Was it too harsh? No, I guess not. Enjoyment was scarce but I'll tell you, even most of the fanservice scenes didn't inject a life to my watching interest. I guess all my laughs whilst watching is part where I am in absolute confusion as to why I even thought of watching a series that I already foresaw would be bland and boring. My thoughts were in jumble whether to drop it by episode 06, but I won't lie. I am a die-hard fanatic of Koyasu Takehito and even his most utter craps is something I've watched.

So concluding. Dragonar might be a winner in terms of sales. But in terms of worthiness(money and time watching), it's not. It's like paying a gold bar in exchange for a single bad-tasting moldy bread, leaving you feeling ripped afterwards the entire running time.

But like I said, Dragonar is directly oriented to booty-and-tits- lovers. But in my head, I think I'll just go settle for a bonafide H material instead of watching borderline tentacles ripping panties and groping tits.

Amaburi is a place of dreams, hope and enjoyment... That's how the premise was supposed to start and yet— it was the usual reverse-psychology plotting. Bad advertisements, poorly maintenance on the attractions, wacky dolts as entertainers. The hectare field of an amusement park is the setting where magical elements is the focal point. Oh yeah, we can already see how it'll go.

The synopsis have given me a rough idea on what Amagi Brilliant Park is. A place where bankruptcy is knocking at their door's end, a saving hero will turn the situation 180 and happy ending is achieved. Starting with an original MC plus the ... interesting three stooges along with beautiful girls with large circle eyes, I had myself hooked up from the first episode.

Story: 7/10

Solid writing. The author didn't bother making the story complex to garner the watcher's interest. It is also the winning formula of Amaburi. As far as the story goes, the series only had one problem, 'How to win 500k customers in a limited time'. Within this hurdle comes along many variations on which it gave us a good watch for a 13 episode long title.

Art/Sound: 9/10

Usual Kyo-Ani standard. Frankly, I am really not a moe enthusiast but Amagi's art department is such a hard thing to resist. I find myself liking every character, whether he/she be a supernatural like Moffle and his two friends to the ever beautiful Sento Isuzu, Latifa plus the rest of the chicks. Everyone has a good art, not only the characters but the amusement park itself.

Sound is good as well. I play a little piano and soon as I finished watching the series, I started poking the keys just to make the tune of the ending which I really, really like... Bgms are also fitting. Whether it be a sad tune due to a predicament or an exciting one because of a hype twist. Nothing beats good music when you're watching a good show. It's a must and Amaburi had played their aces well.

Character: 10/10

Perfect characters. Of course, the crew is vast so only the highlighted characters are the ones I'm talking about. Kanie Seiya f.e. This guy is just too original. Unlike overpowered MC and flawless bishounens, Kanie himself had the fundamentals of being one of the generic but hey, turns out he's the 'real' deal. Whether it be his past or his series actions, he was always a good and entertaining watch. In the end, realizing that 'no man is an island' he came to accept everyone despite his terrible narcissism. That itself makes his worthy of his screentime. Plus it's also thanks to his VA who wonderfully depicted the character.

Sento and the other girls. Oh damn, these girls are just too beautiful. Sento and Latifa in particular, who would obviously turn Kanie's romantic interest if a sequel lits up in the future. Sento, who also got a terrible view on how to associate herself and Latifa, who at first episode, looked like she was bothered by a terminal disease. Oh man, she's just too adorable. Honorable mentions are the fairies. Muse, who got the most screentime definitely looks my type of girl but hey, Amagi's girl are all my types. Please don't touch them... XD

Lastly, I wouldn't miss the three Amagi pillars. Most especially, my favorite character in the series, Tiramie. This dirty old dude is just too good. I had myself on a laughtrip because of his antics. Whether he be deliberate on doing rotten lewd acts or just too stupid to do things right, he is just awesome...

Enjoyment/Overall: 9

For a normal 13 episode series. Some tends to do things like inserting irrelevant fillers. I don't read the reference. But if Amagi has one, then its filler is still wonderfully threaded to its main story. As per my mention above, the story is still the main winning formula. Not too complicated to the point it tried too hard yet not too lax to the point it never tried anything. The story is very easy to empathize and easy to appreciate.

Concluding, if there's another standout gem last season including Bahamut:Geness, then it's definitely Amagi Brilliant Park. Good laughs, good story, good characters, minimal fanservice. The 13 episodes will keep your time worthy of watching, will keep you on your seat entertained and will never leave you bored. A recommended watch for everybody. So come and watch Amagi Brilliant Park and wish for a sequel in the future!

[THIS REVIEW IS WITH REGARDS TO BOTH SEASONS.]

Story: 6/10

The story was nowhere near great. But overall, it had its own scale of potential. A killing lassie owning a dual uzi-machine guns set to find revenge on her death is such a cool starting idea. Shikabane Hime series definitely got the right mindset on how to start with a bang. But as the story gets more developed, it went blurry and hard to appreciate. For sure, the series had its own good moments but honestly, that prove to be fatal as Shikabane Hime only had a handful of them limiting the storytelling into a mediocre one.

Sound/Art: ... 6-7/10

The art was classy and crafted really well. With a good art fitting the dark premise of the story, it certainly earned good points for the series. The included animation also wasn't short of great and as far as the fights are concerned, it was nevertheless entertaining and interesting. Although, I cannot say it's the entirety since there are key fights that doesn't even make sense or just too short to appreciate.

The sound wasn't a hit to me. The series had insert songs that is just not alluring but gets in the way instead of just using a good bgm. Repetitive use of the theme songs as inserts prove not up to my liking therefore earning a lower score than the other aspects.

Characters: 5/10

There's nothing more annoying than using a spineless and helpless wuss as a main protagonist. Concerning the shounen tag, the main boy protagonist definitely lacks the spark from start to finish. For sure, he was more developed episode by episode but let's be directly honest, wasn't there a need to make him that un-cool for the entire 13 episodes? Helpless, weakling, easy-to-beat... he was just way too unappealing for the part of the main character. Directly opposite is his counterpart, the main heroine. Their contrast was way too messed up. Their feelings were also un-synchronized and were totally forced to blend in the final latter episodes. In short, their personalities was forcibly mixed resulting into a hard-to-appreciate combo.

As we go to discuss their anti-hero opposites and supporting characters, it was my biggest disappointment that apart from a good background, their dialogues or their actions prove to be not fitting to the time they build up their characters. There's an awful lot of bad decisions that made the series so much mediocre ruining the chance to shine instead.

Enjoyment/Overall: 5

I'll be darn straight. The series was a big killer of enthusiasm.

I had much expectations on this title before watching. 5 years ago, I was able to get a complete copy of this series but ended up scraping it on my oldest HDD and completely forgotten to see the show I'm itching to watch before. For a synopsis with so much potential, I was nothing short of shocked as to why it just ended with that anti-climatic formula. The dark story, the good potential, the unattractive characters plus their dialogues. All of it didn't piqued a good amount of my interest. The mixing of all the factors were really the downfall of the said series. In short, Shikabane Hime failed to capitalized on its good start and ended up as one of the biggest disappointments in my entire seen roster. My sentiments, if only they had made the main protagonist more upbeat and more independent, it would've turned for the better.

I'll be dead frank. I hate the series... but it's undoubtedly beautiful.

Story: 8/10

The story begins with a hazy feeling. An immature grown-up, lost his way of life and blaming reality on his shortcomings. There's an awful lot of these kinds of people and Koi Kaze highlighted this type for the main character.

As usual, within this parameter, a lot of drama can be formulated. His misfortunes, his doubts, his manly needs and of course, his life. As far as I can tell, he was a very easily swayed person. The point here is, I find the MC petty. Nevertheless, it was not really that far-fetched since ... this type of persona can be found in reality. Insecurity builds up stress and can go from bad to worse. Koi Kaze magnificently wrote smooth storyboards, very natural to empathize and at the same time, can dug out an entire roster of different feelings.

Art/Sound: 7/10

Around 2004, there are titles with higher art quality. Unfortunately, Koi Kaze definitely falls flat at this category. While it may not be that stellar, it still fits the much needed feeling for the series. That goes the same for the sound as well. It may not be that unforgettable, but overall, it has the essentials to be called as good. The soft feeling of the songs is definitely one point worth of praising.

Character: 9/10

For a title with 13 episodes. I must say I'm really hooked up and took a good liking to the character build-ups. Koi Kaze mainly focused on their point and that is very good unlike some other titles that inserted a lot of side-stories wasting a good chance to further developed the story. This time, the characters were simple yet very intriguing. Let's not forget that Koi Kaze's characters were very humanly realistic. If you might find or meet someone of their kind, I must suggest that you help them to the very best of your ability... or else.

Enjoyment: 8/10

Naturally, I am the type that prefers to watch a marathon rather than see 1 episode per week. Although for a series that aired over a decade ago, it goes without saying that it's very easy to collect 13 episodes in one go. My Koi Kaze enjoyment definitely involves a wacky train ride or a off-road bicycle drive. A lot of bumps and badly falls, the feelings I've thought were actually mixing crazily. In the end, all I can say for certain is I definitely enjoyed watching Koi Kaze.

Overall: 9/10

Watching Koi Kaze is definitely hard in my case. I watch all kinds of genre, but this title is one of the firsts to actually struck me deep cut. While it pains me to say, it's a beautiful series. There's also a side of myself that roars how much I'm troubled with this hateful title.

Incest as a material definitely got me riled up every time. While I prefer it to be lighter, Koi Kaze mixed it quite heavily to the point of extremity. However, without regard to common logic, was it really that bad of falling into a sibling? Koi Kaze wants to prove a point, a wicked one. While I am one of those that do not support "that kind" of sibling affection, I am not condoning or judging people who falls into this category. Simply, because I do not have the knowledge of their feelings.

In the end, as a watcher, I may say that I easily understood the character's trouble but in reality, it's just up to some certain point. Preferably, I have no intention of spreading quick prejudice but my two cents, please understand that love isn't everything. Yet however, common logic isn't everything as well.

I was half-asleep when I open the movie file on a little mistake. After watching the entirety, all I can say is "Good morning, what a pleasant day it is..."

Story: 8/10

General story comprises of a sequel elements. It follows after the fat parrot left the Shopping District where the heroine, Tamako resides. Much to my surprise, it didn't retain most of the comedic antic factors, much less it offered a simple phrase; Love Story.

From the plot given, it centers Tamako and Mochizou as they cutely dive onward their romance relationship. From the prequel, it's already been laid out bare that Mochizou has already been infatuated ... to Tamako for quite the years. It also introduces a simple problem normal to youngsters, the embarrassing moment of admitting someone loves somebody and so on...

Art/Sound: 9/10

I am huge collector of anime sound themes and Tamako Love Story's main song is something I am playing right now whilst writing. For the record, it scores a 9...

Same for the art department. I am not a solid fan of moe drawings however, KyoAni had already announced their moe support for years and somehow, they're an exemption. Good 2014 standards and nothing scores less than 9...

Characters: 10/10

Somehow, anime movies with TV formats often suffers from a chronic mistake; the character build-up. However, while it's rare, Tamako Love Story had found just the right formula to make appeal of its characters. It goes without saying that the main characters were given priority but even the supporting cast had good time screenings and they've felt natural to watch like in their TV appearances.

TLS, as mentioned above focuses on Tamako's and Mochizou's romance. Like in most titles, childhood friends tends to evolve into childhood sweethearts and as far as I'm concerned, their romance development has also flowed as natural. It was not too cliche yet not too forceful and rushed, it has all the right timings and of course, the best closure it can offer.

Enjoyment and Overall: 9/10

I am a shallow person, I can get easily drawn. Tamako Love Story is something I could call an "almost-perfect" standalone episode. From start to finish, it didn't disappoint my standards. The movie comprises of little drama, good romance scenario, great pacing, usual level of comedy and for that I am very much obliged to award a 9. I strongly recommend this movie and I hope you'll like it as well.

OH YEAH! JUDGE END! NO MAJOR SPOILER ATTACHED!

It certainly feels ages when I last saw the last release of Sengoku Basara. I've been a fan of this genre; historical figures, historical story and of course, the addition of shounen elements resulting into one blast-filled, blood-pumping sword-clashing title. Frankly in my opinion, this has got to be the best Sengoku Basara arc in which they focused on a single historic event. The fateful Sekigahara battle. However, a watcher ought to spit out the reality factor and focus on enjoying the fiction content, unless you want to waste your enthusiasm and will end up giving a premature ... judgment.

First is the story. To those who have seen, the Last Party version. Don't be too attached to negative perspective. While the 90 minute version failed to reach the "impressive" boundary, the alternate version offers more enjoyable watch with various additions of plot background, more vital characters, wise threading of events and more fluid writing. I'm obliged to give a passable 7 for I've been given a good run of watch-time.

The next was the art and sound. Like in any other Sengoku Basara titles, the animation content was always superb. Good character design upgrade, better animation effect, it's an undoubted high quality even for the 2014 standard. That goes the same for the soundtrack, the usual amount of quality was retained, letting me enjoy the bgms and the song themes as well. Art is 10 and the Sound goes 8.

Characters, oh! They're fabulous! Most especially, Ishida Mitsunari. From the get go to the final act, he's awesome. From my perspective, he implanted himself as the main character of the title. Sanada Yukimura and Date Masamune served like chaperones as they played second fiddle the entire running time. On the other hand, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who will all know emerged victorious on the real event, played the sacrificial lamb to build a country with views to each other's need. He was the standard good guy who ends up being made the lousiest hence, in short, the most boring main character. The other characters fulfilled their roles in a satisfying fashion, nothing can be said like a minus except for Oda Nobunaga's early exit. Aside from the omission of a major bad-ass villain, the other character aspects were pretty much acceptable. The dirty politics is really something that moves a country onwards, hard fact proven. Clash of ideals resulting wars is a sacred thing way back in the past, however, at least they plunged themselves forward in believing what they are fighting was the right and just thing. Characters deserves a 9, for solid dialogues and wonderful voice acting of the seiyus.

Enjoyment? Heck, Judge End is one hell of a ride. I'd no other choice but to felt compelled to give an 8 for it. Aside from the re-used tactics, recycled revenge drama, reduced battle effects, I saw myself getting drawn every episodes meaning to say, it's a good show worth seeing.

But the most important point is still yet to be discussed...

Why the prejudice? It's painful to see a show getting undeserving scores from the watchers who did not bother appreciating what Jude End has to offer. I imagined that some of those mention had at least locked their eyes on a show which contained ecchi vitals and graded them higher because of the inclusion of stripe panties and bare stark naked melons. Good grief.

Concluding, Judge End has what it takes to stay worth the time every episode. I can genuinely recommend this to watchers who wants an interesting show. Give it a try, folks. You might find some good time watching the entire 12 episodes.

Appreciating side dishes after you have tasted the main cuisine is something I don't find feasible.
That's the case when I started watching Saki - Side A.

It wise to rate the story at the range of 6-7. Doing a side story had the potential to dive into the a whole new dimension and Saki - Side A gave a solid writing to support their cause. Side A chose to do a special adaptation to a group of girls who are directly connected to Haramura Nodoka, a deuteragonist of the Saki series. Much to my surprise is, it is given a 16 episode run which is something ... I find wasteful.

As the story goes, it was the usual Saki mahjong content. A lot of occult and 1/100th chance of it happening in real games, a lot of extravagant special mahjong effects, the good mind game dialogues. However, the pacing on Side - A exceeds the main story. They literally jumped from starting point in order to catch up to the main story's plot time and connected them fluidly in order to broaden the horizon of the Saki series. Unlike the main Saki story, I found Saki - Side A too less impressive.

Adapting a main cast of boring characters, seemed to ticked me off the whole 16 episode run. I was always thinking after an episode, "Why did they bother making a 16-episode story for this bunch of characters? They should've use the budget for the Zenkoku!". It was like that until the end.

As far as the content is concern, the only interesting parts for me are the cameos of the main Saki casts. They were literally limited to just 3-4 lines which is a sad watch for me. I ended up falling asleep at some intervals and never bother re-watching the missed parts. However, if I were to disregard the relation to the main Saki series, Side A should've been able to touch at least the border of my interested portion however, it was like convincing myself that 1+1=3 which spells impossible from the very start.

Art and Sound remained faithful. Aside from the OP/ED themes, the bgms were still retained in order to drag the feel of the original Saki series to this side story. The character designs also remained similar and is visibly better than the 2009 version.

To be fair, Side A finishes strong however, it still drives me nuts as to why this was adapted to a 16 episode run. A 5-episode OVA compressed should've done the trick. The adaptation is full of annoying flashbacks that will either reveal a trick or two, or some 3rd rate drama to make the audience empathize with the characters but in my case, OH CRAP. I felt uninterested all throughout.

Finishing, Side A had some good scenes however, it felt they have overdone their part as a side story. For spoilers, pardon me, I cannot help but root for their adversaries in the whole 16 episode run and I don't feel like cheering for the Achiga girls in the finals.

Hmm, I am particularly vexed at what I saw at Saki: Nationals. However, I'd be best to practice prudence and avoid spilling some spoilers. As usual, I'll start in my usual review format.

Story is somewhat mouthwatering. It's the nationals, folks! As a direct sequel to the 2009 prequel. There's a lot of directive-ness and I was so glad that even after a long wait, a seemingly closure is somewhat reasonable to expect. Though, that is with regards to the adaptation reference. I am not particularly a fan of Saki manga and I only saw some chapters whenever I whimsically browse for randoms and this is ... the case why I ignorantly set a high expectation from the very first episode which is personally aggravating. I had no idea that was it all can offer.

Well, but in regards to the content, I am fascinated. I am not really a seasoned mahjong player but as far as I can remember, I have played over a thousand games as well. Not as a profession but just a pastime. My grandma who lives in the boonies often gathers her friends on a weekly basis and they played like 5-8 hours mahjong party and as I child, I often sneaked in and watched them play until I became a part of the mahjong table one day. Well one thing is, I do find the wonders Saki brought in the story. They're particularly occult and not feasible but of course, this is fiction so why not let a little imagination mess up with you, right?

Content-wise, Saki 2014's have upgraded what they offered in their prequel. Newly high-level adversaries, newly tile effects, newly twists, it has all the factors to draw the fans from the original and I must say, they've succeeded and set themselves as a proper sequel. The pacing was still the same as ever, a day-by-day coverage which is I think a lot better than using a time-skip.

However, one point I don't find reasonable was to include a lot of flashbacks which could've added more mahjong footage instead. But well, this is still a minor and a personal rant. Don't get too much on this.

Art wise, a significant upgrade is visible. They're cuter, much more detailed, the tile effects was more awesome and the boobs, I mean, the character design upgrade is visibly better than the prequel. Why, of course, it's 2014's digital drawing. I have nothing to note here except they've done a really outstanding feature.

Sound wise, the bgms were pretty much retained. It's all about listening to the each character's bgm and their tile effects and I must say, bravo. However, I am not particularly drawn by the OP and ED but again, this is just another personal taste based comment.

I have enjoyed Saki 2014 until I learned of the sad closure. This is a bit of a problem since telling the very fact might seem to be spoiling so I'll refrain from this. But at the very least, like I said, I enjoyed Saki 2014 like a 7 out of a 10 and still, it's a good verdict in my opinion.

Closing, Saki 2014 is all about the opening days of the Nationals where the Kiyosumi gang are threading their path to the finals. With enough twist to knock off one to his/her seat, Saki 2014 offers good story, nice background of characters(old and new), easily understandable mahjong terms, good pacing and a solid potential overall however[This part will be hard to maintain a spoiler-free run and I apologize for it, this is my limit]... I am somewhat betrayed. Almost 5 years after it's prequel, I thought they are offering a taste of what is going to be the sister's feud conclusion but instead, they did it again. Inserting another teaser preview in hopes they will get another continuation.

Personally, I still want more of a conclusive closure or rather, I hope there's still more to come in the future but as we all know, most of the titles who ends up getting cut at their highest peak of hype often gets the short end of the stick. I am diligently praying Saki won't be one of them.