10 Second Anime - Saki - The Nationals - Episode 13 [END]

Saki - The Nationals - Episode 13 [END]

The cute girls doing cute mahjong things anime ends for the winter season, but we have some special episodes scheduled for release. This is more like the middle, not the end.

The last episode of the season ends in transition, as we follow Yuuki and Nodoka around the venue to visit old friends. This serves as a good device for waking up late, getting back to our no-pan roots, and seeing earlier characters from previous seasons.

We also get a dramatic flashback montage from Saki, who is reluctant to enter the same building her older sister is playing in at the moment. We see a girl in a wheelchair, possibly a cousin or older sister, and this same empty wheelchair ablaze in a burning building. We're finally getting a dark hint to the family trauma that split up Saki's family.

In transition to the specials, and hopefully the final competition sometime soon, we're introduced to some of the other schools and their players, plus some of the other announcers covering the other side of the bracket. They are also full of personality.

But we also have to say goodbye to the losing schools. Some of their players will be still featured in the show through the individual tournament, but as a group, they will be left behind. What better way for an anime farewell than a compressed beach fan service episode?

Goodbye oppai-miko school. Goodbye snowy mountain school. You guys finally made it to the ocean.

The tournament rolls on to the semifinals, where there are eight schools left and only two tables playing. Nodoka's friends, and Saki's sister are on the other table, so there won't be a reunion unless Saki's team makes it to the final match. This isn't goodbye, just goodbye for now.

Final Thoughts: It's a bit weird to have final impressions for a show that is actually continuing, just at a much slower pace, but I will say that as a fan of the show for many years, this was a very satisfying return for our favorite mahjong playing girls. In a cute girls doing cute things anime, what's important is not what they are doing, but having interesting characters and a bright atmosphere to give the viewers a chance to just sit and visit with the cute girls. A little fan service and jokes along the way keep things "fluffy," which is the mood a successful show like Saki hopes to capture. Done and done. The producers sure kept us waiting a long time, and even the tidbits from the spin-off show from two years ago wasn't enough to satisfy. This season rewarded us for the long wait. I'm looking forward to the upcoming specials in the coming months, but don't keep us waiting another 5 years before we get back to Saki's Rinshan Kaihous in the final match. Please?