만화 리뷰방

If Saki was a beautiful girl fantasy mahjong battle series, Akagi is a realistic mahjong battle series. It lacks the 'hype' of Saki, but the hands that appear are extremely realistic. Yes, this is reality. Instead of just calling kans and increasing dora tiles, giving your opponent more points, inspired by Saki, let's focus on mastering basic hands like "tan-ya-o, pin-fu, menzen-riichi" (all-by-yourself, no melds, riichi). Just doing that will get you past the beginner stage. Please, without even knowing the basic hands, don't call 'chi', 'pon', or 'kan'. Especially 'kan' is high risk, low return. Even pros rarely do 'kan'. If you only call 'kan' aiming for something like Saki's 'yakuman', you'll fail ^^ Now, back to the main point: can you play mahjong after watching Akagi? The answer is no. Basically, all mahjong manga assume you already know the basic rules of mahjong. If you watch Akagi after Saki, you might find it boring due to its extreme realism, but the 'hype' in the later parts is even greater than in Saki. That's right. The manga reviewed today are intended to encourage you to play 'Yomi Mahjong' (a fictionalized, high-stakes version).

There are probably quite a few people who got into Mahjong through this manga. But can you actually learn Mahjong by watching this manga? No, you can't. Of course, you can enjoy it even if you don't know Mahjong. However, if you understand Mahjong, you'll realize how much of a fantasy it is, and how much luck is required to play like in this manga. Saki is a mahjong-playing high school girl who uses ' 영상개화' (taking an extra tile from the dead wall when declaring a kan, and winning with it) as her weapon. ' 영상개화' is a 1-han hand, but it's practically never seen, along with '창깡', so it's best not to attempt it unless absolutely necessary. Saki aims to become the best in the nation by teaming up with her friends to win the high school mahjong championship using ' 영상개화' as her weapon. If you want to feel the thrill of Mahjong like Saki, don't play Jan-Ken, play Yomi Mahjong. If you want to feel more of that thrill in Jan-Ken, play the 3-player version instead of the 4-player one. Mahjong is fun. It's not difficult. Why not get a taste of it with Saki?

This is the dungeon fantasy manga [Dungeon Meshi], serialized from 2014 to 2023 by author Ryoko Kui. It's a hit series that concluded with a total of 14 volumes and has sold over 10 million copies. The protagonist, Laios, descends into a dungeon and encounters a Red Dragon. After a tough fight, he narrowly escapes thanks to the sacrifice of his sister, Faren. He then plans to go back down to rescue his sister, who was eaten by the dragon. However, facing a shortage of money and food, he comes up with a clever idea: 'to survive by eating the creatures within the dungeon.' As they descend, they approach the secrets of the dungeon and get caught up in events involving a mad magician, which forms the main plot. It received high praise for adding the element of gourmet food to a common dungeon-crawling theme, and it's a masterpiece fantasy manga that concluded perfectly with its intricate world-building and solid story.

A masterpiece of youth sports by Mitsuru Adachi, depicting the love and growth of two young rivals from confectionery families: Keisuke, a swimmer, and Ami, a diver. The fresh romance and delicate psychological portrayal unfolding against the refreshing backdrop of the swimming pool are superb. Its unique use of negative space and understated emotion perfectly capture the passion of sports and the thrill of first love, leaving a deep resonance.

The genre is dark fantasy and mystery. Here's a rough synopsis: On his 15th birthday, Oz Vessalius is declared guilty by the Baskerville family during his coming-of-age ceremony and falls into the Abyss, a world separate from reality. There, Oz makes a contract with the blood-soaked black rabbit, Alice, and succeeds in returning to his original world. He then struggles to uncover the truth about his sins while helping Alice regain her memories. I copied this from Namu Wiki. It has a bit of an 'Alice in Wonderland' vibe and is a complete series of 24 volumes. The story gets increasingly interesting with twists and turns as it progresses! My friend's favorite character died, so I could press their 'cry button' lol. It was so fun teasing them every time! ㅋㅋ But... my favorite character died too, so I'm a little sad ㅠㅠ (For reference, it's available on KakaoPage with the 'wait for free' system. I started reading it there too, but ended up buying the entire physical manga series.)

A representative and mega-hit work by Yuu Watase. Koreans know it better as the anime with the OST 'Fly, Suzaku Yeo'. It was serialized around the same time as 'Red River', which I reviewed earlier. Its pirated version was named 'Fantastic Game'. 'Fushigi Yugi' has no censorship and a cleaner translation, so those who remember it as 'Fantastic Game' would enjoy rewatching it. Also, similar to Slam Dunk, the localization of character names is well done, making it quite immersive. The protagonist, Miaka Yuuki, discovers the 'Book of the Four Gods' in the school library. After Miaka and her friend Yui Hongo open the book together, they are transported into the world within the 'Book of the Four Gods'. It's a place where the legendary Four Symbols - Suzaku, Seiryu, Genbu, and Byakko - exist, and women from another world gain the right to make wishes to the respective gods as priestesses. After going through various events, Miaka becomes the Priestess of Suzaku, and Yui becomes the Priestess of Seiryu, leading to a confrontation, and they struggle to achieve their respective wishes. This is also one of the classic masterpieces.

This is the classic masterpiece 'Red River' by Chie Shinohara. It's currently being broadcast as an anime, but when it comes to the anime... you shouldn't expect much from the art style. It seems like it will cover up to the manga's conclusion over a total of 4 cours. 11 episodes have aired so far. The story follows protagonist Yuri Suzuki, who is summoned to ancient Hittite to be sacrificed. She is saved by Prince Kyle (who later becomes king), and together they experience and resolve various historical events, ultimately leading her to become queen. The historical facts are quite well-researched, and the relationships with various nations like ancient Egypt, Mitanni, and Babylonia are depicted realistically. If you're a fan of 'Red River', I recommend reading 'Ramses' by French author Christian Jacq. It delves into the background stories of the Hittites, and features the famous Egyptian King Ramses II, so the entertainment is guaranteed. Personally, I've reread it over 5 times, and I even have some lines memorized. It's truly one of the top 5 masterpieces in the shojo manga genre.

The quintessential coming-of-age manga depicting the love and friendship between two genius baseball players, Hiro and Hideo, and the two girls intertwined with them. It excels with the passion of high school baseball, fresh romance, and Adachi Mitsuru's signature simple yet poignant sensibility. Perfectly capturing the thrill of sports and the delicate tremors of youth, it's a legendary masterpiece that continues to resonate with countless hearts even as time passes.

This is the manga [Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin], serialized by artist Yoshikazu Yasuhiko in the Japanese manga magazine 'Gundam Ace' from 2001 to 2011, based on the story of the robot anime (Mobile Suit Gundam) that aired in 1979. You can consider it a parallel universe work within the 'Universal Century' world setting, where Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, who was the character designer and animation director for Mobile Suit Gundam, reinterpreted the original story in a modern way. It received high praise for meticulously supplementing the past settings and adding a backstory for Char Aznable, to the point where this part alone was later adapted into an OVA animation. It's a work famous for its considerable animation quality, and I believe it's a manga that Gundam fans will enjoy reading.

This is the fantasy omnibus manga [Mushishi] by Yuki Urushibara, which was serialized for 9 years from 1999 to 2008. It depicts the journey of Ginko, a Mushi Master, and the strange creatures invisible to the human eye, known as 'Mushi.' Here, Mushi are primordial beings that exist on a different plane from ordinary life forms, serving as the source of life. Mushi Masters are experts who handle or research these Mushi, helping and resolving issues for people. The manga received high praise for its tranquil, dreamlike atmosphere and profound storyline. The anime adaptation was also a success, earning accolades for 'visualizing beyond the original work.'