Pon no Michi

Pon no Michi, a typical CGDCT 1 cour show. Being someone who doesn't normally watch this genre, I found myself wholeheartedly enjoying it more than some of the bigger titles this season. It's not everyone's cup of tea, or even close to it, but at the same time, it's lighthearted and enjoyable. There have been some reviews complaining about how most of the girls have similar personalities, but it's a 1 cour show (12 episodes), and that doesn't leave much time for background or much development. The characters are likable despite their lack of development (besides them all becoming friends), and the designs are honestly, great. While the CGI is a bit uncanny, the animation itself is great. A good show to watch in the background, or even to focus on completely whether you're new to the CGDCT genre or you've seen many related shows before. This show's been my gateway into that genre, and now I'm thinking about watching other CGDCT shows. Once again, it's not everyone's thing, as the plot is well...slice of life worthy, and somewhat slow, though excellent if you want to zone out. Definitely give the first few episodes a try and see how you feel.

The Way of Pon - Is this a lesson about Japanese mahjong, or is this the plot for a promotional campaign for a lesser-known city in Japan? Hmm... It is often said that niche things are the hardest to teach to foreigners, and in the case of Japanese Mahjong, we've had series that span back years trying to relay this information to people to various successes. Shows like Fall 2005's Akagi or even Spring-Summer 2009's Saki, these are the classics when it comes to the niche topic. And once again, even in 2024, we are presented with one more series: an original show that's part-Mahjong, part-promotion, and a full-on CGDCT show, called Pon no Michi a.k.a The Way of Pon. The show...is really nothing special, though it's the usual gathering of girls through a rather eccentric girl named Nashiko Jippensha, who got chased out of her house because she's been fooling around with her obsession of idols, therefore making her a lazy and unproductive daughter. What she has got left is an old mahjong parlor that her father seemingly left her with, and that becomes her hangout place while learning all about Mahjong. She is soon joined with her friends of Pai Kawahigashi and Izumi Tokutomi, who are more adept at the sport being beginner and advanced players respectively. And also...a mahjong spirit in the form of a sparrow taken off the design of the 1 Bamboo (bird) tile? Ok...at least he's named Chonbo for a reason. The leftovers with Riche Hayashi, who hung out at Nashiko's parlor thanks to her parents in its past active days, as well as the competitive Haneru Emi who always tries to desperately win games over the girls with a very deep obsession for Mahjong, rounds up the "5 girls plus a talking bird" gang, having their time of fun in a once-used space that's left for their taking in the city of Onomichi, Hiroshima. Just about the only thing worth of note is how the girls all look like with their rather big bodies of boobs and thighs, and this is not a coincidence as the creator of Gotoubun no Hanayome a.k.a The Quintessential Quintuplets, mangaka Negi Haruba himself contributes as character designer of the series. So, if you're thinking that Nashiko's liveliness and Izumi's character design is a lot like Yotsuba, you have your answer. Both the production and music leave a lot to be desired in this original series. OLM, especially on Team Inoue that's targeted more towards the kids' category, as mentioned at the beginning of the review, the producers must've had an inkling to promote the city of which the series got its footing on, and promote the hell out of it, which is not the first series to do so (see other shows like Yuru Camp). But otherwise, it's just fairly decent with some occurrent 3DCG in the mahjong scenes, and that's it. The music, while also just all over the place, evokes the feeling of happy memories of hanging out with friends, and if that's the goal, the anime certainly has Riichi-ed it. I do like the OP song by Rika Nakada and the entire VA cast, which is actually quite catchy, while halca's ED, is the usual halca standard of decent to good. But then again, for Crunchyroll to not pick this up, leaving the doors open for Bilibili and French's ADN a.k.a Animation Digital Network to get the rights for the series, you're practically not missing much by watching a rather niche product that's catered to those who already knew how to play Japanese Mahjong, or simply for a lack of better words, a planned act of a promotional campaign to visit Onomichi, Hiroshima. If you're any interested at all, just try an episode to see if it's your thing.

Pon no Michi is an anime about girls playing mahjong. By the way, the only reference to mahjong anime is Saki (which I highly recommend), which was more focused on mahjong. Going back to Pon no Michi, although it's initially presented as an anime centered around mahjong, it's clear from the first few episodes that mahjong is just a pastime for the girls. This approach might be disappointing for those who were expecting a more mahjong-focused plot. The disconnect with mahjong is evident. Despite the anime being about this game, they barely show the girls playing a match and it doesn't demonstrate how mahjong is an integral part of their daily routines. The anime doesn't stand out in either of these areas; it neither focuses on mahjong nor explores the girls' daily lives. But you know what? I loved it. It's one of my favorites this season. It even made me want to be a cute high school girl and do cute high school girl things (stereotypical, I know, but I don't care). Even though they don't play much mahjong, the girls are always talking about it. They're a lively group. The anime starts with a trio of friends, Nashiko, Pai, and Izumi, who were always together and already had great chemistry. Then Richie, an ojou-sama, joins them and quickly becomes friends with the trio. They do teenage things together and sometimes play mahjong. Richie is good at the game, which catches the attention of Haneru, and the quintet is formed! It's interesting because it's similar to the setup of the go-toubun, but that doesn't matter. It's true that this anime doesn't deliver on either of the two points I mentioned at the beginning, but it mixes them in the outings of these girls. This anime exudes that feeling of youth and friendship. There's also a mahjong spirit, which is very cute and plays mahjong, too.. yes.

This is more beginner friendly than stepping into other Mahjong anime such as Akagi or Saki, but that's only because often the girls won't even bother playing it anyways, Instead of the Mahjong Club they could just as well be the big boobers club (Except for Emi the Scene Goth looking girl) Basically, knowledge of game rules isn't that big of a deal and you won't benefit that much more from it here. If you are an experienced person of culture, then the fan subs by [Mahjong Soulless] make it a much more enjoyable watch than what it would be by default. BGM is minimal; the OP theme is memorable but not in a fond way of recollection. The quality of everything else is good enough. What the anime does do well is that the character designs are pretty good and unique; all the girls have themed names even. I particularly like that when they do actually bother to play Mahjong the girls keep it real with the casual cheating they all do which is something you would never see in Saki, and even in Akagi it is a bit uncommon. Should you watch this? Generally no there's better stuff out there. If you're really into Mahjong and are stuck frustrated in some tier of Elo Hell in MajSoul playing into obvious rons, maybe tuning out for a while to see this will improve your mood.

This won't be a long review simply because this show doesn't have a lot to talk about, nor would I say it has an audience large enough to justify one. Pon no Michi (The Way of Pon) feels like your run-of-the-mill style CGDCT/slice of life anime, and to me, that'd be fine as I rarely ever find a show like this were I don't like anything about it. Problem is, Pon no Michi is woefully plain for a slice-of-life/CGDCT anime that at points it is rather tedious to sit through. Pon no Michi advertises itself as a slice-of-life/CGDCT anime all about the strategy tabletop game Mahjong. If you look at the genres/themes side for this anime you'll notice it says supernatural, but, trust me, don't get excited for anything grandiose on that front as I'll get into shortly. One of the huge cruxes that plagues this show is just how much mahjong really has nothing to do with the show. There's no competitions, nothing of high stakes is ever present and everything is just presented as good old harmless fun. Which, don't get me wrong, I have no issue with, but it just lacks substance and is made to feel like mahjong just takes a backseat to whatever the characters are doing. Let's talk about the characters now and the most critical aspect of having a CGDCT anime is having your characters be fun to watch. Well, sad to say, the characters are so one-note, 1-dimensional and mostly devoid of a personality that isn't a trope, cliche or sterotype. Nashiko's a typical ball of energy, good natured protag. Izumi's a textbook tomboy. Riche is your rich ojou-sama type. Haneru is a stoic yet serious character who at least has to the best design out of all the characters. As for Pai.... she has no real identifying traits to her personality and is the most forgettable. Then there's Chonbo, which leads me to the next point where this show fails at ultilizing its components. What even is the point of Chonbo in this show? From the first episode he is introduced as a spirit of mahjong and literally the only thing he ever does in the show is help motivate Nashiko to learn mahjong and by extension open up the parlor for her friends to play with her. AND THAT IS IT! His presence in the show is so minimal I have to question once again why he even exists in the first place. Only Nashiko hears him, he contributes nothing to the activities the girls undertake and nothing about why he's present and for what purpose does he have is nevered brought into question. If his role is to be a mascot character then that'd be fine, but he does nothing and is barely ever present in most episodes. It's just baffling and frustrating that you have this supernatural aspect to your show, but it contributes next to nothing about the show and half the time you just forget that Chonbo is even a part of it. The only somewhat enjoyment I had was the nods and references to other shows like Saki or Akagi/Kaigi, but after awhile it is tiring especially when the show already had an issue with it's own identity. Pon no Michi is quite the letdown, honestly. Speaking as someone who enjoys a lot of slice-of-life/CGDCT anime, this one did so little for me that it's just best being a forgotten addition to those genres. If you want a show about mahjong with cute girls in it, just watch Saki.

What we have is seemingly another anime about Mahjong. Nashiko has no clue what to do with her adult life but then gets an opportunity to re-open her family's mahjong parlor that's been out of commission for a while now. There she finds Chombo, an ancient spirit of mahjong who is just a talking, fat bird. And then proceeds to learn mahjong and get her friends involved for some CGDGT action.. ..YOU FOOL! That was all a ruse! This show isn't about Mahjong at all! Well, it is but no at the same time. What the show actually is is an advertisement, some good, some bad. Rather than calling it Pon no Michi, the title really should have been Onomichi (maybe that's why the names are so similar). While the show does have mahjong on more or less every episode, it really does feel mainly like a showcase for the city of Onomichi. The girls explore various real life locations quite a lot. I'm a beginner in mahjong myself so when they started teaching the game at the start of the show, I got intrigued but after a while they just stopped teaching and just sped thru games in every episode so unless you already know all the rules, good luck understanding anything that happens in the games. Them handling the focus/teaching to mahjong so badly made me disappointed at first but I actually managed to find solace in a different way about the show. I wouldn't call the show an iyashikei per se but I legit found it surprisingly comfy. The girls hanging out at their parlor, enjoying snacks and each others' company gave me good vibes. Besides Nashiko, the other main girls are a fun bunch. My favorite was Riiche. Her enthusiasm for the game and having this positive, uplifting glow around her was great. Oh and if you like big breasts then you'll also enjoy them. They made sure every character is plenty stacked. And finally related to the characters, I honestly have no idea what the point of Chombo was. They introduce this supernatural element but did absolutely nothing with it. If anything it was really funny how none of the characters really questioned the weird bird, just shrugged it off. I mentioned that its an ad for Onomichi which I honestly didn't mind too much but the show was also an actual advertisement to a mobile game called Mahjong Soul. It wasn't even just a small product placement or a shoutout but rather they dedicated an entire full length episode teaching you the ropes and how to get into the game. Definitely felt a bit weird, even as someone who has played the game before. Probably should have been a special collaborative, separate episode instead. The music in this show is pretty bad. It almost sounds weirdly like some kinda royalty free stock music, not sure what's up with that. Luckily being such a lax and simple show it wasn't a dealbreaker but still an odd thing about it. For a lot of people this show sucks ass and I wouldn't blame them for saying that. But I can't lie to myself as I did have a relatively comfy and enjoyable time with the show. It might have an identity crisis but somehow it worked for me.

First off, Pon no Michi, or Way of Pon, is a show that a lot of people on the first watch would be confused for, but if you stick with it to the end, it's not bad. The show itself is ummmm, obvious about mahjong, but not really. While Mahjong is the main thing about this show, it's more of a refrence that appears one or twice within each episode. The beginning is a little slow, with introductions for the main cast, but once Haneru (black red hair girl/ qq nino clone) joins in, the show becomes much more enjoyable and fast pace, with a lot of fun parts here and there. The refrences to Kaiji and One Piece was a nice nod, along with the Death Note style monolgues that happen within the last few episodes. However, the Mahjong Soul ad was kind of, yet not expected. OP and ED is bop. Overall, this show is a slice of life, so a laid back experience is expected, but there are some hints of emotion that definitely made the show a better watch than expected. Don't let my score fool you from not watching it, and don't let people say the show's horrible because it doesn't teach you how to play Mahjong. It's better known as a Slice a Life with Mahjong on the side, not the otherway around. SLICE OF LIFE WATCHERS REJOICE!