Pon no Michi

Perhaps it's because I haven't seen many CGDCT anime, but I find myself really enjoying Pon no Michi. Is it a masterpiece? Not at all. Is it enjoyable, cute, and fun for mahjong fans? I'd say so. I recommend this anime, but that comes with a caveat - for those mahjong fans looking for a serious story, this isn't the right show for that. For those Slice of Life fans looking to just sit back and enjoy without thinking, this is a little better but still not quite there. It would be enjoyable without knowledge of mahjong, but it's filled with lots of references to ... the game that enhance your enjoyment - you may find yourself getting lost trying to keep track of everything when the gameplay is happening (although the games aren't important individually; at least up through episode 9, the most I've needed to know in the middle of a game being played on screen is that the hands they're playing are rare).

As a mahjong fan, I do find myself being a little frustrated with the subs I've been watching (though your experience may vary) - the sub group is translating various terms that usually do not get translated in gameplay such as Tenpai and Yakuman. It's a little jarring seeing that and having to catch myself jumping to make sure that the translation they've chosen is in fact a mahjong term and not something else. However, this is not an issue with the show, merely the subs I'm watching. Keep an eye out for that, mahjong fans!

Just who is Pon no Michi for?

It's not for mahjong fans. While the central conceit of the show is that the main character inherits a mahjong parlor and befriends a magical mahjong spirit, she ultimately doesn't seem to care so much about the game as she does about hanging out. Her friends are much the same. It's fun to see them goof off lightheartedly at the mahjong table in the earliest episodes but after that point they lose interest. When the 5th and final Cute Girl, the only one truly passionate about mahjong, is introduced under the pretense of a rivalry with another member ... of the cast, they spend several episodes denying her in order to Do Cute Things (i.e. not mahjong) and stamp out the fire inside her, taming her into another genericized member of the cast.

But what about CGDCT fans? The mahjong is just a distraction. If anything, most of the cute stuff they do vis a vis mahjong is just reenacting scenes from other famous (and better) mahjong stories. And beyond that, the time they spend hanging around feels contrived and unrealistic. Who has a defunct mahjong parlor just fall into their lap? Where are they getting all this time and money? To me, CGDCT works when it either leans into realism and shows Cute Girls Doing Cute Things in spite of it all, or leans into fantasy and invents whole-cloth dreamlike situations in which Cute Girls can do Things so Cute they'd be impossible for mere mortals like us. Ideally CGDCT is relatable and/or absurd and Pon no Michi is neither. It introduces promising ideas, issuing challenges to the characters which would help us better understand them, and then promptly forgets about them to go do something else. What we're left with are a cookie cutter ensemble who die stillborn in the egg of their archetypes: Spunky Klutz #1, Big Boobs #2, Tomboy, Rich Girl, and Goth Tryhard.

So why does Pon no Michi even exist? Functionally, it's a long commercial for Onomichi tourism, and a slightly-less-long commercial for Mahjong Soul. But it's not even a very good commercial. When transparently sponsored, product placement anime like Super Cub exist and are actually able to tell a moderately compelling story, Pon no Michi has no excuse.

Side notes:
- The auto-tuning in the opening is atrocious.
- Of the subs available, the bilibili subs are machine translated garbage, and the 4chan subs are meme trash. ADN is passable but not amazing.
- :->

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.

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.

This needs to be a note for all the Anime Industry, that good characters alone are not enough but must be accompanied by a story and how the story is conveyed to the audience.

In this anime we can see five girls with good character designs and big breasts.
I think this is enough to attract the audience's interest.
But unfortunately this anime can only be enjoyed by a handful of people, especially those who understand mahjong, while many of you, including myself, don't understand what mahjong is at all.
When discussing mahjong or when playing, I could only watch and not enjoy the content of the story.
Apart from ... that, the facial expressions of the characters are made very annoyingly, what is this? The shape of the face is triangular or other annoying faces, Maybe this is meant as a comedy part, but I think this facial change is very annoying to see and not funny at all.

In my opinion, this is a waste of the character's beauty, rather than making it a mahjong themed anime, it would be better to make the anime an ordinary everyday anime without mahjong. filled with fun everyday life and comedy, I think this will be a good show, but unfortunately the addition of the mahjong element is very unimportant.

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.

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.

Pretty unique story setting. So much parody in it but it was enjoyable. Glad to watch the version subbed by "MahjongSoulless" because they explained the references (or else I won't get the majority of it) but their translation is pretty trash (I think they did it purposely for entertainment?)

I watched this anime because I missed the OP mahjong series "Saki". I hope they continue to create more of Saki. Speaking of Saki, this parody anime played Saki's ending song "Netsuretsu Kangei Wonderland" in the 1st episode as the ending song (bringing back the nostalgia and the joy in me - because I watch this anime ... because I loved Saki)

An interesting, but very basic CGDCT anime, that is entirely made to be a time-waster.

Is this anything special?
Well... Not really, It actually doesn't have much to talk about, since it feels like every other basic CGDCT anime for the most part. BUT, it has Mahjong, and it is the only thing stopping this show from being entirely obscure.
That being said, I think the producers kinda expect people who already go to watch this to have knowledge on the mahjong, since not a lot of it is really explained, so you the viewer will be somewhat confused on what anything means, or at least if ... you are like me (a poor visual learner, who cannot decipher basic mahjong tactics with the tiles).
All that out of the way, mahjong really is the only defining point of this anime, I personally cannot sense anything special for the characters here since they are very forgettable.
Other than that, I have found problems with this anime's art, that being the side shots of characters sometimes look very mediocre and makes a very obvious quality changes within scenes, which is very noticeable if you pay any attention to the screen.

Other then the fact it has mahjong, I really do not see anything different from any other typical basic CGDCT, like having chats while eating, etc. But it's still early and I cannot fully judge a show on it's first three episodes entirely, but it really doesn't give off the vibe of being a surprise 10/10 sleeper anime this season, so this in no way will be the next anime that can compete with K-On for being an amazing CGDCT.

Probably would recommend it though if you like slow CGDCT and have a basic understanding of Mahjong.
To anyone else though, its kinda generic and bland to some degree and probably will not be too intriguing, unless you like generic CGDCT animes or wanna be shown mahjong every few episodes.
🗿 6/10 🗿

Pon-thetic.

I was personally quite interested in The Way of Pon when it was first announced. A cute-girls-doing-cute-things low-stakes slice-of-life anime about a bunch of insanely cute girls, who were designed by the mangaka behind The Quintessential Quintuplets, hanging out and playing Mahjong. Unfortunately, cute character designs are the beginning and the end of my interest in this show and my investment doesn’t span over four episodes.

Not that you’ll be able to watch this anime if you live in the UK. Because this is an Amazon Prime Original if you live in a certain region then fuck you. As of the time of writing you’re ... going to have to either make a voyage on the seven seas, make use of a VPN or wait and hope Amazon will be benevolent enough to dump the whole season on your lap once spring arrives.

Not that I can recommend that you go out of your way to watch Way of Pon. It is a thoroughly mediocre story about ganki girl Nasiko getting kicked out (literally) of her home by her parents for being too ganki, taking over her dad’s old parlour and turning it into a place for her and her friends to hang out and discovering a Mahjong table. Also, a magical Mahjong-Phoenix… thing appears from nowhere that only Nasiko can talk to… I guess?

The thing about Mahjong is that it’s not a very interesting game to obverse let alone try to make an entire season around. You can only have your cute girls sit around a table and make Kaiji and Yu-Gi-Oh references so many times until the joke becomes stale so the show mixes it up by having an episode dedicated to the girls making curry or mobile gaming which is just as thrilling as it sounds. I don’t dislike the girls. I like them a lot. They’re incredibly well-designed and they all have likeable personalities (Haneru with-standing as she’s only just been introduced by the end of episode four) but the script feels very safe and very mediocre.

Speaking of designs, despite the overall art and hand-drawn animation being pretty good, the digital backgrounds and the use of CGI are not. Some of the digital backgrounds have a strange fish-eye lens effect to make the interior of the parlour seem more spacious, but it doesn’t blend well with the characters and art. The CGI hands used when the girls push all of the mahjong pieces into the centre to be shuffled or when they’re making places are distractingly uncanny like they're disembodied from the characters. It’s not OLM’s best showing.

The Way of Pon isn’t good or bad. I hate to use the word, but “mid” is the best way I can describe this anime that you’ll have to pirate unless you live in a territory that Amazon has decided to permit you the honour of watching it weekly. I came for the Quintessential Quintuplets character designs and I left to watch something else. There are much better cute-girls-doing-cute-things anime out there, like Yuru Camp! I’ve been catching up on season 2 because season 3 is coming out in spring! It's a great show! Watch that instead.

5/10 Mediocre.

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!

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.

A typical "Cute Girls Doing Cute Things" anime with theme being mahjong. While CGDCT genre has many bland animes, this one brought boringness to another level.

The parts involving mahjong were quite challenging to watch. Even it provided some basic explanations, it’d be very hard to follow if one knows nothing about mahjong. Viewers would need to be quite familiar with mahjong/gambling-themed anime in order to understand the jokes in ep.1.

The parts without mahjong were incredibly dull. The characters' personalities weren’t distinct: Riche might be the most different one, while the other three girls all seemed to have similar casual, optimistic personality. The way anime ... described the daily actions of characters were mundane and boring; it was hard to see the intention of the creator - what kind of experience did want to bring to the audience?

The production appeared to be haphazard at every turn. The character designs, especially the apparels, looked so outdated. The background music often overwhelmed the scene, or even overwhelmed dialogues with a loud and distracting volume. The character movements were stiff - even the first few scenes in ep.1 were so poorly animated. And hey, what's going on with Chonbo the bird? It looked as if it was replicated from a kindergarten doodle!

After watching three episodes, I felt it’s a total waste of time to continue watching.