The anime series "Jantama Kan!!" based on the online mahjong game "Jan Soul" from China will be broadcast in April this year. This is the first new work since the previous work "Jantama PONG☆", but since the previous work was released two years ago, many people may have forgotten the content or have forgotten it. This time, I would like to look back on "Jantama PONG☆" as a preparation before watching the new work!
Introduction: Introduction to the work
The anime of the mahjong game "Jan Soul", where you can play online against various players from all over the country with many cute characters, has come again. In the previous work, there were many stories that were not related to mahjong, but this time, the mahjong players start a streaming business, go on a trip with other men, and somehow get caught up in a fight between delinquents, so it seems that there will be more crazy developments than in the previous work. The activities of various characters, including main characters such as Ichihime and Kaguyahime, are attracting attention this time as well.
About "Jantama PONG ☆"
Like "Jantama Kan", it is based on "Mahjong Soul", and the main character is Ichihime, just like the game. The main characters other than Ichihime are Kaguyahime, Wanjiro, Saito Osamu, Yagi Yui, and Akechi Hideki. This work has been broadcast since April 2022, and now you can watch all episodes on the official YouTube channel. Each episode is very short, about 1 minute, but you can enjoy a well-paced story. From now on, I would like to take a closer look at the contents of this work.
At first, they are playing mahjong, but...
Episode 1 begins with a scene where Princess Ichihime and Princess Kaguya are having fun playing mahjong with their friends. Since it is a mahjong-themed anime, it is only natural, but from episode 2, the mahjong elements suddenly fade away. A quiz tournament starts at the beginning, and games such as guessing the flavor are played. At the end, there is also a competition where participants line up tiles while blindfolded to create a hand. Episode 3 begins with the news that the meteorite will hit in 90 seconds, and Ichiki plays mahjong with the other members, believing that if she wins, her wish will come true. She is so absorbed in mahjong that she completely forgets about the meteorite, and when she wakes up, the meteorite hits... the story ends with a punchline full of gag anime feel.
There's an unexpected continuation...!
Episode 4 shows the usual scene of them having fun playing mahjong. At the end, it seems like the story will continue in the same atmosphere as episode 1, but it turns out that it was actually Ichiki's dream, and in the real world, the Earth has been destroyed. In other words, it was a continuation from the end of episode 3. Since gag anime is often one-episode, this kind of development is quite innovative. By the way, from episode 5 onwards, the gag development will be the usual. From episode 5 onwards, the story continues with fewer mahjong elements, such as Ichihime getting a job, everyone exploring the snowy mountains, and the start of a mystery drama.
Finally, there is no mahjong element in episode 0...!
As for episode 6, there are not only few mahjong elements, but none at all. Ichihime rides her moped to the mountains and enjoys solo camping by the river. Since no other characters appear, there are very few lines. I think it's probably a parody of "Yuru Camp △". It's very rare to see Ichihime enjoying camping in beautiful nature, so it's a must-see. There are other stories where she doesn't play mahjong, but the word "mahjong" appears, so I don't count it as having no mahjong elements.
Review of "Jantama PONG☆"
Throughout the entire story, there are many crazy and chaotic developments, and the fewer mahjong elements, the more chaotic it becomes. Those who had the image of Mahjong Soul may have been surprised by the difference from the worldview of the game. What kind of developments await us in the new work "Jantama Kan!!"? I can't wait for it to air! That's all for now. Thank you for reading.
