Top Mahjong Anime Recommendations

GREAT PRETENDER

Also known as Great Pretender.

Studio: Wit Studio
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Drama , Thriller

Self-styled “Japan's greatest swindler” Makoto Edamura is mainly targeting elder people and occasional foreign travelers. But when he tries to scam an apparently clueless French tourist in Tokyo, he can't possibly imagine that what looked like just another ordinary job is going to take him all the way to Los Angeles, tied upside-down on the famous Hollywood sign… And he is yet to find out what fate awaits him!



Tags: Crime , Anti-Hero , Foreign , Primarily Adult Cast , Male Protagonist , Urban , Language Barrier , Work , Mafia , Filmmaking , Drawing , Drugs , Gangs , Triads , Football , Acting , Bisexual , Heterosexual , Aviation , Tragedy , Slavery , Tomboy , Detective , Nudity , Tanned Skin , War , Mahjong , Baseball , Guns , Terrorism , Boys' Love

NANA

Also known as NANA.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Music , Romance , Slice of Life

Two twenty-somethings seemingly share nothing in common apart from their first name, but a chance meeting on a train bound for Tokyo sets Nana Komatsu and Nana Oosaki on a collision course with destiny. Nana Komatsu, a love-at-first-sight dreamer, aims to find enduring happiness in the big city. Nana Oosaki, neo punk rock vocalist, pursues her burning ambitions of musical stardom and worldwide fame. As their fates increasingly intertwine, they each chase their dreams — until the harsh realities of life in big city Tokyo threaten to tear everything apart.



Tags: Female Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Band , Coming of Age , Tragedy , Love Triangle , Shoujo , Rock Music , Netorare , Heterosexual , Fashion , Ensemble Cast , College , Kuudere , Age Gap , Nudity , Gyaru , Mahjong , Yuri , Noir

Beelzebub

Also known as Beelzebub.

Studio: Studio Signpost
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Supernatural

Oga Tatsumi is a first year student in Ishiyama High, a notorious school for delinquents. One day he sees a man floating by, and the man suddenly splits in half to reveal a baby boy inside!



Tags: Demons , Delinquents , Male Protagonist , School , Shounen , Primarily Male Cast , Family Life , Crossdressing , Parenthood , Anti-Hero , LGBTQ+ Themes , Super Power , Mahjong , Volleyball

Kamisama ni Natta Hi

Also known as The Day I Became a God.

Studio: P.A. Works
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Romance , Sci-Fi , Slice of Life

Youta Narukami is a student focused only on his college entrance exams. During his last summer break of high school, he is approached by a girl named Hina who says she is the god of omniscience. She tells him that in thirty days, the world will end. At first Youta doesn't believe her, but after she demonstrates supernatural predictive abilities, he becomes convinced her power is genuine. Hina, meanwhile, decides for some reason to stay at his house, and they begin a tumultuous vacation facing the end of the world together.



Note: The first episode received an early screening on October 3rd, 2020. The regular TV broadcast started on October 11th, 2020.

Tags: Disability , Gods , Tragedy , Female Protagonist , Male Protagonist , Slapstick , Urban Fantasy , Coming of Age , Rehabilitation , Filmmaking , Love Triangle , Time Skip , Kuudere , Acting , Mahjong , Baseball , Video Games , Episodic , Basketball , Cosmic Horror , Tsundere

Gintama': Enchousen

Also known as Gintama Season 3.

Studio: Sunrise
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Drama , Sci-Fi

While Gintoki Sakata was away, the Yorozuya found themselves a new leader: Kintoki, Gintoki's golden-haired doppelganger. In order to regain his former position, Gintoki will need the help of those around him, a troubling feat when no one can remember him! Between Kintoki and Gintoki, who will claim the throne as the main character?

In addition, Yorozuya make a trip back down to red-light district of Yoshiwara to aid an elderly courtesan in her search for her long-lost lover. Although the district is no longer in chains beneath the earth's surface, the trio soon learn of the tragic backstories of Yoshiwara's inhabitants that still haunt them. With flashback after flashback, this quest has Yorozuya witnessing everlasting love and protecting it as best they can with their hearts and souls.

Gintama': Enchousen includes moments of action-packed intensity along with their usual lighthearted, slapstick humor for Gintoki and his friends.



Tags: Parody , Found Family , Shounen , Male Protagonist , Meta , Samurai , Ensemble Cast , Philosophy , Politics , Conspiracy , Swordplay , Anachronism , Gore , Tragedy , Mahjong , Aliens , Historical , Memory Manipulation , Space , Robots , Suicide , Kuudere

Isekai Nonbiri Nouka

Also known as Farming Life in Another World.

Studio: Zero-G
Status: Finished
Genres: Fantasy , Slice of Life

Life cut short by illness at just 39 years old, Machio Hiraku knows not to take simple blessings for granted. When a godlike figure gives him given a chance to live again, Hiraku has only the simplest of wishes for his new life: to be healthy, to live peacefully, to speak the local language, and to spend his days on an idyllic farm. Fresh air, sunshine, honest work, and good company combine to form the happy, peaceful existence Hiraku has always dreamed of.



Tags: Agriculture , Isekai , Iyashikei , Male Protagonist , Female Harem , Found Family , Heterosexual , Monster Girl , Reincarnation , Primarily Female Cast , Magic , Kingdom Management , Maids , Elf , Horticulture , Vampire , Angels , Dragons , Chibi , Demons , Kemonomimi , Polyamorous , Tsundere , Food , Pregnant , Gods , Mahjong , Shogi , Monster Boy

Tian Guan Ci Fu

Also known as Heaven Official's Blessing.

Studio: Haoliners Animation
Status: Finished
Genres: Adventure , Drama , Fantasy , Romance

Xie Lian, the crown prince of Xian Le Kingdom, successfully ascends to Heaven during his third trial in spite of successive demotions. However, he accidentally breaks the Gold Palace of heavenly officials. With no human worshiping him, Xie Lian has to descend to the secular world to exorcise ghosts, which may help him sustain his divinity.



Tags: Gods , Male Protagonist , Ghost , Cultivation , Wuxia , Magic , Boys' Love , Rural , Travel , Demons , Tragedy , Primarily Male Cast , Revenge , Lost Civilization , Historical , Swordplay , Shapeshifting , War , Bullying , Mahjong , Crossdressing , Gender Bending

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei

Also known as When They Cry Rei.

Studio: Studio DEEN
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural , Thriller

The endless cycle of murders has been broken and Rika is finally able to settle down for a normal life with her friends. However, she is involved in a traffic accident and wakes up in a world where everything is different. A world where no one commited the sins that shaped them into the persons they are. It's up to Rika to discover the truth behind this world and whether or not it truly is perfect.

Tags: Denpa , Alternate Universe , Twins , Shrine Maiden , Rural , Primarily Female Cast , Tragedy , Female Protagonist , Urban Fantasy , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Philosophy , Mahjong , Gods , Gore , Slapstick , Meta , Isekai , Mythology

Touhai Densetsu Akagi: Yami ni Maiorita Tensai

Also known as Akagi.

Studio: MADHOUSE , DR Movie
Status: Finished
Genres: Psychological , Sports , Thriller

While mahjong is a game that is often played with family and friends, it is also a game that is played in the darkest corners of society. Nangou is a compulsive gambler who has accumulated a debt of over three million yen. In a last-ditch attempt to clear his record, he decides to wager his life on a game of mahjong with the mafia. Unfortunately, as the game progresses, Nangou only moves further from the prize and closer to death.

When all hope seems lost, the game parlor is suddenly intruded upon by Shigeru Akagi, a young boy on the run from the police. Desperate to turn the game around, Nangou hands the game over to Akagi after teaching him a few of the rules. The mafia can only smirk as Akagi sits down to play. However, they soon come to learn that Akagi is a natural-born gambler. An imposing figure who does not fear death. One who is destined to become a legend.



Tags: Gambling , Mahjong , Death Game , Noir , Time Skip , Seinen , Anti-Hero , Historical , Crime , Yakuza , Police , Male Protagonist , Primarily Adult Cast , Vampire , Body Horror

Saki

Also known as Saki.

Studio: GONZO , Picture Magic
Status: Finished
Genres: Slice of Life , Sports

Miyanaga Saki is a first year high school girl whose family would get angry if she won the family mahjong games. But losing would also have its consequences. Because of this she develops a new way of playing that allows her to stay on the thin line between winning and losing, the plus/minus zero score, an almost impossible score. In a game that relies mainly on luck, the plus/minus zero score is harder than winning, but Saki can achieve this every time.

Having always hated the game, her friend from middle school, Suga Kyotoro, forces her to play in the schools mahjong club. Her developed skill and superhuman luck has made her a worthy mahjong opponent, even to the middle school's national mahjong champion.



Tags: Mahjong , Yuri , Primarily Female Cast , Seinen , Female Protagonist , School Club , Super Power , Kuudere , School , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Ensemble Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Ojou-sama , Food , CGI , Nudity , Ghost , Board Game

xxxHOLiC◆Kei

Studio: Production I.G
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Horror , Mystery , Psychological , Supernatural

Still working to get his wish complete, Watanuki finds himself into more mess than he can handle when certain facts about his everyday life gets revealed and when he needs to learn the lesson of Yuuko the hard way.



Tags: Male Protagonist , Seinen , Urban , Mythology , Urban Fantasy , Youkai , Gods , Denpa , Ghost , Philosophy , Food , School , Body Horror , Nekomimi , Archery , Mahjong , Crossdressing , Coming of Age , Orphan

SHIROBAKO Movie

Also known as SHIROBAKO the Movie.

Studio: P.A. Works
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Slice of Life

The story is set four years after the events of the original Shirobako anime. Aoi Miyamori keeps busy dealing with the ordinary troubles in her daily work at Musashino Animation. After a morning meeting, Watanabe talks to Aoi and puts her in charge of a new theatrical anime project for the studio. The project has unexpected problems, and Aoi is unsure if the company can proceed with a theatrical anime with its current state of affairs. While dealing with that anxiety, Aoi meets a new colleague named Kaede Miyai. She and the MusAni team work together to complete the project.



Tags: Primarily Adult Cast , Work , Drawing , Female Protagonist , Ensemble Cast , Meta , Educational , Otaku Culture , Primarily Female Cast , Acting , Office Lady , Mahjong , Kuudere

Jashin-chan Dropkick’

Also known as Dropkick on My Devil!! Dash.

Studio: Nomad
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life , Supernatural

The second season of Jashin-chan Dropkick.

Jashin-chan is a demon who was summoned by Yurine Hanazono, a gothic looking girl. Unable to return home as the relevant spell was not included in the summoning grimoire, Jashin-chan resorts to violence to liberate herself from her earthly shackles.

However, this is easier said than done, as Yurine is no weakling herself. She in fact possesses formidable physical power and uses it to massacre Jashin-chan in a variety of ways, be it shoving her arm in a blender, spreading her intestines across the room or even cooking her. Though these actions would be fatal to anyone without the ability to regenerate, Jashin-chan isn't exactly undeserving of this treatment. Stuck with each other, Yurine lets Jashin-chan live with her in exchange for work around the apartment, and this cohabitation results in situations where, more often than not, Jashin-chan ends up in pieces.



Note: All episodes premiered on Amazon Prime Video Japan and Crunchyroll on April 6th, 2020. The weekly TV broadcast started on the same day.

Tags: Surreal Comedy , Meta , Primarily Female Cast , Slapstick , Demons , Female Protagonist , Monster Girl , Seinen , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Mythology , Angels , Gore , Magic , Idol , Mahjong , Kuudere , Afterlife , Isekai , Tomboy

Chuukan Kanriroku Tonegawa

Also known as Mr. Tonegawa: Middle Management Blues.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Psychological

Teiai Group is one of Japan's largest firms. Yukio Tonegawa, a man with a larger-than-life presence and sharp intellect, works as the right-hand man of Chairman Kazutaka Hyodo. One day, the chairman commands Tonegawa to spearhead "Game of Death," an evil project that employs debtors. He rallies his direct reports and scrambles to form Team Tonegawa, only to encounter a barrage of challenges from the erratic chairman and his disloyal employees, ultimately leading to his demotion.

Team Tonegawa is bombarded with an onslaught of wide-ranging problems! "Mr. Tonegawa - Middle Management Blues -" is a spinoff of "Kaiji," the hit manga series that boasts a total circulation of over 20 million printed copies.



Note: Episode 14-15, parts of 18, and parts of 20-23 of this entry adapts the Kaiji spin-off manga Ichinichi Gaishutsuroku Hanchou.

Tags: Work , Primarily Adult Cast , Primarily Male Cast , Male Protagonist , Parody , Seinen , Office , Food , Episodic , Bowling , Slavery , Mahjong , Card Battle , Pandemic

Pon no Michi

Also known as Pon no Michi.

Studio: OLM
Status: Finished
Genres: Slice of Life

The anime is set in Hiroshima Prefecture's Onomichi City, where a high school student Nashiko Jippensha was kicked out of her house. Without a place to play with her friends, she learns that the mahjong parlor that her father used to run is now vacant. She fixes the mahjong parlor and turns it into a place where she and her friends can have fun, cook, have tea, and sometimes play mahjong.



Tags: Primarily Female Cast , Mahjong , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Female Protagonist , Food , Primarily Teen Cast , Advertisement , CGI , Board Game

Love Hina Again

Also known as Love Hina Again.

Studio: Xebec
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Romance

Keitaro needs some time to evaluate himself and his goals, so he goes onto a trip with Seta to attempt the life of an archaeologist. However, not all is safe at the Hinata Inn while he is gone. A woman claiming to be Keitaro's sister comes and claims right to being the manager of the inn. Life gets complicated when Keitaro returns, and attempts to deal with his sister of yesteryear.



Tags: College , Nudity , Heterosexual , Incest , Female Harem , Shounen , Male Protagonist , Primarily Female Cast , Mahjong , Dullahan

Meitantei Conan: Shikkoku no Chaser

Also known as Case Closed: The Jet Black Chaser.

Studio: TMS Entertainment
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Drama , Mystery

Kudou Shinichi is living his life as Edogawa Conan, but those days seem to might end pretty soon. The Black Syndicate is coming dangerously close to learning the truth about Shinichi having survived. Conan and everybody around him may end up dead if he doesn't manage to find Irish - a member of the Black Organisation who has infiltrated the police forces, currently investigating a big serial murders case.

Tags: Age Regression , Police , Male Protagonist , Espionage , Mahjong , Detective , Shounen

Saki: Zenkoku-hen

Also known as Saki: The Nationals.

Studio: Studio Gokumi
Status: Finished
Genres: Slice of Life , Sports

After their success in the regional tournament, the Kiyosumi High School mahjong team faces off against a whole new level of competition at the National Tournament in Tokyo.



Tags: Mahjong , Yuri , Primarily Female Cast , School Club , Female Protagonist , Kuudere , Seinen , Board Game , School , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things

Saki: Achiga-hen - episode of side-A

Also known as Saki - Episode of Side A.

Studio: Studio Gokumi
Status: Finished
Genres: Slice of Life , Sports

The Achiga Girls' Academy in Nara once defeated regional mahjong powerhouse Bansei High School. It advanced into the national team semifinals but lost to the eventual champion, and the mahjong club was later disbanded.

Six years later, elementary school student Shizuno Takakamo befriends transfer student Nodoka Haramura. The two eventually enter Achiga Girls', but Nodoka transfers out of the school in the second year.

When Shizuno sees Nodoka on television the following year as the national middle school individual mahjong champion, she decides to revive Achiga's mahjong club.

Tags: Mahjong , Yuri , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , School Club , Time Skip , Female Protagonist , School , Primarily Female Cast , Kuudere , Seinen , Board Game

Frame Arms Girl

Also known as Frame Arms Girl.

Studio: ZEXCS , studio A-CAT
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Ecchi , Mecha , Sci-Fi

The story begins when Ao opens a package that arrives at her doorstep. Inside the package is Gourai, a Frame Arms Girl: a small robot capable of independent movement. Gourai is a newly-developed prototype: a Frame Arms Girl equipped with an "Artificial Self," an advanced AI that gives her a personality. Ao is the only one that has activated her. Gourai begins to gather both battle data and emotions, starting a day-to-day life with Ao, who knows nothing about Frame Arms Girls.



Tags: Robots , Primarily Female Cast , Twins , Cute Girls Doing Cute Things , Female Protagonist , CGI , Mahjong , Dullahan