Saki 09. Eyes Open

Eyes Open (開眼 Kaigan) is the 9th episode of the Saki anime, and the start of the Finals for the Nagano Prefectural Tournament

Synopsis
The Vanguard match of Nagano's Team Tournament Finals begins. However, before the match even starts, Yuuki runs into trouble!

The match begins, and as expected, Ryuumonbuchi immediately takes control of the game, with Kazekoshi treading behind slightly with Tsuruga and Kiyosumi falling behind. Later on, Kazekoshi begins dominating, first by assisting Kiyosumi and following up with completely taking over the game, winning in every hand in the final south round.

Summary
Showing off the teams, Kenta Mishina tells the crowd that the very first match of Nagano's Team Tournament Finals is about to begin.

Hisa tells the team that in the finals, the matches will consist of two East-South hanchan, so that there will be 10 Hanchan in total, two per player. Yuuki is surprised, saying she only brought enough tacos for one hanchan. She is reminded that Hisa told them at the training camp, and she tells Kyoutarou to buy her some tacos. He wonders if "the stores are even open this early" however, before he can leave to get any, it is announced that the players are to go to the playing room.

The vanguard from each school is introduced as they are admitted into the playing room, where Yuuki asks if it's okay to bring in her tacos. The guard responds it is okay so long as she eats them before the match.

Yuuki is uneasy with the little amount of tacos she has; however, while she's daydreaming, Ryuumonbuchi's Jun Inoue wonders if Yuuki is a fan bringing her snacks, and begins eating her tacos. Watching, mortified, Yuuki begins to cry. Kazekoshi's Mihoko Fukuji comforts Kiyosumi's Yuuki, asking her what's wrong. Yuuki responds that "the beanpole stole her tacos," to which Jun immediately apologises profusely for, most likely not realising that they were important for Yuuki (or probably, she just wanted Yuuki to stop crying). Mihoko internally wonders if Yuuki's simply hungry, and gives Yuuki her homemade lunch box, asking if it's okay; Yuuki thinks it won't be, but sees something she didn't think would be there. Meanwhile, Hisa wonders what's taking Suga-kun so long to get the tacos, while Mako responds that he just left, and shouldn't be back yet.



As Yuuki walks to the table, and the first hanchan begins, her teammates are relieved, though still concerned. Yuuki monologues, explaining that anything with the word "taco" is fine, and inside Mihoko's lunch, there was an octopus sasuage, however, on the battlefield, there's no kindness: she'll kick all of their butts.

Mihoko is glad that Yuuki has her energy back, and wonders if she's superstitious about food. She then comments on how last year, Kazekoshi's vanguard was ruined by Jun, but says that this year they'll show them all the power of Kazekoshi. Her teammates comment on her actions: Miharu Yoshitome wonders why their captain did that, while Kana Ikeda says they all know she's just that kind of person. Seika Bundou says that no matter what, their captain will the match for them, to which Kana responds that they should win the match for her as well.

Hajime Kunihiro and Touka Ryuumonbuchi talk about Kazokoshi's lineup, Hajime stating that they put their ace in the vanguard position, while Touka says if she were the vice-captain again she would've turned the tables against her and crushed her regardless.

The match resumes, and on the 10th turn, Yuuki finally reaches iishanten for a potential baiman; however, she laments how slow her hand has been, despite it being the East round, wondering if the power from the octopus sasuage was really just that weak. Jun, sensing Yuuki's iishanten, breaks the flow by calling a pon Tsuruga's Mutsuki Tsuyama's tile, causing Yuuki's tile, which would have given her tenpai and the easiest path to a baiman, to go to Mihoko.

Mako wonders why Jun would make that call, seeing as she already had that exact pon hidden in her hand, Hisa correctly guesses that Jun was trying to break the flow, Nodoka Haramura states it was illogical, while Saki Miyanaga says if it wasn't for that call, Yuuki would've been in tenpai.

However, Jun isn't finished and calls on Yuuki's tile this time, again giving Yuuki's tile, which would have put her in tenpai, to Mutsuki. Now in tenpai, with Yuuki's 4-wan, Mutsuki declares riichi, deciding that was the best course of action, being able to get 6,400 at the minimium. However, Jun wins off of Mutsuki, putting Ryuumonbuchi first and Tsuruga last, all at the same time as ruining Yuuki's east turn.

During Jun's dealership, she breaks the flow again, making Yuuki deal into her hand, dropping Kiyosumi to last place. Yuuki wonders if this is actually the South round, with her slow hand development and playing into Jun's hands. Jun continues on this rampage, winning several expensive hands in quick succession.

The first hanchan of the vangaurd match ends, with Ryuumonbuchi having an overwhelming lead, Kazekoshi second due to Mihoko's defensive plays, Tsuruga third, and Kiyosumi last. Yuuki laments how she didn't even win once, and meanders off the stage, sadly.

Her teammates are worried for her, however, Hisa reminds them that her knight in shining armour has arrived. At that moment, Kyoutarou enters the playing area, asking why she's so down, holding a bag of tacos. Yuuki, overjoyed, praises Kyoutarou, making small talk. While her teammates are relieved, Hisa says it's a shame that he has to leave again after just getting back, so he can get their lunches.

The second half of the vanguard match begins, with Yuuki taco-charged. Jun jests, riling Yuuki, while Mihoko keeps peace. Yuuki becomes happy that there are two East-South hanchans, as with two East-South hanchans come two East rounds; Yuuki's speciality East wind has arrived yet again, and she is iishanten for another baiman (considering all her potential yaku). Jun feels her hand coming together, but deciding that because she's 30,000 points down, she won't bother Yuuki.

That all changes when Yuuki declares riichi, and Jun decides that she can't leave Yuuki alone after all, calling another tile, ruining Yuuki's ippatsu tsumo, giving her winning tile to Mutsuki. Kyoutarou doesn't understand Jun's call, and Hisa tells him in the first half, it was that weird calling that gave Jun control over the entire round. The commentators talk about Jun's weird calls, Yasuko Fujita explains that Jun is attuned to the "flow" and can even manipulate it. Her partner wonders if that's even possible, she responds for herself it's impossible: even if she could make sense of the flow, she doesn't get those calls at all.

Yuuki plays into Mutsuki's cheap hand holding all of her winning tiles, due to her riichi, and becomes discouraged yet again. The east wind washes away, and her teammates are worried that this round will be a repeat of the first half. Jun can't feel anything from Yuuki anymore and claims this hanchan as hers as well. Yuuki has an oppressive feeling looming over her head, and remembers at the training camp where she couldn't win against Nodoka, Saki, and Hisa. However, she also remembers Hisa's speech about not giving up, and that the best way to move is forward, as eventually you'll see the next horizon.

Yuuki excuses herself, and spins in her chair, saying she'll just do what she can do for the time being, even if it's the South round, saying it's her job to do everything in her power to end the match. Her opponents watch her spin, Jun is weirded out, while Mihoko smiles. Yuuki states that the match is only just starting, and begins discarding tiles. Her teammates are yet again relieved, saying that she's got her spirit back.

While Jun is senses Yuuki's hand coming together, she doesn't have any opportunity to break the flow. Yuuki draws the red 5-wan becoming ryanshanten for a chi-toitsu with 3 dora tiles, however, she states that her hand will be worth more if she discards the 7-pin dora tiles, going for chinitsu hand. Jun, reaches tenpai for a haneman at best (2000 at worst), and declares riichi wondering if it'll be enough to scare off Yuuki. She goes over the possible hand combinations that Yuuki could have, however is confident nonetheless that the hand is hers.

Mihoko, sensing Yuuki's distress, shows her true colours: she opens her right eye, allowing her to calculate and analyse her opponent's hands. She sees that aside from her other 7-pin, Yuuki has entirely manzu tiles, and that discarding her dora tile would be quite dangerous after Jun's riichi. However, Mihoko discards her own dora, showing Yuuki the path. Touka states that Mihoko is trouble, Hajime notes that her eye is open.

Yuuki is ecstatic at Mihoko's discard (as the furiten rule prevents Jun from overlooking her first winning tile after she declared riichi). After drawing the 6-man, putting her in tenpai, she declares riichi while Jun wonders if Mihoko is going to support Yuuki to wipe her out. She notices Mihoko's open eyes (while Mihoko only smiles at her), composing herself, she draws Yuuki's winning tile, and having declared riichi herself, has to discard it, paying into Yuuki's dealer baiman, though any extra dora would've made it a sanbaiman.

In Yuuki's renchan, Mihoko helps Yuuki again, making Jun play into Yuuki's hand. In the next hand, when Jun tried to break the flow, she ends up playing into Mihoko's hand. Mihoko procedes to go on a winning streak of her own, winning every hand after that. Touka rages at Jun for not noticing that Mihoko was the enemy, Tomoki Sawamura says that Mihoko has control of the field (whereas Jun previously had it), while Hajime says that Jun hadn't directly taken any points from Kazekoshi anyways. Saki and Hisa both compliment Mihoko.

Mihoko continues her renchan, while Jun wonders how someone could possibly have such an overwhelming presence. The comentators wonder aloud if Mihoko will continue to pick up steam, Yuuki and Jun both lament how they've been tricked by Mihoko, how she was the real enemy, and how she was hiding in the flow the entire time. However, Mihoko's teammates are absolutely overjoyed with their captain. She ends up winning 6 times in a row before Mutsuki ends up stopping her renchan with a cheap hand.

The second hanchan ends up like this:

Trivia

 * After the second vanguard's hanchan starts, Jun asks if "yakitori" is a more appropriate food for Yuuki rather than tacos: yakitori is both food as well as a penalty in some Japanese Mahjong rulesets where if you do not win any hands in the entire hanchan you pay a penalty.


 * Over the vanguard's 2 hanchan both Yuuki and Jun lost over 25,000 points in a single hanchan, meaning that if it weren't for the tournament rules (starting with 100,000 points), they both would've been knocked out of those respective hanchan.
 * Yuuki says that anything with "taco" gives her power, octopus sounds the same as "taco" in Japanese, being "tako."
 * In an earlier episode, this is made a joke for the audience when the Ramen salesmen says he doesn't have any tako ramen when Yuuki asks for taco ramen.
 * Yuuki's baiman off of Jun is 1 han away from being a sanbaiman (worth 36,000 points), she has Riichi (1), Ippatsu (1), Pinfu (1), one Red Dora, and Chinittsu (6) for a total of 10 han; a sanbaiman must be 11 or 12 han.
 * In the same hand, Jun has an almost haneman, having declared riichi (1) her hand is a minimum 2,000 points, having only pinfu (1) as well. Other yaku she could possibly have is Junchan (3), or Tsumo (1).


 * The overall results of the Vanguard Battle: