Houkago Saikoro Club

Miki Takekasa is an introverted high schooler who does not socialize with her classmates. However, she wants to know what "fun" really is, waiting for someone who could help her understand its true meaning. One day after school, she crosses paths with her classmate Aya Takayashiki, who takes her on a little adventure. Miki discovers wonders she had never seen before, opening a way to change her withdrawn life.

On their way home, Miki and Aya see their class representative Midori Oono entering Saikoro Club, a store specializing in board games. After trying out a German board game, Miki soon understands the kind of fun she had been looking for: playing various games after school along with the friends and acquaintances she makes from her newfound pleasure.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Takekasa, Miki Main

Miyashita, Saki Japanese

Oono, Midori Main

Tomita, Miyu Japanese

Takayashiki, Aya Main

Kouno, Marika Japanese

Emilia Main

Ichimichi, Mao Japanese

Yoshioka, Ryuuji Supporting

Horie, Shun Japanese

Kinjou, Takeru Supporting

Kuroda, Takaya Japanese

Maki, Kyouko Supporting

Matsui, Eriko Japanese

Beresford, George Supporting

Ueda, Youji Japanese

Tanoue, Shouta Supporting

Amasaki, Kouhei Japanese

Aoshima, Yuuto Supporting

Yashiro, Taku Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Sasaki, Reiko Producer

Shikama, Taisuke Producer

Maeda, Kenta Producer

Reviews

Dec 18, 2019

Xiaraith

Recommended

Friendship through the power of board games - a board-gamified review of Houkago Saikoro Club

(this review is structured and meant to be read as if it was a board game manual)

-- General game info --
> game idea and concept by Xiaraith
> inspired by LIDENFILMS
> original story and art by Nakamichi Hiroo
> for any player count, age 13+
> Playing time: 5 minutes, potentially leads to another game of 276 minutes
...
-- Game Material --
> models of 3 girls, board game shop, manager
> locked boxes to be opened when instructed
> decision board, pawn

-- Game Setup --
Prepare the game by taking the two models of the introverted (Miki) and the cheerful (Aya) highschool girls out of the game box.
Initiate their starting situation by allowing them to meet, which results in them starting a quest that they'll try to achieve for the foreseeable future. As trivial as it might sound, this quest is an adventure to learn about fun and friendship.
The remaining unlocked models are now added to the mix (the board game shop+manager and the class representative girl named Midori). After making the three girls meet in said shop, the main bulk of our game (and the actual anime) commences.
Prepare a way to note or remember your personal score (which starts at zero), place the decision board in front of you, and the pawn on the first spot.

-- Course of Play --
The rules are simple and straightforward. You control the pawn and move it forward on the board, one step at a time.
On each spot, you decide whether or not you agree with the statement written on it, and if you do, add or subtract the respective points to your personal score. Once you reach the end of the board, your final score will determine the outcome of the game/review.

+2 -- I value the depiction of a growing friendship
+1 -- rather innocent and curious girls are someone I enjoy watching
+1 -- cute girls for the win
-2 -- cute-girl anime mustn't feature any males in order to be enjoyable
+1 -- looking for a slice of life setting that, next to hobbies, also deals with daily problems and interactions in school
+1 -- I don't mind if characters in slice of life anime try something new/engage in activities not commonly seen in anime
+1 -- plot progression in slice of life anime exists, and it happens via character development
+1 -- a colourful/comfortable/picture-book art style gets a thumbs up
+1 -- people are happy and grow to each other by connecting via shared activities
+1 -- having a vivid imagination is no foreign concept to me and/or I enjoy gamifying parts of my life
+1 -- terms and names such as Spiel des Jahres, Alex Randolph, Catan, Eurogame/German-style board game, mean something to me
+3 -- I am interested in what an upcoming board game author needs to worry about, some of the steps required for a board game idea to take form, and perhaps I even tried my hands on an own game creation
+1 -- modern board gaming is something that fascinates me or that I want to learn about
-1 -- traditional games such as Monopoly, Risk or Clue feel decently complex and are all I need
+1 -- when I hear the term "gaming", I picture things that aren't related to video games
+1 -- in case I am German, I like to feel good about my nationality and/or want to experience something that my country has historically been, and nowadays still is, worldwide known for

-- Game End and Scoring --
Your pawn has moved forward, has moved to the final spot, netting or losing you points.
Whatever happened, your final score now determines how this game actually concludes:

(10+)
If today is the first time you've heard of "Houkago Saikoro Club", then let me tell you, it might just be your best day of the entire month! In any case, engage in this anime's world and get blissfully treated ^-^

(7-9)
Well played, and a worthy score for someone who might be looking for something comfortable to watch in order to calm down or explore the world of gaming. This anime is able to offer the desired variety.
(Treat this review as if it's rated 7 instead of 9)

(4-6)
If you are one of MAL's rare board game enthusiasts, Houkago Saikoro Club will almost certainly give you a blast of a time. And if you feel good about cute art and slice of life vibes while also being open to new ideas, this anime is a legit option too. In the end, you'll likely not have to worry about ending up with major things to criticise about this show.
(Treat this review as if it's rated 6 instead of 9)

(Less than 4)
Hmm, even though it might have come down to poor luck or other unfavourable circumstances, the chance of Houkago Saikoro Club not living up to your anime expectations has to be feared. The thing is, while this anime does offer a lot to those who scored highly or are otherwise intrigued by its vibes and themes, there isn't exactly much to find here for the rest of the anime populace. But hey, rather some specialised entertainment than everything trying to please everyone.
(Treat this review as if it's rated 4 instead of 9)

-- Credits --
First things first, you probably wonder what the locked boxes contain and how/when to open them. Well, do you like to be surprised?
LIDENFILMS's adaptation of a comfy manga will introduce characters and games that you might have not expected, but which all add to the entire concept. A game needs to be played after all in order to fully realise the special emotions and interacting mechanics, and same goes for this series.

All games in the anime (aside from those created by voiced characters of the show) are real existing games, and details of all the game boxes are all legit.

The genuine interest in board games by the mangaka, Nakamichi Hiroo, is easily noticeable in both the anime and manga, thus having the board game topic is not done in a cheap way as quick attention grab, but to provide a window for everyone to realise that board gaming is a thriving hobby.

Speaking of which, modern board gaming is in a very healthy spot these days, and people like me can easily spend hours daily just to read about new games or play some with friends/family/coworkers/etc. Board gaming isn't physically demanding, which is also why virtually every age group from young to old can enjoy it, something we also notice in the anime.

And you know, speaking from personal experience, I've noticed board game friends (those who generally don't know about the existence of anime) share trailers and details about Houkago Saikoro Club, and some of them did start watching it. A broader appeal is absolutely there, which I can't say about a lot of other anime/manga that feature certain sports/hobbies as their main activity and quirk.

If there is something I've got to criticise, then that the episode length doesn't allow for actually complex games to be part of the anime, even though I would have loved to see some of those. Well, reason enough for me to get a hold of the manga and see what else we get gaming-wise. And isn't this what a good anime tries to achieve, making you want to deal with its source material~

May these girls and everyone else keep enjoying the activity of board gaming. Its potential is infinite!

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Jun 16, 2020

leontas2007

Mixed Feelings

The idea was really cool. I 'm playing a lot of board games so I thought that it would be a nice anime to watch.

Now if I was watching this series in any other circumstances I would easily rate it with 1 or 2. But my mood was so bad that I needed something soft like this. Something to chill.

First, the pros.

Most of the time, everything is better in anime format. Something simple as throwing a dice, writing on a notebook, or just plain staredown contest, is always epic to watch. This again applies here most of the time. Board games you know are ... beign played here and you see how characters react to them, in a way you wouldn't react. The characters state details in the rules, the cards and the miniatures that you would never even bother, but is rather satisfying to watch the characters play the board games here.

The cons.

The only con is simple. typical, anime. All the stereotypes are here. Shy protagonist, "I want to be the best", "friendships always wins? for some reason" and so on. I mean yeah it has its moments but the characters are sooo shallow that you don't even care about what will happen.
Also, its only 12 episodes, they didn't have the time to do anything with the characters, so you don't have the time to care.

So, if this series was bigger, it may had a chance to be something. Now it was only another random anime series that we will all forget about it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Dec 19, 2019

robert788

Not Recommended

Houkago Saikoro Club (2019)

Beginning with a sad story of an introverted girl due to the bullying she faced from her shyness. She has little in the way of friendship but this changes with the arrival of Aya. Later Midori and Emilia join the fold too. They all share a past time going through the series with analogue games. Miki the introverted girl meets various people and solves a few misunderstandings with some pointless romance devices shown. Pointless because they are barely touched, they could have been not shown and the show would hardly change.

Initially, I thought this would be a hidden gem, however, I, ... unfortunately, was mistaken. Initially, it had a slow pace but that was expected and my issue is that the show is just boring.

I gained so little joy out of watching it, for the first time ever I actually considered (but didn't) speeding up the playtime slightly. I watch everything I start to finish.

There is nothing majorly wrong with the show but nothing right particularly either.

The art is average at best. It often can drop its quality a little too often. The characters also have very little charm to them which ruins the viewing a bit.

The show itself I really did try to enjoy, I really wanted to enjoy it but I personally couldn't.

Take my review however you wish. Ultimately the show had a lot of opportunities and instead it failed for me. It could have even been cute girls do cute things but it can't even do that.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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