Toki 37: Hidden Motive

Toki and her friends go on a school trip to Lake Biwa. Fun, jokes, laughter and... remorse. Deep remorse.

Happy New Year!
Toki ch37 (Mega)
Toki ch37 (Mediafire)

Shinohayu 75: Willowy Hair

Shimane's equivalent to Nagano's joint training camp before the Nationals.
Shinohayu ch75 (Mega)
Shinohayu ch75 (Mediafire)

Ritz's blog post 19.12.22

There was a new Ritz's blog update and it contains a major correction to Saki chapter 212. In page 15, Teru's tiles are pinzu, not manzu. So that means Teru doesn't have the 7m after all (not all tiles are visible though).

Before (left) and after correction (right).

Saki's two-month break is for making corrections to the next tank.

"Since this time there are fewer corrections than in previous volumes, maybe I don't need to take such a long break?" Ritz asked her editor. "Not a chance, I don't trust you." the editor replied. 😅

Saki 212: Decision

There are a few things in this chapter you might miss if you only give it a quick read so I wrote some chapter's notes below. If you are interested, please give it a look. Beware, the notes contain spoilers for the chapter obviously.

Well, the first thing is not really a spoiler so I'll just say it right here. The uniform Teru and Satoha are wearing in the first two pages is probably from their participation at the World Junior Championships. We were told in the last chapter that they were "partners", most likely meaning they were Japan's representatives at the tournament. Why they travel in a military helicopter though, I have no idea.

Saki ch212 (Mega)
Saki ch212 (Mediafire)
 

Saki 211: Partner

To give a little more context to Davin's words, rinkai means 'waterfront' in Japanese and there is a small section of Tokyo's waterfront area called Rinkai Town. In Ritz's old manga Fatalizer, Rinkai is mentioned as a whole new ward that the city has created in Tokyo Bay. It is an island and it seems to be the same in the Saki world.

Saki ch211 (Mega)
Saki ch211 (Mediafire)

And MakoMeshi's chapter 7 (by Spectacular Scanlations):
MakoMeshi ch7 (mangadex)

Toki 36: Absence

So what may have happened is that Mekimeki told Ritz about the upcoming plot of the Toki manga and then Ritz decided to include a little scene in the Saki manga with Toki fantasizing about the future evolution of her powers. I mean, these two things could not have been a coincidence, I don't think.

Toki ch36 (Mega)
Toki ch36 (Mediafire)

Shinohayu 74: Keystone

Short but sweet. Toki will be next. Probably on the weekend.
Shinohayu ch74 (Mega)
Shinohayu ch74 (Mediafire)

Saki 210: With All Her Strength

For some reason, I always assumed Yuuki already played mahjong before meeting Nodoka. But looking back at the special chapter in volume 9, it makes more sense that she didn't. If Yuuki had any interest in mahjong before that, she could have joined Takatoobara's club immediately. But she only does after Nodoka mentions mahjong is her hobby two months later, too late for the Intermiddle. This ties well with Yuuki's thoughts in this chapter.

On a funny note, I like Toki's joke in page 2. She says it so seriously, even Ryuuka doesn't know what to think!

Saki ch210 (Mega)
Saki ch210 (Mediafire)

Saki 209: Reason & Toki 35: One Arrow

Saki was almost out by the time I was done with Toki so I thought I'd just release these two together.

Saki ch209 (Mega)
Saki ch209 (Mediafire)

For Toki, the chapter's title of 'One Arrow' does not literally mean 'an arrow', it's a set phrase. Firing back an arrow has a meaning of 'symbolic retaliation' while being under attack by a much stronger enemy. A single arrow probably won't change the outcome of the battle but it symbolizes some kind of counterattack, no matter how small or hopeless it may be.

Toki ch35 (Mega)
Toki ch35 (Mediafire)

And MakoMeshi chapter 6 (by Spectacular Scanlations):
MakoMeshi ch6 (Mangadex)

Shinohayu 73: Joint Training Camp

This time, a purely light-hearted chapter to lighten the mood of the somewhat serious chapters we had before. Almost like a chapter from Saki Biyori, really. Shinohayu Biyori?

Shinohayu ch73 (Mega)
Shinohayu ch73 (Mediafire)

Saki 208: Ready to Fight

Final's vanguards match. Who will come out on top in the end?
Saki ch208 (Mega)
Saki ch208 (Mediafire)

And MakoMeshi chapter 5 (by Spectacular Scanlations):
MakoMeshi ch5 (Mangadex)

Shinohayu 72: Summer Sky

To win? To have fun? Can it be both?
And what's next for Shino and the other Yumachi girls?
Shinohayu ch72 (Mega)
Shinohayu ch72 (Mediafire)

Just a reminder, there is no Toki chapter this month.

Saki 207: World-shaking

There was a new blog post by Ritz a couple of days ago. Nothing much but Ritz was making corrections for the tank release and there was this panel with superdeformed versions of Saki and Nodoka in chapter 202. Ritz says: "I have a feeling that the magazine version which only took me one minute to draw has a bit more flavor...". Well, judge for yourselves.

magazine version

"corrected" version for the tank

You'll notice one or two rough panels in the last few pages. It seems that Ritz got stuck drawing Ako's first appearance and run out of time... It's not too bad though.

Saki ch207 (Mega)
Saki ch207 (Mediafire)

Also, MakoMeshi chapter 4 (by Spectacular Scanlations):
MakoMeshi ch4 (Mangadex)

Toki 34: Blooming

As we saw last chapter, Ryuuka looks incredibly strong in this match but the truth is her opponents are very weak. Ryuuka has always been a fairly strong player (strong enough to be a regular in the highly competitive Senriyama High School), but since she plays in the monster-filled captain position, she often looks weak by comparison. Here, her opponents are casual players who play a couple of days a week just for fun, it's no wonder she barely needs to try.

That said, weak players may hide latent powers...

Toki ch34 (Mega)
Toki ch34 (Mediafire)

Shinohayu 71: Developing Together

Two lives unfolding side by side. Developing together, growing together. Similar goals but very different situation.

Shinohayu ch71 (Mega)
Shinohayu ch71 (Mediafire)

Saki 206: Dragon God

Raise your hand if you need more flashback in your life. Only Shizu? Okay...
Saki ch206 (Mega)
Saki ch206 (Mediafire)

And a new delicious chapter of MakoMeshi (by Spectacular Scanlations):
MakoMeshi ch3 (Mangadex)

Toki 33: Imperial Wrath

I don't like putting the translated text on top of the original text but there's no way I was going to redraw all that. Sometimes, it's just too much.

Anyway, here you go:

Toki ch33 (Mega)
Toki ch33 (Mediafire)

Shinohayu 70: Never Again

Post-tournament fallout...
Shinohayu ch70 (Mega)
Shinohayu ch70 (Mediafire)

Saki 205: Evolution & Chapter Pack

I made a chapter pack with all Saki chapters translated by Akio Translations so far (chapters 136-205, 70 chapters). This won't be updated with every new chapter but maybe every ten or twenty chapters or whatever. This was the easiest way to do it for me. Putting all files in one shared folder might also be a good idea but I would still need to keep it updated so this will do for now.

Saki
Saki ch136-205 (Mega) (obsolete)

And the latest chapter:
Saki ch205 (Mega)

Saki ch205 (Mediafire)

And MakoMeshi chapter 2:
MakoMeshi ch2 (Mangadex)

Shinohayu 69: Birdcloud Formation

I didn't forget about the chapter pack. I'm just a little busy right now. But it will be done soon, I hope.

Anyway, long chapter this time:

Shinohayu ch69 (Mega)
Shinohayu ch69 (Mediafire)

Oh and just a reminder, no Toki chapter this issue.

Saki 204: Sharp

'Sharp' is meant to be read as 'a person with sharp senses' but clearly there is a double meaning with 'a sharp blade' too.

Saki ch204 (Mega)

Saki ch204 (Mediafire)

Saki 203: Divine Wind

The vanguards' second half is about to start but first some revelations about the past (and the present?).
Enjoy:
Saki ch203 (Mega)
Saki ch203 (Mediafire)
EDIT: After the comment by Oleg Oshmyan below and reading chapter 200 again, I realized some changes were necessary in page 7 of that chapter. So chapter 200 has been updated.

Just a reminder that the first chapter of MakoMeshi, the new spinoff manga by Mekimeki, has been released. Spectacular Scanlations on Mangadex is doing the translation. Make sure to check it out if you haven't.
MakoMeshi (Mangadex)
 

Toki 32: Serious

Intense, mahjong-heavy chapter but a bit on the short side, Mekimeki probably too busy with the upcoming release of the new Mako manga. And we'll have to wait another month for the next one. But we'll soon have 4 ongoing series again, so we can't complain, really.

Riichi!

Toki ch32 (Mega)
Toki ch32 (Mediafire)

Shinohayu 68: Feather Wind

Shino's recollection of her mother's disappearance ended at the end of last chapter and now Shino has a new goal to strive for. But first, the match at hand. How much longer can she survive with only 300 points left?

Magazine cover included:
Shinohayu ch68 (Mega)
Shinohayu ch68 (Mediafire)

Also, Saki, Nodoka and Fujita-pro already confirmed for the new Mako food manga.

Saki 202: Sword of Justice

Saki is back after a long break. I wrote a few chapter's notes which you will find below. The notes are not needed to understand the chapter but provide a bit of additional information and some things that are lost in translation.

Enjoy:

Saki ch202 (Mega)
Saki ch202 (Mediafire)

Whoa! Look at those big mountains... there in the background.

Ritz-sensei's blog post 19.05.08

A new post on Ritz's blog was published yesterday. After many months, finally some answers to reader's questions. Actually, Ritz only answered 3 questions but she dropped quite the bombshell. This is what she has to say:

Homosexual characters

I haven't counted but I feel like more than half the characters are homosexual. Including some married characters. And I think about 20% of those are bisexual. More than half the characters are children of woman x woman relationships (created through methods like iPS cells and the like). Also, in this world, same-sex marriage is possible.

Swimsuit models

There are very few girls of school age who perform as swimsuit magazine models. Only Shiori-san and one other character who has not been introduced yet. But there are many who perform as non-swimsuit clothed models. Even so, in their 3rd year, and once the Interhigh and the Kokuma have ended. The readers of bikini model magazines are almost generally female. The photographers and the editorial staff are also all female. But me, I want to marry Tsubakino-san.

Note: Unozawa Shiori is one of Teru's former teammates at Shiraitodai. The Kokuma is a mahjong tournament that takes place in autumn after the Interhigh. Tsubakino Miyuki is one of the Kentani players.

Sumire's socks

Hirose Sumire wears tights. Elementary school Nodoka wears knee-high socks.

Then apparently someone wrote to Ritz asking if all the above is true. Ritz replies:

If you don't believe what I said in the previous post, why would you believe me now if I say, "Yes, it is true"? What I wrote here and what I wrote 2 years ago in the post of December 27th, normally it's all meant to be the completely official scenario. I'm not saying anything extreme.

Note: The post from 2 years ago is the one where Ritz said all characters were virgins, even the mothers and grandmothers.

To summarize, it appears that in the world of Saki, a majority of the population is homosexual. Or at least, this is true for the part of the population who plays mahjong, which is very large since mahjong is a very big deal there. Children are then born mostly from lesbian relationships through artificial methods such as iPS cells (something which is not yet possible in the real world but might be someday). This explains why most women are virgins, even the mothers. Additionally, the majority of consumers of bikini model magazines are women, not men. And those who create those magazines are women too. Such is the world of Saki according to Ritz.

Toki 31: Confrontation

Well, how are these two going to solve their differences? Let's find out.
Toki ch31 (Mega)
Toki ch31 (Mediafire)

Shinohayu 67: Sprout

Language-related jokes are hard to translate but a brief explanation is given in footnotes. I hope that helps.

Shinohayu ch67 (Mega)
Shinohayu ch67 (Mediafire)

New Saki Spin-off: Mako

A new Saki spin-off manga called Someya Mako's Mahjong Parlor Food has been announced. The author is Mekimeki and it will be published in the Young Gangan magazine (like Saki) starting on the 7th of June. It looks like it could be a food porn manga with some mahjong elements. The serialization of Toki by the same author will also continue. Akio Translations will probably translate the first chapter, but afterwards I'm not sure. 
EDIT: Spectacular Scanlations on Mangadex will handle the translation.

Mekimeki released this nice picture for the announcement (all credit goes to Mekimeki).

I must say I'm very surprised at this development. I imagine most people are. A new spin-off, yes. But Mako? And food? I didn't see that one coming. In any case, this could be like a Kiyosumi side-story with Saki, Nodoka, Hisa and Tacos having plenty of screentime. More than they do in the main story nowadays. That's if the story takes place in the same year as the main story of course.

Toki 30: Crossroads

Sorry, Saki. Sorry, Ryuuka. All hail the new 怜和 TokiNodo era! 😁

In case you missed it, Japan announced yesterday that the new era that begins next month will be called 令和 Reiwa. That's so close to the kanji for the names of Toki (怜) and Nodoka (和) that it's very easy to misspell it. The name already sparked several drawings and comments from Saki fans.

Jokes aside, here's the chapter.
Toki ch30 (Mega)
Toki ch30 (Mediafire)

Shinohayu 66: A Trail of White Waves

This chapter's title makes reference to the trail of white-crested waves left by a ship moving through the water. Also called 'wake' in English. In Japanese, it can also be used to refer to something that's disappearing or will disappear soon, since the white foamy waves don't remain visible for long.

It's a short chapter, probably due to Ritz being busy with the upcoming volume releases, but here you go:

Shinohayu ch66 (Mega)
Shinohayu ch66 (Mediafire)

Toki 29: Necklace 4

Lots of Toki being Toki. Very healing.
🐹
Toki ch29 (Mega)
Toki ch29 (Mediafire)

Saki 201: Cooperation

There are good news and bad news. The good news is we have another complete 16-page chapter. Actually, I can't remember the last time we had one of those "rough draft" chapters, so that's good. The bad news is Saki is taking a little break until May 17th (2½ months). Most likely, this is to prepare for the next volumes' releases in May (Saki 19/ Shino 11/ Toki 5). Still, it's a pretty long break. It would be nice if the author or the editor could schedule this better but no. We should still have more Shinohayu and Toki in the meantime though.

Saki ch201 (Mega)
Saki ch201 (Mediafire)

Shinohayu 65: Plover on the beach

Long time no chapter! After skipping one issue, Shinohayu returns at last.

A plover walking on a beach leaves footprints that remain long after the bird is gone but these too will fade eventually. There is a Japanese classical poem (waka) that compares a plover's footprints with memories that will eventually fade if not written down. In Shinohayu, the "plover" is long gone but its "footprints" still remain as memories. However, if the plover never comes back, will its footprints also disappear?

Shinohayu ch65 (Mega)
Shinohayu ch65 (Mediafire)

No Saki chapter this month

So it seems Ritz caught the flu right after submitting the previous chapter. Her manager cancelled the chapter's release immediately but Ritz thought maybe she could still make it and started working on it as soon as she could. In the end, it couldn't be though. That's why the announcement was delayed until now. Next chapter should be on March 1st.

Ritz also posted a table with birthdays, heights and blood types for minor Shinohayu characters. It's just names, probably not worth translating but if someone is really interested, let me know.
EDIT: someone added the table info to the Saki wiki so it's all good.

Saki 200: Open

Round 200!! This chapter is called kaihou which means "open" or "opening" and there's a good reason for that, but it feels we just closed a chapter that was opened almost 10 years ago.

gi...gigi...gigigi...
Saki ch200 (Mega)
Saki ch200 (Mediafire)
2019-06-07: changes in page 200-07 after chapter 203.

Shinohayu 64: Three-hundred

Chihiro's attack continues. Can anyone stop her?
Shinohayu ch64 (Mega)
Shinohayu ch64 (Mediafire)

NOTICE: There is no Toki chapter this month because Mekimeki was sick with the flu.

Saki 199: Hard Fighting

First Saki chapter of the year and here come the revelations...

gigigi...
Saki ch199 (Mega)
Saki ch199 (Mediafire)

Toki 28: Necklace 3

Ryuuka's backstory (part 3). We are getting closer and closer to the beginning.

Toki ch28 (Mega)
Toki ch28 (Mediafire)