It has almost been a year since I watched this show. Yet its first impression remained in me, despite the passing of time: the first time I saw it, I knew it was going to be one of my favorite series. It depicted a man’s struggle with postwar life; it showed a man’s desire and guts; it showed a man’s determination to win and yet his weakness in believing that one can win a game like Mahjong without cheating. It showed how a man threw away his scruples to achieve an ultimate goal. At least, about more than a year ago, that was what I saw.

Perhaps the contentment and amazement with this show was heightened because of the time I’ve waited to obtain the only episodes of this series: there were only two, haphazardly subbed by United-Anime, or rather, subbed to the best of their abilities, because the raws (source) used were simply horrible. But it was a lasting contentment, not a fleeting one, and it also was a lasting amazement.

A year into the future after that, right now, I still recognize its opening song. I still can sing a few sentences of that song, and there are some statements I could never forget. Luckily, with a year of perhaps an increased knowledge in obtaining media for free online, I have procured that song, and it still strikes a chord inside me. (The song is Reach Out by Akiko Wada, by the way.)

However, perhaps, not being as new to anime, I have seen a lot of better anime than this series: Akagi, for one, similarly deals with Mahjong, but is more stylistic, more gritty, and more gutsy. It’s also more engrossing, and the source videos are cleaner, and after watching Legendary Gambler Tetsuya once more, I can say that it’s better than it.

The fact that until before I rewatched more than half of the first episode of Legendary Gambler Tetusuya that it has remained in my top seven anime is sign enough that it has etched itself into my head despite all its flaws and faults. Now, however, I am trying to download the two episodes once more to clarify my jumbled thoughts. Is it really my top seven? Or was I only impressed too much in the past that it stuck with me?

So far, the video and the source say no. But I have watched the first half of the first episode only, after all. Perhaps later, I may say yes – and I may also say no. What I can say is this: it’s quite interesting, in the least.
Further judgment will come later. 🙂