Saki (manga) and Hyakko (anime)

[katreus]

Saki is like Hikaru no Go but with mahjong instead. It features a girl named Saki who, at first, doesn't like to play mahjong due to some bad New
Year's Eve experiences with her family. After playing with Haramura at the school mahjong club, she finds she does like it and aims for the nationals.
So... basic plot line is pretty normal but it's a fun enough manga.

Hyakko reminds me of a mix of School Rumble or in the style of Azumanga Daioh. It's a lot like short skits but it's hilarious. Torako, in particular,
really is a force of nature and she gets into plenty of trouble, dragging her friends along with her.

[DHBirr]

OK, this is a really delayed response, but I just wanted to say Hyakko (available in manga as well as anime) is loads of fun. It's a slice-of-life comedy at a somewhat wacky elevator school (almost the entirety of the first episode consists of the four main characters wandering around the campus, trying to find their high-school homeroom). And then the sixth episode of the anime, after a story about three girls paying their friend an unexpected home visit, goes into a fake preview which "promises" that the next episode will be an epic story that seems strongly influenced by Evangelion and the like. Followed by a note which explains that the actual episode may not be exactly like the preview. "Please forgive us."
If Tomo from Azumanga Daioh were as good-looking and cool as she thinks she is, she might be a lot like Torako.
Somewhat amusing bit of trivia: according to Wikipedia, the voice actresses for Tatsuki (Neya Michiko) and Torako (Orikasa Fumiko) both voiced Riza Hawkeye, in Full Metal Alchemist and Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood respectively. It's also kind of funny hearing Hirano Aya as shy, bosomy Ayumi being made to squeal in embarrassment in just the way she as Suzumiya Haruhi often made Mikuru do.
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Big Brother is watching you.  And damn, you are so bloody BORING.

[robkelk]

It's also kind of funny hearing Hirano Aya as shy, bosomy Ayumi being made to squeal in embarrassment in just the way she as Suzumiya Haruhi often made Mikuru do.

Fandubbing of Ayumi's squeals to footage of Mikuru in 3...2...1...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[DHBirr]

YouTube of the "epic preview" I mentioned. This particular copy, the visuals tend to break up a bit -- at least on my computer -- and the sub translation is somewhat different in spots from the one I first watched, but it's still cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te3jxUtKIyg
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Big Brother is watching you.  And damn, you are so bloody BORING.