This weekend saw the announcement that production has been green-lit for Saki Zenkoku-hen, an adaptation of the National Tournament arc from the Saki manga by Ritz Kobayashi. The property has been adapted twice so far with the original series by Gonzo and a second series, Saki Episode of Side A, by studio Gokumi. No dates or timelines were presented at this point about when the production will hit the broadcast side, but it was revealed that the main team from the first two series are returning with Manabu Ono directing off of a script by Tatsuhiko Urahata. Masakatsu Sasaki is returning as well in the dual role of character designer and chief animation director. Studio Gokumi will be handling the animation for it as they did the second series.
The series has done well by its fans overall and generated a fair amount of merchandise while also getting simulcast overseas via Crunchyroll. Neither of the first two series about the mahjong playing students have been picked up for home video though.
