And I just watched the first [episode]. And you know what? It was really good!
As to the yuri elements, well, yeah there's some of that. [...] It's suggestive to the people who are looking for yuri elements, but it can also be read completely innocently.
The initial story of recruitment of Saki reminded me about Bamboo Blade (the way Steven told it anyway).
UPDATE: Steven takes TJ's trolling seriously and tries an honest answer:
The Saki character appealed to me; that’s really the core of it. She appealed to me as a person. She’s not a wimp; she doesn’t let herself get pushed around. When, at the end of ep 2, she joined the MahJong club, it was because she had decided she really wanted to. She wasn’t railroaded, and attempts to railroad her would have failed because she’s strong willed.
I'd buy that if I didn't remember how Akane Miura would not get a break from him. There's nothing wrong in "take pride in being incomplete, incorrect, inconsistent, and unfair... deliberately". I'm just saying that he may be wilfully blind about other parts of Saki aside from the will.
UPDATE late Saturday: Steven clarifies that he's never had the chance to evaluate Akane, because he was poisoned by Yukari's brattiness and dropped the series before Akane showed her qualities.