Saki (and the spin-off, Saki: Achiga-hen - episode of side-A, which is about girls on the other side of the brackets) can be tough to read at times. It's depressing watching characters you like and care about get ripped to shreds while struggling and giving it their all. Smart players, skilled players, brave players, but without the overwhelming talent and powers the monsters have. It's sad. Especially when the mangaka is so good at making you care about some of those other players. The worst is watching them cry because they think they let down their teammates, even though no one expected them to beat the top-level players.
Those are my favorite characters, the ones willing to take the monsters head-on, even without special powers and abilities of their own, because it's for the good of the team. They get crushed, yes, but every small win they get feels more special than the elite players walking out with a huge lead.
