Recently, Unlucky Morpheus, the same band that made the song “Top of the ‘M'” which I analyzed, created another song called “M” Revolution. Just like Top of the “M”, it contains plenty of references to M-League. Today, I’ll be going through all of them.
Riichi Mahjong and M-League Rundown
Riichi mahjong is a game played with 4 players and 136 tiles. Each player has a hand with 13 tiles and tries to complete a hand with four groups of three tiles and a pair. These groups can consist of three tiles in a row (For example, 123 or 678) or three of a kind (111 or 777 or EEE). On each turn, a player draws a tile and discard a tile. Everyone takes turns doing this until someone completes their hand (either by drawing their last tile or someone discarding the tile they need). Points are awarded and exchanged based on the hand composition and the player who has the most points by the end of the game wins. Riichi mahjong is a lot more complex than that, but, so if you want to learn more about how to play riichi mahjong, check out Mahjong Guide’s beginner guide or Light Grunty’s video series.
M-League is the highest league of professional mahjong in Japan. Established in 2018, the best players from the five big professional mahjong organizations compete on 8 teams to win 50 million yen and the M-League Championship Plate. The regular season consists of 180 games, with the top 6 teams going to the semifinals. After the 24-game semifinals, the top 4 teams play in an 12-game final to see who wins the championship.
If you want to learn more about M-League, check out our FAQ.
Analysis
Note: I understand very little Japanese and may make some mistakes in translations and interpretations. If you have anything else to add, make sure to post it in the comments.
Mouse over each line of the Japanese to get the romaji.
勝利の桜吹雪
巻き起こせ ”M” Revolution
Creating a raging blizzard of cherry blossoms
It’s the “M” Revolution!
The reference to cherry blossoms (桜, sakura) is a reference to the Kadokawa Sakura Knights. They are the newest team in M-League, coming in a year after the rest of the teams. In the 2020 season, they had their best performance, placing 2nd overall.
初めは孤独な麒麟児 でも今は
A lonesome prodigal child at first, but now
The line (麒麟児, in particular) references the mahjong manga 鉄鳴きの麒麟児 (Tetsunaki no Kirinji, Iron-Call Kirinji). Though not directly connected to M-League, there is still a connection. The writing of the book was supervised by Shibukawa Nanba (渋川難波), who is a co-commentator for M-League. The author of the book also draws M-League comics.
This also the start of many book references that we will see throughout the song.
君の声が 風となり背中押す
Your voice is the wind that pushes me onward
風 is a phrase often by Hiyoshi Tatsuya (日吉辰哉), one of the play-by-play commentators of M-League.
理論と直感で 「する」「しない」日々Choice
Based on theory and instinct, “Do” “Don’t” is the daily choice
理論と直感 is a line taken directly from the title the book 麻雀 理論と直感力の使い方 (Mahjong: How to Use Power of Theory and Intuition) written by Kondo Seiichi (近藤誠一), a member of the Sega Sammy Phoenix.
「する」「しない」is a reference to the Youtube Channel of Hinata Aiko (日向藍子) called “Hinatan’s Mahjong SuruShinai”. Hinata is a member of the Shibuya Abemas.
明日は今日より強くなる
Tomorrow will be mightier than today
The book theme continues! This line is a direct reference to a book by the famous Nikaido sisters of mahjong. In particular, Nikaido Aki (二階堂亜樹) is a player for the EX Furinkazan. In the 2020 season, she was part of the championship-winning team.
天才・超人・
全能・マエストロ
そんなふうに
Genius, Superman,
Almighty, Maestro
Something like that
天才 is a reference to Kayamori Sayaka (茅森早香) of the Sega Sammy Phoenix, whose nickname is 天才すぎるオンナ雀士( Above-Genius Female Mahjong Player).
超人 is a reference to Murakami Jun (村上淳) of the Akasaka Drivens, whose nickname is リーチ超人 (Riichi Superman)
全能 is a reference to Suzuki Taro (鈴木たろう) of the Akasaka Drivens, whose nickname is ゼウス (Zeus)
マエストロ is a reference to Uchikawa Kotaro (内川幸太郎) 手順マエストロ (Procedure Maestro)
In addition, the background of each section corresponds to the colours of the team. Though the main colour of the team is orange, Kayamori’s team (Sega Sammy Phoenix) has blue and green highlights. Both Murakami and Taro’s team (Akasaka Drivens) has a green motif and Uchikawa’s team (Kadokawa Sakura Knights) has pink as its team colour.
呼ばれる日が来るから
見せてあげよう
The day will come when you’ll be called upon
I’ll show you!
Here we have the biggest visual reference to the teams. Each team has a different colour that is shown in this sequence. If you pay attention through the video, you can see that the colour of the words matches with the player that they’re referencing.
According to Fuki, one of the members of the band, all the backgrounds were specifically for the music video and made sure to include the elements of the team uniform designs (such as the tartan pattern on the Akasaka Drivens’ uniform)
僕のImagination
動かすGeneration
難しい波ほど面白い
My imagination moves generations
The harder the tide the more fun it is
難しい波 may be a reference to the U-Next Pirates, who sail the seas and conquer the difficult tides. However, due to the lack of blue colouring, it is more likely that the focus is the kanji 波 which refers to the character in Shibukawa Nanba’s (渋川難波) name.
面白い is a reference to Team Raiden’s catchphrase 雷電の麻雀は面白いです (Raiden mahjong is exciting!)
未知への挑戦 恐れず
Show Time 翔ぼう
Fearlessly challenging the unknown
It’s showtime let’s soar high!
未知への挑戦 is the favourite motto of Katsumata Kenji (勝又健志) of the EX Furinkazan. In the 2020 M-League Finals, Katsumata played 5 games in a row and won 4 of them, a major contributing factor to the team’s championship win.
“Show Time 翔ぼう” is a double reference to Shiratori Sho (白鳥翔), with both the word “Show” and the character 翔. He is part of the Shibuya Abemas team that won 3rd place for three years in a row and the only team to make the finals every year.
満開に咲くAmbition
見ててよ 僕のベストパフォーマンス
勝利の桜吹雪 巻き起こせ ”M” Revolution
Ambition is in full bloom.
Observe! my best performance
Creating a raging blizzard of cherry blossoms
It’s the “M” Revolution!
満開に咲くis a reference to Takamiya Mari’s (高宮まり) photo book MARI Styles 満開に咲く (NSFW). Takamiya is a member of the Konami Mahjong Fight Club.
内なる声に忠誠
With loyalty to the voice within
誠 is a reference to Sawazaki Makoto (沢崎誠) of the Kadokawa Sakura Knights. In the team’s inaugural season, he had the 5th highest score of the league with +234.3pts.
はじめてのことも楽しもう
Let’s enjoy our first time
はじめてのこと refers to the title in Matsumoto Kayo’s (梶本琢程) (the official M-League player reporter) photo book.
桃源郷求めて
Seeking paradise
桃 is a reference to Matsushima Momo (松嶋桃), one of the M-league official play-by-play commentators.
Day & Day
心も技術も
強くなるための
Day and day to become stronger in mind and skill
The line comes from the title of a book by Uotani Yuumi (魚谷侑未) of the Sega Sammy Phoenix called 麻雀が強くなるための心と技術 (The Mind and Techniques to Become Stronger at Mahjong). In the 2019 season, Uotani won two yakuman and was considered the MVP of the season.
Pay × Pay
必要なコストは
惜しまないよ
Pay and pay without sparing the necessary costs!
Pay x Pay is a reference to the gravure album 牌x牌 (Pai x Pai, NSFW) by Okada Sayaka (岡田紗佳) of the Kadokawa Sakura Knights and Takamiya Mari (高宮まり) of the Konami Mahjong Fight Club. Okada went 3/3/3/1 for her last 10 games of the 2020 season and Takamiya had the best score in her team during the 2019 season with +90.5.
王子に導かれ
シンデレラストーリー
Guided by a prince
a Cinderella story
王子に導かれる is believed to be a reference to Tsuchida Kousho, who is known as the トイツ王子 (Prince of Pairs) because of his mastery of chiitoitsu.
シンデレラストーリー (Cinderella Story) is a reference to Maruyama Kanako (丸山奏子), whose story of going from a relatively new and unknown player to M-League player was outlined in an article by Mahjong Watch. In the 2020 M-League Season, she was part of the 4th place team, the Akasaka Drivens.
それもいいけど
慎み忍ぶなんて
性に合わない
That’s fine too
Modesty isn’t in my nature whatsoever!
The character “慎” references Hori Shingo (堀慎吾) of the Kadokawa Sakura Knights, the newest member of M-League. He had a very impressive first season, taking 2nd place in the highest hanchan score with 92,900.
Fujisaki “The Ninja” Satoshi (藤崎智) of the Konami Mahjong Fight Club is known to be stealthy (忍ぶ), calling riichi less than most players and catching them by surprise. In fact, he had the lowest riichi rate in the 2020 season.
正解は一つじゃない
There isn’t just one correct answer
Just like a similar line in Top of the “M”, a very similar phrase (正解よりも別解) is used by the Akasaka Drivens and is a key concept by their sponsor, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners Inc.
見つけたい 僕のベストバランス
To discover my best balance
ベストバランス is a taken directly from Matsumoto Yoshihiro’s (松本吉弘) book (Matsumoto’s Best Balance Mahjong). This Shibuya Abemas player won not one, but two yakuman in one season, one of only two players to do so in M-League season.
征け
Royal Road Evolution
Conquering the royal road of evolution
進化する王道 (Royal Road Evolution) is Takizawa Kazunori’s (滝沢和典) nickname. In the 2020 Semifinals, he won two games in a row on the 2nd last day in order to help the EX Furinkazan get into the finals
石橋を叩いている なんて不毛さ
Beating Ishibashi is pretty futile
石橋 is, of course, a reference to Ishibashi Nobuhiro (石橋伸洋) of the U-Next Pirates. He is one of the few players to be directly referenced in both this song and Top of the “M”.
不毛 is believed to be referencing Kobayashi Misa (小林未沙), one of the play-by-play commentators for M-League, who is also known as 不毛のディーバ・ミサミサ (Barren Diva Misa) on radio.
超攻撃型Styleで ドアを破れ
With a super-aggressive style, break down the door!
超攻撃型 refers to Wakutsu Akira (和久津晶) of the Sega Sammy Phoenix, who is known as the 超攻撃型麻雀アマゾネス (Super Aggressive Style Mahjong Amazoness).
Based on the motif,ドアを破れ definitely references the U-Next Pirates. A few theories have come up, such as how Asakura Koushin (朝倉康心) says dora or how the Pirates like to do some locker room antics with the door.
僕はまだ未完の大器
I’m still an unfinished masterpiece
未完の大器 (Unfinished Masterpiece) refers to the nickname of Mizuhara Akina (瑞原明奈) of the U-Next Pirates. She is one of the strongest female players on the online mahjong platform Tenhou and contributed to the U-Next Pirates winning the championship in the 2019 season.
時には逆境もあるさ
And sometimes there’s adversity
In mahjong, there is a lot of adversity that one must overcome it. The line about adversity looks like a reference to a book by Hagiwara Masato (萩原聖人) of Team Raiden titled 麻雀 逆境の凌ぎ方 (Mahjong: How to Overcome Adversity).
でも心に誓った
「絶対泣かない」
But I swore to myself “I’ll never cry!”
The next line references Kurosawa Saki (黒沢咲) from Team Raiden, who is known to rarely call tiles. In the 2020 season, she had the 3rd highest score in a hanchan, getting 81,300 in one game.
The line has more history that appears on the surface. In December 2020 (when the Top of the “M” video was first released), Kurosawa and Shiren had a small talk about the line “Nakanai! (Don’t call!)”
僕のImagination
動かすGeneration
難しい波ほど面白い
未知への挑戦 恐れず
Show Time 翔ぼう
満開に咲くAmbition
見ててよ
僕のベストパフォーマンス
勝利の桜吹雪
巻き起こせ ”M” Revolution
My imagination moves generations
The harder the tide the more fun it is
Fearlessly challenging the unknown It’s showtime let’s soar high!
Ambition is in full bloom.
Observe! my best performance
Creating a raging blizzard of cherry blossoms
It’s the “M” Revolution!
Overall, the song reflects the changes in M-League since the 2018 season. With the new team, new players and more female representation, a lot has changed since Top of the “M” was presumably first written (the 2018 season by the looks of the lyrics and references). These changes in M-League have revolutionized the appearance and inclusiveness of the league.
On another note, Shiren managed to fit all the other players that weren’t in the first song, as well as the commentators and reporters. Together, the two songs represent the whole of M-League.
Official Unlucky Morpheus Note: https://note.com/unluckymorpheus/n/n1b0dbf0c97fe
Official Japanese Lyrics
勝利の桜吹雪 巻き起こせ ”M” Revolution
初めは孤独な麒麟児 でも今は
君の声が 風となり背中押す
理論と直感で 「する」「しない」日々Choice
明日は今日より強くなる
天才・超人・全能・マエストロ そんなふうに
呼ばれる日が来るから 見せてあげよう
僕のImagination 動かすGeneration
難しい波ほど面白い
未知への挑戦 恐れず Show Time 翔ぼう
満開に咲くAmbition
見ててよ 僕のベストパフォーマンス
勝利の桜吹雪 巻き起こせ ”M” Revolution
内なる声に忠誠
はじめてのことも楽しもう
桃源郷求めて
Day & Day 心も技術も 強くなるための
Pay × Pay 必要なコストは 惜しまないよ
王子に導かれるシンデレラストーリー
それもいいけど
慎み忍ぶなんて 性に合わない
正解は一つじゃない
見つけたい 僕のベストバランス
征け Royal Road Evolution
石橋を叩いている なんて不毛さ
超攻撃型Styleで ドアを破れ
僕はまだ未完の大器
時には逆境もあるさ
でも心に誓った 「絶対泣かない」
僕のImagination 動かすGeneration
難しい波ほど面白い
未知への挑戦 恐れず Show Time 翔ぼう
満開に咲くAmbition
見ててよ 僕のベストパフォーマンス
勝利の桜吹雪 巻き起こせ ”M” Revolution
Romaji
Note: These are not official lyric transcriptions or translations
Shouri no sakura fubuki makiokose “M” Revolution
Hajime wa kodokuna kirinji demo ima wa
Kimi no koe ga kaze to nari senaka osu
Riron to chokkan de “Suru” “Shinai” hibi Choice
Ashita wa kyou yori tsuyoku naru
Tensai Choujin Zennou Maestro sonnafuuni
Yobareru hi ga kuru kara misete ageyou
Boku no Imagination Ugokasu Generation
Muzukashii nami hodo omoshiroi
Michi e no chousen osorezu Show Time tobou
Mankai ni saku Ambition
Miteteyo boku no Besuto Pafoumansu
Shouri no sakura fubuki makiokose “M” Revolution
Uchinaru koe ni chuusei
Hajimete no koto mo tanoshimou
Tougenkyou motomete
Day & Day kokoro mo gijutsu mo tsuyoku naru tame no
Pay x Pay hitsuyouna kosuto wa oshimanai yo
Ouji ni michibikareru Shinderera Sutorii
Sore mo ii kedo
Tsutsushimi shinobu nante shou ni awanai
Seikai wa hitotsu janai
Mitsuketai boku no Besuto Baransu
Yuke Royal Road Evolution
Ishibashi o tataiteiru nante fumousa
Chou kougekigata Style de Door o yabure
Boku wa mada mikan no taiki
Toki ni wa gyakkyou mo arusa
Demo kokoro ni chikatta “zettai nakanai”
Boku no Imagination Ugokasu Generation
Muzukashii nami hodo omoshiroi
Michi e no chousen osorezu Show Time tobou
Mankai ni saku Ambition
Miteteyo boku no Besuto Pafoumansu
Shouri no sakura fubuki makiokose “M” Revolution
English Translation
Note: These are not official lyric transcriptions or translations
Creating a raging blizzard of cherry blossoms
It’s the “M” Revolution!
A lonesome prodigal child at first, but now
your voice is the wind that pushes me onwards
Based on theory and instinct, “Do” “Don’t” is the daily choice
Tomorrow will be mightier than today
A genius, superhuman, and omnipotent maestro
Something like that
The day will come when you’ll be called upon I’ll show you!
My imagination moves generations
The harder the tide the more fun it is
Fearlessly challenging the unknown It’s showtime let’s soar high!
Ambition is in full bloom.
Observe! my best performance
Creating a raging blizzard of cherry blossoms
It’s the “M” Revolution!
With loyalty to the voice within
let’s enjoy our first time
Seeking paradise
Day and day to become stronger in mind and skill
Pay and pay without sparing the necessary costs!
Guided by a prince a Cinderella story
That’s fine too
Modesty isn’t in my nature whatsoever!
There isn’t just one correct answer
to discover my best balance
Conquering the royal road of evolution
It’s the Royal Road Evolution!
Beating Ishibashi is pretty futile
With a super-aggressive style break down the door!
I’m still an unfinished masterpiece
and sometimes there’s adversity
But I swore to myself “I’ll never cry!”
My imagination moves generations
The harder the tide the more fun it is
Fearlessly challenging the unknown It’s showtime let’s soar high!
Ambition is in full bloom.
Observe! my best performance
Creating a raging blizzard of cherry blossoms
It’s the “M” Revolution!
Translation by ZAZ
M-League Watch 
Thank you for this 2 analysis you’ve done. I knew Mahjong existed, but had no idea about the M-league or that it had a competitive profesional form. I’m a big fan of Ankimo, though, and I was wondering what the “M” stood for.
This is a really appreciated insight into the mahjong world and the M-League. Interesting to see the band members are such mahjong fans. Great posts!