After releasing Top of the “M” in 2020 and “M” Revolution in 2021, the band Unlucky Morpheus has released their newest song in the “M” Series: “M” Anthem.
Similar to the M-League analysis articles of Top of the “M” and “M” Revolution, today I will be going through the song and explain all the M-League and mahjong references in “M” Anthem.
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).
One of the things that makes riichi mahjong unique is the concept of yaku. Yaku are specific hand patterns or conditions that are needed in order to score a hand. Every hand must have at least one yaku, and different yaku have different “han” values. Points are awarded and exchanged mainly based on han 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.
Preamble
In the video, you will notice that the lyrics are lined up a certain way and some characters will be larger than others. These are indications of references to mahjong, mahjong pros or M-League. The ones that are coloured are references to players or catchphrases of specific teams.
Though the song uses the same kanji as that of the mahjong references, the pronunciation will not always be the same. This can be due to the individual kanji being pronounced differently when standing alone or combined, or because of the loaned Chinese pronunciation which is prevalent in mahjong.
Analysis
Note: I understand very little Japanese and may make some mistakes in translations and interpretations.
暗き刻も 渦巻いてた熱狂が
Kuraki toki mo uzumaiteta nekkyou ga
Even in the darkest hour/the brewing frenzy
An ankou (暗刻) is a group of three identical tiles concealed in a player’s hand. If you have three of them, you qualify for the yaku “Sanankou” (三暗刻, san meaning 3), worth two han. If you have four of them (like in the image above), you qualify for the yakuman “Suuankou” (四暗刻, suu meaning 4).
Nekkyou (熱狂) is a reference to M-League’s theme “Bringing out even more enthusiasm” (この熱狂を”もっと”外へ).
箱を割って 溢れ出した
Hako o watte afuredashita
Breaks apart the box and overflows
The term “Hakoware” (箱割れ) means that a player’s score is at or below 0. In some rulesets, being below 0 means that the player is bankrupt and the game automatically ends. In M-League, however, the game continues.
同じ刻の 朋友が共鳴して
Onaji toki no houyuu ga kyoumeishite
At the same time/the friends resonate together
Sanshoku Doukou (三色同刻), sometimes known as Sandoukou (三色同刻) or simply Doukou (同刻), is a 2-han yaku where a player has a three triplets/quad of the same number in each of the three suits. As of this writing, this and sankantsu are the only two non-yakuman yaku that have yet to been won in M-League.
Honda Tomohiro (本田朋広) is a member of Team Raiden and was drafted in 2021 as the team’s newest member. Prior to being drafted to M-League, he tried out in the EX Furinkazan Member Audition, where he placed in 2nd.
世界染める 未来まで
Sekai someru mirai made
dyeing the world/to the future!
Somete (染め手) is the collective term used for Honitsu (Common Flush) and Chinitsu (Perfect Flush). Honitsu is a yaku where the hand only contains tiles from a single suit and has honour tiles, worth 3 han in a closed hand and 2 han in an open hand. Chinitsu is a yaku that only contains tiles from a single suit without honours, worth 6 han in a closed hand and 5 han in an open hand.
聖なる豪傑よ 騎馬し行進せよ
Seinaru gouketsu yo kiba shi koushin seyo
O sacred champion/ride and march on!
In the online mahjong game Mahjong Soul (Known as Jantama [雀魂] in Japan), players can attain different ranks. In this game, players can attain the following ranks, in ascending order: Novice (初心), Adept (雀士), Expert (雀傑), Master(雀豪) and Saint(雀聖), with the last three being referenced in the song.
Uma (ウマ, pronounced the same as 馬) is the term used for the point bonus gained or lost after the game depending on the player’s placement. 1st place gets the largest bonus, while 4th place loses the most.
Asakura Koushin (朝倉康心) is a member of the U-Next Pirates and was the team’s 2nd pick in the first M-League Draft. In the M-League 2019-20 Finals, Asakura won a big Daisangen yakuman and was a huge contributing factor to the team’s championship win that season. His given name Koushin (康心) is pronounced the same as “行進” in the song.
天も地も人も 一気に貫け
Ten mo chi mo hito mo ikkini tsuranuke
piercing through heaven, earth, and man!
Tenhou (天和) is a yakuman that is achieved when the dealer wins with their initial 14 tiles. This is an extremely rare occurrence, happening around 1 in 330,000 hands.
Chiihou (地和) is the non-dealer variant of Tenhou, where a non-dealer wins with their first 13 tiles and their first draw. Chiihou cannot be interrupted by any calls from other players.
Renhou (人和) is a yaku worth mangan that is won if a player wins before their first draw and before any calls are made.
Ikkitsuukan (一気通貫, more often called Ittsuu [一気]) is a yaku where a hand has the groups 123, 456 and 789, all in the same suit. The hand must have these exact three sequences, not just have all the tiles from 1-9 in one’s hand.
Rise up! in our time 翔び立て
Rise up! In our time tobidate
Rise up! in our time/and soar upwards
Tojo Rio (東城りお) is the newest member of the Sega Sammy Phoenix, drafted during the M-League 2021 Draft. The song references Tojo’s Image DVD Rio TIME! [NSFW].
Shiratori Sho (白鳥翔) is the 2nd-round pick for the Shibuya Abemas. For the past 3 seasons , Shiratori has helped his team reach the M-League Final series three years in a row. Shiratori and the Shibuya Abemas has qualified for this season’s finals, making it the team’s fourth year in a row, the only team in M-League history to do so.
無縫の天衣 纏い
Muhou no ten’i matoi
Clad in flawless heavenly robes
Nikaido Rumi (二階堂瑠美) is a member of the EX Furinkazan, the team’s 2nd draft pick in the 2021 draft. She is the older sister of Nikaido Aki (二階堂亜樹), with the two of them making up the famous Nikaido Sisters. She is well known for her expressive face at the mahjong table. Her nickname is 天衣無縫, which means “Perfect beauty with no trace of artifice; flawless”.
嶺の花開く今
己がAnthemを 歌え
Mine no hanahiraku ima
Onoga Anthem o utae
The summit is now blooming
Our anthem, sing it!
Rinshan Kaihou (嶺上開花), sometimes simply called Rinshan (嶺上), is a yaku that is won when a player calls a kan/quad and wins off of their replacement tile. To anime fans, Miyanaga Saki from the anime Saki possesses the special ability for constantly get Rinshan Kaihou.
赤を切らせ 白を断つ蛮勇で
Aka o kirase shiro o tatsu ban’yuu de
Cutting the red apart/severing the white with savage valour
Ishibashi Nobuhiro (石橋伸洋) is a member of the U-Next Pirates and a familiar name in the “M” series of songs. In the past two songs, he was explicitly named. In this one, it references the “Ishibashi Trap”, Ishibashi’s signature move. In this trap, Ishibashi discards or “cut” a red 5 (a special, more expensive tile) in order coax players to discard tiles around it, giving him a higher chance of winning. Even when Ishibashi has a cheaper 5 in his hand, he chooses to discard the more expensive 5 in order to defy his opponents’ expectations and catch them in his trap.
The Ishibashi references don’t stop there. A Tweet from M-League Chairman Kawabuchi Saburo described Ishibashi as barbaric/savage (蛮勇) after he did the dangerous move of calling riichi while a live daisangen (a very expensive hand) was still was still possible on the table (and prompted a satire article from M-League Watch).
戟を振るえ 一騎当千
Geki o furue ikkitousen
Swinging a halberd/is the one!
In a reference of one of the players that Shiren likes, he references Shimoishi Geki (下石戟), a member of Nihon Pro Mahjong (NPM) currently playing at the highest level in the organization’s A1 League.
Matsugase Takaya (松ヶ瀬隆弥) is a member of the EX Furinkazan, drafted in the M-League 2021 draft. He won his chance to be drafted through the EX Furinkazan Member Audition, where he won a suuankou tanki yakuman in the final table and finished in 1st place. His nickname is Ikkitousen (一騎当千, not to be confused with the manga and anime series of the same name), meaning “being a match for a thousand; being a mighty warrior”.
大志を成せ 伊達や酔狂ではない
Taishi o nase date ya suikyou dewanai
Achieve your ambitions/not for show nor whims
Sakamoto Masashi (坂本大志) is another member that Shiren favours. In the EX Furinkazan Member Audition, Sakamoto finished in the top 8 players out of the 168 players who auditioned.
Date Arisa (伊達朱里紗) is a member of the Konami Mahjong Fight Club, one of the team’s newest draft picks. Within two months, Date was already breaking records, winning a game with 105,500 to have the highest score in M-League history. Around the same time, she was also the top player for all three award categories (highest total score, highest single-game score, 4th place avoidance).
壁を壊し 超えていけ
Kabe o kowashi koeteike
Break down the wall/and go above and beyond!
Kabe (壁) is a mahjong term. This conept is used to determine safe tiles based on how many of a certain tile is out. For example, if four 7s are visible, it would mean that the sequences 678 and 789 are impossible to create meaning that the 8s and the 9s are safer because of the “kabe” of 7s.
In addition, the term Kabehai (壁牌, Wall tiles) refers to tiles in the wall (the stack of tiles where players draw from).
The phrase is a reference to Higa Hidehito’s trademark phrase and phrase that is also found in his Youtube Channel (比嘉秀仁の超えていけチャンネル). Higa Hidehito (比嘉秀仁) is a professional with the Nihon Pro Mahjong organzation (NPM).
龍を継ぐ軍師よ 雄大な智略で
Ryuu o tsugu gunshi yo yuudai na chiryaku de
O Strategist, heir of the dragon/with grand wisdom
Heir of the Dragon (龍を継ぐ) is Nakabayashi Kei’s catchphrase. Nakabayashi Kei (仲林 圭) is a member of the Nihon Pro Mahjong (NPM) and the current champion of the Dragon King Tournament (發王戦).
Katsumata Kenji (勝又健志) is one of the original members of the EX Furinkazan, being the team’s 3rd round pick back in 2018. Nicknamed the Tactician (軍師), Katsumata played 5 of the 6 final games in M-League 2020-21 Finals, placing first in 4 of them to help his team come from behind and become M-League champions.
The line references two former members of the Konami Mahjong Fight Club Maehara Yudai (前原雄大) and Fujisaki Satoshi (藤崎智). They were dropped by the team during the offseason after the M-League 2020-21 season. However, both of them are still ardent supporters of the team and Fujisaki is now one of the regular commentators for M-League.
巧みに魔王を討ち 平和へ導け
Takumi ni maou o uchi heiwa e michibike
Skillfully take down the demon king/and lead us to peace!
Morii Takumi (森井巧) is the coach of the Kadokawa Sakura Knights. Over the past two years, the Kadokawa Sakura Knights have been been able to make the finals. This year, they have made it into the finals and going into them in 1st place.
Sasaki Hisato (佐々木寿人), nicknamed Maou (魔王, Demon King), is a member of the Konami Mahjong Fight Club, being the team’s first round pick in the M-League 2018 draft. In the 2020-21 season, Sasaki won both the award for the highest score for a single game and the highest total score in a season.
Pinfu (平和) is a yaku that is earned when a player has a concealed hand with four sequences, with the pair not having value, waiting on two sides and the final tile completing a sequence.
Rise up! now is the time 仕掛けろ
Rise up! Now is the time shikakero
Rise up! now is the time/to move out
Shikake (仕掛け) is a term for calling off of another player (i.e. Pon/Chii/Daiminkan). Tsuchida Koushou, one of the M-League commentators, wrote a book about calling called Tsuchida-Style Mahjong: Mastering the Call (土田流麻雀 仕掛けを極める).
逆境も糧にして
Gyakkyou mo kate nishite
And to take adversity as an asset
The connection between mahjong and adversity is discussed in the book Mahjong: How to Overcome Adversity written by Hagiwara Masato (萩原聖人) of Team Raiden.
海の底より深い
Umi no soko yori fukai
Deeper than the depths of the sea
Haitei Raoyue (海底摸月, lit. Scooping the moon from the bottom of the sea) is a yaku gained by drawing and winning off of the last tile in the wall. For fans of Saki, getting this yaku is one of Amae Koromo‘s special abilities.
その賢をさあ 示せ
Sono ken o saa shimese
Come on and show us that wisdom!
Sonoda Ken (園田賢), lovingly known as SonoKen by his friends (which is also the name of his Youtube Channel) is a member of the Akasaka Drivens and the first player to be drafted in the M-League 2018 Draft. In the 2018-19 season, Sonoda helped lead his team to become the very first M-League champions. Late last year, Sonoda released a book called Magical Mahjong: Open the Door to the Next Level of Mahjong.
一つの盃を 口にして誓う
Hitotsu no sakazuki o kuchi ni shite chikau
Making a pledge with a cup in hand
Iipeikou (一盃口) is a yaku won by having two identical sequences in a player’s hand. The hand must be concealed in order for the yaku to be valid.
栄えて和を結び 頂目指すと
Sakaete wa o musubi itadaki mezasu to
Bringing prosperous harmony aiming for the top!
To win by Ron (栄和, often written as ロン), is to win from a player’s discard (as opposed to one’s own draw).
Top Mahjong Rankings (麻雀の頂) is an unofficial system that attempts to create a national ranking using results from around Japan.
Rise up! in our time 奏でろ
Rise up! in our time kanadero
Rise up! in our time/and play the melody
Maruyama Kanako (丸山奏子) is the newest member of the Akasaka Drivens, drafted in the M-League 2019 Draft. In her very first game, she won a big hand to come move from 4th to 1st at the very last moment to win the game.
絢爛の音響かせ
Kenran no ne hibikase
Bring out that brilliant sound
Ayane Minami (皆実 絢音) is yet another player that Shiren is a fan of. Ayane belongs to Nihon Pro Mahjong (NPM) and a weekly guest at the ML Stadium (a mahjong parlour that uses M-League rules and has guests from M-League).
魂 天に掲げて
己がAnthemを 歌え
Tamashii ten ni kakagete
Onoga Anthem o utae
The souls float towards the heavens!
Our anthem, sing it!
In Mahjong Soul, the rank after Saint is Celestial (魂天). This is the highest rank that a player can achieve in the game.
我が王道に連なれ
Waga oudou ni tsuranare
Follow our royal road
Between the release of “M” Revolution (where they first referenced his nickname 王道 as “Royal Road”) and this song, Takizawa Kazunori (滝沢和典) left the EX Furinkazan and was drafted by the Konami Mahjong Fight Club. He was a big contributor to his new team’s success, having the 3rd-highest total individual score in the entire league. With his help, the team is now going to the finals for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
共に宝を 燈せ
Tomoni takara o tomose
Kindling the treasure together!
Chuuren Poutou (九連宝燈) is a closed hand consisting of the tiles 1112345678999 of one suit, plus more tile of the same suit. This hand is one of the rarest hands in all of mahjong.
Overall, the triumphant feel and tone is felt strongly, even when the battle is not yet begun. The song parallels battles of war with the battles of mahjong. The song gives confidence and strength to soldiers and players who listen to it, telling them to go forth and achieve victory. Rise up. Now is the time.
Official Japanese Lyrics
暗き刻も 渦巻いてた熱狂が
箱を割って 溢れ出した
同じ刻の 朋友が共鳴して
世界染める 未来まで
聖なる豪傑よ 騎馬し行進せよ
天も地も人も 一気に貫け
Rise up! in our time 翔び立て
無縫の天衣 纏い
嶺の花開く今
己がAnthemを 歌え
赤を切らせ 白を断つ蛮勇で
戟を振るえ 一騎当千
大志を成せ 伊達や酔狂ではない
壁を壊し 超えていけ
龍を継ぐ軍師よ 雄大な智略で
巧みに魔王を討ち 平和へ導け
Rise up! now is the time 仕掛けろ
逆境も糧にして
海の底より深い
その賢をさあ 示せ
一つの盃を 口にして誓う
栄えて和を結び 頂目指すと
Rise up! in our time 奏でろ
絢爛の音響かせ
魂 天に掲げて
己がAnthemを 歌え
我が王道に連なれ
共に宝を 燈せ
Romaji
Note: These are not official lyric transcriptions or translations
Kuraki toki mo uzumaiteta nekkyou ga
Hako o watte afuredashita
Onaji toki no houyuu ga kyoumeishite
Sekai someru mirai made
Seinaru gouketsu yo kiba shi koushin seyo
Ten mo chi mo hito mo ikkini tsuranuke
Rise up! In our time tobidate
Muhō no ten’i matoi
Mine no hanahiraku ima
Onoga Anthem o utae
Aka o kirase shiro o tatsu ban’yuu de
Geki o furue ikkitousen
Taishi o nase date ya suikyou dewanai
Kabe o kowashi koeteike
Ryuu o tsugu gunshi yo yuudai na chiryaku de
Takumi ni maou o uchi heiwa e michibike
Rise up! Now is the time shikakero
Gyakkyou mo kate nishite
Umi no soko yori fukai
Sono ken o saa shimese
Hitotsu no sakazuki o kuchi ni shite chikau
Sakaete wa o musubi itadaki mezasu to
Rise up! In our time kanadero
Kenran no ne hibikase
Tamashii ten ni kakagete
Onoga Anthem o utae
Waga oudou ni tsuranare
Tomoni takara o tomose
English Translation
Note: These are not official lyric transcriptions or translations
Even in the darkest hour
the brewing frenzy
breaks apart the box
and overflows
At the same time
the friends resonate together
dyeing the world
to the future!
O sacred champion
ride and march on!
piercing through
heaven, earth, and man!
Rise up!
in our time
and soar upwards
clad in flawless heavenly robes
The summit is now blooming
Our anthem
sing it!
Cutting the red apart
severing the white with savage valor
swinging a halberd
is the one!
Achieve your ambitions
not for show or whims
break down the wall
and go above and beyond!
O Strategist, heir of the dragon
with grand wisdom
skillfully take down the demon king
and lead us to peace!
Rise up!
now is the time
to move out
and taking adversity as an asset
Deeper than the depths of the sea
come on and show us
that wisdom!
Making a pledge
with a cup in hand
bringing prosperous harmony
aiming for the top!
Rise up!
in our time
and play the melody
bring out that brilliant sound
The souls
float towards the heavens!
Our anthem
sing it!
Follow our royal road
kindling the treasure
together!
Translation by ZAZ
Links
- “M” Anthem MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoUzaVI0paY
- Shiren’s notes on “M” Anthem: https://note.com/unluckymorpheus/n/n732bf80fd1b1
- “M” Revolution MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xza4IGEqTIs
- Unlucky Morpheus – “M” Revolution : An M-League Perspective (M-League Watch)
- Top of the “M” MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7idmlQY0mw
- Unlucky Morpheus – Top of the “M”: An M-League Perspective (M-League Watch)
Bonus Video
On April Fools’ Day, Unlucky Morpheus released a joke music video where all of the members played different instruments. This video is only available to members of the Unlucky Morpheus Youtube Channel.
M-League Watch 