Awards Ceremony
Between the end of the studio broadcast and the start pf the awards ceremony, we were shown a preview of some M-League original documentaries. Each of the 8 documentaries highlight what each team does when they’re not in the studio, from team practices to their personal life. Afterwards, we looked at the highlight of the first few games. Then, the awards ceremony started.
For the first time since the 2018-19 season, the awards ceremony took place in front of a live audience.
At the start of the ceremony, we were introduced to the MC of the night, Nakamura Takaya. Presenting the awards was none other than the M-League founder and chairman, Fujita Susumu.
The first award handed out at the ceremony was the 4th Place Avoidance Award. This award is handed out to the player who had the best 4th-place avoidance rate in the regular season. In reverse order, they listed the top three players.
| Player | Team | 4th Place Avoidance Rate | |
| 1st | Ooi Takaharu | Shibuya Abemas | 0.9600 |
| 2nd | Shiratori Sho | Shibuya Abemas | 0.9130 |
| 3rd | Mizuhara Akina | U-Next Pirates | 0.9048 |
When Ooi’s name was called. Ooi went up to the stage to receive his medal. As with all individual awards, Ooi was given some time for a speech and then left the stage (albeit with some confusion).
The next award given out was the Highest Hanchan Score Award. This award is given to the player who scores the highest score in a single hanchan during the regular season. With Date being at the top of the standings in that category, she went to the stage, got her medal and said her speech.
| Player | Team | Hanchan Score | |
| 1st | Date Arisa | Konami Mahjong Fight Club | 105,500 |
| 2nd | Asakura Koushin | U-Next Pirates | 102,400 |
| 3rd | Matsumoto Yoshihiro | Shibuya Abemas | 80,200 |
The third and final individual award was the Highest Season Score Award, also known as the MVP Award. This award is given to the player who has the highest cumulative score at the end of the regular season. With Mizuhara being the season’s MVP, she went on stage and received her medal, which looks like a small version of the M-League championship plate. After saying her speech, it was time for the team introductions and the final standings.
| Player | Team | Season Score | |
| 1st | Mizuhara Akina | U-Next Pirates | 440.6 |
| 2nd | Sawazaki Makoto | Kadokawa Sakura Knights | 399.7 |
| 3rd | Takizawa Kazunori | Konami Mahjong Fight Club | 294.2 |
Final Standings
Going from the bottom of the rankings to the top, each team was introduced. Before each team went on stage, as small montage was shown, ending with the team’s logo.
In 8th place, with a score of -1256.1pts during the regular season, is Team Raiden.
In 7th place, with a score of -263.8pts during the regular season, are the Akasaka Drivens.
In 6th place, with a score of 377.1pts during the regular season and +4.4pts in the semifinals, are the U-Next Pirates.
In 5th place, with a score of 184.4pts during the regular season and +68.1pts in the semifinals, are the EX Furinkazan.
In 4th place, with a score of during the regular season, +184.9pts in the semifinals and -58.9pts in the finals, is the Konami Mahjong Fight Club.
In 3rd place, with a score of +328.2pts during the regular season, +123.9pts in the semifinals and +54.2pts in the finals, are the Shibuya Abemas.
In 2nd place, with a score of +184.2pts in during the regular season, +120.2pts in the semifinals and +141.6pts in the finals, are the Sega Sammy Phoenix.
After the montage, the room was dark. As the lights gradually came on, the MC announced that this season’s champions are the Kadokawa Sakura Knights! The team went +177.0pts in the regular season, +248.5pts in the semifinals and +202.0pts in the finals. Okada Saki Sayaka and Uchikawa Kotaro went on stage with smiles on their faces, with Hori sitting in the front row (he wasn’t able to go on stage due to an injury). Sawazaki was unable to attend because of his recent hospitalization.
Fujita-chairman went to the stage to remove the championship plate from its pedestal and presented it to Uchikawa who accepted it for the team.
With Uchikawa holding the plate, Fujita-chairman then present the ¥50,000,000 prize to Okada who accepted it for the team.
Okada then went over to Uchikawa and the two of them raised the plate up high.
After returning the plate to the pedestal, each member of the team present gave a short speech.
To close out the ceremony, Kawabuchi Saburo, the senior advisor of M-League, came onto stage and said a speech.
And the ceremony was finished. We had on last look at the players and the championship plate, and then the broadcast ended.
Intro | Game #11 | Game #12
Awards Ceremony | Final Thoughts
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