Petition to Ban West Gains Support

A petition to ban the west wind has gained support across the mahjong world.

The petition states that the west, which sounds like the word for death, should be abolished from mahjong.

One of the petition’s biggest supporters is Uchikawa Kotaro, who dealt into a suuankou tanki waiting on a west.

Nothing ever good has happened with the west. It sits in your hand as a tile worth nothing and when you do discard it, you end up dealing in! We don’t even play the west round! If the west was banned, I would have at least 32,000 more points.

Uchikawa Kotaro
Uchikawa’s discarded west on display at the M-League Pop-up store

Those against the ban state that important yaku like shousuushii and daisuushii can no longer be won and player wind order would be disrupted.

We tried to phone Kurosawa Saki for comment, but we did not receive an answer. According to our sources, she doesn’t like calls.

M-League Sparks Salmon Roe Bubble Tea Craze

Bubble tea establishments are scrambling to meet demand as M-League fans try to get the winning edge.

This craze comes after Matsugase Takaya, a member of the EX Furinkazan, won his game after preparing a dish made from salmon roe, known in Japanese as ikura (いくら).

A few days later, Takamiya Mari of the Konami Mahjong Fight Club had a meal with Matsugase’s ikura and won her game.

After this overwhelming evidence, fans were scrambling to get a hold of some salmon roe to have some good luck themselves.

For a premium price, they are mixing the salmon roe with another guaranteed winning ingredient: M-League water.

Date Arisa drinking M-League water and winning with 105,500

“It’s expensive and tastes like wet fish eggs, but it’s guaranteed to give me good luck,” one fan said. Another customer said, “It sure beats studying.”

Critics of the fad call it a marketing ploy and a useless pursuit. “When everyone’s super, no one will be…”

Drivens Future Unclear as Sonoda’s Interview Shows No Sign of Ending

The future of the Akasaka Drivens remains unclear while an interview with Sonoda Ken keeps him occupied indefinitely.

With the Akasaka Drivens being forced to changed their roster after failing to make the finals two seasons in a row, M-League Watch tried to get an interview with on of their members. We were able to get Sonoda Ken, the team’s captain and first round pick, to give one for us.

When we started, he gave us a lot of insightful information about the teams and the challenges they faced. But as the interview continued and hit the one hour point, it was clear that Sonoda wasn’t going to stop talking.

As we reached the one week point, our other writers went to the team’s coach, Koshiyama Go, to ask what is going to happen. As he spoke, we found a glimpse of what could be Sonoda’s master plan.

We’ve tried waving to him, putting up signs, nothing is working. If he doesn’t stop soon, we won’t be able to choose which player will be replaced.

Koshiyama Go
Sign telling Sonoda to wrap it up

This isn’t the first time Sonoda’s interview has gone long. On November 17, 2022, Sonoda’s interview went on so long that they had to put up a sign to tell him to hurry up. On January 30, 2023, his interview lasted a record 6 minutes, 48 seconds.

It is current day 10 of the interview. If anyone is reading this, please send help.

Protests Against Headbump Pop Up Around the World

Angry crowds have taken to the streets to fight against headbump.

Headbump, known as atamahane in Japanese, is a mahjong rule that states that when multiple people call ron on the same tile, only the next player in turn order gets the win.

According to studies, headbump causes lost wages (known in the mahjong world as “points”) and emotional damage to players who experience it.

One such player to experience headbump is Nakabayashi Kei of the U-Next Pirates, whose Kokushi Musou was lost after Murakami Jun called ron on the 9m that he was waiting on.

Why would Murakami kill Thirteen Orphans!?!

Nakabayashi Kei

Fans of Takizawa Kazunori from Konami Mahjong Fight Club (the player who discarded the 9m) are planning counter-protests. It is expected that they head out to bump heads with those who hate headbump.

M-League 2022-23: The Final Games of the Regular Season

This was the lineup for final game of the M-League 2022-23 season, Game #188. This game also marked the 1000th game of M-League, almost half a decade of riichi calling and tile slinging. In this game and all the games on Monday and Tuesday, players had one last chance to win awards and get their teams into a good spot in the semifinals. From desperately trying to be tenpai to unbelievable uradora to a passed ron, there was a lot of action in the past 48 hours! Let’s get right into it, shall we?

Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings

Pages: 1 2 3 4

M-League 2022-23 Week 23: The Final Full Week

We nearing the end of the regular season. With Friday’s games over, there are only four more games left in the regular season. 8 teams entered, only 6 teams can advance. In the 23rd week of the M-League 2022-23 season, we saw teams fighting for position and players trying to top the individual standings. This week, we saw multiple quick riichi calls, a player fighting against a three-sided wait and a timely haitei. We also saw some uncommon yaku, a big 4th to 1st comeback and the most intense MVP battle yet! With a lot to see, let’s get right into it, shall we?

Noodles!

On March 23, 2023 starting at 19:00 JST, another match sponsored by Nissin Foods will be taking place. After the Noodle Noodle Deciding Match and the Mahjong Alien vs. Earth Defenders, the Noodle Meal Deciding Match will have Ooi Takaharu, Kayamori Sayaka, Sasaki Hisato and Murakami Jun facing off against each other to see which noodles are the best.

Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings

Pages: 1 2 3 4

M-League 2022-23 Week 22: Playoff Passion

The 22nd week of the M-League 2022-23 season marks the penultimate full week of the regular season. Players are punching to put their pals in playoff position. These passionate pros push to place in prime positions. As time ticks, desperation deepens and emotions are expressed. This week, we had a hand quadrupled by sticks, yakuman tenpais and riichi roulettes. We also had a furiten ippatsu, upward drives and the greatest headbump of all time. With little time left, let’s get right into it, shall we?

Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings

Pages: 1 2 3 4

M-League 2022-23 Week 21: March Forward

We are in the final month of the regular season. Playoff positions and awards are on the line. But no matter how much pressure is put on each player, they just keep pushing and march forward. In the 21st week of the M-League 2022-23 season, player went ahead with positivity and hoped for the best. This week, we had a lot of late tenpai hand winning, surprise uradora and some double trouble. We also had some strong targeting, six wins in a row and a third rare event in as many weeks! With a lot to go over, let’s get right to it, shall we?

Playoffs are Approaching

In an news release published on March 1, M-League released the schedule for the semifinals and the finals. The 30-game semifinals will take place from April 10 – May 4 and the 16-game finals will take place from May 8 – May 19.

Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings

Pages: 1 2 3 4

M-League 2022-23 Week 20: Rare

Common yaku are seen so often. Players call riichi multiple times a game, pinfu and tanyao are almost expected every hand. However, when someone tries to go for something bolder, something that few players would pursue, we sit at the edge of our seats to see if they will succeed. In the 20th week of M-League 2022-23, we saw multiple players going for something rare. The master of rare yaku getting yet another, multiple limit hands one after another and a rare event from last week was seen once again this week! Also this week, we saw a crazy starting hand, an underdog win and more ura madness. With a lot to see, let’s get right into it, shall we?

Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings

Pages: 1 2 3 4

M-League 2022-23 Week 19: Tanki

Wide, complex waits are nice and can increase one’s chances of winning. Open-ended ryanmens and multiple-sided flush hand can pay off in fast wins. But sometimes, all you need is just one tile. A pair wait that can change the game drastically. In the 19th week of the M-League 2022-23 season, we bore witness to one such tanki. Also this week, we saw a two-hand comeback, a lot of calls and an event unseen in over a year. We have far more than just one thing to get into, so let’s get right into it, shall we?

Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings

Pages: 1 2 3 4