M-League 2021-22 Finals: Games #7-8

The finals fly by so fast, don’t they? On Thursday, we were only halfway through the finals. Today, we’re already two-thirds of the way through! On the 4th day of the M-League 2021-22 Finals, we saw riichi battles and very close games. Both games had the top two players less than 300 points of each other going into South 4. In addition to the close games, we had a big dora hand, a big ura hand and a dora ippatsu. I’m tired of rambling on, so let’s get right into it, shall we?

Before the Games

The lead commentator of the day was Matsushima Momo. Joining her were Mizuhara Akina (瑞原明奈) and Kobayashi Go (小林剛), both of them members of the U-Next Pirates. After the usual opening pleasantries and a recap of the Thursday’s events, we were shown the standings.

The Kadokawa Sakura Knights currently lead by 57.5pts, but a bad 4th or a big 1st from another team can shake up the standings significantly.

With commentators, players and fans ready to see what would happen next, the action began!

Intro | Game #7 | Game #8

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M-League 2021-22 Finals: Games #5-6

Day 3 of the M-League 2021-22 Finals showed us why this game is called Riichi Mahjong. In just this day alone, 26 riichi calls were made and many riichi battles were fought. With the stakes at their highest, the teams needed good waits and luck on their side to move ahead. And just like players in tenpai, I’m sure that you’re waiting to read all about it! Without further ado, let’s get right into it, shall we?

Before the Games

The commentators of the day were Kobayashi Misa and former Konami Mahjong Fight Club member Fujisaki Satoshi (藤崎智). As always, they went through the highlights of Tuesday’s games and showed us the standings going into today.

The Sega Sammy Phoenix have a big lead over the rest of the pack, but all the teams are still in the race.

With the players set and ready to go, the games got started!

Intro | Game #5 | Game #6

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M-League 2021-22 Finals: Games #3-4

Day 2 of the M-League 2021-22 Finals is complete and boy, did we see some great hands! From fast to slow, open to closed, expensive winners to cheap clinchers, we had quite the show! There’s a lot to go through, so let’s get right into it, shall we?

Before the Games

The main commentator of the day was Kobayashi Misa. Joining her were two player commentators: Nikaido Rumi (二階堂瑠美) and Matsugase Takaya (松ヶ瀬隆弥), both of them from the EX Furinkazan. After a short recap of the events of the previous day, we were shown the standings going into today’s games.

The Kadokawa Sakura Knights have held onto the lead, but the rest of the standings have flipped, with the Phoenix moving up and Konami moving down. With goals set, the games got started!

Intro | Game #3 | Game #4

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M-League 2021-22 Finals: Games #1-2

The M-League 2021-22 Finals have begun! In 12 games, we will see which team will become M-League champions! With 4 teams who have never won the championship before, history will be made! There was a lot of action in the first two games, so let’s get right into it, shall we?

Before the Games

For the first day of the finals, we were introduced to Hiyoshi Tatsuya and Tsuchida Kousho, the commentators of the day. After expressing their excitement about the finals, they then showed us a recap of the semifinals. Afterwards, they showed the standings.

The Kadokawa Sakura Knights are in the lead, followed by the Konami Mahjong Fight Club, the Shibuya Abemas and the Sega Sammy Phoenix. The difference between 1st and 4th is just 64.2pts, meaning that even the 1st game can have a dramatic impact on the standings.

With the stage set, the first games of the finals was set to begin!

Intro | Game #1 | Game #2

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M-League 2021-22 Finals: What You Need To Know

The start of the M-League 2021-22 Final Series is less than a week away! Today, we will be taking a look at all the information you need to know about the finals.

The Teams

Kadokawa Sakura Knights
Konami Mahjong Fight Club
Shibuya Abemas
Sega Sammy Phoenix

The Format

Half of the points that were accumulated in the semifinals (rounded up to the nearest tenth) will be carried over to the finals (shown below). Each team will then play a total of twelve games. Whichever of the four teams has the most points by the end of the twelve games will be declared the winner.

TeamScore
1stKadokawa Sakura Knights+124.3pts
2ndKonami Mahjong Fight Club+92.5pts
3rdShibuya Abemas+62.0pts
4thSega Sammy Phoenix+60.1pts
The scores going into the finals (after being halved)

The Schedule

Games will take place on April 18, 19, 21, 22, 25 and 26. Each broadcast will begin at starting at 19:00 JST (UTC +9), with the exception of the 26th when it will start at 17:00 JST. Each day will consist of two (2) games.

The Prizes

The Championship Plate on its pedestal
The EX Furinkazan winning the ￥50,000,000 prize in the M-League 2020-21 Season

The winning team will win the M-League Championship Plate, as well as receive 50 million yen. The second place team will receive 20 million yen, while the third place team will receive 10 million yen.

Unlucky Morpheus – “M” Anthem: An M-League Perspective

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

Mahjong hand at the end of the round with all hands revealed. There are at least 8 rounds per game, with more being added under certain circumstances

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.

Continue reading “Unlucky Morpheus – “M” Anthem: An M-League Perspective”

M-League 2021 Semifinals: Games #19-24

The four players you see above are the four players that played in the final game of the M-League 2021-22 Semifinals. All four of them were in charge of their team’s fate, whether their team would make it into the finals or be left. Tensions were high in the final quarter, with some tears being shed in the interviews. There’s so much to get into, so let’s get into it, shall we?

Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings

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M-League 2021 Semifinals: Games #13-18

We are into the third and final week of the M-League 2021-22 Semifinals! After the games ended last Tuesday, teams looked at what they needed to do. They set their game plans into motion and tried to position themselves for the final stretch. The luck of the dora came to some. The luck of the ippatsu came to others. From hanemans to close yakumans to comebacks, this quarter was big for both players and fans. With all that, let’s get right into it, shall we?

Premium Night

On March 31, the first M-League Premium Night in almost two years took place. M-League fans went to the EX Theatre Roppongi to interact with players, watch the game and enjoy M-League together with other people.

Sakura Knights

On April 3rd, the Kadokawa Sakura Knights announced that Sawazaki Makoto (沢崎誠) would be hospitalized after the semifinals to receive treatment for “Primary myelofibrosis”. To read more about the statement, please read: Sawazaki Makoto to Receive Hospital Treatment After Semifinals, Will Sit Out Finals

Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings

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Sawazaki Makoto to Receive Hospital Treatment After Semifinals, Will Sit Out Finals

Sawazaki Makoto (沢崎誠) of the Kadokawa Sakura Knights, who placed 2nd in the individual standings in the M-League 2021-22 regular season, will be receiving hospital treatment after the M-League 2021-22 Semifinals and will miss the finals if the team qualifies.

Sawazaki and the team made the announcement on April 3 through Twitter an a video statement on Youtube. In the statement, it was revealed that Sawazaki has a condition called “primary myelofibrosis” and will be admitted to the hospital for a “hematopoietic stem cell transplantation”, more commonly known as a “bone marrow transplant”. His treatment will take several months.

Notice in regards to the hospitalisation of Sawazaki Makoto

We sincerely thank you for your ongoing support for both M-League and the Kadokawa Sakura Knights.

Sakura Knights member Sawazaki Makoto will be undergoing treatment for Primary Myelofibrosis after the end of the Semi Finals series. He will be hospitalised for a number of months following the last semi finals match on the 7th of April.

* The treatment he will be undergoing is hematopoietic stem cell transplant, and requires hospitalisation.

For this reason, if the Sakura Knights make it to the Finals Series, Sawazaki will not be taking part in it.

We apologise for the worry caused, and thank you all for your continued support for Sawazaki

Translation of the statement released by the Kadokawa Sakura Knights

Primary myelofibrosis, also known as “(Chronic) idiopathic myelofibrosis”, is a rare disorder where the formation of scar tissue in the bone marrow interferes with the body’s ability to make blood cells. This disorder affects around 1.5 in 100,000 to 1 in 500,000 people.

After the news was released, players from various teams wished him a quick recovery that that they will be waiting for his return.

We at M-League Watch would also like to wish him good health and a speedy recovery so he can come back and impress us at the mahjong table once again.

Information on Primary Myelofibrosis