The M-League 2021-22 Finals begin on April 18! Today, we’ll take a look at which teams will be playing, how they got here and what they will need to do to succeed.
Continue reading “M-League 2021-22 Finals: The Teams”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
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.
| Team | Score | |
| 1st | Kadokawa Sakura Knights | +124.3pts |
| 2nd | Konami Mahjong Fight Club | +92.5pts |
| 3rd | Shibuya Abemas | +62.0pts |
| 4th | Sega Sammy Phoenix | +60.1pts |
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 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
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
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
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
M-League 2021 Semifinals: Games #7-12
With the games on Tuesday coming to an end, we are officially halfway through the M-League 2021 Semifinals! Tensions, pressure and emotions have been high the past few games. This quarter, we saw some old friends, some dragons and a closed honitsu. We also had a dora tanki, two valuable uradora, three valuable uradora and other dora nonsense! With all that, let’s get right to it, shall we?
Seeing Old Friends
With the Akasaka Drivens and Team Raiden eliminated from the semifinals, we saw some of their players helping with the commentary.
On March 25, Maruyama Kanako (丸山奏子) and Suzuki Taro (鈴木たろう) of the Akasaka Drivens were guest commentators commentating alongside Matsushima Momo.
On March 29, Setokuma Naoki (瀬戸熊直樹) of Team Raiden was commentating alongside Kobayashi Misa. Kurosawa Saki (黒沢咲) was supposed to be commentating with them, but she was feeling unwell. So, Setokuma brought a mini version of her into the commentating booth to be with him.
Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings
M-League 2021 Semifinals: Games #1-6
The semifinals of the M-League 2021-22 season have begun! Six teams are vying for the four spots in the finals! As always the competition was fierce. This quarter, we had a tie, a player beating another by 100 points and two kans of great importance. We also saw an old friend that we hadn’t seen since April 29, 2021! With all that, let’s get right to it, shall we?
Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings
M-League 2021 Semifinals: The Teams
The M-League 2021 Semifinals begin on March 21! Today, we’ll take a look at which teams will be playing, how they got here and what they will need to do to succeed.
Continue reading “M-League 2021 Semifinals: The Teams”M-League 2021 Semifinals: What You Need To Know
Games
There will be 24 games played in total for the semifinals, with each team playing in 16 of those games.
Scores
Each team carries over half of their score from the regular season (rounded up to the nearest tenth)
| Rank | Team | Regular Season Score | Semifinals Starting Score |
| 1 | U-Next Pirates | +377.1 | +188.6 |
| 2 | Shibuya Abemas | +328.2 | +164.1 |
| 3 | Konami Mahjong Fight Club | +249.0 | +124.5 |
| 4 | EX Furinkazan | +184.4 | +92.2 |
| 5 | Sega Sammy Phoenix | +184.2 | +92.1 |
| 6 | Kadokawa Sakura Knights | +177.0 | +88.5 |
Schedule
Games will take place every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from March 21 to April 8. All games will start at 19:00 JST.
- Week 1: March 21, March 22, March 24, March 25
- Week 2: March 28, March 29, March 31, April 1
- Week 3: April 4, April 5, April 7, April 8
Qualification for the Finals
The top 4 teams with the highest score after the semifinals will move on to the 12-game finals, where they will compete to win the 50 million yen grand prize and the M-League championship plate.
M-League Watch 