M-League Named World’s Most-Watched Literary Event

M-League, a Japanese mahjong sports league, was recently named the “World’s Most Watched Literary Event”.

Having a viewership of hundreds of thousands to over a million viewers every game day, it easily beats any other televised literary event in the world. In 2021, the Booker Prize only had around 12,000 and the Nobel Prize for Literature only had around 90,000.

In a recent interview with Fujita Susumu, M-League chairman and recommender of Kobayashi Go’s mahjong book, he cleared up some misconceptions about M-League.

Many people think that players play for their teams so they can win the championship and prove they’re the best. In reality, players try to win their games so they have a chance to show off their books. And they do try to win the championship, but mostly to get money so they can quit their day job and have more time to write.

Fujita Susumu

Kadokawa, a book publisher and the owner of the Kadokawa Sakura Knights, has taken full advantage of the screen time, advertising every second they can and even making an official M-League Guidebook.

Mizuhara Akina (瑞原明奈)
Sonoda Ken (園田賢)

Despite this title, many viewers simply do not believe that the focus of M-League is not mahjong. As proof that M-League is actually a book event, both Mizuhara Akina and Sonoda Ken have both advertised their books in their post-game interviews. Players from opposing teams help advertise the books. Even the Unlucky Mopheus song “‘M’ Revolution” has more references to books written by M-Leaguers than mahjong terms.

It is expected that the awards ceremony for this award will be named “The World’s Most Watched Event about the World’s Most Watched Literary Event”.

In other news, Kobayashi Go is rereading his book “Increase your win rate by 5%” after almost discarding a tile that would have brought his win rate to 0%.

M-League 2021 Week 16: Crisis Averted

Sometimes in mahjong, you make moves that you regret instantly. You discard a tile that you weren’t supposed to or you make a call that ruins your hand. But when you catch yourself at the last minute, you end up avoiding the disaster that could have been. In the 16th week of M-League 2021, a crises were indeed averted. From a 16,000 point choice almost becoming a -20,000, to comeback wins from skillful plays, to finally getting your team into playoff contention, we see how volatile a single play can really be. With all that, let’s get right into it, shall we?

Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings

Pages: 1 2 3 4

M-League 2021 Week 15: Holding On

In mahjong, you hold things for different reasons. If you hold onto a tile, you can accept certain tiles and prevent someone from winning. If you hold off on calling riichi, you can improve your wait, add more yaku and have the ability to defend and In the 15th week of M-League 2021, holding was the theme. From holding onto a dangerous tile and eventually winning, to holding off on calling riichi to get sanshoku and win on ippatsu, to holding onto hope and winning a comeback, patience paid off for players. With all that, let’s get right to it, shall we?

Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings

Pages: 1 2 3 4

M-League 2021 Week 14: Redemption

A bad discard. Some unlucky draws. Losing streaks. In mahjong, things don’t always go your way. Even when you try your hardest, you just can’t get the points. But when the moment is right, when your mind has a revelation, when the tiles perfectly perfectly align, the win that you desperately need comes to you. In week 14 of M-League 2021, players and teams traveled on the road to redemption. From the first win of the season to the first time being on top of the leaderboard in 800 days, these teams and players came back to prove their worth.

We also had some surprise dora, an unexpected comeback and some strategic tenpai wins. With all that, let’s get right into it, shall we?

Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings

Pages: 1 2 3 4

M-League 2021 Week 13: Rough Start

A new year is usually a fresh start, a new beginning. With how things have been going for the past two years, sometimes these new hopes for the future are dashed. In the 13th week of M-League 2021, players and teams seemed to get off on the wrong foot. From a grievous mistake, to having an unfortunate dealer turn, to 6 teams having negative performances, it seems that the new year was just as unforgiving as the last. However, we see slight optimism in the two successful teams this week, some expert plays and the fact that M-League is still going on! With the lows and the highs, let’s take a look at all the action this week, shall we?

Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings

Pages: 1 2 3 4

M-League 2021: Last Games of 2021

As December draws to an end, so does the year. On December 27th and 28th, the last 4 games of 2021 took place. In this shortened M-League week, players made sure they ended the year with a bang. This time, we saw a yakuman chance, two big baiman wins and a rare ryanpeikou. There were also quick hands, dora-filled hands and some missed hands. With four action-packed games to disect, let’s get right into it, shall we?

Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings

Pages: 1 2 3 4

M-League 2021 Week 12: Positive Vibes

The holidays are a time for joy and happiness. With positive emotions and a positive attitude, it can result in positive results for both individuals and teams. In the 12th week of M-League 2021, players kept their hopes up, approached situations with optimism and gained valuable points for their team. By the end of the week, we had the most number of teams in the positives. With all that, let’s get right into it!

Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings

Pages: 1 2 3 4

M-League 2021 Week 11: Ideal Draw

When building a hand, sometimes you need the perfect tile at the perfect time to get your hand to the perfect state. When your hand is in tenpai, getting the best tile at the best time can get you extraordinary results. In the 11th week of M-League 2021, players drew the ideal draw to flip standings, gain big points and even make the game go on forever. We also had a big trap, the continuation of a long streak and the ending of a painful streak. With all that, let’s get right to it, shall we?

Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings

Pages: 1 2 3 4

M-League 2021 Week 10: Hidden Treasure

Underneath the only face-up tile in the wall is a hidden treasure. To unlock this treasure, a player must call riichi and win. In the 10th week of M-League 2021, many players had the key and were generously rewarded. We also had a lot of baiman wins, haneman wins and some unexpected South 4 business. With all that, let’s get right into it!

Intro | Highlights | Results | Standings

Pages: 1 2 3 4