M-League 2024-25 Semifinals: Games #1-6

After a week break, the M-League 2024-25 Semifinals are finally here! Six teams compete for four spots in the finals and a chance to become the next M-League champions.

In the first six games, things were fierce right off the bat. We had a lot of ippatsu calls and a potential double riichi battle on Monday, an impressive baiman comeback on Tuesday, and a cool daily double on Thursday to shake up the standings.

There’s a lot to get into, so let’s get right into it, shall we?

Mahjong Food Competition: Team ver. Results

On March 29, 2025, the Mahjong Food Competition: Team ver. was broadcast on ABEMA.

On Table A, Team “e” headed by Okada Sayaka had Asakura Koushin and Sano Hinako getting a total of 55,200, beating out Team “m” (headed by Suzuki Taro with Tojo Rio and Tomoshige competing) who only got 44,800

On Table B, a 1st and 2nd by Ishibashi Nobuhiro and Oomura Tomohiro gave Matsugase’s Team “n” a big 79,800 total, beating out Takizawa’s Team “u” of Uotani Yuumi and Oosaki who only got 20,200.

On the final table, Team “e’ finished victorious with a 56,500 total. With the win, the team received 1,000,000 yen worth fo menu delivery vouchers.

All games, including past menu specials, can be watched for free on the ABEMA Mahjong Channel.

Lawson Print Bromides

Starting April 8, 2024, a new set of bromides are available to be printed at Lawson Print stores throughout Japan.

For each of the 36 players, there is a team pose photo and an in-game photo available. Bromides can be printed in the “L” size for 300 yen, or the “2L” size for 500 yen.

Intro | Standings

Daisuke And Nakada Contracts Renewed, Sarukawa And Sugawara To Play In Member Audition

On April 4, 2025, the Beast X announced that they would be renewing the contracts for Suzuki Daisuke and Nakada Kana, but Sarukawa Masatoshi and Sugawara Hiroe will have fight for a spot on the team in the Beast X Member Replacement Audition.

In the news release, it was noted that Daisuke does well in conveying the Beast playstyle with his daisangen and Highest Hanchan award, and that Nakada’s mahjong skills are improving and her ability to spread mahjong to the world is indispensable. They also thanked Sarukawa for his role as team captain and Sugawara in her competitiveness and cheerfulness.

The decision comes after the Beast X finished the 2023-24 season in 7th place with -378.7pts, then finished the 2024-25 season in 9th place with -1143.6pts, failing to make the semifinals in both seasons. Due to M-League regulations, a team that fails to make the semifinals two seasons in a row with the same roster will be forced to change at least one player.

With the two vacancies in the Beast X roster, the team will have two draft picks in the M-League 2025-26 Draft. The Beast X have announced that one spot will be chosen normally, while the other will be chosen in the Beast X Member Replacement Audition.

The Beast X Member Replacement Audition will feature Sarukawa and Sugawara, as well as four other players, competing in a 6-player league-style tournament for a spot on the team. The audition will be broadcast on the BS10 channel and streamed on the Japanet Connect (つながるジャパネット) app. Details about the players, format and dates will be announced in a future Beast Road episode (Beast X’s weekly show broadcast every Sunday).

The M-League Watch team would like to wish Sarukawa and Sugawara the very best in the member audition and in their future endeavours.

The Wild M-League Kingdom

The Wild M-League Kingdom: A land of curious creatures. The interesting fauna of this land are plentiful, from pigs to monkeys to swans. But who are these creatures? What makes these creatures so special? Today, we will discover the wonder and majesty of The Wild M-League Kingdom.


M-League Kingdom
Akasakus
Lupus
Exus
Sakureques
Emefsicus
Abemashis
Arizonas
Electricus
Piratus

M-League 2024-25 Week 27: The Final Week

What you see here is the final hand of the final game of the regular season. When this hand finished, the final semifinals spots were secured and the individual awards were decided.

This week, the 27th and final week of the M-League 2024-25 regular season, emotions ran high and the action was more intense as ever. Nothing was decided until the very end.

With so much to go through, let’s get right into it, shall we?

Mahjong Food Competition: Team ver.

On March 29 at 17:00 JST, the Mahjong Food Competition: Team ver. (麻雀飯争奪戦チーム対抗Ver.) presented by menu delivery will be broadcast on the ABEMA Mahjong Channel.

There will be four teams in the competition, each one representing a letter in the word “menu”. Each team will feature one current M-Leaguer, one former M-leaguer, as well as a celebrity.

The winning team will receive 1 million yen worth of menu delivery vouchers.

All previous menu collaborations can be watched on the ABEMA Mahjong Channel

Team “m”

Team “e”

Team “n”

Team “u”


Intro | Standings

M-League 2024-25 Week 26: Penultimate

This week, the 26th week of the M-League 2024-25 regular season, is the second-last week of the regular season. The approach is happening, the runway is in view, the landing is crucial. How the teams handle these high-pressure situations will determine their fate, as well as give us a glimpse of what might be in store during the playoffs.

This week, we had an a yakuman tenpai, a final hand 3rd to 1st comeback, an unfortunate dead hand and a player escaping 4th place by the slimmest of margins.

Let’s get right into it, shall we?


Intro | Standings

M-League 2024-25 Week 25: Best

The word “best” has a few meanings in English. As an adjective, it is something of the highest quality. As a verb, it means to beat an opponent in a contest. In mahjong, both definitions apply.

In the 25th week of the M-League 2024-25 regular season, we had players besting their rivals and players being at their best. We saw one of the best hands a player can win, players taking the best opportunity to win and a team getting their best result in team history!

Let’s get right into it, shall we?

Intro | Standings

First Ever M-League Event Coming To North America

North American fans will have their chance to join in on the M-League action during the M-League Meetup In Las Vegas on June 1, the first M-League event in North America.

M-League Meetup In Las Vegas

The M-League Meetup in Las Vegas will be held on June 1, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the Treasure Island Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. M-League fans will have a chance to play against one of four M-Leaguers who will be attending the event:

Sonoda Ken (園田賢)
Shibukawa Nanba (渋川難波)
Hinata Aiko (日向藍子)
Mizuhara Akina (瑞原明奈)

The tournament will consist of eight 30-minute East Round/Tonpuusen games. Each participant is guaranteed to play an M-Leaguer at least once, and will also receive a special M-League prize for attending. Top players will receive exclusive M-League merchandise.

During the event, there will also be special side events, a question and answer session, a photo shoot with the players and official M-league merchandise available to be purchased.

The cost for the M-League Meetup is US$250 and has a limited capacity of 100 people. There is also a 3-day pass bundle (which includes participation in all of the AMOS Festival events) available for US$650. Tickets must be paid by Venmo or PayPal.

For those who do not want to attend the main events but wish to purchase merchandise and attend the side events can purchase a one-day spectator ticket for US$30.

Those who wish to participate must fill out a registration form and accept the event terms and conditions.

AMOS Festival in Las Vegas

The M-League Meetup in Las Vegas is part of a larger three-day event called the AMOS Festival in Las Vegas.

The AMOS Festival (shortened as the AMOS FESTA) is a special event sponsored by AMOS, Mahjong Stars (the official AMOS distributor in the United States), M-League and Saikouisen USA.

The event will be held at the Treasure Island Las Vegas Hotel and Casino and will run from May 30, 2025 to June 1, 2025.

Each day of the festival, there will be a different event hosted:

  • May 30: Mahjong Stars Cup (US$300)
  • May 31: AMOS Cup (US$250)
  • June 1: M-League Meetup In Las Vegas (US$250)

In addition, the Ryuuousen USA Qualifiers will also be running during the duration of the event.

The event will also be attended by Mahjong Watch, a mahjong news website, who will be streaming and recording videos.

Reaction

All four M-Leaguers expressed their excitement about the event, with Sonoda Ken writing a post in English.

M-League 2024-25 Week 24: MVP Battle

The top individual prize in M-League is the MVP award. The MVP award is the title given to the player who has the highest individual score at the end of the regular season. It is a prestigious title, with the winner receiving a medal that looks like the M-League championship plate and a cash prize of 1,000,000 yen.

In the 24th week of the M-League 2024-25 season, the MVP battle just got closer. The top players are starting to lose steam while their rivals are getting big 1sts. WIth this, the leads are beginning to shrink and it’s anyone guess who will finish on top.

Let’s get right into it, shall we?

Intro | Standings