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As we enter the third week of the M-League 2024-25 semifinals, we are officially more than halfway through. And as the halfway mark is hit, days and games until the end are being counted. For those struggling, time is running out.
Over the past three game days, we’ve had a double duty daily double, a struggling player getting their team’s first 1st place and decisive South 4 shaking up the standings.
There’s a lot to get into, so let’s get right into it, shall we?
Intro | Standings
On April 16, 2025, the EX Furinkazan announced that they will be dropping Matsugase Takaya (松ヶ瀬隆弥) and Nikaido Rumi (二階堂瑠美) as players, with Rumi taking on a new role on the team. They also announced that they will hold a draft audition to determine who will fill one of the vacant spots on the team.
Katsumata Kenji (勝又健志) and Nikaido Aki (二階堂亜樹) will have their contracts renewed and will remain on the team as players.
Matsugase was drafted in the M-League 2021-22 after winning the first-ever EX Furinkazan New Member Audition. In his first two seasons, he took 5th and 7th spot, respectively, in the individual standings. However, he ended up in 36th place individually during the 2023-24 season and 32nd place in the 2024-25 season. He also ended up dealing into a kokushi on the team’s last day of the season.
In a Tweet, Matsugase described the past four years with the team as motivating and magnificent.
発表があったように今期で契約満了になりました。
— 松ヶ瀬隆弥@私立松ヶ瀬学園 (@akayakokushim) April 16, 2025
4年間のMリーグでの経験はとても刺激のある素晴らしいものでした
今後の事も含めて20時から配信で少しお話ししようかと思います。 https://t.co/hFvdlysaJE
Rumi was drafted in the M-League 2021-22 season, joining her younger sister Aki on the EX Furinkazan. She helped the team get to two finals and broke the league’s almost 17-month yakuman drought on December 5, 2024 by winning a suuankou. However, she has only had one positive season and finished the most recent season in 33rd place individually.
In addition, Rumi has been facing health challenges since the mid-season and played only three games in 2025. To focus on her health, the team requested that she drop as a player but take on a new role on the team, which she has accepted. The exact details and title of the new role is unknown, but she will take part in team events as she is able to.
In addition, the team will be hosting an audition to see to determine one player that will be picked at the next draft (the other vacant spot will be chosen separately).
The audition semifinals will take place on June 15 and June 21 and will involve the following players:
The first four games will be played on June 15 starting at 12:00 JST and there will be a live broadcast on the EX Furinkazan YouTube channel.
The following eight games will be played on June 21 starting at 10:00 JST and there will be a broadcast on the ABEMA Mahjong Channel.
The finals will be on June 22 and will involve
The finals will be three games long and will be broadcast on the ABEMA Mahjong Channel starting at 15:00 JST.
The M-League Watch team would like to wish Matsugase the best in his future mahjong endeavours and Rumi the best of health and luck in her new position.
As we enter the second week of the semis, things are starting to heat up. With every game, every hand, the chance to move up in the game, a chance to move up in the standings. And as each game finishes, a sense of accomplishment, pride, helplessness, pain and sorrow fills the hearts of players and fans alike.
In Games #7-12 of the M-League 2024-25 semifinals, we had some big wins, some great South 4 comebacks and some incredible ura 3 moments.
Let’s get right into it, shall we?
Intro | Standings
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?
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.
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
The semifinals are starting next week on Monday, April 7! Today, we’ll take a look at the teams that will be advancing to the semis and figure out what they will need to do to succeed.
Continue reading “M-League 2024-25 Semifinals: The Teams”
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 semifinals start next week! Let’s take a look at all the important information that you need to know for the M-League 2024-25 Semifinals.
Continue reading “M-League 2024-25 Semifinals: What You Need To Know”
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.
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?
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
／#麻雀飯争奪戦
— menu (@menu_sns) March 25, 2025
チームmの意気込み動画🔥
＼
mチームのメンバーはこちら👇
🀄️#鈴木たろう さん（監督／赤坂ドリブンズ）
🀄️#ともしげ さん
🀄️#東城りお さん
実力×バラエティのバランス最強トリオ💪チーム”ケチャップ”とは…!?
リポスト🔁といいね❤️で応援を届けましょう！ pic.twitter.com/8kvRtSt3LK
／#麻雀飯争奪戦
— menu (@menu_sns) March 26, 2025
チームeの意気込み動画🔥
＼
eチームのメンバーはこちら👇
🀄️#岡田紗佳 さん（監督／KADOKAWAサクラナイツ）
🀄️#佐野ひなこ さん
🀄️#朝倉康心 さん
実力も華やかさも揃ったeチーム💐意気込み＆menuクーポン100万円分の使い道をチェック🎥… pic.twitter.com/gyHh5ZMx4u
／#麻雀飯争奪戦
— menu (@menu_sns) March 27, 2025
チームnの意気込み動画🔥
＼
nチームのメンバーはこちら👇
🀄️#松ヶ瀬隆弥 さん（監督／EX風林火山）@akayakokushim
🀄️#大村朋宏 さん @shinobineeenaaa
🀄️#石橋伸洋 さん @rate1484
麻雀もトークも“切れ味”抜群の知的な3人に注目！… pic.twitter.com/9rHkv1DTZ5
／#麻雀飯争奪戦
— menu (@menu_sns) March 28, 2025
チームuの意気込み動画公開🔥
＼
uチームのメンバーは…
🀄️#滝沢和典 さん（監督／KONAMI麻雀格闘倶楽部）@takizawajpml
🀄️#日本一おもしろい大崎 さん @ktmktm0305
🀄️#魚谷侑未 さん @yuumi1102… pic.twitter.com/CruPzMh05M
Intro | Standings
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 Watch 