Intro
The time is upon us! The M-League Draft Meeting for the 2021 Season is coming this Monday, 2nd of August! After a non-event last year due to no teams changing any members (except for Sakura Knights picking up Hori), this year we have a LOT more going on! A total of 6 picks over 4 teams, and some drama added into the mix, it promises to be an interesting event.
The event will be broadcast by Abema at 1900 JST live on their Mahjong Channel, as well as at this permalink https://abema.tv/channels/mahjong/slots/EEaBcpoKBWn6SB.
Format
The pick order is decided by reverse placement order from last season. So Sega Sammy has first pick, followed by Team Raiden, and so on. Any players who were dropped from teams after the 2020 Season, are eligible to be picked by other teams, but not by the team that original dropped them.
Teams
Sega Sammy Phoenix
Wakutsu Akira’s contract with Sega Sammy expired at the end of the 2020 season, and they have also changed their manager for the coming season, so we might see a new direction for Sega Sammy. The new manager, Yoshino Shinichi, works as a General Producer for Sega MJ Net, so we might see a pick from a player who appears there, but Yoshino was quite tight lipped in his Kinma interview recently, so we’ll have to wait and see. However, he has mentioned that their plan is to pick a 4th player.
However, from a fan perspective, there are some names floating around as possible picks. The fan sentiment seems to be that Sega Sammy will continue with their female heavy roster, and likely pick another female pro (though Yoshino has stated that all options are on the table, even male pros). Nakata Kana (JPML, four time winner of the Cherry Blossom Cup) is one name that comes up often (and not just for Sega Sammy), though she has been passed up for selection in previous years. Nishijima Chiharu (Saikouisen, three time Women’s Saikoui) is another possible candidate, who comes from the same organisation as Kondo and Kayamori.
Team Raiden
While Raiden has kept all three players from last season, they are one of the only remaining teams with only three players. And after failing to make the finals last year, if they fail again this year, they will be required to make a change. To get out in front of that, it seems as though they are planning on picking up a fourth player at this year’s Draft Meeting. This would “reset” the 2 season counter on needing to finish in the top 4 before forced team changes occur.
In a recent Kinma interview, Raiden Manager Takayanagi mentioned that they were considering a number of pros (though no mention on who exactly). As the average age on Raiden is on the higher end, he expressed a desire to hopefully bring some youth into the team, but things like strength, character, and personality being more important factors. He is also open to picking up players who’s contracts with other teams have expired.
From a fan perspective, there is an expectation that any new picks will come from JPML. While Takayanagi has stated that they don’t make decisions based on pro organisation, the fact that all existing Raiden members are from JPML could mean that a JPML pick would work well with the rest of the team, which is a factor that Takayanagi is looking for.
Nakata Kana’s name has come up a lot in relation to Raiden, with the author of mahjong manga 鉄鳴きの麒麟児 (Tetsunaki no Kirinji – Kirinji of the Iron Calls) being a big fan of her as a potential Raiden player.
Date Arisa (JPML) is another possible name that has been floated, she’s won the Cherry Bud Cup, and is a voice actor who voices Ueshige Suzu in the Saki anime.
Konami Mahjong Fight Club
Konami bid farewell to Maehara and Fujisaki at the end of last season, so we will potentially see two new players in the Mahjong Fight Club uniform in 2021. Team management has mentioned that they are primarily looking at players from JPML, but contrary to popular assumption, appearance in the Mahjong Fight Club arcade games is not a prerequisite. They will be looking at lots of different factors, including how a player can play in the M-League ruleset, which is notably quite different from JPML’s competition ruleset. They are also hoping to pick someone who’s from either Hisato’s Generation (JPML intake year), or more recent, and ideally would like an even gender split. But, skills and ability to communicate effectively with Sasaki and Takamiya are more important.
From a fan perspective, there is an elephant in the room, and his name is Takizawa Kazunori. There is a heavy expectations from fans that Konami will likely pick up Takizawa if they’re able to now that he is a free agent. Sasaki and Takizawa are close friends, and Takizawa even made a guest appearance at Maehara and Fujisaki’s farewell stream. Another name thrown around is Nakada Kana (former Nogizaka46 member, and not to be confused with Nakata Kana mentioned earlier) who has been appearing in a lot of JPML promotional material lately, and also participated in the EX Audition, though did not make it to the finals. A name that has cropped up a few times in the past, but so far has not made a lot of M-League news, is US born Garthe Nelson. He’s cropped up a few times in some fantasy M-League teams built by existing M-Leaguers, and has a style that would likely fit Konami’s.
EX Furinkazan
The final team to get an initial pick, is last year’s winner, and the team that has had the most talk about it in the off season, EX Furinkazan. The dual bombshells of holding an audition to pick their fourth member, and the shock departure of Takizawa from the team, has had EX Furinkazan in the forefront of M-League news in the past few months.
While they have two picks in the Draft Meeting, we know that one of them will be Matsugase Takaya who won the audition they held. If he gets picked by another team first, they will go down the ranks, and pick the next available player in rankings. However, their second pick is a lot less clear. Team management has stated that they have narrowed down a list of players, and are not overly fixed on age or gender. However, they’re not necessarily looking to pick a newer player with the intent on training them up. Even players who didn’t make the finals of the Audition are viable candidates for this second pick.
From a fan perspective, Nikaido Rumi’s (JPML) name always comes up at draft season, as a potential pick. Fans like the idea of the two sisters playing on the same team. Also there is some speculation that maybe they will lean heavily into the audition and pick up Honda Tomohiro who came in second.
Summary
With 6 picks happening across 4 teams, this year’s Draft Meeting is not to be missed! Whether Takizawa joins Konami, or Nakata Kana finally joins M-League, sparks will certainly fly! Let us know what your thoughts are, and who you think will be picked by various teams.
M-League Watch 