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Episode 18 – The Chains of the Tiles
The death match between Akagi and Washizu continues. Washizu has 37,400 points; Akagi has 28,600. Akagi’s win has reduced the difference between the two, but Washizu is still ahead. The end of the current Han Chan session will spell instant death for Akagi if he can’t turn the game around.
Akagi continues to play calmly despite the danger, impressing Ohgi. How can Akagi remain so calm in the face of death? Even as Ohgi ponders the man’s composure, Akagi coolly draws a Chun and adds it to his pair. Luck is once again on Akagi’s side, perhaps attracted by his very indifference. His hand is shaping up quickly, but so is Washizu’s.
Akagi makes it into Ten Pai first, waiting on a 5 or 8 Pin (or a 2 or 5 Sou, from Washizu’s viewpoint). Unfortunately, Yasuoka doesn’t have a 5 or 8 Pin in his hand to deal to Akagi at the moment. The cop draws from the hole in the table. Its a 8 Pin! He deals it with a smile on his face. All Akagi has to do is take it. Akagi will win the round with a Man Gan and bump Washizu from being the dealer.
The 8 Pin sits there on the table, untouched. Akagi doesn’t move. Why?
Ohgi is so fixated on winning that he doesn’t notice the trap that Akagi has set for Washizu. The 8 Pin passed, so the possibility that Akagi is waiting on the 2 or 5 Sou becomes extremely likely. Washizu will be in Ten Pai if he deals the 2 or 5 Sou, but he can’t because it seems that those are Akagi’s winning tiles. Washizu deals a safe tile.
Four turns later, Akagi draws an 8 Pin himself and wins by Tsumo, far better than if he’d simply won from Yasuoka’s dealing. He wins 4,000 points from Washizu, causing an upset. That, plus 2,000 points from each of the other players, means that Akagi is now ahead of Washizu by 3,200 points. Washizu grits his teeth in frustration.
The next round begins. Ohgi finally realises that Akagi might actually survive. Sure, he’ll have to get some of his blood back and thus will not be able to take all of Washizu’s 500 million, but at least he can take about 200 or 300 million and make it out alive.
Washizu grudgingly admits to himself that Akagi isn’t bad; he’s no ordinary trash or a reckless fool like the others Washizu’s killed. Akagi is willing to throw away his “advantages” in a way that the merely reckless cannot. However, the nature of Mahjong has the potential to render Akagi’s immeasurable talent meaningless.
Washizu has a good hand, but he notices that Akagi has a single isolated 1 Pin in his. If Akagi goes into Ten Pai, he’ll have to discard it. Washizu decides to wait on that 1 Pin.
Akagi is in Ten Pai. If he deals the 1 Pin, then Yasuoka can deal into his hand. Unfortunately, Washizu might be waiting on a 1 Pin. Then again, he could be waiting on something else, or waiting on nothing at all. What will Akagi do?
Akagi deals a 6 Pin.
Washizu chuckles to himself. Akagi would of course see through something that obvious. It won’t make any difference, though. “Riichi!” declares Washizu. He discards the 1 Pin. Washizu is now in Ten Pai, waiting on a 2, 3, 5, 6, or 8 Pin. Akagi, however, is not in Ten Pai because he had to deal the 6 Pin to avoid Washizu’s previous 1 Pin wait.
Washizu laughs. Even with instinct, courage, and the best game you can play, you will still lose in Mahjong. Even though Akagi came close to Washizu by playing tricks, he and Akagi are of completely different calibers. Washizu doesn’t need to play tricks to take down Akagi.
Washizu draws a 2 Pin and slams it down. Man Gan.
Akagi has lost his lead and, even worse, has to pay 2,000 points to Washizu. He loses another 200ccs of blood, 600ccs in total. It’s now the final round; Akagi must win or his death will be guaranteed. If he loses the session, then the difference between him and Washizu (including the ranking bonus) will be over 50,000 points. Akagi would lose 5,000ccs in one shot.
Akagi is essentially playing by responding to Washizu’s movements. Unfortunately, that playing style has a negative effect on the flow of the game. In other words, Akagi’s hand is made up of random tiles when compared to Washizu’s. Akagi is the dealer, but he’s in trouble. The best that can be said about his hand is that it’s “not completely bad”.
Akagi has pairs of the Tong and Chun and, luckily enough, Yasuoka also has a Tong and Chun. However, those alone won’t be enough to overtake Washizu’s 6,800 lead. Washizu has a good hand, and Akagi needs to get a direct hit, quickly.
Yasuoka decides to deal the Tong and Chun once Akagi is close to Ten Pai. They have to hurry; each turn could be fatal.
Akagi draws, but doesn’t make eye contact with Yasuoka. He doesn’t want Yasuoka’s tiles yet. The cop watches Akagi in agitation and deals a safe tile, obeying the silent command.
Washizu cackles as he draws another tile. He’s getting closer to winning.
Yasuoka draws a 1 Man. Akagi has two of these, so he can call the 1 Man, Tong, and Chun at once! The cop looks at Akagi.
Akagi meaningfully stares at Yasuoka out of the corner of his eye. Not yet.
Yasuoka glares at him and deals another safe tile. What is Akagi waiting for?!
Akagi deals the 8 Pin from his hand, holding onto the 4 Sou. The 4 Sou is a Dora tile, but now it’s sitting isolated in Akagi’s hand!
Akagi deals his 6 Pin. It seems that he’s going for the 7 Pairs hand (which is exactly what it sounds like). It could potentially be worth 9,600 points, enough to win even if the winning tile is dealt by Yasuoka. From Washizu’s viewpoint, Akagi could look like he’s in Ten Pai.
It doesn’t work. Washizu knows that Akagi is probably pretending to be in Ten Pai with a 7 Pair hand. That’s impossible, though, because that would mean that two out of the three opaque tiles would have to be a 7 Man and 4 Sou… and Washizu has the opaque 4 Sou. Akagi is bluffing. If Akagi had a good hand, then he would be calling Yasuoka’s tiles instead of hesitating. That would be the logical thing to do.
Washizu is waiting on a 2, 5, or 8 Sou. Suzuki, Washizu’s Mahjong henchman, can deal a 5 Sou in the next turn. It’s over for Akagi.
Washizu gets rid of his closed wait by discarding his 4 Man.
He’s let down his guard.
Akagi was waiting for it.
He makes eye contact with Yasuoka and touches his Tong and Chun pairs.
Yasuoka deals his Tong and Akagi calls it. “Pon!”
Yasuoka deals his Chun. “Pon!”
And the 1 Man. “Pon!”
And Akagi finally discards the pesky 4 Sou Dora.
His hand now consists of two 6 Man, a 7 Man, and an opaque tile (a Pei).
Akagi is one tile away from Ten Pai, but to Washizu, it looks like Akagi is in Ten Pai, waiting on a Man zi tile. That’s what Akagi was waiting for. If he had done that before, then Washizu would’ve just kept his 4 Man instead of dealing it, keeping the wait. Now, Washizu cannot discard his leftover 6 Man…
…and thus cannot go into Ten Pai.
Washizu must wait until he can incorporate the 6 Man back into his hand.
Akagi smiles.
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OPINION
The AKAGI WILL DIE Counter returns! How many times did people think that Akagi would die this episode, hmm?
AWD Counter: and the total for Episode 18 is…
*drumroll please*
FOUR! Things are looking up for our hero Akagi. Washizu-sama is again in the lead with two, Ohgi with one, and the Narrator with one! Looks like everyone’s too busy playing Mahjong (or standing there watching people play Mahjong, Ohgi) to obsess about the fact that AKAGI WILL DIE. Good? Bad? You decide!
~~~
Mahjong, Mahjong, and more Mahjong. If I didn’t already sort of know how to play, I wouldn’t have understood what the hell was going on there. I don’t have much to say about this episode, really, except… PON! PON! PON! That was the highlight of the episode, if you ask me. Loved that seemingly telepathic communication between Yasuoka and Akagi. Who knew a blank stare could mean so many things?
If you look at the transparent tiles carefully, sometimes you can see the characters’ reflections off of them, just like you would if they were real tiles. I’m amazed at the level of attention that goes into the Mahjong tiles. At times, those tiles seem more real than the rest of the art. It’s the magic of CG.
It seems that Akagi losing blood is no longer such a big deal; they didn’t even really bother to animate those 200ccs. It was like, “Washizu won that one. Oh, and Akagi’s lost some blood. About 600ccs total, for those of you keeping track. He’ll die if he loses. Oh well. Akagi doesn’t care and neither should you. Next round!”
Comments
Marantirwe
03 Jun 2007, 18:35
Seriously, is there even a point in figuring out, let alone worrying about, Akagi’s madness? Just thinking about it = instant brain damage. Jeez,I can understand Ohgi, but at LEAST Yasuoka should know that by now.
And, I could possibly stare at those CG transparent tiles all day.
Mcsweeney
13 Jun 2007, 10:14
Yeah I often had the strange urge to pop one of those transparent tiles in my mouth and suck on it like a Jolly Rancher.
ddraggy
13 Jun 2007, 23:43
Maybe if they watch Akagi play long enough, some of his brilliance will rub off on them.
Mmmm, tiles. Which ones would taste better, regular or extra-shiny?
zzo38
08 Dec 2007, 13:41
Is it possible to buy Mahjong sets with both opaque and transparent tiles? (such as 4 of each opaque, and 3 of each transparent, so that you can play opaque Mahjong and transparent Mahjong with the same set)
ddraggy
09 Dec 2007, 22:39
The only sets I’ve found with transparent tiles are more or less exactly like Washizu’s: 1 opaque, 3 transparent.
Besides, a Mahjong set with that many tiles would be… huge and difficult to lug around. Easier to just buy a Washizu set and a regular set; at least you get two cases to carry them!
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