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Episode 11 – The Groundwork of Despair
The match continues and Fake Akagi is still being outplayed, though he manages to win a round. It becomes more and more obvious that he lacks the instinct of a true gambler, and Boss Kawada realises that probability alone just isn’t good enough when the stakes are so high. All Fake Akagi can do is make shallow calculations.
Fake Akagi gets a potentially excellent hand, but decides to play it safe because it seems unlikely that he’ll draw the tiles he needs. He abandons it for a more flexible, but cheaper, hand. Urabe figures out that his opponent’s in Ten Pai and inwardly scoffs at Fake Akagi’s wussy playing style. He decides to show “Bro” here how it’s really done.
Urabe declares… an Open Riichi. Meaning he declares a Riichi and actually reveals what he’s got. It’s a move that’s double the value of a regular Riichi. Fake Akagi believes that it’s a stupid thing to do since Urabe is waiting on one tile, a 3 Pin, compared to his three-way. Logic suggests and probability dictates that there’s no way that Urabe can beat Fake Akagi with his single, unlikely, 3 Pin wait, right? Right.
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Ishikawa thinks that Urabe’s crazy. The man could’ve had an edge wait. Kawada, however, sees it differently. Urabe went with the single wait because a win would mean a 3 An Kou hand, something quite decent. A Man Gan (8000-12,000 points). And if he got any Reverse Dora tiles (flipped because of the Riichi), then the hand’s value would skyrocket into a Dealer Bai Man, at least double that. According to Kawada, Urabe senses that he’ll draw the winning tile.
Urabe draws. Everyone is in suspense.
He slams it down. 6 Man. He doesn’t get a One Shot win. However, next turn…
He draws. He smiles. 3 Pin, Tsumo, Dora 3. Bai Man. Fake Akagi can’t believe it. Sorry, Bro. Urabe cackles evilly.
Kawada has had enough of Fake Akagi. He flat out orders Ishikawa to get Akagi in here. They must fight poison… with poison!
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Akagi is still peacefully sitting outside enjoying the evening with a slight smile on his face, listening to the insects and watching the full moon. Ishikawa runs out and stumbles to halt behind him. The yakuza tells Akagi that their rep player is screwed and that they need his help RIGHT NOW. Akagi asks if Urabe has started winning. Ishikawa informs him that, yes, he has, and that the wager has been bumped up to a whopping 32 million yen, so PLEASE, Akagi…
Akagi goes back to staring at the moon. “Sorry,” he says, “but I don’t feel like it.”
That was not the answer he was expecting. Akagi’s the only one that can save them. Ishikawa needs Akagi! Akagi takes a break from his stargazing and gives Ishikawa a rather bizarre suggestion: Why doesn’t Ishikawa ask Osamu? Let Osamu play.
The yakuza becomes more and more agitated. They have something of an emergency going on, and it’s not something an amateur can help with!
Akagi doesn’t care. He tells Ishikawa to just keep the wager a secret so that Osamu can play without worrying about the money. He believes that Osamu might actually do all right.
“Doing ‘All right’ isn’t good enough, Akagi!” retorts Ishikawa.
In that case, responds Akagi, you’re on your own. “If Osamu doesn’t play, neither will I.” And he goes back to serenely staring at the moon.
Ishikawa clenches a fist. Akagi is being stubborn and it’s clear that he won’t play unless he gets his way. “You’ll play as long as it’s after Osamu, right?” demands Ishikawa.
Akagi looks back one more time, strangely sinister. “Well, yeah.”
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Back in the match room. Fake Akagi is gone, nowhere to be seen, and it’s now a very nervous Osamu versus an expressionless Urabe. Osamu thinks that the wager is at 500,000 yen. He knows that he needs to make an upset to get into first place, so he decides to play boldly, discarding his early Ten Pai to aim higher. Kawada is pleasantly surprised. It seems that Osamu isn’t intimidated by the 32 million wager. Of course, Osamu doesn’t know…
Osamu launches into a winning streak. Urabe doesn’t look happy. The difference between them is now 11,200. The kid does okay until he overhears two yakuza saying that the 32 million yen wager isn’t affecting his game at all. Terrified, Osamu looks hesitantly at Ishikawa, who nods in confirmation. 32 million yen… If he loses… but if he wins..!
Osamu’s calm playing style is completely ruined. He makes it into a hasty Ten Pai, but he can’t draw the tile he needs. Urabe declares a Riichi. Osamu discards a 9 Pin. Urabe was waiting for it. Ron. Man Gan.
Osamu is shattered. Urabe knew his exact strategy and used up all of Osamu’s winning tiles. He’s… not good enough to beat Urabe. He can’t do it, he’s doomed…
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A firm hand lands on his shoulder. A calm, familiar voice asks him if he wants to switch. It’s Akagi-san! Akagi has come to the rescue!
Urabe is now 28,400 points ahead of them. Osamu is worried; the wager is 32 million yen… is Akagi really okay with it? It’s quite a ridiculously large sum to lose, to be sure.
Akagi laughs softly. Was that what Osamu was thinking about? The money doesn’t matter. It’s not like it’s his money. You should just play freely.
Osamu risks a quick look at the visibly-displeased yakuza boss and underling sitting behind them. Urk. “Akagi-san, don’t say that!” he bleats.
Akagi isn’t fazed in the least. It’s the truth. The only ones who have to worry are the yakuza guys behind them and… Urabe. Urabe’s the one who raised the stakes. If the man happens to lose, then he’ll have to pay it off in cash… or in blood. Akagi stares at his opponent. The pressure that Urabe is feeling, says Akagi, must be insane.
Urabe glares at him and dismantles the wall for the next game. Ishikawa is amazed at Akagi’s insight. Akagi Shigeru is the only one they can count on.
The match continues. Ishikawa is looking forward to seeing Akagi’s amazing godly Mahjong skills again after five years. Akagi, however, just plays an ordinary, standard game. Urabe wins the round.
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Ishikawa is baffled. What the hell is Akagi doing?! Why does he declare a Riichi the moment he’s in Ten Pai instead of waiting for something better? Urabe doesn’t get it either, so he decides to play it safe to see what the newcomer is up to. The game progresses. From his discards, it’s clear that Akagi doesn’t have any Dora tiles, or three-colour straights, or, well, anything of value, really. Huh. Urabe then deals Akagi’s winning tile, but Akagi doesn’t move. Urabe eventually draws his own winning tile, but decides against declaring a Tsumo win. It’s a cheap hand, and he’d rather see what Akagi has. Akagi smiles.
The game ends in a draw. Urabe reveals his hand. He’s in Ten Pai. So what does Akagi have? What did Akagi declare his Riichi on?
Akagi flips his hand face-down and sighs. “Sorry,” he says, “I was in No Ten.” In other words, he’s saying that he wasn’t in Ten Pai and his Riichi was fake.
Ishikawa leans forward and urgently tells Akagi that, even though he doesn’t want to show his hand, they can’t afford the 8,000 point penalty incurred by keeping it hidden.
Akagi isn’t concerned. He’s buying “it” with only 8,000 points. He’s buying the last three rounds. “I’ll move forward,” claims Akagi, “and Urabe will retreat.” He’s paying for the groundwork to win.
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Urabe is now 45,800 points ahead. The situation is seemingly hopeless and there’s no way they can win if Akagi keeps playing like this. As Ishikawa thinks, “He needs the kind of high wave that comes every hundred, no, every thousand years.” They need a miracle.
Akagi’s starting hand is totally ordinary. That miracle ain’t happening. In fact, the man gets a set of non-bonus wind tiles, no better than a standard three-of-a-kind. However, the omniscient Narrator has a different opinion. The drawing of the Tong, the East Wind, is a sign; a sign of the high wave that comes only once every thousand years.
Wham, wham, wham. Three draws later and Akagi now has the beginnings of a Yaku Man hand (a name given to those special high-value hands). By the eighth turn, it’s a 3 An Kou. Akagi’s otherworldly abilities are starting to manifest, but Urabe is close to winning, too. Akagi has a potential 4 An Kou (four three-of-a-kinds and a pair, all without calling any tiles from the other players), worth between 32,000-48,000, but can he do it?
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Akagi draws. The answer is yes. He is now in Ten Pai with the 4 An Kou. Ishikawa is amazed. Now all Akagi has to do is discard the 4 Man to get an ideal single wa- WHAT ARE YOU DOING, AKAGI?!
Akagi discards his 5 Sou instead and declares a Riichi. He’s now waiting on several tiles, as if he’s satisfied winning with a cheaper hand. Even as Ishikawa wracks his brains trying to figure out Akagi’s strategy, the man makes things even worse. He opens his hand. Open Riichi.
Ishikawa is now totally lost, but Kawada thinks he knows what’s going on. According to Kawada, Akagi realised that Urabe was probably waiting on a 1, 4, or 7 Man, making the 4 Man a dangerous tile to deal. Since he has to keep that tile in his hand and he can’t change his waits without wrecking his potential 4 An Kou, he might as well declare a Riichi.
But why an Open Riichi? Easy. Akagi must’ve thought that nobody would be stupid enough to deal the 4 Man, and even if the one side player still actually playing decided to do so, Urabe would Head Bump it. Akagi can’t Ron in this situation, so he’ll have to Tsumo, win by self-draw. In that case, it doesn’t matter if his hand is open or not. But that’s not all…
The Open 4 An Kou is a threat. Kawada believes that it’s a threat to force Urabe to compromise.
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Urabe knows that Akagi will get into first if he wins by Tsumo, and then Urabe would have to shoulder that 32 million yen, one way or the other. He has to do something…
Akagi watches Urabe and draws, raising the tile to eye level. He slowly moves his thumb away from its face to see what it is. He looks at it.
The room is in suspense. Urabe is waiting in dread.
Akagi is still holding the tile, giving nothing away.
Urabe is sweating and twitching in horrible anticipation.
Akagi slams it down. It’s a 6 Pin. Urabe starts breathing again. He’s not dead.
…Yet.
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Okay, Urabe has had enough of the nerve-wracking tension. He asks Kawada if they have that rule where dealing into an Open Riichi turns it into a Yaku Man hand. Kawada replies in the negative.
Urabe deals his 2 Man, one of Akagi’s winning tiles if goes with the cheaper hand. It sucks to deal into one of Akagi’s weaker potential winning hands, but the Man Gan (and possibly Bai Man if he gets any Reverse Dora tiles) Ron is still less damaging than having Akagi Tsumo with the killer 4 An Kou. 8000-12,000 points isn’t bad compared to that. It’s a reasonable thing for Urabe to do. Still, it’s a direct hit on Urabe.
Akagi has managed to force Urabe to deal into his hand. Kawada can tell that this Akagi is the real thing.
Akagi starts laughing evilly. Urabe smiles, not really understanding. What is Akagi waiting for? He’s won, so why isn’t he flipping over the Reverse Dora indicator? The winning tile is sitting right there on the table, just like he wanted!
Akagi calls Urabe retarded. That tile isn’t what he wants; Akagi’s not going for that cheap hand. Urabe compromised by dealing into Akagi’s hand, so his own hand is now in lousy condition. So Akagi will keep going.
He’ll move forward as Urabe retreats. Akagi is going to kill Urabe with his 4 An Kou.
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OPINION
Poor Fake Akagi. Not only does he suck compared to Akagi and Urabe, but he can’t even measure up against Osamu. Ouch. What a scene it must’ve been…
| Ishikawa: |
We’ve had enough of you, kid. You’ve been replaced. Get out of here. |
| Fake Akagi: |
Look, you might think that Akagi could do better, but- |
| Ishikawa: |
Not Akagi. |
| Fake Akagi: |
Eh? |
| Ishikawa: |
We’re replacing you with this random factory worker kid Akagi likes. Must be the freckles. *drags Osamu in by the ear* Akagi was too busy staring off into space to play, but that’s okay, he thinks Osamu is better than you. |
| Fake Akagi: |
What the..? But- |
| Ishikawa: |
Akagi’s not saying that Osamu is a good player. You just suck. |
| Fake Akagi: |
……. |
| Osamu: |
*sweat* Sorry, Fake Akagi-san. *proceeds to play 2x better than Fake Akagi* |
| Fake Akagi: |
…I hate you, Akagi. Just you wait, you freak bastard, I’ll be back. You’ll see.
AND THEN THERE WILL BE A RECKONING! *leaves in a huff* |
Goodbye, Fake Akagi. We hardly knew you. And I liked the guy, too.
Akagi is acting like a spoiled brat, isn’t he? You can just tell Ishikawa wanted to smack him one. Just sitting there in La-La Land, dead set on being absolutely useless, and there’s not a thing Ishikawa can do about it. He only decides to play when Osamu needs him. Aww, how sweet!
Not that it was much of a rescue. Akagi apparently went into the match with his Freak Luck set to OFF. I didn’t know he could turn it on and off like that. Then again, Akagi can do just about anything.
Urabe doesn’t seem to be anywhere close to Ichikawa’s caliber, so Akagi is obviously going to eat the man alive. Once he gets around to it, that is. He’s too busy driving everyone nuts. The man is just being cruel. Maybe he’s literally out to kill Urabe via heart attack! I guess traumatising his opponents and breaking their minds just isn’t good enough for Akagi anymore. That reminds me… I wonder if Ichikawa’s gone to that big Mahjong Parlour in the Sky (or the Pit, heh)?
Comments
Mcsweeney
09 Jan 2007, 11:48
I’m pretty sure though if Fake Akagi had played Osamu, Fake Akagi would have obliterated him.
Man, we’re as bad as DBZ fans.
ddraggy
09 Jan 2007, 12:46
But Osamu was only playing at 25% of his true power!!! 😀
Yeah, Fake Akagi probably would’ve slaughtered the kid after he recovered from his humiliating loss to Urabe.
At this point in time, though, *I* could’ve beat Fake Akagi. He was really sucking.
ddwkc
12 Jan 2007, 02:01
Even my sister who just started learning Mahjong could do better calculations than Fake Akagi! Actually my sister obliterated me 80K x -10K!
I think Osamu could become a good player if he had enough balls.
sir_seagill
23 Jul 2007, 01:53
did that scene of kicking fake Akagi really happen? (like in the manga or something?) cos yea, he suddenly disappeared and Osamu was there. sorta funny
but I like him too (thought he was the real Akagi first time watching it)
ddraggy
24 Jul 2007, 21:43
Nah, it didn’t really happen. All we see is the back of Fake Akagi’s head and that’s it. I just made that scene up for my own amusement 😀 Well, except for the “Osamu gets dragged around by the ear” part. *That* happened.
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