2 - The Awakening of Talent

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(Please feel free to edit the speaker names if incomplete or inaccurate. Names are handled on a best-effort basis depending on the info on the source file. Dialogue is left as is.)
[01:12] nar
    The year is 1958.
[01:14] ---
    A thunderstorm was raging that night...
[01:17] nar
    The night the genius who descended
    into the darkness, Akagi Shigeru,
[01:21] nar
    the one who would come
    to be known as the man
[01:23] nar
    from the godly realm,
    saw his legend begin.
[01:27] nar
    Akagi had agreed to play for a man
    struggling with debt, Nangou.
[01:30] nar
    While playing against the yakuza,
    his talent begins to awaken.
[01:36] ryu
    Riichi.
[01:43] yas
    This guy... how could he discard
[01:45] ---
    that tile so calmly against that riichi?
[01:49] ---
    He's a complete novice,
    no matter how you look at it.
[01:52] yas
    Those guys don't get it, either.
[01:55] yas
    Somehow, for all his insane discards,
[01:57] ---
    he never deals into anyone's hand.
[01:59] yas
    I don't know if it's intuition or insight,
[02:03] ---
    but either way, I'm sure he was
    the kid from last night's incident!
SIGN    Episode 2
SIGN    The Awakening of Talent
[02:17] nar
    It's South Hand 1. Ryuuzaki.
[02:23] ryu
    Riichi.
[02:31] yas
    Again?
[02:32] yas
    He's lucky no one called that...
[02:35] yas
    How can he keep discarding
    these dangerous tiles so easily?
[02:39] yas
    Is this the luck he was born with?
[02:48] yas
    With this hand, you'd probably
    want to discard the 5 of bamboo...
[02:53] yas
    But it's unwise, since it's clear from
    the discards that it's an ura suji.
[02:56] yas
    On top of that, it's a dora.
    You simply can't discard that.
[03:00] yas
    Since he can see where all four
    of the 3 of characters tiles are,
[03:03] ---
    he should discard the 2 of characters...
[03:07] nan
    H-Hang on a sec!
[03:11] nan
    I know asking you to read the tiles in
[03:12] ---
    the discard pile is too much to ask for,
[03:14] ---
    but that's just too crazy.
[03:17] aka
    Is this tile that dangerous?
[03:20] nan
    That's Ryuuzaki's ura suji.
[03:23] nar
    Ura suji is, for instance, getting a
    3 of bamboo with a hand like this.
[03:27] ---
    The 6 of bamboo will be discarded.
[03:29] nar
    In Mahjong, this mechanism
    makes it very likely that
[03:31] ---
    the wait will be for a 2 or 5 of bamboo.
[03:34] nan
    On top of that, the 5 of bamboo is a dora.
[03:36] aka
    Dora?
[03:37] nan
    A dora is a handy tile
[03:38] ---
    that gives you an additional
    han just for having it.
[03:43] aka
    I didn't know that.
[03:46] aka
    But that doesn't matter.
[03:49] nan
    Hey!
[03:53] aka
    See, this one went through.
[03:56] nan
    You idiot!
[03:57] ---
    If you keep playing like that, you'll eventually...
[04:03] ryu
    Ron.
[04:07] nan
    What?!
[04:07] yas
    Waiting for a 2 or 5 of characters?!
[04:10] nan
    Don't tell me...
[04:12] aka
    I knew it.
[04:14] ---
    I figured this area was
    the most problematic.
[04:17] nan
    Why?
[04:19] yas
    How did you know that?
[04:20] aka
    I heard the voices.
[04:22] guy
    What?
[04:24] aka
    Everybody's distracted by the noise
[04:26] ---
    and simply can't hear their voices.
[04:29] aka
    But I can hear them.
[04:31] ---
    The voices of the three groups of discards.
[04:37] nar
    In the end, Ryuuzaki loses
    first place again this hand.
[04:43] nar
    After the sixth game,
    Nangou is at +49.
[04:46] nar
    Only two games remain.
[04:49] ryu
    This is ridiculous.
[04:51] ---
    We're getting beaten by that amateur kid.
[04:54] ryu
    At this rate, I'm going to have to shoulder
[04:59] ---
    that scumbag's three million yen debt.
[05:02] ryu
    Call Yagi. Call our rep player, Yagi!
[05:06] guy
    Yes, sir!
[05:08] yas
    None of this makes any sense.
[05:12] yas
    You only started playing
    Mahjong a few hours ago,
[05:15] ---
    yet not only have you not dealt
    into Ryuuzaki's hand once,
[05:18] ---
    you also came out on top.
[05:21] yas
    Can you tell us...
[05:23] ---
    What you're seeing right now?
[05:30] aka
    Detective,
[05:31] ---
    what would you discard from this hand?
[05:36] yas
    The south or west wind, I'd say.
[05:39] aka
    Then, let's say those honor
    tiles have been taken care of.
[05:42] aka
    How about this hand?
[05:45] yas
    8 of characters.
[05:47] aka
    And from this one?
[05:49] nan
    7 of circles!
[05:51] yas
    7 of circles...
[05:53] aka
    Detective, do you see the difference
[05:56] ---
    between this 7 of circles
    and the 8 of characters?
[05:59] yas
    Difference?
[05:59] nan
    What?
[06:01] aka
    At first glance, it appears the 7 of circles and
    8 of characters were discarded similarly.
[06:04] aka
    However, they hold completely
    opposite discard information.
[06:08] aka
    When the 8 of characters was discarded,
    it wasn't connected to
[06:11] ---
    any wait in our hand.
[06:13] aka
    On the other hand,
    this 7 of circles is connected to
[06:15] ---
    a wait and is therefore a dangerous tile.
[06:18] aka
    If you were to classify discards in Mahjong,
[06:20] ---
    there are essentially two groups.
[06:22] aka
    Those in the safe zone,
    and those in the danger zone.
[06:25] aka
    Of course, there are tiles that don't
[06:27] ---
    clearly fit into either group and
    aren't much more than noise.
[06:30] aka
    If you include that,
    you have three groups.
[06:33] aka
    Every discarded tile can be 100% explained
[06:35] ---
    with these three groups.
[06:38] aka
    Do you remember these discarded tiles?
[06:42] yas
    Those are Ryuuzaki's tiles
    when you discarded the dora.
[06:46] aka
    Right. Nangou-san tried to stop me,
[06:49] ---
    but to me, it was clear that it would pass.
[06:53] aka
    He discarded the 6 of bamboo too early.
[06:55] aka
    That means the 6 of bamboo's worth was lower
[06:58] ---
    than the 9 of circles and 8 of
    characters that came after,
[07:00] ---
    meaning he had none
    of the surrounding tiles.
[07:03] aka
    Even if he did, they would've been
    closer to the 2 or 3 of bamboo.
[07:06] aka
    But that possibility also disappeared
[07:08] ---
    when he discarded the 1 of bamboo
    after drawing it in the eighth turn.
[07:11] aka
    He had no bamboo tiles left.
[07:13] aka
    From the early discard of the 6 of bamboo,
[07:15] ---
    it was basically clear that he had
    no bamboo tiles left in his hand.
[07:19] aka
    The area around the
    6 of bamboo is a safe zone.
[07:21] aka
    But the area around the 1 of
    characters that he'd clung to
[07:23] ---
    until the sixth turn...
[07:25] aka
    combined with the discarded
    4 of characters afterward,
[07:28] ---
    made it pretty obvious that he was
    waiting for a 2 or 5 of characters.
[07:32] aka
    Meaning that this 1 of characters
[07:34] ---
    was the classic example of the danger zone.
[07:38] aka
    This is how I classify my opponent's discards.
[07:42] aka
    And the tile that didn't fit in either category...
[07:45] aka
    This is the noise I mentioned earlier.
[07:49] yas
    Noise?
[07:50] nan
    Noise, huh?
[07:51] aka
    Ryuuzaki has a bit of a habit.
[07:54] yas
    A habit?
[07:57] aka
    That time, Ryuuzaki...
[08:00] (Flashback) ryu
    Riichi.
[08:01] aka
    After declaring riichi,
    he looked at his tiles,
[08:04] ---
    then glanced to the left end of his hand.
[08:08] ryu
    The left end...
[08:09] aka
    Yes. That means he
    looked at his character tiles.
[08:13] aka
    He was double-checking
    that he was in tenpai.
[08:17] aka
    From that moment, the chance of him
    waiting for circles was also gone.
[08:20] ---
    He was only waiting for
    character tiles, namely 2 or 5.
[08:25] yas
    He's a monster!
[08:26] yas
    He only started playing
    Mahjong a few hours ago
[08:28] ---
    and has already uncovered the
    essence of the discarded tiles!
[08:31] yas
    And his insight is frightening...
[08:34] yas
    Ryuuzaki is no match for him.
[08:36] ---
    He's already surpassed him by far.
[08:38] yas
    The talent of a genius has awakened in him.
[08:46] nar
    The showdown resumes.
[08:48] nar
    It's the seventh game, the third
    East-South match since Akagi joined.
[08:54] nan
    I'm counting on you, Akagi.
[08:56] nan
    Stay on this wave and finish it!
[09:02] nar
    It's as if Nangou's prayer worked.
[09:04] nar
    Akagi's doing well again
    in this East-South match.
[09:07] nar
    After the East round,
[09:08] ---
    Akagi is in the lead, 22,000 points ahead
[09:10] ---
    of the second place Ryuuzaki.
[09:12] nar
    It seems as if this East-South
    match is already decided.
[09:15] nar
    But then...
SIGN    Yagi Keiji
[09:24] nar
    The rep player, Yagi Keiji, arrives.
[09:27] ryu
    Yagi! I've been waiting for you!
[09:31] yag
    Ryuuzaki-san, I hear you're
    having a tough time.
[09:35] yag
    I've seen the kid's tiles,
    so I can't play this hand.
[09:40] ---
    Shall I start in the next hand, then?
[09:43] ryu
    Could you?
[09:44] yag
    Don't worry, we still have
    the entire South round to go.
[09:47] yag
    I'll win this East-South match for you.
[09:51] nar
    At that moment, Yagi didn't even
    consider Akagi to be an opponent.
[09:55] nar
    That's only to be expected.
[09:57] ---
    After all, Akagi is a middle school student.
[10:02] nar
    However, his opinion would quickly change.
[10:09] nar
    The match resumes.
[10:10] nar
    The dealer's first discard...
[10:13] ryu
    Pon.
[10:14] nar
    Ryuuzaki calls once.
[10:16] nar
    Is it a rush?
[10:19] nar
    And now, Akagi's first draw.
[10:22] nar
    A pair of red dragons.
[10:24] yas
    He's lucky.
[10:25] yas
    Since he's in the lead,
    an express ticket to early victory,
[10:28] ---
    like the red dragon pair,
    is just what he needs.
[10:32] nar
    However, Akagi had a certain hunch...
[10:36] yas
    What?
[10:38] nar
    The next turn, he discards another red dragon!
[10:40] nar
    Yasuoka can't believe that he
    discarded the red dragon pair.
[10:43] nar
    At that moment, Ryuuzaki thinks...
[10:48] ryu
    Keeping the red dragon won't do any good.
[10:52] nar
    But in the next turn...
[10:56] ryu
    Damn it!
[10:59] nar
    And the turn after that...
[11:03] ryu
    Crap!
[11:05] ---
    If I hadn't discarded the red dragon...
[11:13] ryu
    Pon!
[11:15] nar
    Akagi's reason for discarding
    his pair of red dragons
[11:17] ---
    finally becomes apparent.
[11:20] yas
    He has such a keen sense that
[11:21] ---
    he smelled the daisangen just
    from the white dragon being called.
[11:24] yas
    He foresaw the danger.
[11:26] yas
    The strange move of dropping
    the two red dragons
[11:28] ---
    killed off Ryuuzaki's potential daisangen.
[11:32] nar
    A few turns later,
[11:33] ---
    Akagi is one tile away from
    completing a sanshoku.
[11:37] nar
    But, seeing that Ryuuzaki
    can win any time...
[11:40] aka
    Chi.
[11:42] nar
    Without any remorse, he throws
    away the sanshoku...
[11:46] aka
    Ron.
[11:49] nar
    ...and takes a 1,000 point win.
[11:54] yas
    He moves quickly.
    His insight is spot on.
[11:57] yas
    A normal player would be
    hesitant to drop the sanshoku,
[12:00] ---
    but this kid knows how much that
    hesitation would slow him down.
[12:06] yas
    His sense is miles ahead...
[12:08] yas
    Ryuuzaki is simply no match for him.
[12:11] yas
    It's like a shootout between a scoped
    rifle and a crudely modded gun.
[12:17] yas
    He'll be shot down
    without having a chance.
[12:19] yas
    The only concern now is this man, Yagi Keiji.
[12:29] ryu
    You want to keep observing him
    the rest of this East-South match?
[12:31] yag
    Yes. We're 23,000 points behind,
    and it's already South Hand 2.
[12:37] ---
    To turn it around from here,
    I'd have to overextend quite a bit.
[12:40] yag
    And that kid's actually quite formidable.
[12:44] yag
    I heard he's a beginner.
[12:47] ---
    That makes him even more eerie
    as an unknown quantity.
[12:51] yag
    It's best to not underestimate him.
[12:53] yag
    Observing him for the rest of this
    East-South match is safest.
[12:57] nar
    The match resumes with South Hand 2.
[13:01] yas
    I see. This guy isn't stupid.
[13:05] yas
    Did he pick up on Akagi's
    talent with one glance?
[13:08] yas
    The opponent's only a middle schooler.
[13:10] yas
    Most people would want to show
    off in a situation like this.
[13:12] yas
    His restraint is admirable.
[13:14] yas
    He's definitely a higher
    ranked player than Ryuuzaki.
[13:21] nar
    Akagi's one tile away from tenpai.
[13:23] ---
    It's already the eighth turn.
[13:30] yag
    What?!
[13:33] nar
    At that moment, the player before Akagi
[13:35] ---
    was in tenpai with a
    junchan sanshoku hand,
SIGN    Junchan (jun chanta) - A "pure" chanta with terminals in each set, and no honor tiles.
[13:37] nar
    with a closed wait for an 8 of bamboo.
SIGN    Closed wait - Waiting for the middle tile in a sequence.
[13:41] yag
    How did he avoid discarding the 8 of bamboo?
[13:44] yag
    From the previous player's discards,
[13:46] ---
    it would've made sense to discard his
    least useful tile, the 8 of bamboo.
[13:50] yag
    He sensed that the 8 of
    bamboo is dangerous and
[13:52] ---
    discarded the 5 of bamboo instead...
[13:55] yag
    What can this kid see?
[13:59] nar
    The following turn.
[14:03] yag
    I can't believe what he just drew.
[14:05] yag
    Not only does he seem to see
    through everybody's hands,
[14:07] ---
    he also has incredible luck.
[14:09] yag
    An 8 of bamboo triplet...
[14:13] yag
    He basically holds all the winning
    tiles of the player before him.
[14:18] nar
    The turn after that.
[14:24] aka
    Riichi.
[14:27] nar
    Akagi declares riichi with a wait
    for the 2 or 5 of characters.
[14:30] nar
    The detective Yasuoka, watching from
    behind him, doesn't notice anything.
[14:33] nar
    Obviously, neither does Nangou.
[14:35] nar
    However,
[14:37] nar
    a shock runs through Yagi.
[14:40] yag
    Riichi after discarding the 6 of circles...
[14:42] yag
    That was a mistake.
[14:44] yag
    If he had to declare riichi from this hand,
    he should have discarded the 5 of circles.
[14:48] yag
    If he drew a 4 of circles,
SIGN    Kan - Four of a kind that is revealed to the other players.
[14:49] ---
    he could have declared kan, as well.
[14:51] yag
    Since that would give him
    a draw from the dead wall
[14:53] ---
    and an additional dora indicator,
[14:55] ---
    there was no choice but
    to discard the 5 of circles.
[14:57] yag
    In other words, his riichi
    should have looked like this.
[15:00] yag
    Why didn't he do it that way?
[15:04] yag
    I bet he thought that he couldn't
    declare kan after declaring riichi.
[15:07] yag
    He still is just a beginner.
[15:10] yag
    I can beat him.
[15:11] yag
    I'll take advantage of that
    opening and destroy his game.
[15:15] yag
    The smarter they are, the worse
    they stumble once thrown off balance.
[15:21] nar
    In the end, Akagi dominated
    the seventh game.
[15:25] nar
    If Akagi wins one more game,
[15:28] ---
    all of Nangou's debts will be paid off,
    and it will all be over.
[15:33] ryu
    Can you win?
[15:34] yag
    Just trust me.
[15:37] yag
    Except...
[15:40] yag
    I have a request.
[15:44] yag
    Don't you think this is an unfair fight?
[15:49] aka
    Unfair?
[15:50] yag
    Yeah. Think about it.
[15:52] ---
    Ryuuzaki-san, your opponent up to now,
[15:54] ---
    will lose a tremendous amount
    of money if he loses.
[15:57] yag
    And, as his rep player,
[15:58] ---
    losing to an amateur will mean
    that my career will be over.
[16:03] yag
    But what about you?
[16:05] yag
    If you lose, only Nangou will be in trouble.
[16:10] yag
    You won't lose anything.
[16:13] aka
    What are you getting at?
[16:15] yag
    It's quite simple.
    Let's make a personal wager.
[16:19] yag
    100,000 yen on one East-South match.
[16:22] yag
    I realize that you can't get
    that kind of money right now.
[16:26] yag
    That's why I'm willing to
    accept a substitute for it.
[16:31] aka
    What kind of substitute?
[16:33] yag
    One finger for 100,000 yen.
[16:36] yas
    N-Now just a minute...
[16:39] aka
    Sure.
[16:41] ---
    If it's the same.
[16:42] yag
    The same?
[16:44] aka
    Yeah. You don't look like you
    have that kind of money, either.
[16:49] aka
    If you're willing to equally pay
    with a finger when you lose,
[16:53] ---
    I don't mind.
[16:54] yag
    You little shit...
[16:56] yag
    Of course, I accept.
[16:58] yag
    Don't forget what you just said!
[17:02] yas
    He didn't see that coming.
[17:04] yas
    That was just a bluff.
[17:05] ---
    He tried to scare Akagi and
    overwhelm him with pressure.
[17:10] yas
    This kid parried that elegantly.
[17:14] yas
    He's got guts.
SIGN    - Eighth Game -
[17:18] nar
    When gambling, having something to lose
[17:21] ---
    changes the game fundamentally.
[17:24] nar
    When there's nothing to lose,
[17:26] ---
    one's intuition and concentration
    are the deciding factors.
[17:29] nar
    But when there is something at stake,
[17:32] ---
    those abilities alone will
    not carry you to victory.
[17:35] nar
    It doesn't matter how well you
    can read your opponent's hands
[17:37] ---
    if you can't trust your own conclusion.
[17:40] nar
    If you lack the capacity
[17:42] ---
    to entrust your fate to your
    conclusion, it's all meaningless.
[17:46] nar
    Which means your will to trust yourself,
[17:49] ---
    your soul, is what is being tested.
[17:53] yag
    Riichi.
[17:59] nar
    Yagi is in a closed wait for a 7 of bamboo.
[18:02] yas
    Yagi is already bluffing.
[18:05] yas
    With a hand like this, you'd usually wait
[18:07] ---
    for a two-sided wait before declaring riichi.
[18:09] yas
    But he went for it without hesitation.
[18:11] yas
    A preemptive breakaway riichi.
[18:13] yas
    Yagi wants to see how Akagi will react.
[18:16] yas
    The nature of the game has changed.
[18:20] nar
    Now Akagi is in tenpai, as well.
[18:22] yas
    This is interesting.
[18:24] yas
    If Akagi hasn't wavered,
[18:26] ---
    he'll determine that the
    7 of characters discarded
[18:28] ---
    in the second turn is a safe zone,
    and discard his 6 of characters.
[18:31] yas
    But if there is any doubt in his heart...
[18:35] nar
    But Akagi doesn't hesitate.
[18:39] yas
    He's a chicken game survivor after all.
[18:42] yas
    Discarding this without wavering
[18:44] ---
    already places him in a realm
    common people will never reach.
[18:47] yas
    There is no hesitation at all.
SIGN    - Next Turn -
[18:52] nar
    Akagi's next draw.
[18:58] yas
    He made the 6 of characters pass, but holds
    on to the winning tile, the 7 of bamboo.
[19:02] yas
    A precise read...
[19:04] yas
    Along with a strong heart that allows
    him to utilize it under pressure.
[19:08] yas
    Akagi Shigeru's most
    outstanding talent is...
[19:13] yas
    the ability to trust his own judgment.
[19:16] yas
    His unwavering heart.
[19:20] nar
    Yagi's plan to crack Akagi with
    pressure utterly fails.
[19:25] nar
    It seemed as if the game's flow
    was in Akagi's favor when...
[19:36] yas
    No! That's Yagi's winning tile!
[19:39] ryu
    Why?
[19:41] ryu
    Why didn't you win with that tile?
[19:44] yag
    This is my plan.
[19:47] ---
    I don't need to win this trash hand.
[19:52] yag
    If I don't win, Akagi will
    probably win East Hand 1.
[19:57] yag
    But that's all right.
[20:01] yag
    Akagi will pick up some points,
[20:03] ---
    but along with them,
    he'll pick up some doubts.
[20:06] yag
    Those doubts will eventually hit
    him hard, like a body blow.
[20:09] yag
    Once he starts questioning
    his own judgment,
[20:12] ---
    he will seriously doubt himself towards
    the end, when the pressure's on.
[20:16] yag
    Then, he's likely to make a bad discard.
[20:19] yag
    That one mistake can be
    fatal in a match like this.
[20:24] yag
    I've survived in this
    world longer than you.
[20:27] yag
    The way I keep myself alive
    is different than yours.
[20:30] yag
    You're already half-caught in my trap.
[20:35] nar
    But in the 15th turn...
[20:39] yas
    There it is! Ryanpeikou, pinfu, tsumo!
SIGN    Ryanpeikou - A double sequence, here 33-44-55 and 77-88-99. Pinfu - A hand of only sequences and a 2 or more sided wait.
[20:42] yas
    Mangan!
[20:49] nar
    Akagi does not take the win.
[20:52] yag
    That bastard... could he...
[20:55] nar
    The unwavering heart
    of the genius Akagi.
[20:59] nar
    The endless schemes of Yagi.
[21:01] nar
    The quiet duel to the
    death between two rivals...
[21:05] nar
    The night of legends continues...
[22:16] nar
    Next Episode: "The Sinister Scheme."
SIGN    Next Episode
SIGN    The Sinister Scheme