Any tips for the Mahjong scene?

[Joaco]

I'm reading the arc for the first time and I'm stuck at the Mahjong scene in chapter 3. I have never played Mahjong and apparently there are a lot of variants out there. Can someone explain me the rules used in Higurashi so I can actually understand the scene?

[fllthdcrb]

How can you be stuck in a VN with no real interaction? 😆 As for Mahjong, though, I think a lot of us don't know the game. I wouldn't worry too much about it, unless you're determined to understand it. The important thing to understand is that Akasaka is surprisingly good at the game, and that earns Ooishi's respect.

[kilicool64]

If it makes you feel any better, I think 95% of those who read this VN in English can't follow this scene. It was clearly written with an audience familar with the game in mind.

I don't think you really lose anything by not understanding it, though. This is pretty much just a filler scene Ryukishi felt like throwing in because he's apparently obsessed with Mahjong.

[Joaco]

When I said "stuck" I meant that I could have kept reading, but I decided not to until I understood the scene.
Then I checked a video looking up Mahjong rules, and it's pretty complicated. I still have no idea what "kiichi" or "tenpai" means, or what were they saying at the beggining of their rounds.

[Gonaks]

I think the most relevant moment about those mahjong scenes is that Tsubame Gaeshi move (it's actually cheatting). You can google it just to properly imagine the scene, but you can ignore everything about mahjong.

Even if you would like to understand mahjong, trying to do it reading Higurashi it's not a good way. You can just take your time learning it and go back to that scene later, but it doesn't worth to stop reading the novel just because of it.

[fllthdcrb]

Originally posted by Gonaks:

I think the most relevant moment about those mahjong scenes is that Tsubame Gaeshi move (it's actually cheatting).

Although that scene is not in this arc. It's in "Minagoroshi-hen".

[Joaco]

Yeah, I didn't understand much of it but I finished the scene.