Shinohayu ch50 & Ritz's blog update

Shinohayu reaches 50 chapters! as Hayari's vice-captain match continues. Also, Ritz has updated her blog. You'll find a translation below.

Shinohayu ch50 (Mega)
Shinohayu ch50 (Mediafire)

This is a spoiler for the end of the chapter and the beginning of the next, probably.

The match's winner
The chapter doesn't really reveal the winner but it should be Sachiko. In the last panel, Hayari gets her winning tile so she should win the round. She has closed tsumo, riichi, tanyao, pinfu and sanshoku. That's haneman tsumo, 6000/3000 points (Bonkohara is dealer). Enough to stop Komosawa from obtaining a 3rd victory but not enough for Hayari to win the match herself. The final score should be: Agou 36100, Mizuhara 35900, Bonkohara 35500, Aoto 12500 but let's wait on the next chapter for confirmation.

Here's a translation of Ritz's latest blog update. I skipped a few irrelevant bits, it's already long as it is.

Ritz-sensei's blog update 17.10.27
As in previous updates, words in italics are my own (Akio's) comments/clarifications.

Achiga-hen live-action

- I was shown the script but it was good, as usual, so I had almost nothing to say.

- I asked in advance to strengthen certain descriptions (of characters, events...?) that were lacking in the original work. They've also strengthened points I hadn't asked so it seems they would have done it without me asking anyway.

This probably means the beginning will not be as rushed as in the manga/anime. The main reason the early parts of the manga were a bit rushed is because of the very tight deadline for the anime adaptation. In my opinion, that was the fault of the anime production committee and not the author's.

- I'm glad they added more detail to the uniforms (embroidery, plaid...). In the manga, I had to give up on those to reduce the workload.

Answers to reader's questions

- I will write about the mother of the Matsumi sisters (her name is Tsuyuko) at some point. Currently, the sisters live with their grandmother.

- The S in the pro-mahjong cards means "special" but it doesn't mean that those players are especially strong. It's a collection of special cards of players that were popular at the time. They are all strong.

- The confrontation between Kainou-pro and Teru happened at the individual tournament.

- Officially, the Toki manga is not supposed to take place in an alternate universe but then I feel that could end up taking some freedom away from Mekimeki.

I think this means we shouldn't worry too much about some slight differences between Toki's backstory in Achiga-hen and her life in the Toki manga. For the sake of allowing Mekimeki to create a more entertaining story, some small liberties can be taken.

- Shirouzu Mairu was club president at Uryuugari middle school since her 2nd year. After she entered Shindouji but before she became club president there, Himeko still called her buchou when they were alone. At other times, she simply called her senpai or sometimes Shirouzu-senpai.

- There are regions (in Japan) where the qualification limit for the individual tournament is not 3 people.

- At the Rinkai's dormitory, meals are served at the dining hall but during holidays it's eating out or cook it yourself. At the school's main building, there is a cafeteria that's open even on weekends.

- In the Saki main story, Yaji Kanon (the Shinohayu pro who was defeated by Chihiro) has retired as a pro but she has become a member of the coaching staff at a certain school.

- Suehara Kyouko's collar ribbon is made of two connected pieces, one of them she received as a present.

Several answers about gathering data 

Here Ritz mainly talks about locations in Japan that have inspired some of the settings in her works.

Back then when my only job was drawing doujins and illustrations, I used to wander around here and there. Two places where I comfortably settled down for more than a couple of months were Naha and Matsue.

So I guess that's why Shinohayu takes place in (or near) Matsue.

I often enjoyed going on a trip to my grandfather's house in Haramura near Mount Yatsugatake in Nagano. Riding on my grandfather's Suzuki Jimny, we went shopping to the Agricultural University's market or the A-COOP.

Mura means village in Japanese so that's in fact Hara village she's talking about, but clearly that's also the origin of Nodoka's surname.

I knew about Yoshinoyama for their famous sakura trees but my first visit there was 10 years ago when I was a driver of sorts to a couple of professors that I was acquainted with. As the two professors headed to Asuka village pretending to do some fieldwork, I was left all alone at the inn. I went on a leisure stroll and I started thinking: "What if those two old lady professors get involved in some sort of strange situation like Shiori and Shimiko and are barely able to make it back alive..." I was absorbed in such cruel delusions and yet the feeling of isolation between Yoshinoyama and the foot of the mountain made me feel very comfortable. In winter, as the snow keeps falling in Yoshino...

Yoshinoyama is the village where Achiga Girls' is based. 

Shiori and Shimiko is a horror manga aimed primarily at girls.

How do I say it... I was very taken by the fact that there is a town up there at the top of the ropeway after the terminal railway station. It is something like Rondalkia. You can't appreciate that from the car, but while I was strolling around talking to the local people, all kinds of juices were flowing in my brain.

Rondalkia is a place in the Dragon Quest II videogame. In English, it's called Rhone and to reach it you have to go through the Cave to Rhone, an extremely tough dungeon, so it's a very isolated place of sorts.

If I can take break at some point, I'll try writing more answers.

END