March Comes in Like a Lion

This is a slice of life anime is with themes of sports, romance and comedy. Plot line covers the coming of age tale of a 17 years Shogi (Japanese Chess) player called Rai. As is with most slice of life animation, the storytelling is slow but full of emotions. Besides having a mature story it's got one of the best animation I have come across, it works perfectly with the storytelling, bring out the feelings of the characters. The sound and music are also great and the characters among the most complex ones I have seen in an animation.

As of now I have watched the first two seasons, first season in dubbed and the second in subbed and have loved them both, although I prefer the dubbed version. Really looking forward to see what comes next for Rai.

Firstly this is one of the most underrated anime I have ever come across. Not even the anime blogs that I follow have mentioned about this gem. It might be that since the main lead is a Shogi player and the game is not that popular across the world. But don't let that obstruct you from having a go at this. There are 2 seasons released as of now and the story is still running in the Manga. The 1st season starts off the story introducing us with wide variety of characters, all pretty well structured. We gradually get to know the past and present of Rei Kiriyama and his struggles to lead a life as a pro Shogi player. His relationship with the three Kawamoto sisters are thing to gaze upon. The 2nd season gets deeply into the lives of all the characters and shows how each are overcoming their difficulties to lead a happy life. Especially Hinata's story is the most gripping one as she encounters hardships at school. The dialogues are outstanding in this anime. I would suggest to watch the English dubbed version. They have done a wonderful job in retaining the core emotions in every scene. Overall this anime sure comes into my top 5 favourite anime of all time.

Making a truly great slice of life anime is not easy, while other genres like shounen or seinen can rely on action to make their stories more entertaining, the quality of a slice of life show depends almost only on the strength of their characters. Fortunately there are some truly great shows of this genre and March comes in like a lion(which a very bad translation of "3-gatsu no Lion") is definitely one of the best shows of this genre. The first season of the show centers more on it's protagonist which is a 17 year old shogi professional player called Rei Kiriyama. If an anime about shogi might seem like a boring idea don't worry because shogi is only used as a tool to tell the story of Rei and the people around him. This is more a coming of age story that deals with themes like depression and lonelines than just been a show about shogi. The character development of Rei throught both seasons of the show is one of the strongest points of the anime, but is not it's most impressive. This anime shines even more when we get into specific story arcs from other characters which are in my opinion some of the best pieces of storytelling I have ever seen in any anime. The mangaka who created the original story in which this anime is based on has a incredible ability to introduce a new character and immediately give us a reason to care about him/her thanks to the fantastic character development that this mangaka gives to the characters. Apart from the great storytelling and character development that this show has, this anime is very well directed. The themes of show are very well represented thanks to the beautiful art and animation that this show has. The soundtrack is also very appropiate for this type of story. Overall, this a very well directed and very well animated story about people just dealing with their problems and doing their best to continue living. Definitely one of the best slice of life anime ever produced.

There is no anime that I am more confident in calling a masterpiece than 3-gatsu no Lion. What it is able to do is so powerful and I find it unparalleled by any other show that I have watched. Every single aspect of the show is masterful and is able to shine and enhance the show even more.

With 3-gatsu no Lion looks to be about Shogi, shogi is only one thing in a sea of ideas and themes that the show covers. Depression as well is a main theme of the show, but I wouldn't say it's the only theme. Rather, I'd say the theme of the show is how everyone is struggling. The ways that the show is able to show this theme is absolutely magical.

Everyone has a story. Too often shows forget this. But 3-gatsu no Lion knows this so very well. Nuance is something sorely missing from many shows that 3-gatsu has in spades. Each character that comes up is fleshed out and even flaws as well as strengths/. There is no such thing as the hateable villain that is built up just to be hated. Every single character is shown the good and bad parts of them. Whether it be a bully or the opponent to a shogi match, each character is treated like someone real who has their own issues and things that they have to deal with. And while they may do things that aren't nice. And in any other show would get them labelled as an unlikeable villain, 3-gatsu is able to show that there are other aspects of their life that make them this way. Everyone is explored in this way and it makes the show feel so real. In the end, there is no such thing as a truly bad person, and 3gatsu gets it.

Whats even more amazing is not just that it's able to flesh out these side characters, but the extent to which it's doing so. 3-gatsu has the powerful ability to make a character cast them in a negative light, but then show you their own story and change the audiences view so that they now want to root for them as well. It's magical how the show is continually able to showcase different situations and different issues that are relatable and lead one to want to support the one that they are watching. Even if they were the opponent just a few minutes ago, the depth and feeling that goes into exploring these characters brings me around to them, and makes it so it's hard to decide, who do I want to see win?

Added to this is 3-gatsu's powerful imagery. 3-gatsu uses images in the best way that I've seen in animation. While I'm fine with a more realistic approach and like what most anime do, there is something extremely powerful about 3-gatsu's art and animation. Metaphors and symbols are brought up. But they aren't just flashed onto the screen. They are explored and shown in the person that they are digging into. If someone feels tied up and forced into something, it's not just something that they say, it's something shown with multiple sashes building them in place and making it hard for them to move at all. Creative and powerful visuals are something that 3-gatsu does so well. Even in the lighthearted happy scenes 3-gatsu is able to make them feel so rich. Bright happy colors and smiles litter the scenes and make them so infectiously happy. They're sugary sweet and are even able to make those happy feelings feel so rich.

After all that leads into another aspect of 3-gatsu's power. The duality of life. While the show may be focused on struggles and depression, the show also knows that there are happy parts of life. Life isn't just a series of unfortunate events. While many other shows would focus on the negative to show that 3-gatsu shows everything. It shows the dark and sad moments and the art and animation to go along with it. But it also shows the moments of family, fun, friends, and all of the things that they do that brings light into their world. 3-gatsu even gets to the point of having cats talk to showcase the happy atmosphere that they're going for. And these scenes are so powerful because they show what bonds can do even through struggles. While everyone is struggling and have their issues, they're still able to come together and have a fun time. To support each other. And those moments feel so rich with that in mind. 3-gatsu really gets life it's not just good or bad things. It's good and bad things. And no show comes close to detailing them both with as much power as 3-gatsu no Lion does.

And that's what makes it so magical. It's not only able to make one feel strong feels, but it's also able to make one feel happy, to make one invested in a character they only just met, and make me at least feel this greater appreciation of the world around me. Nuance is the word that so many anime lack but 3-gatsu has. And in the end, every element of this show is masterfully done. The story is engaging and well written. The characters are filled with flaws and depth. The art is filled with rich symbolism and power, and the music to go with it fits very well and only increases the power of this show. Not onlyis this one of the best shows that I've ever watched, but I feel like it has something really important to say. Everyone is struggling. Everyone is good and bad. While one may be an enemy or someone seen unfavourably there is probably a reason they are that way and there is more to them than just that. And if the world was able to understand it I think it'd be much better off. This show isn't just masterful at all of its elements, it also gives a greater understanding of the world which I think would benefit everyone. If there was any show that I'd recommend to anyone it'd be this one. This is the best that animation has to offer, and I love it.

I can't preach enough how much this is one of the best character driven stories to be made in the modern era. Part of it is credit of the source material, for sure, the mangaka who made it is extremely sensible and wrote it beautifully. But studio Shaft has shown us how to adapt things well, first with the Monogatari Series and now with Sangatsu no Lion. There's enough good stuff here for me to make a book about every episode, but I must say that one thing in particular just made me lose my marbles, and I'm talking about the last episode from the second season. I won't spoil anything here, so all I can say is: It has the best prologue to a last episode that was ever made. And I'm not exagerating just to create shock value, I genuinely believe it and extend this to any other kind of episodic show, be it anime, live action, series, anything. If, for some reason, you never watched this anime, do it right now. Also, don't think I hyped it too much with all I just said, it will surprise you with everything else before getting there.