3-gatsu no Lion 2nd Season 575s1u

A strong display of emotional resonance; the second season of 3-gatsu no Lion manages to go above and beyond expectations to provide something of overwhelming beauty.

It’s a show of many acts; the first season—while boasting many heavy themes—is an elegant watch, which reels the viewer in with a soft mood, realistic characters and delightful interactions, but never hits you with strong emotions. The second season—filled with melancholic tones, depressing themes and powerful messages—gives the show raw emotional power to invest the viewer at full force.


Shifting from the focus of Rei’s depression, this season brings more focus to the different mentalities of the ing cast, both ... in the real world and the back-drop of shogi.

The season starts off with a focus on Hinata, and the daunting problem of bullying. Bringing forth an insight into the mass hysteria it brings and the draining effects on the victims, and those caught up in the drama. This arc is nothing short of impactful, and although it’s heavy, it never becomes painful to watch, something many other drama-oriented series fail to accomplish.

What makes this so powerful is down to the commonly relatable topic of bullying, the powerful visual presentation and the amazing characterisation found in the antagonist Megumi Takagi.

Megumi’s construct as a bully sets her apart from other archetypical antagonists—in the sense that, there are reasons to her actions—she clearly suffers problems in her mentality, leading her to torment others as a form of escapism, giving her somewhat an ability to be emphasised with for the wrong reason. It’s even easier to empathise with Hina, due to her characteristics, with her helping Rei with his struggles and inspiring him to escape his depression. Rei feels the same on the topic of helping her, creating a close bond between the two, something that plays importance throughout the rest of this season.

Although the first arc is definitely in the lime-light of this season, the series continues to impress in its focuses on different characters. The character study of Souya Touji is a breath-taking display of a mind disturbed solely by the life-style of shogi, with stunning direction to show his inability to hear those around him. The shogi match between Shimada and Yanagiharai uses profound visual imagery to show the determination of both characters and the weight Yanagihara carries. And the pleasant moments with Hina give the show a relaxing and charming escapism from the heavier themes.


I don’t consider the cast to be merely characters, they feel human. From Rei to Nikaidou to Yanagihara; each one has strong human characteristics that allow for relatability and empathy for these personalities as we see into their differing lives.
Even though Rei has less focus this season, his role as the lead character is as strong as ever as he seeks a way to help those around him. It’s inspiring to watch, as Rei’s empathy drives him to assist in fighting the varying problems that arise for everyone close to him. His outlook and narration provide a strong connection from the viewer as he continues to improve his life which was once locked in place by his haunting past. As the main character, his journey is an impeccable experience and he is character of relatability and complexity.

This season exposes elements of characters unbeknownst from the first season, such as the extent of Nikadou’s illness, the pressure Akari feels being unable to help Hina and the different psychological and emotional effects each character experiences in accordance to their surroundings. Each revelation is equally as tense and creates stronger connection to the characters once their situations are understood.


Studio SHAFT empowers storytelling through visual motifs and stunning presentation, bringing everything to life with powerful imagery to reflect the mood each scene portrays. Every visual element is a sight to behold, with gorgeous backgrounds, varying styles and ability to speak many words through its delivery that bring out many emotions from the viewer.

This mood is only enhanced by the stunning soundtrack composition. Melancholic tracks reflecting the depressing yet elegant mood can easily bring you to tears, acting as peaceful additions to the stunning composition of visuals and story.


For a while now I’ve been pondering over the topic of depression, this in turn has affected the way I view anime titles, and what I get out of said titles. While Cardcaptor Sakura healed me from having negative thoughts, End of Evangelion’s existential elements blew my mind away so much that the thought of depression was no longer on my mind. But, I think the best form of escapism from a feeling like depression is facing it head on, and that’s exactly what 3-gatsu gave me; giving me personal affection to its elements.

To me, 3-gatsu no Lion is the epitome of human emotion, an experience rivalled by none. A show that has brought me to tears almost every episode, and something I hope many others can appreciate in the same way.

A shrill. As he stretches to fight the leftover sluggishness of a satisfying sleep, he decides to step out on the balcony. The warm wind of a mellow morning slowly brushes past his fragile frame as if greeting him friendly. The sunshine reflects from the river just beneath the railing; a lustrous shimmer signals the change of seasons. He leaves the apartment. A lot has changed over the past year: his listless demeanor is all but gone; he has made friends and acquaintances—he isn’t alone any more. His steps have become strong and determined. He has moved on.

This show is not about him. Just like ... Rei, it has moved on from the times of subdued, somber sadness; there is another storm brewing in the distance. Unannounced, but with utter and immediate intensity, the current changes as the happy-go-lucky Hinata gets home one evening: her face is pale, her expression pained; tears start a sinister stream. There is bullying going on in Hinata’s class. After fighting for and protecting the previous victim Chiho who has since left the school, the bullies shifted targets towards her. She knows she did nothing wrong, that what she did was in fact right—but it doesn’t stop her stomach from aching nor her heart from breaking. During a crucial time in Hinata’s life, she is left alone, being ignored by former friends and classmates, utterly isolated. With bullying, there is no easy way out; just one obstacle in the form of a weak-willed teacher is enough to create rips and ripples, all of which reflect, add, and cancel each other out—resulting in complete chaos.

In face of a problem near impossible for an outsider to resolve, her family and Rei do their best to help: Rei tries to repay the debt of Hinata and her sisters saving his life from dreariness and depression in a misled attempt to rack up money; Akari on the other hand views Hinata’s well-being as a responsibility relayed to her by her late mother—a responsibility too big for her to carry. Both of them fail to accomplish their goals and experience what to them seems like an indisputable defeat. However, this assessment based on the self-centered and self-serving assumption that one can do anything if one tries couldn’t be further off; their so-called failures led to them spending time with Hinata, listening to her. When she ran away, Rei ran after her; in times of sorrow, she found solace in a soothing and ive home that let her smile again. Was it not for these small everyday gestures, for friends and family ing her no matter how ferocious or frantic her feelings, she could not have persevered. They didn’t fail. They did well.

The ripples may wane but they never vanish, Hinata and Chiho might never fully recover—but in the end, these blemishes are part of what makes a human: they add another layer to their characters, dreams, ambitions and ions, to their relationship with family, friend and foe and add context to their everyday actions. As these values accumulate, they give form not to a character, but something greater. All of these people have their own stories to tell, some of which we may never hear of; their stories intermingle and paths cross, branching off and meeting up again—sometimes. Some days, the torrents may grow harsh, but other times may bring with them a friendly flux; some of the tributaries may meet a dead end earlier than expected, others may follow along the river of life and flow until they are released into the deep, dark ocean.

Consequentially, the further one coasts along, the more colleagues and communities one will lose to such bifurcations. For a person such as Kishou Yanagihara, there are no more people to lose: all of his former friends and rivals have thrown in the towel, and as they on what is left of their hope and ion for the sport, they also on from the world of shogi. Struggling against sickness and fatigue, this burden weighs down heavy on the eldest active shogi player’s frame: their sashes seem suffocating, and like a farmer staring at the remnants of a burnt field, he has no one and nowhere left to turn to. However, just like the farmer he knows that this desolate and depressing wasteland will soon give rise to a new mellow-looking meadow, fertile and fruitful. He catches on fire: his burning ion paints the picture of a haunting human torch slowly burning to cinder and as his fiery fighting spirit overtakes his self-doubt, he finally comes to with the fact that life moves on… even if he won’t let go just yet.

The show moves on, its natural flow harboring both healing and heartbreak; their paths continue to cross and their stories to intermingle. And as the pieces fall into place, they give rise to an unparalleled display of life and humanity, poignant and personal. March comes in like a Lion sets a new standard not just for Slice-of-Life as a genre, but for storytelling itself.

Score: 100

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 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 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 only is 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.

One year after 3-gatsu no Lion’s first season, the second one has arrived. And it manged to be even more outstanding.
Seven months after the first season’s ending, we get to see the continuation of Rei’s journey; His journey to find happiness and a place where he belongs. Has he managed to overcome his emotional scars and find people he can call friends and family?

The second season starts in a truly heartwarming way that shows how much Rei has grown and how lucky he feels for finally finding friends he can have fun with at school, and a family in the Kawamoto household. When compared ... to his former self, a boy with a reclusive personality and depression caused by his traumas and insecurities, Rei has grown as a person in an amazing way. While he is still a flawed being and is still searching, he has slowly overcome most of his personal issues, gained confidence, started trusting others and being more open to them while creating meaningful relationships with them. And most importantly, he is able to smile and laugh honestly, from the bottom of his heart. His pure laugh at the end of episode 16, even though it might sound like a simple thing, was one of the most powerful scenes of this season.
His growth throughout the whole anime, whether it’s done through his everyday life or the competitive shogi scene, is truly impressive and refreshing.

Of course, Rei isn’t the only character to get the spotlight and, even though he is the protagonist, there were quite a few episodes where he felt like he was a side character. But when it comes to 3-gatsu a situation like this is welcome. Umino Chica has the talent to create amazingly realistic and unique characters. It’s never uninteresting to follow an episode or a whole arc focused on a side character, slowly see him being fleshed out, to learn his background, his personal thoughts, problems and worries.
There are a lot of characters like this from the professional shogi scene, like Yanagihara and Souya, but even some that got less focus like the pigeon man (Yamazaki) and others. No matter how much focus they got, they were all memorable characters with interesting personalities and backgrounds.
Other characters that we know from the first season, like Nikaidou, Shimada and many others, keep appearing and receiving their fair share of focus and development.

The Kawamoto sisters are shown a lot in this season, mainly because of a certain arc: The arc about Hina becoming a victim of bullying.
This is one of the greatest arcs of the story so far for many reasons. It depicts bullying, the reasons behind it, its consequences and the damage it can cause in a very realistic way, without exaggerating it. The main bully, Takagi, is a really mean girl, but through her meetings with the homeroom teacher we get to understand the reason and thoughts that led to her actions. This doesn’t make what she did any better, but it’s great to see that even a character like her is getting a realistic personality.
The one who ed the Kawamoto family was Rei, even if he thought that he couldn’t do anything for them. The Kawamoto sisters were the ones who gave him affection and treated him like family, and now he’s the one helping them. It’s nice to see how much Rei has developed and come to love the Kawamoto family through this.
Of course, the one who got the most focus and development in this arc was Hina and her relationship with Rei. Her emotions and thoughts were fleshed out incredibly through the whole arc. She showed how great a character and brave girl she is, and Rei even felt like he was saved by her words.
The rest of the Kawamoto family, mainly Akari, got a bit of focus in this arc, as well.

The storytelling is still done in a poetic way, with a slow pace that makes the viewer immersed into the story as it gradually progresses.
While the anime is dramatic for the most part, the lighthearted comedy is still here. The subtle comedy of 3-gatsu no Lion is pretty funny and it can bring a smile to the viewers’ face or laughter. It doesn’t feel forced and the balance between the dramatic and funny moments is perfect.

In the second season, too, shogi has an important role in the anime. The psychology during the matches is portrayed excellently. The great description of the characters’ thoughts and emotions during the matches, helps the audience that can’t understand shogi know what’s going on the board. During the matches, the characters also find the chance to get fleshed out and developed, which leads to the story’s progression.

Like in the first season, studio Shaft has followed every single scene and line of the source material faithfully. They have only mixed up a few chapters at the end of the anime to make a more suitable ending episode, but this doesn't really pose a problem.

The story and character sections of the review have gotten a bit mixed up already, but when it comes to a character-driven story like this one, it’s hard to talk about the plot without mentioning the characters. But rather than a plot with a clear beginning and ending, 3-gatsu no Lion mostly consists of pieces of different characters’ lives presented in a realistic and human way.

3-gatsu no Lion does an exceptional work at presenting complex, deep, realistic characters and fleshing them out. Their personalities, backstories, flaws, thoughts, worries and emotions feel human and even relatable. The anime never forgets any of them, it keeps showing them to the audience and developing them, while they all have a part in Rei’s life, even if it is as an obstacle.
The relationships and interactions between the characters also feel very human and the chemistry between them is really nice.

Moving on the art and animation, it’s quite easy to notice that studio Shaft has put an even greater effort to the already awesome visuals of the first season. Umino Chica’s artstyle combined with Shaft’s powerful direction, fluid animation and unique touches is a delight to the eyes. The artwork seems experimental at times, but there is also a feel of realism in it.
The color palette is really nice and the colors are used correctly according to what each scene wants to convey. Dark colors show up in the dramatic scenes and brighter ones for the more lighthearted ones. The shift of the colors really adds to the mood and atmosphere and makes the audience understand better how the characters feel at that moment, especially when it comes to the serious and dramatic scenes and the shogi matches.
The use of metaphorical scenes with symbolism is truly masterful, and depicts the characters' thoughts and emotions in a very creative way.
The character designs are still good and unique and the characters’ expressions are drawn in a great way.
The backgrounds are beautifully drawn and detailed.

The music of the show is truly captivating, the soundtrack has an active role in creating the appropriate mood for each scene and allows them to convey their feeling better.
The OPs and EDs, just like in the first season, are very good and memorable. It’s also a nice detail that the songs keep getting a bit cheerier and have brighter art as Rei gradually grows and becomes happier by overcoming some of his troubles. They are all nicely directed with great animation and the use of watercolor-like colors in some of them is beautiful.
The voice actors did an awesome job once again and managed to convey the characters’ feelings perfectly.
Even the animals’ little dialogues in their cute voices are pretty funny.
The sound effects are also used well.

3-gatsu no Lion is an anime with a unique take on the slice of life genre. It doesn’t just follow everyday adventures of characters’, but it also gives them a mature and human touch. The anime’s storytelling is truly intriguing with its heavy characterization and greatly used psychology. Its life lessons regarding different issues one can come across in life and growth of the characters can even influence the viewers. It’s a series that makes simple everyday things feel powerful and offers compelling drama. Along with the beautiful artwork and music, it can stir up the viewers’ emotions and tug at their heartstrings through both the dramatic and lighthearted scenes. Watching 3-gatsu no Lion is a breathtaking experience, a true masterpiece that keeps suring the viewers' expectations and capturing their hearts.

Outstanding, just as amazing as its first season.
After watching the first few episodes, it feels like returning to a warm home on a chilly autumn day, being engulfed by the sweet scent of apple pie and hugging my cup of hot cocoa.

Story: (10/10)
Everything is told through such a beautiful way like a poem. Most of the emotions Kiriyama is feeling are presented to us through the art style, which plays a big part in how the story unfolds. It gives off subtle Your Lie in April vibes but without the extreme sadness.

Each episode is composed simply and even without a lot of action with ... the plot it still captures my attention. We follow our favorite protagonist from last season, Kiriyama Rei, as he embarks on a new journey. How his life has taken a turn and he now experiences new things he has never felt before.

He starts to feel welcome, realizes his worth, his character has made subtle changes from the beginning and it it heartwarming. Just seeing Kiriyama put thoughts into others and share his life with the sisters is such a wonderful sight. There are many more sights like this in the episodes to come, even if they are after boring shogi scenes you have to plow through them, promise.


Art: (10/10)
As stated previously, the way the style is drawn out captures the plot and conveys every emotion through color. It shows us what is going on inside Kiriyama without him having to give a monologue for us to understand.

The art style in itself is great, I ire how the producers created this masterpiece. Quality points I'd like to make, Kiriyama is stunning in the first few episodes so far, the colors are like watercolor and the lines are fine like ball point pens. Especially the scenery is like a painting. As expected from how fascinating the first season was. Refreshing none the least.


Sound: (10/10)
Who knew that a simple scene about making ramune make me cry?
The music captivates my heart and brings me to tears, just ing the prequel through the reused sounds makes the scenes heartwarming.

The music is very nostalgic and they even kept the preview music from last season. That would have to be one of my favorite parts of the soundtrack.


Character: (10/10)
Our favorite boy, Kiriyama, is wonderful. I much more than just ire him, I relate to him in many ways. The way he grows at his own steady pace, how he is overcoming his loneliness, becoming stronger in his own special ways. Of course the spot light isn't all just this memorable main character, the Kawamoto sisters are very valuable to the plot just as much as Nikaidou and Shimada. Even side characters such as Sensei Takashi are a delight to the plot and to Kiriyama's development.

Each character has their flaws and their strengths, their own personalities and lives we look forward to getting to know. Not one character is without some part of Kiriyama's life. Even if it means antagonists who really force Kiriyama to rethink his actions and push him over the edge. Especially when side character's struggles are just as harsh as the main character's, it shows that they are simply human. It is beautiful and I won't ever forget the characters who taught, not only Kiriyama but me, lessons of life. As in every anime we look forward to watching, this one really hits home with the characters' developments and struggles.


Enjoyment: (10/10)
I absolutely adore this series if you couldn't tell. I don't think I will ever stop iring Kiriyama Rei. Since I did rewatch the first season I expect myself to rewatch this one. The purly subtle humor is always the best and creates a warm feeling of joy unlike most anime who force out jokes and represent comedy through inappropriate subjects. 3-gatsu no Lion does not disappoint with its mixture of emotional scenes and comedy relief moments.

I am truly happy to see Kiriyama finally happy in this season, he is slowly coming to love himself and those around him. He is having fun in high school, slowly opening up from how he was.

This series is very memorable and I hope to see anime styles like this for future anime. Although, the original is always the best.


Overall:
It has not changed much from its prequel. Capturing my heart with each episode, 10/10, glad Kiriyama crossed the bridge again.

If you thought that the Shogi in season 1 was boring but stuck it out anyway for the melodrama then you are in luck!
For many people season 1 was good and season 2 only gets better. And if you thought that the best part of the show was the MC's inner turmoil then by all means this second season won't let you down! As long as you weren't too attached to Kiriyama Rei that is. We kind of left him behind to pursue other crestfallen and overly dramatic heroes. If you think questions like ... "show me the proof" should be followed by 3 full minutes of internal dialogue as a black haze surrounds the horror-struck listener, then it doesn't get better than this!
If you are only in it for the art, be not afraid. They didn't suddenly fire their art team and higher the guy who did Pingpong!
As far as I am concerned, however, this show is a far cry from its predecessor. The plot is a rehashing of the MC's struggle in season 1 but in a MUCH less interesting setting with much less interesting characters. There are entire episodes in which Kiriyama does not appear, because he simply plays no significant role in the plot. The story of the young, struggling, prodigy shogi player stagnates and falls by the wayside. The story of a person battling their inner demons lives on, growing increasingly mawkish to the point that Season 2 is almost a parody of season 1. I had expectations that the story would have to change to move on with Kiriyama. I never imagined that instead the story could remain the same and it is Kiriyama who has been left behind.

All fart no shit.

After finishing season 1 I was very excited to watch season 2 and after finishing it, I am more than a little disappointed. Writing one of the most negative reviews for this anime brings me no pleasure, but I really wanted to put into words why this left me feeling so disappointed.

The first season set up a lot of different interesting things that do not get pay off here. A big part of season 1 is Rei's foster sister Kyouko, who fell for a man the same age as her father because she felt that Rei replaced her, leaving her feeling ... sort of obsolete to her father. Also it is implied that Kyouko sexually assaulted Rei when they were younger. Nothing is done with this in season 2. Akari at 19 years old had watched her mother die, her dad leave, and she was then responsible for raising her younger sisters. Nothing is done with this in season 2.

It is incredibly frustrating to me how little development or new information there is in this season. I was really looking forward to seeing more of Rei and Kyouko's relationship, but it is as if she never even existed. If I was not supposed to care about her then why spend a few episodes in the first season making me care? I really do not understand this. I'm assuming this is addressed later in the manga, but Kyouko deserves more screen time. Ignoring her until she is maybe needed for some future episodes is not OK. Her story hasn't moved forward at all this season.

Then there is what the show did with Akari. Nothing. A 19 year old who is forced to raise 2 kids is not worth exploring apparently. A third season could explore her character more, but currently with 44 episodes out there just isn't enough to her character. She is a single parent who cares deeply about her family and is also working to them financially. She never complains and is completely selfless. Her character is not believable. I need to know how she got to where she is, and what sacrifices she has made in her life, simply hinting towards it isn't enough for me. If she has accepted that she is a single parent and needs to dedicate a large part of her life to that, show her making that decision. She must have gone through a lot, and I want to see it. We know hardly anything about her. Also it is impossible for a single parent with a job to cook the meals Akari cooks and not be incredibly stressed and/or tired.

If you were to add up all the scenes of characters cooking or eating with nothing important to the overall plot happening, it would probably be over an hour of footage. Most of what the sisters seem to do is cook and eat food. If you do not enjoy watching people eat food then this anime will be boring for a lot of its runtime. After really enjoying season 1 I was fast forwarding through some scenes in this, which made me feel sad. And does anyone really want to watch two old men argue about some shit that is unimportant to anything else happening in the series? Far too many scenes with old men being boring.

Rei seems happier in this season than the previous, but it doesn't feel logical. Previous plot points that would require Rei to change as a person to resolve are simply ignored so Rei can move forward. He mentions he doesn't have the confidence to phone his sister, and then it is never mentioned again. There is no substance to anything. His relationships with people need to be in a different place at the end of a season than to the start otherwise what was the point? The only character he connects with in any meaningful way is Hina.

The main plot of this season revolved around bullying. A serious topic and the anime does treat it as serious, showing how it affects children's lives. This is easily the strongest part of this season. Hina is bullied and it mirrors Rei's time in school when he was bullied and all alone. The difference this time though is that Hina is not alone, because she has Rei to help her. He wants to save her from what he had to go through. His motivation is clear and his actions (mostly) make sense. The resolution of the bullying would have happened if Rei was not even there and he himself knows this. However the he offered to Hina helped her get through it and is reason for him to be proud. It was frustrating then when he felt like he did nothing; this could have been a turning point for Rei where he gains confidence and has reason to like himself more, but the anime hurries onto the next thing. On the topic of Rei and Hina, he is 18, and she is 13. Rei's teacher thinks he's in love with her and encourages him. He is 18. She is 13. Bad teacher!

To conclude my thoughts on this season, I am quite upset to write that I disliked it. There were individual moments that were good, but the anime lacked focus. After the first season I was ready to recommend 3-gatsu to a friend, but now I am not going to (if a third season comes out and is as good as the first then this will change). I went through all the episodes in a short amount of time and honestly feel like it was a waste of time. It is possible that a third season could fix the problems I have with this show and focus more on interesting character development, and I really hope a third season does happen. A lot of people seem to love this series and me not enjoying it doesn't mean I want others to not enjoy it. I honestly tried to enjoy this, but I was left wanting a lot more.

Thank you for reading this review.

For people new to 3-gatsu no lion, the main problem with this series is, It doesn't have any negative reviews and it feels as if fans are only watching it. So here I am writing a genuine review for you so that you might have a better understanding of the series you are about to watch.

For an anime to be worth 10 ratings for people reading your review, you have to get that nostalgic feel or be in that anime trance for a week, it should be as if the scene were replaying over and over before your eyes.
But guess what?, I forgot the ... feeling just after a few hours of watching it.
An anime can be praised for its Art, music, and character development, but at that end of the day what you need is to watch a story and be able to tell damn, I felt connected and stay in that story for a long time.

So how did this anime get such high ratings and top reviews? Well 'March comes in like a lion' has 22 episodes and is a Slice of life (SOL), So most chances of people watching season 2 are due to the appreciation it received from season 1. i.e, mainly fans of this series watch it hence the final result is the rating you see and most of the 10 rated reviews are those which are written because of the last 4 episodes, damn they are too good, but that doesn't mean you have to sit for 16-18 episodes of normal everyday life to get that smiling conclusion. Well, I am not saying that it is overrated, I am just cautioning you to not get deceived by them.

This is actually too much into a "Slice of life" (SOL) that it wouldn't give you any lesson or knowledge which you might be expecting in a SOL or in an anime.To be honest this is just way perfect SOL, without much melodrama but more into daily life activity which might or might not be interesting.

To all those who haven't watched the season 1, if you are a fan of SOL type of anime then this is the best thing for you or else if you are trying to adjust watching this due to its rating then I am sure you might be disappointed and left with regret. Just watch it like an another SOL, then it's better and you might even be a fan.

I'll stop the commenting here about the overall series, I hope I lowered your hype levels, the following review is based on the idea that you have already watched season 1 : (If you need REVIEW ON SEASON 1 then I'm writing it under the heading "FAQs", look for it below)

PLOT:

The story continues from where it stopped in season 1, i.e., from the formation of the Shogi science club and the normal everyday life of Rei begins, as usual, going to school, playing shogi etc.

This season is divided into 4 major Arcs: Bullying Arc, Souya Arc, 'Match b/w shimada and Sakutarou Yanagihara' Arc and finally, 'Hinata's future after middle school' Arc followed by the conclusive ending.

This story is made as if all the problems in the world come only to these people surrounding Rei...as you know shimada in season 1 with stomachaches, Nikaidou with anemia, Hinata with bullying, and then there is Souya and Sakutarou which I won't spoil. It makes you feel irritated at some point actually but somehow the writer tries to compensate the feeling in later episodes by either giving unexpected or a satisfying conclusion to the Arc.

This might be the experience you might have with the series, so that reading this will help you get a better idea of what I meant from the sentences used at the beginning of the review: (I've put the arcs in such a way not to spoil you, as a matter of fact there is nothing to spoil in a SOL of this kind)

Coming to the 1st Arc:
It was able to portray bullying in the best possible way unlike any other anime, which only show up to what child experiences but not what parents face. Here Hinata gets bullied, but the problem was, I was feeling most of the time," why isn't it over yet, dammit why is he dragging so long, I need to know what happens in the future", the reason I felt is because of the pacing, it was too damn slow, watching Hinata in such situation was unbearable, the story neither was fully concentrating on bullying nor on shogi matches...it was felt half hearted as if the episodes were put just to show a script rather than creating an impact (earlier episodes). but later, the feeling is compensated a little by giving a good conclusion.

2nd Arc:
This is my favorite Arc of all the Arcs, which really concentrated on Rei's Shogi skills and mainly creating that exciting environment before a match begins, It also gives you more information on the Walking devil or Shogi playing Machine, the lookalike of Rei:- Meijin Souya

3rd Arc:
This Arc is a match between Sakutarou and our beloved Shimada, Well It’s another match between two people who aren't the main characters, between an old man defending his title and a promising new generation genius. This is also another dragging story, with repetitive flashback scenes which are kinda irritating.

Well I know a little about the feeling of players of mind games, since I am a chess player myself, to be honest the things shown here, like the thought process behind players especially in Sakutarou's case, it was meant to create emotional connection with the story...but in reality, you would be actually thinking about what the next moves are gonna be and mostly have a feeling that you shouldn't be losing the game... because, the amount of mental strain is too much for you to think about what your "friend said". There is absolutely no chance for you to his words and reminisce because if you are losing a match, your brain would be really depressed cutting off such thoughts, it would try to either fight back or give up.

And 4th Arc:
This arc is another boring or routine story which you see almost in every Slice of life stories where it's the end of the school and time to move on...
and finally, there comes the perfect ending which is made with all the best soundtracks and colorful Art, they are able to hold both the fan-base, the haters back which resulted in 9 and 10 rated reviews.

Yeah and I almost forgot!!! The Jokes are the same usual lame dumb ones with 'squeal' and 'swish' character sounds, but you really need them because they are the ones which seem to relax our brains after such mindscrewing sad scenes. The jokes made in the 22nd episode were the only ones which made me laugh truly.

Characters:
Rei: He seems more mature and responsible and is helpful instead of being a crybaby. This series is not about him or his past, I can guarantee you that.

Hinata: Well she is a really cute and a good person, to be honest, I kinda like her attitude of helping others and sharing your problems with family rather than shutting yourself which is the best thing you can learn from this anime.

Rest all characters aren't focused much or I don't feel the necessity to mention them, I wish there was more Shimada's or Nikaidou's character development, but unnecessary time was wasted on side characters like Yamazaki Junkei's lifestyle etc.
At many instances in the series, we are suddenly in the middle of a conversations of characters and you wouldn’t know how came to be in that situation. I know, it was meant to cut short the time but it didn’t seem to give the full impact of the situation.

Art:
The Art is in its peak form, it is really way better than the season 1, the 3 sisters who take care of Rei are cute as ever and the scenarios are beautifully drawn, I fell in love with the city lights in background and moonlight which are better colored and drawn.

Soundtrack:
This time the soundtracks weren't that great, I mean most of the scenes were sad ones so yeah there were mostly normal melancholy guitar and violin with a mix of flute music. But in the last 4 episodes, we get to hear the beautiful soundtracks which are famous in season 1. The openings and endings songs aren't that good when compared to season 1, but were kinda normal to hear, only the 2nd ending song seemed good with the piano intro.

Overall:
Yeah, it may be a Masterpiece of great Art and well-written psychology of people and their reactions to the situation, but for a normal general audience like me, we can't get the true essence from one sitting, nor do we have time to re-watch it either cos It has 22 episodes of content with lots of meaningless stuff in between. If you liked the season 1, then I would definitely recommend you to watch this season, but if you hate it then don't watch this series because even if it shows about bullying and has few other good episodes, I would rather ask you to watch some other anime than this :)

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FAQs:

SEASON 1 REVIEW:

I am not a fan of Studio Shaft's Art or animation, I don't like anime similar to Monogatari series because of their Art, which feels weird, but 3-gatsu no lion's Art is different from those type of series, because even though, it had black, blue and whitish colours which represent sad theme, it also has colorful drawings with beautiful soundtracks representing the happy atmosphere.

Cutting everything short, it’s a Slice of life of a high school student and ‘kinda’ orphan named Rei Kiriyama who is a professional Shogi player, who lives independently with the money he gets from the games, he is sometimes taken care by 3 Sisters (one of them is Hinata) who live in the neighborhood. (I don’t want to mention further as it’s already available in the plot of the series)

Well many anime have the scenario as if the hero has a natural talent but due to financial problems, they wouldn't come up. But this one is different, our hero has talent, money and also has a family to help. But did you ever think that this talent would make you go away, live separately and lead a sad depressing life? This anime depicts some another level of reality which actually makes you relate to it and the only problem is there is no "Moral of the Story" at the end.

Like I said earlier Art and Soundtracks, were the ones that made me compelled to watch this show, they are also perfectly timed to give you correct emotions. Even the opening and ending are simply awesome which makes you listen to it at every episode without skipping.

Coming to Enjoyment, starting 2 episodes were boring, but it picks the pace and moves on to another level by keeping you engaged till the end. By the way, the jokes are dumb, you would get used to them in the longer run.

Season 1 Overall:
Go and watch season 1 without dropping in the first few episodes, it is good, But if you hated it after completion, then skip season 2 because season 2 is similar to 1 and it might turn out to be a 22 episode hell. :P (Sorry for the lazy review of Season 1, please read other ones )


Comparison between both the Seasons:
Season 1 is way better when it comes to story and narration, because there is suspense feel throughout the series and keeps you wanting to know what actually happened in Rei's past...but season 2 is more of the SOL of other characters (Mainly Hinata) and hence not much suspense is felt, you just feel like watching it just for the sake of completion...
There is also a perfect representation of the feelings of players during the matches in season 1 as I personally know as a chess player which was shown very less in season 2
Only the match between Souya was the coolest thing in this series because you get to know about the great Meijin.


dub? : Season 2 doesn't have a dub yet, but the dubbed version of season 1 is good and has good English.


I don't know why I couldn't like this show (season 2) that much, maybe it's because I was tired binge watching continuously without gap both seasons, it made me exhausted by the time I reached 16th episode in season 2. If you want me to re-watch it again to get a better understanding, it’s just way too much pain to sit through another 22 episodes and waste time, I would rather go watch some new anime to know a new story :)

Ah, 3-gatsu no Lion. How I wanted to love you, and how disappointed I ultimately was. Most of the time I agree with the crowd when it comes to such things such as media review. If it’s well-received by critics, I tend to like it as well. If most people find shortcomings, most of the time I resonate with those as well. But considering I’m giving this anime a rating substantially lower than the stellar (above 9 at the time of writing) average on MAL, take this review with a grain of salt.

Sangatsu no Lion disappointed me not so much with what it was ... but with what it could have been. For a bit of context, I originally watched the first season as part of an anime club viewing (1 episode weekly) at my school. I never feeling that the show and I really properly got along. I was put off by the constant metaphors and imagery that seemed to be picked up in one episode and abandoned the next, the seeming lack of direction in the show’s pacing and plot, and the overall lack of true character development not only in the MC but also in those surrounding him. Some scenes, drawn and animated not beautifully but to a degree I could really appreciate, were strikingly offset by the garish “comedic” inserts that seemed to be inserted randomly and looked as if they were made right at the end of a weekly deadline. The music, while featuring some good tracks, was largely forgettable. It was one of the shows that I felt no connection toward and one that I rarely looked forward to seeing the next week. It existed, I watched it, and that was it.

But after so many episodes, the first season finally ended and I was left with a choice – give it up or go on to the next season? My brother told me the second season was better, and it looked like MAL agreed. I decided it was best not to leave it undone and began the second season in the summer of this year. And now the real review begins.

First, let’s talk about the animation. It’s good. I can’t fault Shaft for what they’ve done here. In particular, the openings tend to be very well drawn and make good use of color and lighting. But the second season still suffers from the bizarre comedic inserts that plagued my enjoyment of the first season. 3-gatsu is not designed as a comedic SoL, but for some reason the writers felt that their story would be better portrayed with numerous, brightly colored and loudly voiced insert scenes with 2-D caricatures of the main cast, often when expressing something intended to be funny or outrageous in nature. I found myself laughing at these scenes not because I found them truly funny (and I rarely did) but because they seemed so out of place in an anime that leaned so heavily on meaningful use of color, light, and sound to explain the story both within and outside of the cast’s heads. Furthermore, there was never a place during the anime where I paused and said to myself “what a beautiful scene,” something that I have found myself doing in the majority of shows I’ve scene (regardless of how well I like them). So in total, I found the animation and the art style good, but held back by some of the strange comedic inserts (though it is worth saying that there are less in the second season than the first).

Let’s move on to the music. The openings and closings, again, while being decent, are not memorable. I am a major believer in the idea that the opening of any anime play an absolutely critical role in setting the mood for the show, and those that do it well (looking at you, Spice and Wolf S1) are that much better for it. But very little about either of the openings (and closings too) use their positioning in the show to their advantage. I found myself skipping them more often than not. I only realized just how forgettable this show’s soundtrack really was until I realized that I could hum the next episode preview BGM more accurately than the actual opening – and that’s a bit of a shame.

Now for the meat – the characters. I sincerely believe that Sangatsu no Lion suffers from the curse of Evangelion. While this is more prevalent in the first season, 3-gatsu is mainly premised on the MC, Rei, and the thoughts that rage within his head. But unlike Eva and some of its excellent protégé, this show does not use the “internal battle” motif effectively, and I believe it is mainly due to a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to tell a story. Like so many others, 3-gatsu is designed to evoke a sense of commonality in its viewers. You are supposed to resonate with Rei’s internal struggles and see yourself in them. And this idea, at first glance, is executed well. A boy, feeling outcast by his peers, picks up a hobby and meets other people to find new meaning in his life. It’s a realistic concept, while exceptionally overused, but it isn’t the problem. The issue comes with the context. Rei is a child prodigy, a middle school marvel who turns professional in his sport of the mind, Shogi. His family, having died in a car crash, leave him absolutely alone, adopted by a family who simultaneously reverences and disdains his skill. We pick up on Rei’s story as he moves out of his adoptive house to his own apartment, living entirely off his own income from professional shogi tournaments. The realism of Rei’s basic condition – outcast, depressed, alone – is tempered by the sheer unrealism of his situation and character – a genius whose entire family has ed unexpectedly, in the most stereotypical of anime tropes. This would be one thing if the show was written such that it was self aware of this uneasy juxtaposition between realistic and unbelievable, but it isn’t. At all points are the viewers stuck in the limbo between “yes, I identify with this” and “this simply isn’t me.” There’s a bit of Rei in most of 3-gatsu’s intended viewers, but there’s very little of the viewership in Rei, and the anime acts as if this glaring issue simply doesn’t exist. Shaft portrays the MC as a normal young man, without agreeing to the fact that he is anything but.

In the interest of keeping this as spoiler-free as possible, I won’t dig too deep into Rei’s story, but very little of it helps the frustration I have with his characterization. As a slice of life, it follows his daily movements – to school, to Shogi Hall, to tournaments, and to the Kawamoto house. While the second season is notably better than the first in this regard, Shaft still suffers from the curse of pacing and focus. There are several sub-arcs in this season, lasting anywhere from one to several episodes long, but very few of them are properly followed-up on and brought to a satisfying conclusion. The writers introduce a character – normally one of Rei’s opponents but occasionally someone related to the rest of the cast – and draw out their character in great depth for a small while. You start to get excited: this is interesting. You become invested. But as soon as it starts, it’s over. The writers turn aside, never to bring the arc to its conclusion, and even some of the intimate insight we are given into the newly-developed character’s mind are cast to the wayside. Some of them reappear – too little and too late, unfortunately – later on in the series, but several are never heard from again. I suppose this may be Shaft’s way of pressing their overall thematic movement – that everyone is on the train of life together, and separating and ing is all part of the journey – but it’s overused and honestly frustrating by the time the season concludes.

By far the best arc in the story deals with bullying experienced by Hinata Kawamoto, one of the three sisters whom Rei befriends in the first season. It’s realistic. It’s brutally honest in many ways. It resonates with so many of the show’s viewers. And unlike so many of the other disappointing sub-arcs, it is the only one that is actually brought from start to a satisfying (though still realistic) conclusion at the end of the season. But why? Why do you need a boy genius, an orphaned shogi sensation, and all the rest of the show’s unrealistic characterization to talk about such a mundane but meaningful topic? It almost s the argument that 3-gatsu is better off without it. And it almost seems that the show directors become almost aware of this by the time the last season concludes. Rei takes his wins and losses less seriously. Shogi exists mainly as a continued tool but the show’s ion for it dies away. The boy genius becomes less and less notably for his acuity, but Shaft trudges on with the theme almost out of necessity. Why? 3-gatsu is one of the few shows where the unique premise (come on, how many anime are based around professional board game players?) drags it down rather than making it memorable.

I have relatively little to say about the rest of the show’s cast and characterization, mainly because some of the most interesting characters have only a temporary turn in the spotlight just to be more or less used as distraction fodder for the remainder of the anime. Shimada and Nikaido – likely two most interesting and round (literally in the latter’s case) in the entire show, only appear as major story points in only a few episodes. While one could argue that Shaft is simply exercising reason with its balance of character development as to not overstep and overreach, these omissions are more frustrating than welcomed. You expect some deep development only to be played with a minor plot point or comedic insert.

To wrap up this review, let’s talk about what this anime could have been. The directing has a very solid grasp on conceit, and even does a decent job following through from arc-to-arc, season-to-season. The water analogy is used frequently and to good effect, not only for Rei but also for ing cast . The art, again, can be very appealing and used to good visual effect. Some of the characters – though perhaps not the main cast – are actually quite interesting and show some good, though limited development. But the off-putting insert comedy, the lack of ability to focus and finish on character development, and particularly the juxtaposition between a “realistic” and “unrealistic” MC ruined much of the show for me. 3-gatsu second season would almost have been more appealing for me had it focused on the life of a single, normal boy who experiences the realistic trials and struggles of himself and those whom he cares about without the shogi theme or the constant need to press the “prodigy” moniker.

3-gatsu is a superhero anime that masquerades as a realistic slice-of-life. As such, it fails at both without a shred of self-awareness of what it is trying to do. But I’m not mad I saw it – I think it really opened my eyes to what I appreciate in an anime, and made me respect just that much more how difficult adapting a source material into video can actually be. But perhaps unfortunately, finishing it has made me more excited than anything else to move on.

3-gatsu no lion that aired in fall was already a masterpiece, a unique, mature show that had very interesting plot points and characters, it was surprising to see that such a show managed to get a sequel, but apparently it was very famous in japan, which is great. now, 3-gatsu no lion's second season is, in my opinion much better than the first season, don't get me wrong, both seasons are masterpieces, but seeing this one and all the characters advancing and changing, it's simply great to watch.

TL:DR: amazing characters, Good, slice-of-life story, the best music and openings, and of course, SHAFT's art, also known ... as a 10/10 without even looking at it.

Story:10/10, for a slice-of-life show, this actually has a story, and surprisingly that story advances. in this season, we see more focus on the side characters and the misery of other characters that aren't rei, there is lots of drama, lots of emotions and bonds developing and most importantly, our main character isn't so gloomy anymore, characters developed and changed, and the story is slowly moving.

Characters:10/10,as if the characters from the first season weren't good enough, this season is even better. in the first season the focus was on Rei,Shimada and his circle of characters, but in this season we see Lots of developement for the side characters as i already mentioned, like Hina and her family, the teacher and by the end of their arc, i'm sure we'll be right back to shimada and the story. though in my opinion, this arc that focuses on the three sisters is the best arc in the series ( the first arc in season one was also fantastic. ) it has lots of emotions,lots of "reality" put into it which is why i loved it alot. i'll keep the "Long" review for when the show is finished but for now this is all i have to say about characters and story.

Art:10/10, it's Shaft. amazing scenery, great camera angles, beautiful character designs and simply perfect art.

Sound:10/10, YUKI sings the opening again and her voice is fantastic as always, it's a very memorable and great song, the ending is by a band that never sung in 3-gatsu no lion before that being Brian the sun, but i'm simply glad this band sung the ending, it's the best song out of the entire series in my opinion, or rather, it's in a draw with every other song as they're all just perfect. the background music is still fantastic, the voice actors have lots of emotions into their voices and are very competent, especially Kana hanazawa as Hina.

Overall:10/10, this show only gets better and better, the rating may change when i finish the show.

A short review for those that are new to this anime.
The second season of the highly appreciated anime 3-gatsu no Lion does not continue its former legacy, instead starts a new quest where most of the things you may have enjoyed in the first season are left aside only for the story to advance to a more social feeling.
While the first season brought us face to face with the protagonist inner demons and allowed us to see how he faced them while dealing with the problems of a pro shogi player, in the second season everything starts recycling itself through a side character, ... a character that is over and over again praised as some goddess while doing just a plain fucking thing. Still, we are forced to see how the protagonist sees this character as some sort of salvation to his wounded soul.
The protagonist family is also ignored while in the first season the protagonist sister seemed to be the storm that always managed to make the audience stand on their tiptoes as she was the materialized form of his inner demons.
There we some good parts too, of course, but they were fragmented and only slightly extrapolated in comparison with the way the protagonist enlarges his social network.
Lastly, at the end we are left with a slightly more ambiguous problem, the romance that seems to have bud between two characters that I couldn't even see one fucking reason to be together if this season didn't force me over and over again to see and accept.
A humiliation for someone who expected to see the protagonist advance along his darkness while slowly dispelling it. A perfect story for anyone who didn't care about the connection between what was supposed to be and what it is.

The second season is so boring, it shows a lot of not usefull stuff from kawamoto's family, and it gets really anoying as the anime goes. When I saw the first season, I got super interested on Kyouko, Nikaidou, Shimada and Souya, but they barely appear on the this season, instead, there are a lot of scenes of Akari cooking, I mean, not intersting at all.
They even added a scene of Rei and Souya playing so we could kill our curiosity, but it feels like they just gave up on creating an end for Rei's history, when it felt like we would ... be able to see changes on the shogi scenery on season 1, all the characters kept loosing and the only character who don't keep being a looser is the anoying Hinata, why are there so many episodes for this average character?????? I just started jumping all the scenes where she apeared till the end of the anime. It was a bad experience

3-gatsu no Lion is a spectacularly popular and accredited anime that unfortunately falls short of all the hype that the series has generated. It is incredibly overrated, however it is still decent relative to the thousands of anime series out there. I know I'm going to receive a lot of flack for this review so without further ado I shall outline my arguments.

There are several quirks to the anime that need to be mentioned:

1. The anime follows a 'Manga' style. Each episode consists of chapters that have been effectively translated from the manga into the anime. This gives the series a different feel compared to ... other slice of life anime series. This is both a good and bad thing. On one hand it offers a refreshing style, however the lack of an 'anime conversion' leaves the series feeling slow-paced, contrived (at times) and reminiscent of the humdrum of everyday life.

2. The anime employs a highly detailed and nuanced aesthetic. All of the scenes, the lines, the art, colours, lighting and sound have been meticulously selected to provide the series with a style that fits perfectly, bolstering both the characterisation and plot of 'March comes in like a Lion'. In fact, it would not be a stretch to say that the masterfully crafted aesthetic of the anime hard carries the series over the plot (which although interesting, is drawn out and too realistic to the point of being non-impactful on the audience).

With that in mind here is why i believe 'March comes in like a Lion' is overrated:

The series has interesting and in-depth characters which means that on top of the main plot arc, there are also a series of sub plot arcs. These sub plot arcs are usually intriguing, however the way they are introduced, built up and then ultimately discarded later on in the series leaves the audience feeling dissatisfied. I was continually wondering when particular sub plots (no spoilers) would resurface before the end of the second season only to discover that the writers consider the half-baked resolutions (or lack thereof) to these sub plots satisfactory. One argument in defense of this would be to say that there are too many sub plots and perhaps in later seasons these will resurface. If this is the case then I would critique the entire structure of the anime series as a whole, which has too many lull periods and too many uninteresting sub plots competing for screen time over fully fleshing out the more interesting side arcs. Overall there just isn't enough 'bang' in March comes in like a Lion.

The anime tries to balance out serious and intensely dramatic moments with light hearted 'slice of life moments' almost exclusively based around food. While in some episodes they achieve a perfect balance to keep the audience entertained, some episodes go way overboard to the point where it detracts from the main plot and it just comes across as cheesy.

I one episode in the first season of March comes in like a Lion (episode 9) where Rei is depicted screaming his lungs out across a gorgeous and fiery sunset-lit backdrop. This moment absolutely captivated me and highlighted why so many people have fallen in love with this anime.

And that is extremely important to mention. This series has a lot of beautifully sad yet equally gorgeous moments. And when these moments occur in the series, they stand out even among some of the most artistic anime series around. But these moments are few and far between. Yes this is exactly what March comes in is going for, but for viewers like me you're going to feel sadly disenfranchised given how much emotional investment a series like this takes.

If anime is meant to provide an escape from reality then March does the exact opposite of that. On one hand there will never ever be an anime that is able to convince us that anime characters are real people like this series has, and for that this series is to be commended. However in achieving this goal, the series has fundamentally sacrificed many key facets of what makes an outstanding anime.

Put simply, the show is slow, relies heavily on its beauty, is overly cheesy, is structured poorly if the goal of the series were to be to provide enjoyment to the viewer and finally, lacks satisfying conclusions and dramatic cliffhangers due to its unique 'Manga' style. 7/10

Althought I did enjoy the first season of this anime a good deal, this second season for me entered into the realm of profoundness. Though the anime does revolve around the main character as a professional shouji player, I found that even I, with as little understanding of this japanese board game, was able to immensely enjoy this anime.
What this anime truly revolves around are the individuals surrounding the main character, and the lessons he learns from helping them through the hardships and trials they encounter within their own lives. In turn he applies what he learned from overcoming these hardships ... to his own life. This anime to me exemplifies a journey of self discovery, a journey which as shown is this anime, is a cycle through suffering from uncertainty, and joy through the act of grabbing a hold of life.

I'm not gonna lie, I liked the first season of this, but I felt it fell a bit flat in the second half with it's focus on shogi, and less focus on Rei and his development with the characters around him. This season solves that. Let's start with this, I need to bleach my brain. Not because it's so bad that I want to unsee it, but because it's so good, that I won't be able to look at anime again, my expectations have exploded through the roof and hit FUCKING JUPITER. Let's start with the review. And note, there will be spoilers, and the ... series is so good, watch it before reading the review, because I want to spoil nothing.

Story: 10/10. This arc focuses mostly on one thing, Hina, but does shift it's focus at times to look at other characters, including Nikaido and Rei's Shogi Science Club, but the main focus is Hina, or more specifically, Hina being bullied. This arc had some of the most realistic looks at bullying I've ever seen, with actually messages sent out in very well done ways. It doesn't over exaggerate it, and yet, it perfectly illustrates how damaging bullying can be, and what it means to speak up. And that's not even mentioning how well it fit into the characters and story. Speaking of...

Character: 10/10. It would be a lie to say I didn't love the sisters, Hina especially, but this season, heck, one scene, made her into a character so likable and complex, she may be my favorite character in all of anime. And that's not to say Rei isn't interesting either. He feels like a human, he has flaws and fears, and anxiety. He is pessimistic, but the way we see him grow from those around him (Newcomer Finals) and the way he learns to be happy is so refreshing. He feels complex too, carrying that darkness, but learning to accept the happiness around him.

Sound: 10/10. The music is just good. I don't notice it during normal scenes, it's just kinda... there, but when the really serious scenes come on, it gets good, REALLY GOOD. The soundtrack is beautiful, adds to the emotions, to the point where you can cry for a pigeon or FRACKING RAMUNE CANDY. And the intro and outro really grew on me, so much so, I was sad to see it get a new one, but don't worry, the new one's good too.

Art: 10/10. Yeah, order's messed up, but whatever. The art man, where do I begin. First of all, it's nothing like you've seen before, looking like Your Lie in April met with Madoka Magica and Monogatari, with hatched eyes, long lips, beautiful usage of colors, and images and backgrounds so good looking, it gives 5 Centimeters per Second a run for its money. And then there's the changes in art. The art can go from it's normal, to cut out, to pencil, to these archaic sketches, and the odd part is, it looks good. It doesn't distract from the scene, in fact, it adds to it, giving it more power than if it were to stand alone. That's impressive, and this is possibly the best looking anime I've ever watched.

Enjoyment: 10/10. I can't even begin. Certain episodes, I was inches from the screen, holding my breath. Other episodes, I was practically cheering (not practically) when they were over. This anime has brought me to tears of both sadness and happiness, and there were episodes where for all 24 and a half minutes (I don't watch the previews), I was smiling like an absolute idiot. I have never enjoyed an anime quite this much, and that's really saying something.

Overall: Honestly, this anime should define an entire generation. It sadly was pretty overlooked since it didn't fall into the categories of "fantasy", "comedy", "romance", "sci-fi" or "shounen", making it very underwatched despite it's high ratings, but it deserves to be. This anime was breathtaking, with scenes so emotional and powerful, I couldn't breath, all I could do was stare at the visuals and listen to the music. It's down to earth and relatable, and the character development, story telling, and beautiful music and artistic symbolism, all that makes this anime a true gem. Now, is this the best anime I've ever watched, very likely. I decided to let the season end before I decide, but so far, absolutely nothing can match the dramatic, heartwarming, beautiful masterpiece that is Sangatsu no Lion. If you hadn't seen it and watched the review anyways, go check it out, it's worth it.

Please note this review assumes that you have finished watching the second season of 3 Gatsu no Lion and while care has been taken to minimise story related spoilers there may still be spoilers within character analysis. You have been warned!

Based off a popular manga of the same name the second season of 3 Gatsu No Lion continues on with the work its previous season started on showing the life of its main character and his struggle to change himself as he continues to advance his career in shogi while also learning how to forge bonds with others and make connections as he navigates the ... path that is called life.

The overall story for 3 Gatsu no Lion’s second season continues the journey of 17-year Rei Kiriyama a high school student and pro shogi player as he starts a new school year and encounters new friends, new opponents and new challenges in both his professional career and in his personal life that he must overcome if he wants to continue breaking out of his shell to become a better person. ing him along this journey is a number of both familiar and new characters that both directly change Rei’s character or characters that are dear to him that causes Rei to change in an effort to help them. These include the kind-hearted Akari, the responsible and determined Hinata and the quiet but intense Souya.

Rei

Rei Kiriyama voiced by veteran voice actor Kengo Kawanishi of Naruto Shippuden and Aldnoah Zero fame is one of the main characters of the series and is the main protagonist of the series. A 17-year-old high school student and a pro shogi player Rei from initial appearances is a quiet, calm and composed teenager that seems to be slowly getting used to dealing with people that he meets in society. As the new school year for Rei starts it can be seen that the Rei that we see in this season is very different to the Rei that we met back in the first season as a result of the many changes that we saw him experience then. Back in the first season, Rei was someone that was shown to be a quiet person that got nervous easily and had trouble in not just fitting in but also in making friends with people outside of his circle often putting up walls to protect himself against strangers. He was also noted to be someone that hid the majority of his personality and feelings inside him. In this season it can be seen that Rei is much more confident and calmer and is able to interact with people that had formally been outside of his circle of friends. While still nervous to a degree it can be seen that the Rei that we see in this season is now much more positive and cheerful and is able to enjoy himself more at school and in clubs and in doing so able to make many new friends. With this new-found confidence, Rei is shown to be also capable of explaining things to others slowly and breaking down more complex subjects like shogi and maths into ways that are understandable for those that don’t know the subject a change that I thought was welcome for his character.

As the series goes on and as Rei encounters challenge after challenge it can be seen that Rei’s personality starts to gradually change as a result of not just the challenges that he faced but also of the understanding that he had gained when interacting with others. While noted to be a quiet person in the beginning Rei was also someone noted to not show his true feelings about things seemingly preferring to instead hide it within himself. As a result of this Rei was someone that only showed limited emotions towards others as if he was scared that by showing more he might invite scorn from others. He was also noted to be someone that distanced himself from interactions with others. However, this feeling of his gradually disappears as the series goes on and Rei gradually begins to show more emotions and learns to be more considerate of others especially to the Kawamoto family and his fellow shogi players willing to help them when they need it. This is best shown during the summer festival when Rei decided to help them with their shop stand something that the old Rei would not have done. The character of Rei I felt was an interesting character that as a result of not just this season but also the previous season had a lot of good development that had the effect of improving his character’s personality substantially which I felt made great use of the theme of changing yourself as you learn to experience life and bond with others. Seeing Rei gradually turn from a quiet and withdrawn person who had few friends to someone that was not just positive but also more assertive and willing to help his friends and allies I thought was one of the best things in this series. I thought that his voice actor Kengo Kawanishi did an excellent job at portraying the character of Rei.

Akari

Akari Kawamoto voiced by veteran seiyuu Ai Kayano of Anohana and Guilty Crown fame is one of the main characters of the series and is the eldest of the Kawamoto sisters. A young woman in her early twenties Akari is a kind, caring and positive young woman that’s also considerate and understanding towards others. On the surface, Akari is a responsible and determined person that does all she can to her family and in this can easily be mistaken to be a mother were one not to know that she has two younger sisters. While kind and caring Akari is also someone that is also perceptive and is easily able to tell if something is bothering someone but rather than confront them about it is someone that prefers to let the person take their time and tell her themselves when they are ready to do so showing how considerate Akari can be. While level headed and not one that will let her emotions get the best of her, for the most part, it is shown that Akari is someone that has quite the vivid imagination and able to come up with various ideas and scenarios that are not just off topic but also amusingly funny. While calm and composed for the most part Akari can be surprisingly forceful if someone that she cares about doesn’t listen to her advice a side of her that’s pretty surprising.

As the series goes on it can be seen that beneath her positive and caring surface personality Akari is also someone that has many struggles that she hides behind her surface facade. While its obvious that Akari cares deeply about her sisters, family and Rei it can be seen that Akari is someone that regrets deeply that there is a limit to what she can do to help them. While outwardly a very dependable and mentally strong person it can be seen that beneath this Akari is someone that also has a fragile side to her personality as well which comes from the heavy responsibility that was given to her after the ing of her mother. This fragile side to her of her that comes from her heavy responsibility can be seen to cause a great deal of worry for Akari when she has time to realise it. In line with this worry is one of Akari’s greatest fear which is the fact that despite being the elder sister of the family she might not be able to represent her sisters well when they need her the most something that can be seen to scare her a great deal. This side of her personality I felt was an interesting one as it contrasted a great deal with the kind, calm and confident Akari that I have become accustomed to seeing. However, as the series goes on and Akari got to see the pain that Hinata went through as a result of the troubles that beset her the hesitation that bounded Akari were gradually released and Akari become braver and more determined to protect Hina as not just her sister but her guardian as well and in doing so confront the true culprit that caused her sisters pain. The character of Akari while an effective character back in the first season I thought become a much more effective character this season as a result of the revelation that even someone as perfect as her who seemed at first to have boundless confidence can also be hiding many issues and fears that show that she too is but a human being. The insight into Akari’s backstory and the heavy responsibility that she had inherited from her mother I felt only served to enhance her character and was further reinforced by the fears and challenges that she had to overcome this season in order to protect those that are dear to her. I felt that her seiyuu Ai Kayano really did an excellent job at portraying the character of Akari.

Hinata

Hinata Kawamoto voiced by veteran seiyuu singer Kana Hanazawa of Psycho- and the irregular at magic high school fame is one of the main characters of the series and is the second oldest of the Kawamoto sisters. A 15-year-old junior high school student Hinata is a positive, happy and energetic girl that while somewhat shy is also a brave and determined person by nature. While a happy and go lucky person by nature Hinata is also someone that is kind and understanding and shown to be both perceptive and understanding of the feelings of others. While a positive and happy person by nature Hinata is someone that can be seen to have a stubborn side to her as well and is someone that is noted to be determined to finish things that she already started no matter how hard that task proves to be something that is best shown in her arc when she tries to defend her friend.

As the series goes on and we get to see more of Hina’s personality it can be seen that beneath her positive and happy attitude that she displays to others Hinata is someone that is emotionally fragile and as a result often hides her true feelings behind a wall that she even hides from her own family out of consideration from them. This facet of her personality is best seen in her specific arc in this season which detailed the struggle that Hinata experienced when in school. While emotionally fragile in the beginning a fact that was exploited by the bullies as a result of the interventions of not just Rei but also Akari and the head teacher of Hinata’s school Hinata was as a result gradually able to overcome the many challenges and regrets that had tied her down and gradually gained both the confidence and determination that she needed to strike back at the bullies and oppose them by persisting in going to school an act that I felt was irable of her. While managing to end this sad affair on a high note it can be seen that despite this Hinata also feels an immense sense of regret at her failure to protect her friend from them something that was only solved when they were able to meet again months later where she was able to make amends. While somewhat alleviating her sense of regret towards her this chance of being able to make amends also awakened within Hina a determination to help her friend regain her place within society and vowing to never again let fear stop her from helping a friend in need. The character of Hinata I thought was an interesting one that showed that while positive and happy on the outside the emotional pain that one has may not always be visible to others. Hinata’s struggle against the bullies in her arc I thought was well done as it not only reflected the many struggles that students face in school but also that no matter how positive and determined you are emotional pain can still affect you to a degree. Hinata’s gradual overcoming of her pain by opening up herself to her family and friends I thought was well done and matched well with the theme of friendship and family that this series symbolised. I thought that her seiyuu Kana Hanazawa did an excellent job of portraying the character of Hinata.

Touji Souya

Touji Souya voiced by veteran voice actor Akira Ishida of Gundam Seed and Naruto Shippuden fame is one of the main characters of the series and one of Rei’s fellow shogi players being the current Meijin an important titleholder within the world of shogi. Though introduced back in season one the character of Touji Souya wasn’t given much expansion as a character until this season. A young man in his early twenties Souya is a quiet, calm and composed person by nature that on initial appearance actually reminds me of a snow-capped mountain something that was both serene and impenetrable something that I felt matched his personality perfectly. While a very strong player on of him being the current Mejjin which alongside the title of Ryuo is considered one of the most prestigious titles in shogi Souya was noted to be someone that was somewhat lonely.

As the series goes on and more of Souya’s personality is revealed it can be seen that Souya is exactly that. His skill with shogi as it is considered to be extremely powerful to the point that there are few opponents that he cannot beat in the game. While no doubt a good thing for those that don’t wish for challengers to their titles it’s noted that this is not something that Souya likes as this makes his career somewhat boring. As a result of this, it can be seen that Souya actually longs to face someone that’s equal to him both in skill and in temperament that can act as his rival and allow him to both enjoy the game and improve his own skill. As a result of their similar personalities, circumstances, and playstyles it can be noted that Souya is very similar to Rei enough in that Souya actually see’s Rei as his rival which in turn is acknowledged by Rei as well. While a powerful player in Shogi what made Souya actually stand out to me was the fact that in a way Souya actually resembles the past version of Rei that we saw back in the first season when he had few friends and connections and had trouble expressing himself to others. The character of Souya while not a villain per se was an interesting character that showed to Rei and to us viewers that it doesn’t matter if you have the best skills at shogi because without friends and allies that you have bonded with playing shogi just wouldn’t be fun.

AMV

The animation for 3 gatsu no lion has always been one of its many strong points due to both how clear and funky they are something that is once more seen in this season. This season notably featured a greater number of settings and scenery in the form of covering not just the actions that are happening in the present shogi matches but also whats happening within the mental realm of the players as they consider the motivations and foundations that serve as their strength. Unlike the previous season’s arcs, this season’s arcs focus was more on feelings and emotions that are felt by different characters and in this, I thought that the series did well in portraying this via the use of darker colours and gloomier animation to reflect this as shown in Hinata’s arc. The music for the series I felt was strong with the opening and ending themes doing an especially great job in both welcoming you and in bidding you farewell from Rei’s world. The series OST I thought did a great job of providing to the series many emotional scenes with music that was appropriate for the feelings that the scene was supposed to invoke. In of voice acting, I thought that as a whole the voice cast did an excellent job of portraying their respective characters. In particular, I feel that Ai Kayano, Kana Hanazawa and Kengo Kawanishi deserve special praise as I felt that they did an excellent job of portraying the characters of Akari, Hinata and Rei respectively.


Overall conclusion

Overall 3 Gatsu no lion’s second season was an anime that I really enjoyed and built upon the foundations that its first season worked so hard to create. The series strong points in my eyes was its premise, excellent story, strong character development, voice acting and its blending of multiple themes into one that we can all relate too. While the first season of the series focused on Rei breaking out of the shell that was created from his reluctance to make friends and connections with others this season allows us to see the fruits of his labour by giving us the opportunity to see the many changes that have been wrought on to Rei. Within the series this is best shown in Rei slowly becoming aware of the feelings and emotions that people around him experience which had the effect of making him more aware of the bonds that can be forged between people whether these people are friends, acquaintances or opponents in shogi bonds that can be positive ones like that of friendship, comradeship or hostile ones like rivalry. This look into the emotions and feelings that others feel in the series is not restricted to Rei though as in this season the characters of Akari and Hinata also get larger roles as part of the main plot that I thought allowed us to see one of the many dangers that school life can bring to the students as well as to the teachers, parents, and guardians of these children. This insight into a common problem of society and its linking into the developments of both Rei and the of the Kawamoto family I thought was well done as it gave each a valuable experience that will be useful to them. In line with Rei becoming more familiar with these strong feelings and emotions is his development of what could be said to be his first main goal which is his determination to rise even higher in the world of shogi and use what he had learned from his newfound bonds to overcome the weakness and hesitation that had so long constrained his life and caused him to have a slump both in life and in shogi. Seeing him resolve to develop such a goal I thought was a good indication of the development that Rei has been through these past seasons and showed that as a result of the bonds that Rei has made with not just his fellow shogi players but also the Kawamoto family that he has finally found his true self in both life and in shogi. While Rei’s journey to find a place where he can belong to that has people that appreciate the skills that he has continues I feel that the steps that Rei took as he matured as a human being were good ones that only served to make Rei’s goal that much closer.

While Rei and the of the Kawamoto family were the main characters in this series another aspect of this show that I liked about it was that it also allowed us to look at the struggles that Rei’s fellow shogi players whether they are opponents, friends or acquaintances face as they play shogi. This insight I felt was interesting as these problems are not merely problems that they face during the shogi matches but also personal problems that were unique to the characters themselves as they can include a great variety of themes that serve as their motivations for wanting to play shogi. These include a desire to honour past friends, fulfil promises to thank their fans, wanting to win to prove your strength to your detractors and playing because shogi is your everything. This variety of motivations I thought did a great job of enhancing the large cast that the series made use off. Overall 3 gatsu no lion’s second season was a great season that built on the strong foundations that the first season introduced while also continuing to expand and improve Rei’s personality by allowing him to not just meet new people and situations but also allow him to learn about the various feelings and emotions that they may be battling with feelings that Rei himself lacks having never encountered them before. But more than anything seeing Rei gradually break out of his shell as a result of the strong bonds that he forges and seeing him be more assertive in helping others is without a doubt one of the core elements of this anime and one that I enjoyed seeing. Overall as a final score I believe a 10/10 would be one that it rightfully deserves as it brought to mind just how precious bonds between people are and how these bonds can help you overcome any challenge you face in life if you let it.

Everyone is the main character of their own story , the realization that each random erby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own is beautifully shown in 3-gatsu no Lion .

3-gatsu no Lion is a diamond , lying in the deep ocean of jewels known as Anime.What does 3 gatsu no Lion do to make it different from any other Drama,Slice of life,Seinen and game genre anime?
It BEAUTIFULLY Blends all of the genre and presents you this Masterpiece of an Anime..Does it fall short in any aspect? No it doesn't , ... it never lets your expectations FALL ...It deserves Every single praise it receives....there's a reason why it is thee highest rated Game,Slice of life and Seinen genre anime on MAL(the only genre it is not the highest rated is Drama.. its #4 on drama)

Art: 10/10
Its SHAFT.......the animation in Season 1 was Amazing .. and SHAFT proves why it is praised of its Animation , Art , direction , and everything in 3-gatsu no Lion Season 2 ..There is no such thing as bad animation when SHAFT does it RIGHT..every aspect of the animation was amazing... the studio took the manga to new heights , their execution of every scene is PERFECT. The Art in 3-gatsu no Lion was breathtaking .. its looks nothing like any normal anime that comes out every season ..Anyone can look at the animation and art and tell that the animators put a lot of effort and work in the making of this Masterpiece. The Color and shades used in different places to show different emotions and feelings were done Amazingly .. Just looking at this Anime is a Feast to the eyes...

Characters : 10/10
One of the Biggest Factor why 3-gatsu no Lion is NOT YOUR NORMAL ANIME ... it is shown from the 1st season that every character in the story has its own story and they are they main character of their own.. when every a tournament arc start .. most anime just doesn't show much about the 'opponents' or the side characters that face the mc.... 3-gatsu no Lion DOES IT RIGHT .... they gives each opponent their story and even devote half of an episode on them , even the side characters which probably wont appear much or opponents which wont appear after their match with REI are gives proper motives and Determination for the reason they are competing...Their is a lot of Character development for Rei in Season 2 .....There is a TON of Character development for each and every character ... The character interaction is really Heartwarming and lovely ...

Story : 10/10
The season starts of with a half a year gap from season 1 ..it takes a VERY strong start .. it easily rivals or peaks the whole season 1 with this Arc ... The arc starts from episode 4 to episode 13 .. we get on an emotional roller-coaster from the start of this arc ...The story keeps moving forward and takes great steps .. every part of story takes the right steps ... season 2's story and its characters felt better because ,they did such an improvements from their minor faults from season 1 .. all the other arc hit all the right points and the outcome is beautiful ... they have adapted the manga till chapter 84-85 , i am eagerly waiting for the season 3 instead of reading the manga ... because of "SHAFT".

Sound: 10/10
ALL the OP and ED were ABSOLUTELY AMAZING ..from their animation to the music .. they nailed every aspect of it .. all the Ost's are great...

Enjoyment:10/10
The experience of watch 3-gatsu no lion was just something you don't get from other anime .. i starting watching this anime with high expectation seeing that its season 2 is #8 ranked with 9.05 ...and after watching san - gatsu .. it blew my exceptions !! .. i didn't fell like i should just binge watch the anime , it has a unique charm to it which made me what to experience it in the best way possible. The HEARTWARMING moments in the anime are truly amazing.

Overall: 10/10
Its an Anime which handles each aspect of the genre wonderfully... Its just sad that not many people have seen this Masterpiece....i hope they maintain the bar they have set with the 3rd season and i hope they even exceed it ...

I'll be reviewing this in 2 languages. The first section will be in English and will focus on the 2nd season. The 2nd section will have a brief explanation in Bengali about why you should watch the show generalizing both seasons.

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"How is she doing it? Does she write down her daily activities in a diary and take ideas from different moments in her life to use them in her characters? Is she taking notes from perhaps her favourite works of literature and combining everything she learned into one work? Did she read books on sociology before writing chapters?" All these thoughts constantly popped up into ... my head while I was watching Sangatsu no lion season 2. Because for a work to portray emotions of this much variety and to convey it in some of the easiest and most natural ways possible is truly something amazing. The writer understands what it's like to be a human. In some instances, some of the portrayals might be a little too over the top but I'll come back to that later. What is important is that Sangatsu no lion matters. It can impact people in a positive way. It can remind you of how you used to think in the past, it can deliver comments on how your current way of thinking is wrong and it can be a guideline for what you should do in the future. By all means, Sangatsu no lion, in my opinion, is one of the greatest animes ever made and something that'll stay in the top of my 'favourites list' for now. Since Sangatsu is a show about thought progression and human interaction, I can't talk about this show properly without talking about myself. So I hope you will pardon me for making this a little too much about myself if it is that way by the end of the review.

Changes from Season 1:

When I finished watching Sangatsu no lion season 1, I was quite mesmerized. Sangatsu no lion created one of the most awkward and relatable main characters ever in Rei Kiriyama. Through Rei's journey, we ed what it was like to grow up to be what we are now and for a lot of people it may have been a guide to what they should do next.By no means is 3 gatsu no lion something most people would love to watch. By the time season 1 ended, there were people who loved the show and there were people who didn't like it at all. A lot of people didn't appreciate the transitions the show made from being depressing to being weirdly cheerful from time to time. Although some of that did bother me, the show overwhelmed me with its good sides. After finishing season 1 Rei's development hit a point where he couldn't be the same person he was in season 1. The theme's of depression surrounding him and his search for an ideal idea inside his heart couldn't be dragged forward too much. This is why I was also worried that season 2 might not be as good as season 1. I was worried that if Sangatsu no lion lost its heartwarming depression (you realizing your themes of depression are understood by another person is often heartwarming) it would be just another show with nothing special going for it. The season takes a few episodes to get going. But ultimately season 2 proves me wrong and goes to a level that far exceeds my expectations. While Rei's development reached a solid point, this season gives time to most of the other characters who required development. Characters like Nikaidou, Hina and Akari get a lot more development as the author explores each of their problems/insecurities. While depression and the feeling of relatable content remained, the show added another dimension to its progress. To explain this I need to go back to a quote from another show. I my favourite quote in the Psycho- series came from the far inferior season 2. Coming from Nobuchika Ginoza it was something like,
"The shortcut to growing up fast is accepting things the way they are." At that point, the line hit me like a truck. It didn't tell me anything new. But it suddenly expressed something I wanted to word for a long time. I finally understood why some of the adults can't understand when I'm trying to tell them about the various concepts I imagine. They grew up and hence forgot what it's like to dream a false hope of being in a different reality. That didn't mean I was okay with that sort of thinking. I do believe people should keep searching things inside of themselves without easily accepting what everyone else finds normal. In a way Sangatsu no lion season 1 was a reflection of my beliefs. Rei knew what the normal things to do and feel would be. Yet he kept searching for a solution that will finally give him the peace he is looking for. He never forced himself to adapt to things just because that's the normal thing to do. He craved for an imaginary sensation he didn't feel before. In a way, he was yet to understand how everything worked and how everyone felt. So he made mistakes along the way to learn things in what I believe to be 'the proper way'. After his development hits a certain point at the end of season 1 and he can accept himself for who he is, the show evolves along Rei. Most of the conflicts Rei had in season 1 was mostly the fruit of his own nature of overthinking things. It was a kind of psychological stress that came naturally with the circumstances he had to face while growing up. This applies to Kyoko's problems as well who just grew up to be strange because she didn't accept the direction her life took. This time around the problems revolve around the more clear ones we have in our society. By the end of season 1, the show already had us accepting things to be the way they are by highlighting all the bright sides that might make living worth it. This time it added another dimension by exploring common social problems and criticizing common social beliefs. It also presented a story of fighting sickness that almost brought me to tears. In a way Sangatsu no lion season 2 advances on the social side of things and goes on to become more than just a story. It finds itself being much more of an inspirational show this time.
As I pointed out before Rei understands his worth a lot more this season. His transition also adds to the show. Rei's narration is beautifully done. He is slowly developing into a protagonist who would be ideal in anyone's eyes. He still has a long way to go but that's just more reason the show is beautiful. No matter how much progress you go through it never really is enough. There's always room for more improvement. Through Rei's own self-critical self we are reminded of just that. Finding reasons to love doing what you do is important. This is something that gets a lot more light in this season. If you search strongly, you might find yours too.

Story:

If you think I gave away every theme there is about this show, you are largely mistaken. Sangatsu has at least one unique theme every episode. So the more you search for, the more you get out of this show. As for the main story, I will personally divide the story this season into 4 sections. One will deal with Hina's personal life problems that will last for almost the entirety of the season. One will deal with Nikaidou's sickness that was revealed during season 1. The duration of this might be small but the impact is probably the strongest out of everything the season delivers. The 3rd section is everything shogi related. The 4th section is about adapting with change. Something we get to see at the final few episodes of the season. Sangatsu is more about experiencing the story and not simply watching or reading it. So without giving away too many spoilers, I will let you experience everything for yourself.
The shogi in season 2 is as good as season 1 if not better. I'll say it again that the main appeal of Sangatsu no lion is understanding people and understanding yourself. The shogi plays a major role in doing so as well. Unlike most sports/game related shows Sangatsu gives a lot of focus to all the players playing shogi this season. Details of how they had to grow up. their habits, their thought process, their worries-all of these is presented beautifully which helps you understand and be one with the characters by finding similarities with yourself.
Random quote from episode 2 to explain what I mean,
“Everyone who’s gotten their butts kicked in a title match will always lose their composure for a bit. That’s just how it is. ‘At this rate, I’ll just lose.’ That is what they realize in between matches of a series. They have to break themselves apart and reconstruct it again from the shattered pieces. They start over from square one.”
This is a perfect example of the show exploring in-game psychology and being able to connect it with other everyday emotions, Portraying the difficulties of what it means to be a professional and what it takes to stay in the game throughout your life. It's not only the shogi that's getting the focus, but also the human beings playing it.
Like most people, the only thing I didn't like in season 1 was the attempted comedy. I understood why they did it but it wasn't always easy to watch. The comedy in season 2 was a massive improvement. Whenever they made certain scenes a little too melodramatic and cringey, they followed it up with heartwarming comedy. Some of these moments might not make you laugh but they do a great job changing the tempo and resetting things to the way we like it. For me, the only way to do comedy right is to keep the lines hidden and make it unpredictable. Sangatsu uses its awkwardness as a tool for comedy this season which makes it much funnier than its previous season. There's also gimmick comedy that worked well in the form of Noguchi. What also helps is every episode has a perfect balance of comedy and darkness this time. So the series maintains its consistency throughout. This is why I was able to accept the comedy a lot more this time around.

Art and Animation:

I think I praised what the source material offers a lot. The art is just as good as everything else. Characters are drawn beautifully and all of them are well detailed. The environment is used for storytelling and the scenes just take you to another place. But enough of that. Chika Umino did everything well. But portraying a concept such as Sangatsu's in animated form is not an easy thing to do. It can't be like just another show. It has to make the audience experience things the characters are experiencing. The anime wouldn't as good as it is if Studio Shaft didn't do such a remarkable job. The Visual imagery of Sangatsu no lion is just outstanding. The one word to describe it would be 'surreal'. It's like breaking down the real world and creating something that can be molded and painted into whatever you want. Every emotion is highlighted in their own unique ways. During important monologues, the screen shows the face of the character listening/talking/thinking in different angles portraying the shift of emotions as the monologue goes on. That really draws you into whatever they are saying. Shaft also did a great job making a chapter by chapter adaption which is probably the only right way to adapt this show.

Sounds:

Not gonna lie, I'm a guy who is musically open to very few genres. But no matter what Sangatsu no lion does, I seem to like it. It was musical works such as 'Answer' and 'En fermant les yeux' that made me want to watch the show in the first place. I liked all 4 of the openings and endings this season. There's not much to say about the soundtrack. The soundtrack just fits so well with the overall atmosphere. If either one of these attributes were to go wrong it wouldn't be possible to achieve the connection Sangatsu no lion achieves with its audience. The show can make me draw emotions using its music. It can make me feel things with its music and at the end of the day this what music is supposed to do. It is supposed to soothe.It is supposed to connect with the listeners. Full marks to the production team.

Characters:

With season 1 mostly focusing on Rei and Shimada, this season does justice to Akari, Hinata, Nikaidou, Mr. Yanagihara and many more characters. We also learn a bit more about mysterious meijin Souya who influences Rei a lot this season.
Akari: After the death of her mother and grandmother, Akari had to play the role of a mother figure for Hina and Momo. Her insecurities and worries are portrayed quite well in this season making people empathize with her. She has room for development and judging by what I was given thus far, she will develop into a much stronger character if we get another season.
Nikaidou: You understand everything Nikaidou stands for as the season progresses. He didn't get a lot of time dedicated to him. But they made the most out of what was.
Mr. Yanagihara: Sangatsu produces another lovable character. The episodes dedicated to this old man are simply amazing. It wasn't just old man thought too. Most of us probably think what he thinks already. But this is where we truly understand his pain as he had to carry those thoughts of burden for a long amount of time and still find a reason to be happy everytime.
Hinata: Before I talk about Hinata's development this season, I want to talk about something Sangatsu no lion made me realize in its previous season. In those episodes where Rei reveals his lonely school life and how people avoided him and vice versa, I really felt bad about myself. It was the feeling of regret. I also knew children like that who were avoided in class during my primary and middle school days. I somewhat knew I should talk to them but I didn't care quite enough. I was also afraid to be judged by others and thus decided to be a nothing for them just like everyone else. I regret not helping them during those times after watching Sangatsu. Sangatsu never directly told me how wrong I was back then. But Ms. Umino immediately picks up on it and has an arc dedicated to school problems. A that story not only shows us an example of how to fix things but it is also an example of how things can go wrong. Throughout this arc we see the development of Hina as she becomes a fine main female lead for the show. She takes on the role Rei played during last season and keeps everything we loved about season 1 alive at the same time. Rei's own development centers a lot around Hina. Her character keeps growing as you keep on watching the season.
Rei: Rei is as lovable as always and it's nice to see him finally enjoy his life. The role he plays is quite different this season. But the guy cannot stop being relatable as always. Rei's voice actor does a phenomenal job once again as Rei's narration inside his head is one of the best things about this show. Rei grows some more this season and gets closer to becoming the person he wants to be in the story and we want to be in real life.
Momo: Momo is the greatest gift anime has given to humanity.
Overall, the characters were really great once again this season. They are what makes Sangatsu no lion so unique in the first place.

Enjoyment:

Sangatsu no lion has this strong descriptive style of writing. It's like even though now you should be able to solve {(12+4)*64-24}/10 in a matter of 10-15 seconds max, it wasn't always the same for you. You probably had to do each operation one at a time when you were a lot younger. Thoughts are a sum of smaller pieces of thoughts. We forget with time that these smaller thoughts will eventually lead to many more larger thoughts. Thus we often bury these insignificant thoughts thinking they won't matter. Sangatsu breaks down those thoughts to a smaller level with its descriptive monologues. You may think most of it is unnecessary but if you think about it, you realize how significant they are when it comes to the characters feeling what they feel.It tells multiple stories that deliver cohesive strong themes. This is not something you write just to entertain the crowd. You can only write something like that when you are writing down a piece of you. So how enjoyable is Sangatsu no lion season 2? "If we go by our usual answer of enjoyable = entertaining that it probably isn't the most enjoyable show. If we look beyond that, it is a very enjoyable show as you experience how thoughts can be conveyed and learn a few things about writing yourself along some very heartwarming in-story content." I said something like that during last season but this season actually had a fair amount of entertaining content. So it is very enjoyable both ways.

Favourite Quote:
“Gaining and losing things are an unavoidable part of life for everybody. You feel joy, you feel disappointment and it repeats. And that’s how you learn how to handle your feelings. Disappointment and loneliness are necessary emotions. Because of loneliness people muster courage and reach out to a new world. Doing that is like reaching out as a baby does, and expands it’s small world.”
-Eisaku Noguchi

Conclusion: Sangatsu was written in 2007 and this is why a lot of the approaches are old. For example, I know people will complain about things like "Why isn't that girl just talking to her friend over the phone." I have read complains like this already. But when you consider the time it was written I'm sure most of these things will make sense. There's not much more I can say about it. It might make you smile, it might make you cry and it will give you cooking lessons. I like everything about the show and I can make everything they did seem like a likable thing because this is exactly how it was to me. Hopefully, this will be exactly the same for a lot more people yet to watch this show. I'd be pretty proud of myself If I could apply everything I've learned/got reminded of by watching Sangatsu in real life. Therefore, I would strongly recommend everyone to give this show a shot and to see if you can get something out of it. Thank you Chika Umino and Shaft for giving us a 'slice of life' in a literal form.

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3 Gatsu no Lion(Sangatsu no Lion) বা March Comes in Like a Lion জাপানি mangaka চিকা উমিনোর ধারাবাহিকভাবে প্রকাশিত দ্বিতীয় কাজ। ২০০৭ সালে প্রথম প্রকাশিত ধারাবাহিকটি ২০১৬ সালে Studio Shaft দ্বারা প্রথমে ২২ পর্বের একটি এনিমে adaption লাভ করে। পরবর্তীতে ২০১৭ সালে shaft এনিমেটির ২২ পর্বের ২য় season সম্প্রচারের জন্য মুক্ত করে । ধারাবাহিকটি দেধা শুরু করার পর প্রথম দৃেশ্যই shaft আমাদেরকে অত্তন্ত পরিষ্কারভাবে anime টির ব্যাপারে ধারণা প্রদান করে। প্রধান চরিত্র রেই কিরিয়ামা এর রুম দেখলেই তার অগোছালো জীবন আমাদের চোখে পরে। এরপর যে দৃশ্যটি দেখা যায় তা অত্যন্ত মনোমুগ্ধকর বটেই। রেই জীবনের প্রয়োজনে তার বিষণ্ণ মুখ নিয়ে কাজের জন্য বেরিয়ে পরে এবং En Fermant Les Yeux নামক জাপানি শৈলীতে গাওয়া ফরাসি গানটি বাজতে থাকে। গানটি চলাকালীন সময়ে Shaft সুন্দরভাবে রেই এর জীবনের তুচ্ছতা তুলে ধরে। ধারাবাহিকটির প্রথম opening গানেই পানিকে প্রতীকরুপে ব্যাবহার করে রেই এর জীবনের প্রতিকূলতা ও তার ভিতরের দ্বন্দ্ব তুলে ধরা হয়। যেন জীবনের স্বাভাবিক টানে সে ডুবে যাচ্ছে। শুধুমাত্র তাদের গানের মাধ্যমেই এনিমেটি আমার ওপর ভারী প্রভাব ফেলে। এনিমেটি দেখা চালিয়ে যেতে আমার ইচ্ছে হয়। ৩ নং পর্বে এসে আমি এনিমেটি নিয়ে আরও বড় আশা দেখতে থাকি। আমার মনে হয় আমি হয়তো আমার প্রিয় ১০টি এনিমে এর তালিকাতে আরেকটি নতুন শো অন্তর্ভুক্ত করার সুযোগ পেলাম। ১ম সিজনের ২২টি পর্ব দেখা শেষে আমি অভিভূত হয়ে যায়ি। Sangatsu এর মত কাজ এর আগে কখনো দেখার সৌভাগ্য আমার হয় নি। অনেক ছোট ছোট মুহূর্ত দিয়ে একটা টিভি শো কিভাবে অনেক গভীর বিষয় নিয়ে কথা বলতে পারে তা আমি আগেও দেখেছি। কিন্তু Sangatsu ছিল আমার দেখা সবচেয়ে বোধগম্য শো এর একটি। মানুষের চিন্তা ভাবনা বিশেষ করে একটি introvert এর চিন্তা ভাবনা ও বাস্তবতার সাথে তার দ্বন্দ্ব যে এখানে শুধু তুলে ধরা হয়েছে তা নয়। আধুনিক প্রজুক্তির কল্যাণে অসাধারণ এনিমেশন এর মাধ্যমে তা মানুষকে তা অনুভব করানো হয়েছে বললেই চলে। সিজন ১ এর বিষয়াবলী হয়তো বা আপনাকে কোনকিছু নতুন করে শিখাবে না। বরং তা আপনাকে আপনার জীবনের ইতিমধ্যে অতিবাহিত সময়ের দিকে ফিরে তাকাতে বলবে। কিভাবে চিন্তা তৈরি হয়, কিভাবে দুঃখের অনুভুতি আসে, অস্তিত্ববাদের সংকট, নিজের সাথে নিজের লড়াই, সহমর্মিতা, নিজ কাজে প্রশান্তি পাওয়া,জীবনের ওপর একাকীত্বের প্রভাব ইত্যাদি বিষয় নিয়ে এনিমেটিতে আলোচনা করা হয়েছে। ঠিক আলোচনা বললেও হয়তো ভুল হবে। এনিমেটি কখনো নিজ গতি ভঙ্গ করে কোন জিনিস নিয়ে বিস্তারিত কথা বলে না। তা নিজ গতিতে চলতে থাকে এবং সূক্ষ্মভাবে বিভিন্ন বিষয়ের ইঙ্গিত দিতে থাকে। বেশিরভাগ আলোচনাই রেই এর মনের মধ্যে তার নিজেকে চিনে উঠার ও নিজের আদর্শ জীবনযাপনের উপায় খুঁজার মধ্য দিয়ে প্রকাশিত হয়। ছোট ছোট মুহূর্তগুলো অত্যন্ত সূক্ষ্মভাবে একটি একটি চরিত্রকে গভীরতা দান করে।

বর্তমানে আমার এনিমে দেখার অন্যতম একটি কারণ হলো জাপানিদের মনস্তাত্ত্বিক ব্যাপারগুলি একটু গম্ভীরভাবে নেয়া। তারা এনিমেতে মানুষের চিন্তাভাবনাকে ভেঙ্গে খুবই সরল একটা পর্যায়ে নিয়ে আসে এবং তাকে অনেক একটু বেশি সিরিয়াসভাবে অথবা একটু বেশিই ওভার দ্যা টপ প্রকৃতিতে প্রকাশ করে। এ কারণে লেখার মানের ওপর ভিত্তি করে একটা কাজ যেমন খুব ভালো ও relatable হতে পারে, তেমনি লেখার দক্ষতার অভাব বা সস্তা মার্কেটিং জন্য কোন কাজ অতিরিক্ত ভন্ড বা অতিরিক্ত খারাপ হতে পারে। Sangatsu যেভাবে প্রতিটি সরল চিন্তাকে একটা অনন্য রূপ দান করে তা আপাত দৃষ্টিতে কারুর কাছে ভন্ড মনে হলেও আমার কাছে তা শিল্পের সবচেয়ে সুন্দর রূপ। কেননা শোটির প্রায় প্রতিটি বিষয়ের সাথেই আমি নিজের পুরানো কোন অভিজ্ঞতার সামঞ্জস্যতা খুজে পেয়েছি সেটা আমি নিজে অনুভব করে হোক বা অন্যের সাথে ঘটতে দেখা থেকেই হোক। শোটির একাধিক বিচ্ছিন্ন গল্প দিয়ে আরও সার্থক এক প্রকার গল্প বলে ফেলা বা এক গল্পের subtle side lesson কে পরের গল্পের মূল বিষয়ে সঠিকভাবে রূপান্তর করার ক্ষমতা সত্যিই আমাকে বিভিন্ন দিক দিয়ে অভিভূত করেছে।

প্রথমেই শোওটির গল্পে আসা যাক। রেই কিরিয়ামা একজন পেশাদার শোগি খেলোয়াড়। শোগি খেলাটি জাপানি দাবা হিসেবে পরিচিত।রেই একজন পেশাদার শোগি খেলোয়াড় হয়ে ওঠে যখন সে মিডল স্কুলে পড়ে এবং তার সাফল্য শীঘ্রই তাকে তার প্রজন্মের সবচেয়ে প্রতিভাবান খেলোয়াড়দের মধ্যে একজনের স্থান দেয়। তার বাবা-মা ও বোন একটি ট্র্যাফিক দুর্ঘটনায় মারা গেলে, তার পিতার বন্ধু কোডা তাকে গ্রহণ করে এবং শোগীতে তার শিক্ষক হিসেবে কাজ করে। পারিবারিক কারণে মিডিল স্কুল সম্পন্ন হওয়ার পর, রেই স্বাধীন হওয়ার সিদ্ধান্ত নেয় এবং এক বছরের বিলম্বের পর হাই স্কুল যোগদান করে। শোগি খেলা রেই এর শখ এর কাজ না হলেও জীবনের প্রয়োজনে তাকে শোগিকেই তার একমাত্র অবলম্বন হিসেবে স্বীকার করতে হয়। প্রতিটি শোগি match এর মাধ্যমে আমরা রেই ও তার প্রতিদ্বন্দ্বীদের ব্যাপারে কিছু জিনিস জানতে পারি। শোগি দিনে দিনে জনপ্রিয়তা হারিয়ে ফেলায় একজন শোগি খেলোয়াড়ের জন্য খ্যাতির ছটা থেকে বেরিয়ে আসা কতটা কষ্টের হতে পারে তা এখানে তুলে ধরা হয়েছে। Sangatsu নিজেদের চরিত্রদের গভীর মানসিক বিপাকে ফেলে তা থেকে বেরিয়ে আসার দৃষ্টান্ত স্থাপন করে। এর মাধ্যমে দর্শকরা তাদের নিজেদের সংগ্রামের সাথে কাহিনীর মিল কিছুটাও যাতে পেতে পারে সে উদ্দেশ্যেই এমন করা হয়েছে। যে বিষয়গুলি নিয়ে কথা বলা হয় তা এমন কোন বিষয় নয় যা আগে কেউ চিন্তা করেনি। কিন্ত এটি যা করে তা হল আপনি যেসব বছরগুলিতে এখানকার চরিত্রগুলির মত চিন্তা করেছিলেন, সে সময়ের চিন্তাগুলোর সাথে বর্তমান চিন্তাভাবনার সম্পর্ক স্থাপন করা। এটি একটি যাত্রা যেখানে আপনি নিজেকে আবিষ্কার করতে পারেন।যারা একই পর্যায়গুলির মাধ্যমে যাচ্ছে তাদের চিন্তে পারবেন ও তাদেরকে আরও ভালো করে বুঝতে পারবেন। Sangatsu এর পরিবেশ পরিবর্তন চোখে পড়ার মত একটি বিষয়। খুবই বিষণ্ণ একটি দৃশ্য হতে Over the top হাসানোর চেষ্টায় পরিচালিত দৃশ্যে শোটি অনেক সহজে নিজেকে পরিবর্তন করতে পারে। তার মূল কারণ দুঃখ ও প্রশান্তির মাঝে ভারসাম্য রাখার প্রয়োজনীয়তা। তাছাড়া সিজন ১ এর কমেডি বেশ দুর্বল হলেও সিজন ২ এ কমেডিতে এর ব্যাপক উন্নতি ঘটে।

চিত্রকর্ম চমৎকার। পরিবেশগত বর্ণনার ব্যবহার এবং তাদের চিত্রিত করে সুন্দরভাবে দর্শকদের কাছে উষ্ণতার এবং বদ্ধতার অনুভুতি পৌঁছে দেওয়ার কৌশল বেশ অসাধারণ ছিল। এটি চরিত্রের কল্পনার সাথে দর্শকের কল্পনা একীভূত করে। উন্নত এনিমেশন এর মাধ্যমে বাস্তব অনুভূতি এর অনন্য পরিবেশন দিতে সক্ষম হয়েছে Sangatsu no lion. মিউজিক এর কথা ইতিমধ্যে বলা হয়েছে। মিউজিক এর মাধমে বিষণ্ণতা ও আনন্দ কে সঠিকভাবে উপস্থাপন করতে শোটি সফল হয়েছে। গানগুলি শুধু শুনতে ভালো শোনায় যে তা নয়। এগুলোর মূল গুন হলো গল্প বলার সামর্থ্য। সমস্যা থাকা স্বাভাবিক এবং একই সমস্যায় ভুগতে থাকা অন্য চরিত্রকে দেখলে আমরা চরিত্রটির উন্নয়নের মাধ্যমে নিজেদের মধ্যে সে উন্নয়ন আনার সুযোগ লাভ করি। কেননা কোন চরিত্র কাল্পনিক হলেও তার লেখক ঠিকই এমন পরিস্থিতির মুখোমুখি হয়েছেন বলে চরিত্রটি লিখতে পেরেছেন। এতোটুকু জানলেই আমাদের মাঝে কোন সমস্যা মোকাবেলা করার শক্তি জন্মে। কেননা আমরা বুঝতে পারি আমরা একা নই। এমন মানসিক অবস্থা তৈরি করার জন্য sangatsu এর সাউন্ডট্র্যাক অনেক গুরুত্বপূর্ণ অবদান পালন করে।

এখন আমি এই অনুষ্ঠানের আমার প্রিয় দিক সম্পর্কে কথা বলি। চরিত্র! অল্প সময়ের মধ্যে Sangatsu এর চরিত্রগুলি অনেক গভীরতা লাভ করে। রেই কিরিয়ামা সফল অথচ অসুখী কারণ জীবনে আনন্দের ছোঁওয়া সে হারিয়ে ফেলেছে। বেঁচে থাকার অনুভূতি এমন জিনিস যা তাকে টিকিয়ে রাখে। সে নিজেকে আরও বেশি খুঁজে পেতে চায়। শো এর সেরা অংশ সম্পর্কে রেই এর অভ্যন্তরীণ দ্বন্দ্ব । কাওয়ামটো বোনেরা রেই এর জীবনে পরিবর্তন নিয়ে আসে এবং সে পরিবারের সাথে তার এক মানবিক সম্পর্ক গড়ে উঠে। ৩ বোনের অধিকাংশ চরিত্র প্রদানের কাজ ২য় সিজনে হয়ে থাকে। তারা এই ধারাবাহিকের অত্যন্ত গুরুত্বপূর্ণ চরিত্র।

তার শ্রেণি শিক্ষক হায়াশিদার সঙ্গে রেই এর সম্পর্ক শো এর হাইলাইটগুলোর একটি, রেই এর চরিত্র কোন মতেই আদর্শরুপে শুরু করে না। তার চরিত্র খুব দুর্বলরুপে প্রকাশ পায় এবং তার শিক্ষক হায়শিদার অবদানে আস্তে আস্তে সে আরও শক্ত হতে শুরু করে । তার শিক্ষকের সঙ্গে তার কথোপকথনগুলি ধারাবাহিকটির অন্যতম শিক্ষনীয় বস্তু। শিমাদা এবং নিকাইডো রেই এর চরিত্র সংগঠনে গুরুত্বপূর্ণ অবদান পালন করে। এই এনিমটির শ্রেষ্ঠ বৈশিষ্ট্য হলো এখানে প্রায় প্রতিটি চরিত্রকেই গভীরতা প্রদান করা হয়।

আমাদের বাংলাদেশি দর্শকদের জন্য Sangatsu সময় কাটানোর অনেক ভালো একটি সুযোগ। দক্ষিণ এশিয় দেশগুলো তাদের গল্পে যে ধরনের ছোঁওয়া চায় তা এই এনিমেটিতে আছে। সুতরাং, আমি সবাইকে এনিমেটিকে ধৈর্য সহকারে দেখার উপদেশ দিবো। বিশেষ করে introverted দের জন্য relatable content দেখার ও বয়স্কদের জন্য এটি তাদের কৈশোরের দিনগুলো নতুন করে উপভগ করার ভালো সুযোগ।

THIS REVIEW DOES NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS !!

What an amazing experience was watching this 2 season, it improved every aspect of Season 1, plus it was much more shocking than the parts of first season.

(Story = 10/10)
Each part of the story of the characters was much more interesting than the first season and more developed, one of the best was the part of Hinata, knew how to explore the concept of bullyng in a sensational way that had never seen. The part of the championship of the beginners was incredible also, they took many consequences of the 1 season in that part, the Nikaidou was still ... further exploited on his determination in the shogi by the disease, besides a new character that appeared in the tournament and was very well developed. One of the last parts for me was what surprised me even more. Starting with the Souya part that further humanized the character, in addition to showing a new perspective that shogi is cool, and showed the protagonist that he has a long journey to go through training and experience. Now the part that impressed me most, that was Yanagihara, it was incredible the way they put as is the true weight of carrying the burden of being the most experienced player of Shogi and the most recognized, and even more about a true defeat of a title.

(Characters = 9,5/10)
As always very well developed, and the new characters very well written, each character taking their moral lesson from the previous season. The conflicts of the new and old characters were much more shocking, thus causing the viewer to worry about them, be it in a shogi duel by title, or by family and school problems, I felt that they really got more alive around the time, besides Kiriyama that showed a great development of experience with the matches of Shogi, besides of handling with the characters around him.

(Art, Animation = 10/10)
The art of season 1 was already amazing, and season 2 improved even more. They have always represented warm colors like the Kawamoto's house, bringing that good feeling of comfort and happiness, but when the feeling is sad and angry, the colors are cooler, using gray and black very well as in school, or a match of shogi in which the sense of defeat is something inevitable. About the animation is very good and consistent but nothing spectacular.


(Sound = 10/10)
The soundtrack has remained very good in moments of comedy and other moments of peace and harmony as in the house of the Kawamoto when they are eating. But ost improved greatly in Shogi matches, with very well-done guitar and violin sounds that made the characters' dialogues more impactful in the scenes. And the sounds of pianos were more beautiful impacting the sad scenes more.

(Enjoyment = 8000/10)
One of the problems of Season 1 is that it was not so shocking in certain parts of the conflict, and I found it a bit dull in some episodes. But in season 2 did not have these problems and improved all aspects like characters, history, art, animation and sound. When I finished the work, I cried a lot because I had just finished a great journey of adventure with these wonderful characters and their conflicts in which they made me reflect as never before, I feel as if I was in the situation with them.

(Overall = 10/10)
3-gatsu in the lion 2nd season renewed my soul, I feel more confident to go on with my life, were many messages that I will take for the rest of my life as an example.

Wellcom to my blog
https://topanimecharacters.blogspot.com/2017/12/top-20-most-intellectual-anime.html

Story:10/10, for a slice-of-life show, this actually has a story, and surprisingly that story advances. in this season, we see more focus on the side characters and the misery of other characters that aren't rei, there is lots of drama, lots of emotions and bonds developing and most importantly, our main character isn't so gloomy anymore, characters developed and changed, and the story is slowly moving.

Characters:10/10,as if the characters from the first season weren't good enough, this season is even better. in the first season the focus was on Rei,Shimada and his circle of characters, but in this season we see ... Lots of developement for the side characters as i already mentioned, like Hina and her family, the teacher and by the end of their arc, i'm sure we'll be right back to shimada and the story. though in my opinion, this arc that focuses on the three sisters is the best arc in the series ( the first arc in season one was also fantastic. ) it has lots of emotions,lots of "reality" put into it which is why i loved it alot. i'll keep the "Long" review for when the show is finished but for now this is all i have to say about characters and story.

Art:10/10, it's Shaft. amazing scenery, great camera angles, beautiful character designs and simply perfect art.

Sound:10/10, YUKI sings the opening again and her voice is fantastic as always, it's a very memorable and great song, the ending is by a band that never sung in 3-gatsu no lion before that being Brian the sun, but i'm simply glad this band sung the ending, it's the best song out of the entire series in my opinion, or rather, it's in a draw with every other song as they're all just perfect. the background music is still fantastic, the voice actors have lots of emotions into their voices and are very competent, especially Kana hanazawa as Hina.

Overall:10/10, this show only gets better and better, the rating may change when i finish the show.