Dealing with people is hard especially when you are a very internal person, as you often have a tendency to develop one-sided relationships. So when you spend a long time in your head you tend to develop one-sided relationships and isolate yourself from people even though it is no fault of yourself or theirs. Why do I bring these up? That is the subject of the anime I wish to discuss, March Comes in Like a Lion.
Hello and welcome to Sheamcc2 this is the blog where I write short stories and talk about various bits of media. Today we’ll review the anime March Comes in Like a Lion. This is an anime that follows pro-Shogi player Rei Kagami as he navigates his personal relationships and the world of pro shogi.
The first thing that stood out to me in this series was how the anime deals with interpersonal relationships. I liked how this show took shogi and used it as a vector to explore Rei’s relationship and connection with the other people. This often plays in stark contrast to American shows of this nature like the Queen’s Gambit which explores the main character’s genius as a means to keep her isolated. March uses shogi to explore Rei’s relationship with other characters such as Nokido, his sister and the sisters Akari Hinata & Momo.
One of the more interesting aspects of the show is how it explores Rei’s guilt about his relationship being one-sided as they are. One of my favourites is the one that has developed between Rei and his sister as they are both trapped in a cycle of self-hate and a near abusive relationship I got the idea that the two participants in this relationship have no idea of how to give people anything. Rei is obsessed with how much he takes and doesn’t give back. Kyoko wants to receive things but isn’t prepared to accept them.
This leaves some of the relationships in the show being games just as much as the shogi that is on display as these men have to navigate the give and take that extreme isolation brings as one wrong move leaves their true selves vulnerable and they don’t want that. An episode where this came to a head was in episode 10 which left me dealing with an episode that was more emotionally raw and intensive than most fighting Shounen.
It also helps that the animation is superb. The background art using water faded watercolour which leads to a sense of melancholy throughout the show. I also look at how the characters are drawn as everyone looks as if they are about to hold a wave of emotions back as they are rising to the surface. For these characters to reveal their true self as they will give the game away.
To me that’s what March Comes in Like a Lion is about. It’s a series that loves its characters and their emotions, it loves their melancholy & how this front will break. While it is also fascinated with the give and take that informs these characters’ personalities. This is why I like this series because the way it examines isolation and the desire to be loved is fascinating and holistic. That is why it deserves your time.
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