Common Name: 3-gatsu no Lion 2
Alternative Names: Sangatsu no Lion 2, March Comes in Like a Lion 2
Score: 10/10, 5/5
Score for Whole Series: 10/10, 5/5
Length: 22 Episodes
Length of Whole Series: 44 Episodes and 1 Recap OVA
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life, Game
Summary: Kiriyama Rei, a young professional shogi player with a troubled past, is finally beginning to find his place in the world. Though he still struggles with issues of self-worth and the torrid relationship with his adoptive family hasn't gotten any better, he is striving to get past all that and become the kind of person others can depend on. Luckily, he's turned his life around at just the right moment to be both open and willing to help the Kawamoto sisters in their greatest moment of need. Hina Kawamoto, the middle child of the family, is being bullied at school after the last victim transferred out after suffering crippling emotional trauma at the hands of a few rotten girls. Though he knows he cannot personally act against these bullies, Kiriyama is just the kind of warm, considerate, and understanding soul that Hina and her family need in this moment of crisis. While Rei might still be struggling to climb the ranks in the pro shogi world, he's not going to let it get in the way of his newfound mission to make his life and the lives of those he cares for better.
Review: Rarely ever do I think sequels, whether they be sequels to movies, games, show, or any other form of media, succeed at doing justice to the original work. More often than not, somewhere along the way, the emotions, pace, or tone of a work are just lost in that gap period between entries that births any number of mistakes and inconsistencies that are just as capable of killing appreciation for the original work as they might be at discrediting the newer addition in an instant. That being said, I also think that 3-gatsu no Lion 2 is the perfect sequel specifically because it picks up where things left off in the last series, builds the new season up from there, and then proceeds to chuck all the emotional baggage and drama from that first season right out the window so this new show can finally pick up the pace. Put plainly, this second season succeeds at doing justice to its predecessor specifically because it starts from a nearly clean slate. Or, rather, it succeeds because it starts this series off by using the developments, drama, and lessons learned from the previous season to springboard the start of a near-literal new chapter in Kiriyama's life. Though his life is still far from being easy, the lessons he learned in the past essentially shaped him into a whole new person--one who is far more ready and able to fight his grim circumstances, rather than letting himself drown in his own self-hatred and helplessness.
If you haven't watched the first season or, at the very least, read my review of it,
I'd recommend leaving to do so now. Otherwise, this will mean nothing to you.
I'm getting ahead of myself though. In a simpler sense, Kiriyama is still much the same person. He's still a quiet, bashful, and socially hopeless nobody too proud to realize how idiotic or childish he can be when he gets worked up. Ashamed as I am to admit it, I have to say that he's still very much a realistic and human character since I have never had difficulty relating to and identifying with Kiriyama's bouts of depression, anxiety, and frustration that life just won't work the way he wants it to. I don't think it can be argued, though, that something has changed between who he is in this season and who he used to be. That something didn't just come out of nowhere, though. It was built up and reinforced time and again as the last season moved into the home stretch. Having both taken Mr. Hayashida's (Rei's teacher, life counselor, and friend) words to heart and tested them out in the real world, he's seen the truth and benefit of opening oneself up to others so that you can help them and so they can help you in turn. Acknowledging this fundamental truth of our modern society is likely the ultimate root of his change since it is from this point on that Kiriyama starts to come out of his apartment more and more, not out of desperation but as a sincere effort at breaking out of that very literal shell. So, in other words, the truth of what's changed is that Rei has started to grow up--changing from a weirdly adult-like child to an honest to God adult. Rather than realizing and reveling in this fact, however, Rei starts this new season off doing exactly we've wanted and expected him to from the very start; he starts reaching out and influencing the lives of those characters we've come to love during his troubled journey.
Trite as it might sound, we watch him grow into the protagonist we've been wanting all along.
Once his growth is established, however, 3-gatsu no Lion very nearly ceases to be about Rei, himself. Instead, the show starts to delve deeper into the trials and tribulations of the rest of the cast, opening us up to their problems in much the same way that Kiriyama is throughout the second season. In a very real way, the audience becomes a proxy for Rei's own eyes, seeing the problems his friends and mentors face in establishing scenes and key moments that Rei did not see himself, but ones that he might learn of later as he connects the dots. Through these disconnected eyes, we see Shimada, Rei's elder, better, and mentor in the world of pro shogi, rise and fall over and over as he fights tooth and nail to claim the titles he desperately wants, just so he can bring some honor to the Podunk-nowhere town that raised him. We see the never-ending battles Nikaido, Rei's friend and rival, fights against his weak and fragile constitution that would keep him from seeing true greatness in the pro shogi world. We see Mr. Yanagihara, one of the oldest and best shogi players in the pro leagues, struggle with the hopes placed on him by his former colleagues and the fear that he's finally grown too old to stand a chance any longer. Time and time again, we see this world and its characters fleshed out and expounded upon in a way that just wasn't possible in the first season because Rei didn't have the mind or eyes to see it. Most importantly, though, the greatest but most unfortunate thing we see during this season is Rei's moment to shine as a person and a friend to the Kawamoto sisters, who've graciously cared for him since the very beginning. As it comes to light that Hina has fallen prey to a pack of bullies at her school, Rei is given the chance to repay the kindness these parentless sisters have shown him, supporting and potentially even saving Hina and the rest of that family in their greatest time of need.
Granted, it's not like Hina's the type of person who will take abuse sitting down.
Having come out of his own emotional tumult, Rei is more ready than anyone to jump in and give Hina the encouragement she needs to keep going. Let there be no mistake, though, Rei by no means solves Hina's problems. This show is far to grounded in reality to even consider that possibility. Not to mention, there's just no way Rei could ever be someone's knight in shining armor. Rather, Rei becomes the friend Hina needs when the world has left her friendless and powerless to the attacks of these bullies. Rather than saving her in the traditional sense, brimming with righteous fury and chivalrous ideals, and he saves her by supporting her. He becomes the rock, constant and unflappable, she and her family can stand on to fight the coming war.
To be clear, I'm not using the word "war" lightly. Especially when it comes to the problem of bullying,
these things have a tendency of being long, bloody, and miserable for anyone involved.
When all this pain and misery reaches its end though, it is made perfectly clear that there is light and there is good in this world. Alongside Rei, who proves this through his patience and willingness to stabilize and distract Hina throughout the entire affair, there are many others who see the need of the Kawamotos and offer any aid they can. While the conclusion of this arc could certainly be considered ideal, and thus a bit fake, I think it rings with a great deal of truth. At no point does the story shirk its duties in capturing the emotions of this very real issue, and at no point does the pain of this whole ordeal go away. In much the same way Rei has been recovering from his traumatizing past, Hina ends her arc at a point where she is slowly, but surely, recovering from the emotional scars she suffered along the way. She can no longer be the happy-go-lucky girl, always ready with a smile, she used to be now that she's seen a darker part of what life has to offer. B it's clear that her life is far from over. She's gradually regaining that ability to face the world with a smile, no longer certain but at least hopeful that tomorrow will be a better day.
And dear freakin' lord does this show know how to give you the imagery
to actually believe there might just be some hope in this world.
Apart from those glimpses into the lives of the show's other character I mentioned, and many I didn't, this one conflict and it's lengthy resolution is pretty much all there is this season, easily taking up a third is not half of this season's runtime. So, apart from listing a few other instances of Rei's influence on those around him or the minor (in terms of length) struggles of the show's large cast of side characters, that's all there is to this. Pitiful as that might sound for a 22 episode season, 3-gatsu no Lion's second season paces things out fantastically well this time around. Like the previous season, it pads out Hina's story with a lot of side stories that prevent it from growing too grim to bear but it does so with such skill and purpose this time that I cannot consider it a fault. Specifically, this padding of the larger story with smaller stories that end fairly well works this time because it fits one of this season's constant themes--resolution. From the word go, we understand that Rei is growing as a person and is finally coming into his own, thus setting a tone for the rest of the season where "resolution" is the word to keep in mind. Rather than featuring the standard of rising action, not to say it isn't there, this season hinges on expressing a kind of "rising satisfaction." With each and every story this season had to tell, we are reminded that Rei isn't the depressed and distressed kid he used to be.
Cheesy at is sounds, I'll repeat, he's a full-blown protagonist at this point.
That obviously doesn't mean to say he's perfect by any means. As I've said, he still has issues a-plenty and is just as socially incapable as he's always been. He even still becomes obnoxiously and embarrassingly self-centered and prideful when he gets worked, but he's definitely taken quite a few steps down the road to adulthood as Hina's problems are made known. To go off on a slight tangent, though, I appreciate how much the show acknowledges how little Rei or Hina can do to solve their problems. As kids, the best they can hope for is grow and survive their ordeals. The ones who truly draw the drama to a satisfying close are the adults of the world, those who have the emotional fortitude and experience to fight the battles children never should. Back on topic, though, in spite of what little power or ability he has to solve other people's issues, watching Rei strive time and again to support those around him only reinforces that satisfaction that comes with realizing that Rei has grown up. That rising satisfaction is then made all the more palpable as Hina's problems begin to reach their resolution, becoming a foil to Rei's growth throughout the season.
Though another season might offset the perfect balance between drama and resolution this season created,
I kinda want another just so I can see the romantic arc these two will clearly have going forward.
So, in a weird kind of way, I've never seen until now, 3-gatsu no Lion 2 somehow managed to become a kind of masterpiece in my eyes, in spite of the fact that it is a sequel. Or rather, it's a masterpiece because it's a sequel. This show managed to both set a dramatic tone that managed to be believable, emotional, and on par with everything Rei suffered during the show's start while it simultaneously pulled off the one thing its predecessor could not. This season actually managed to end convincingly too. Like I said, I would love to get another season of 3-gatsu no Lion, but I've no complaint to offer if the show does just end here. In spite of all the drama that ran throughout its entire run, this season managed to resolve the vast majority of it and end of an infinitely more hopeful tone than the first season might have made you think possible. Pair that fact with the acknowledgment that this season also managed to stay true to the musical, artistic, and cinematic prowess the original season established. While not as flashy as the last season, it used its art to accurately and effective express the raw emotions of each and every scene while the music flawlessly set the tone with emotional musical pieces that are beautiful in their own right. To be more specific, the music of this show manages to capture a wide breadth of emotions using everything from a piano to express thoughtfulness, a flute for the more upbeat moments, and something that sounded like a theremin of all things to express alien feelings in situations neither Rei or Hina would know how to handle. All that, of course, speaks nothing to the almost absurd level of detail and use of symbolism throughout the show to convey and express various emotions and ideas that most anime wouldn't even consider. Crazy as it sounds, there are a few moments throughout the show that utilize symbols and artistic abstraction to the point of nearly feeling avant-garde or French Impressionist in nature. So, what does that all add up to? Simple, a show that I have not problem recommending. Just make sure you watch the first season before you pick up this one.