Just finished watching both seasons of Sangatsu no Lion. Here are my thoughts:
Exceptional in so many respects. Both from a technical point of view and in terms of artistic merit. The direction is excellent. The writing seems excellent (I plan to read the source material). Visually it is excellent and I applaud their frequent use of 'visual metaphors' in scenes. Visual direction is excellent. The studio is Shaft if you care. Characterization is extremely well done. The characters are rich and elaborate, as are their interactions. I liked character designs - especially the unique style of the faces. OST was good but not spectacular. Given the dialogue-heavy nature of the show though OST is relatively less important.
I cried a few times while watching this. Although I should mention that I cry easily and even enjoy it, and for many weeks this was my go-to anime when feeling more depressed than usual.
Drama is one of my favourite genres. Sangatsu no Lion excels in this context. The drama utilizes the rich cast of characters well. It is multidimensional in nature as opposed to a simple linear romance. There are many axes along which drama is developed, and it follows that there are many aspects through which you can engage with this anime emotionally. I personally found many characters relatable and this enhanced my experience. There's a high probability that you will as well and with this in mind I strongly recommend watching Sangatsu no Lion.
10/10 overall. Highly emotionally engaging and exceptional in many respects.
I found myself rewatching many scenes over and over.
I think I liked season 1 slightly more than season 2, overall. They're both great - I just found the plot in season 1 more personally engaging. I don't want to elaborate more because whichever plot one prefers between the seasons is highly subjective and any discussion of it will inevitably result in spoilers.
Also an afterthought about humour: the show has a lot of genuinely funny gags. I laughed out loud many times while watching. Comedic relief is used to effectively to create sort of an emotional rollercoaster. The flavour of humour itself is objectively kind of lame but personally I'm a sucker for silly puns and stuff like that. There is a lot of (social) situational humour as well, which I find enjoyable. I previously mentioned the use of visual metaphors - this is used for comedic effect as well.
Brandon Gonzalez
Glad that you liked it. It is really a shame that it seems like almost nobody on Yea Forums watched it.
this x100. enjoyed this way more than the monogatari series as a whole.
Nathaniel Long
Starts amazing, goes downhill in the second season. The drop in quality of writing in certain arcs is so bad, it's hard to believe it's all written by the same person. The bullying arc is just weaponized cringe, I've seen goverment anti-bullying PSAs that were better than this. Especially when right next to it are examples like Koe no Katachi, so you now nip authors can actually tackle the topic in a non-hamfisted manor, this one looks so much worse in comparison.
Also, Hinata is a fucking cancer, and single-handedly makes the series worse than it deserves to be.
Absolutely love it, S2 is one of my favorite shows of all time, So many different characters just have really powerful moments that you can't help cry/laugh or enjoy, It's a wonderful piece of work.
Putting aside the question of you being a massive faggot, are you saying there was something wrong with Koe no Katachi's portrayal of bullying in Japanese schools?
Brody Reed
She needs somebody who will fix her broken soul
Elijah Edwards
You must've literally never interacted with real people in your entire life if you think that.
Jordan Hill
Shimada is so hot unironically
Caleb Collins
are you lost?
Grayson Davis
The only good thing about Koe no Katachi is the oneshot. Everything else is just a cheap melodrama. No offense but I think that you need to mentally grow up a bit to appreciate the writing of 3-gatsu.
Jacob Mitchell
ITT: ESL-posters
Charles Hall
The second half of s2 was the great too. Only the bullying arc was garbage.
Alexander Moore
Comfy and bittersweet. I just want it to enjoy it for myself, no need for others opinions on it.
Dominic Smith
It's impossible to find a bad Josei anime. Fact.
Caleb Cruz
ok but sangatsu isn't josei.
Aaron Nguyen
> Obligatory comment about Berserk should be here
John Thompson
>(I plan to read the source material).
yea dont. 3 gatsu is great and all but Chica Uminocant draw good manga for shit
Wyatt Williams
sadly no
Jacob Roberts
Just checked anidb, you're right. Well, to me, it was very reminiscent of Hachimitsu to Clover + Chihayafuru.
Jeremiah Gomez
Not the other user but I really like josei anime too
Chihaya was made by shaft too I think (?) and hachimitsu to clover is the same author
Ryan Reyes
I watched this back to black after S2 finished and it became one of my all time favorite. I love all the main character. Rei, the Kawamotos, the cats, the pro shogi players (even Goto, for fucks sakes). The animation is just too good for this as well as the art style they took straight up from the manga. Faithful and literally one of the best adaptations of a manga I've ever seen.
Oh, and you should definitely read source. The place things are at the moment and the development that characters undergo is just so above all the good things that happen through the anime.
Also, Umino Chika is a great mangaka and if you liked this, you should check Hachimitsu to Clover.
I think 3-gatsu is a far superior work, but HachiClo has it's merits.
Benjamin Gonzalez
>Chihayafuru Is it any good?
Gabriel Martin
HachiClo is a high priority in my backlog. I have it downloaded and will watch it soon.
Elijah Reed
>Umino Chika is a great mangaka she makes people mad when she goes full controversial mode I'M READY FOR 3-GATSU TO GO LIKE THAT
Brody Sanchez
Pretty good, though it's a little more "shoujo" than "josei" at times.
Dylan Wood
>Chihaya was made by shaft too I think (?) No, that was Madhouse.
Justin Butler
Apparently. I plan to watch it. Have that downloaded too and am optimistic about it.
I'm OP and I'll admit that the bullying arc was my least favourite part of the entire series. It wasn't handled horribly. I thought it was well-directed but it just didn't mesh well with the rest of the series. It was very cliche and felt out of place in the story. Someone else might feel differently. I just didn't find it very emotionally engaging. It seemed like just a tool to advance the rei-hinata romance.
Wyatt Lee
It is. You should check out the 2 seasons before season 3 starts.
Aiden Stewart
Chihayafuru was Madhouse. Same staff as Ore Monogatari.
Joseph Morgan
My bad, thanks
I'm not sure what you're referring to
Jaxson Hughes
Heh, I thought I was the only one. Not as much as shipping, but I though "Yeah, it could happen" before. Currently, both have hopeless crushes that don't seem to go anywhere, Kyouko hast the tendency to chase older men because daddy issues, and Hayashida seems unable to leave broken people alone. They need to meet each other first, though. Maybe in the long overdue Kyouko redemption arc.
Also, for some reason it looks like they are looking at each other in the final endcard draw by Umino (Kyouko is probably looking a Gotou, tho)
>I just didn't find it very emotionally engaging. It was great though. It really helped to showcase the good sides of some characters like Hina's grandpa. Also I really liked that it resulted in such a touching scene where Rei went out of his way to find Hina on a school trip just to give her medicine and a bit of emotional support.
I'm not saying it was bad, it's just that the rest of the series was even better. I think some of the criticisms about the bullying arc ITT are kind of valid.
It seemed like an artificial device used to develop Hinata's relations with other characters.
IDK don't get me wrong, I was still enthralled by the series but if I had to pick the weakest point it would be some of the episodes during the bullying arc
Jackson Jones
I think it's dead. They've lost too much talent
Joshua Howard
Monogatari is like second best from shaft for me.
I dunno, I really like her art and the way she makes her characters, but that's my take on it.
Asher Sanchez
Absolutely incredible.
Easton Howard
why didn't Yea Forums watch Sangatsu no Lion?
Alexander Reyes
This. I dont care if it was "forced" in there, it gave a lot of characters outside of the shogi world a chance to connect and show who they were, as well as keep the spotlight on the Kawamoto's for more than an episode at a time.
Yes I liked this part and the parts with the baseball kid. Actually the only thing I hated about the bully arc was the parts involving the pathetic girl that moved away.
Wyatt Hall
That was the cutest part ever
Jaxson Myers
Sangatsu is much more real in its attempt to show what can be done and IS being done to curb the problem. KnK also tries to have a huge redemption arc for the primary instigator which falls super flat in the rushed movie.
While both arcs have children with traits that are notably easy to bully for, the only time KnK accurately depicts how things fall apart in a not over the top manner is when the girl who reaches out to learn sign language gets ganged up on and she predictably falters in her goodwill.
Both show characters who were bullied reaching out to one another, but Sangatsu feels more earned because we have two sets of bullied kids reaching out in a way they wished somebody had reached out for them. In KnK it only happens when one of the kids loses his status, making it feel more like a childrens lesson.
The real issue that causes a gulf between these two portrayals is that Sangatsu FEATURES bullying. KNK is completely about it. When they come off as this close in quality to each other, it reflects very poorly on the thing that makes it their central thesis.
Does KnK ever deal with the teaching side of things? I legitimately don't remember, so it probably wasn't a good portrayal. Also that one 'no bully' hot guy was an unrealistic piece of garbage.
Maybe that's the difference. KnK inserts a bunch of extra characters that are exaggerations and do nothing but distract from the core conflict, whereas Sangatsu sticks to only the most necessary parts to fill out the arc.
What I really like in 3-gatsu is how we see many point of view of a same situation, as they sometimes add more depth to a what would have seemed cliché drama. To be fair, it would even instantly change my opinion about some characters.
Liam Brown
I think my favorite thing about 3-gatsu is how it always manages to stay uplifting no matter what the characters are going trough. Its the happiest show about depression.
Julian White
>instantly change my opinion about some characters I really liked that one episode about Gotou
Ryan Flores
I wish that gotou and kyouko both got more screentime. They seemed like amazing characters.
Carter James
Season 3 when?
Grayson Robinson
dude shogi lmao
Chase Murphy
Best anime of the decade hands down. Perfect adaptation of amazing source material, some of the best characterization and character development since eva, a rare case when anime aims high and actually reaches that height. I couldn't imagine that something like this could still be born in this day and age.
Cameron King
excellent post
Brody Smith
One of my favorite on-going manga, and manga in general. The burnt field chapters are incredible.
>The burnt field Dunno about the manga but the beginning of that arc in the anime felt really weak to me. All those old people reflecting on their past simply was not that interesting. Although in the end it really had some nice badass moments.
Grayson Lopez
>was not that interesting *were
Luke Butler
You're entitled to your wrong opinion. That's fine.
I loved every second of it. It's one of the comfiest SoL I've seen in a while.
Lucas Hill
Who's gonna fuck Akari? Sensei? or best boy Shimada?
Evan Martinez
What makes you think so? The manga got enough chapters for another 24 episodes only recently.
Andrew Taylor
Either Shimada or she will become a Christmas cake
Chase Richardson
What chapter was this again? I need to start reading again.
Thomas Bailey
I haven't watched the show, but the Manga is absolutely fantastic, the phasing of the story is on a league on its own.
Carter Wright
MC was a more interesting character in my opinion. She takes a honorable second place though. It's a shame her story was forcibly closed with no real resolution in the manga. mangadex.org/chapter/54806/12 tried to upload page and aparently i'm now range banned. fuck you hiro i'm not going to buy your shitposting license
Caleb Hill
>I haven't watched the show Watch it. It is awesome. I was impressed by how Shaft was able to maintain same level of quality throughout 40+ episodes.
Kevin Harris
Must be animeonlys, Rei in the Manga has grown a shitload and has pretty much nothing beta on him anymore
Angel Lopez
Shimada is for me only
Isaac Walker
I love it, probably one of my favorite animes, it hits me to close at home
Parker Taylor
This series is kinda weird, in the sense that it's basically 2 very different series slapped together.
A lot of people seems to either like the Sisters side of the story or the Shogi part, and it make sense because they are so different. But this also mean that 50% of the series will automatically end up being a boring slog for you.
Jaxon Gray
Shimada or bust.
Sebastian Johnson
>A lot of people seems to either like the Sisters side of the story or the Shogi part I liked both of them equally (well maybe I like sisters a bit more). And I do not believe that either of those stories alone would be as great. They complement perfectly each other.
Nathaniel King
>they complement each other this
I don't see why it needs to be one or the other. I enjoyed them both.
The shogi hall was really just a setting for a bunch of other characters and their stories anyway
Brody Long
phasing?
Samuel Garcia
Shimada is the biggest moe and have you not seen this deaf mute?
I really want anime/manga like Sangatsu to remain a niche title. I fucking hate it when reddit takes hold onto something. They destroyed Jojo, Kaguya, and now Dr. Stone. I hope they all burn in hell
Joseph Scott
He's not deaf either.
Isaac Cooper
I love Chica Umino.
Leo Myers
I thought normalfags were put off by the kawamoto-kiriyama romance
Josiah Barnes
This post gave me cancer. The only thing reddit destroyed is your brain.
Hudson Jackson
At the end of the first cour when he stares at those stickers on the dresser I felt the tears coming
Joseph Rogers
you have to go back
Sebastian Green
No you, you clearly care about reddit a lot.
Daniel Parker
Why do you care so much about reddit?
Ethan Price
Sensei. I'm cheering for Shimada, but he's definitely a ruse here, especially since Akari's character arc is about how she had to give up her youth for her sisters, and Shimada only exacerbates that by relying on her caring motherly side. Sensei is goofy and can bring out the kid in her
Wyatt Brown
dedicating your entire existence to a fucking board game just so you're able to survive on your own is pretty fucking alpha. I don't know why anyone would say otherwise.
Jordan Thomas
shogi is alpha as fuck lmao
Kevin Lee
I can't believe everyone focuses on the whiny younger sister when onee-san exists.
Ayden Wood
Do people really stop liking something because it's popular on reddit?
Mason Diaz
> wake up > this thread is still up Do not know what miracle is that but I like it
That human shogi must be really tiring for people who participate in it
Jaxson James
nice, I just started rewatching it some days ago. truly, a masterpiece.
Christian Thompson
fuck off, redditfaggot
Nathaniel Morgan
anything that becomes popular on reddit would always destroy any semblance of community surrounding it. Try lurking in any Jojo, Kaguya, Kyoani, or any popular seasonal shit. They're always being populated by crossboarders and migrants from reddit
Thomas King
This is the thread. One of the longer Sangatsu no Lion threads I've seen on Yea Forums for a while. Very nice. I also love this anime. One of my favorite all time. I consider it to be a modern classic and must watch for any anime fan.
Julian Mitchell
Considering KnK is a series where everything stems from bullying, it does a terrible job at making an interesting story out of it. Everyone (including the teacher) was an asshole by default, the MC turns into a good guy without much development, and all their teenage drama is based on hopeless miscommunication (ironically not by the deaf girl, but all the others who are mentally on the same level as babies) and melodramatic asspulls that mostly lead to violence and other edginess. The plot avoids being clever or unexpected and the character development is extremely unsatisfying, not to mention smaller details like the inconsistent symbolism with the crossed out faces. After all that it dares to conclude itself with an ending where fucking nothing happens, what a joke.
Compared to that, the bullying arc in 3-Gatsu was only one part of the story and even though it had its own share of cliches (like the female teacher breaking down and the childhood friend pulling a geiger counter face), it had rationally acting adult characters and a satisfying conclusion, both in terms of Hinata regaining happiness and the bullies not escaping completely unscathed (unlike fucking Kawai).
Carson Brooks
>t. secondary
Kawai got his fair share of ridicule in the manga. Now that I've think about it, I wonder why they didnt include it in the movie
Jack Myers
I only read the manga and only remember the little stab during the bridge scene (where even more innocent people like Sahara and the fatty were offended as well). She didn't suffer much when compared to her actions of playing innocent during the original incident and later ruining MCs public reputation for a selfish, irrational reason (lust for Mashiba's dick).
Elijah Hill
Just read some old Umino's interview where she mentioned following: > For March Comes in like a Lion, it’s a story that spans about seven years, and I’ve decided that the final chapter will be about what was to be achieved at the end of that seven years. How many years exactly have passed in the manga since its beginning?
Colton Howard
she started the series back in 2011. Does that mean she's ending the manga next year?
Isaac Evans
that's really terrible math, mate
Ayden Green
Probably my 2nd favorite series of all time. Certainly my favorite unoriginal anime.
I found the 2nd season slightly better on the first watch. The opposite the 2nd time around.
I've always been a fan of Umino's work and I'm glad that there have been 2 solid adaptations that bring them to the anime medium. Nothing with her ever feels forced with her works. It all feels like it could be a true life story with real people going through various relatable trials.
Kevin Cox
No, I meant in universe years. Did not read the manga but I highly doubt that it corresponds 1:1 to the age of the manga itself.
Mason Bell
I don't quite recall but I think they're only about 3 years in. Sometimes things move slowly and then suddenly months are skipped. So it could be that we have another 12 or 15 years to go. She's only coming out with about 10 to 12 chapters a year and they've only been about 10 pages a chapter the last couple of years.
Wyatt Brown
>It all feels like it could be a true life story This. And that's why it even indirectly ruined my enjoyment of some other anime movies because now I can clearly see how artificial are relationships between characters there.
Brayden Rogers
>10 to 12 chapters a year and they've only been about 10 pages a chapter the last couple of years. Did she do more than that back in the days?
Kayden Wright
A bit more maybe? Don't quite recall but she went through health issues for a while. Young Animal is bimonthly so it's possible.
Brody Nelson
Well, at least she does not go on hiatus like the author of Berserk
Jeremiah Johnson
True.
Charles Mitchell
just imagine never putting that shogi piece down. FOR MONTHS
Jeremiah Bailey
this thread makes me really happy. I'm glad others appreciate it as much as I do. The series has also brought more players to our shogi club!
Daniel Lopez
she also studied shōgi only to write more believable tactics for the story
Zachary Parker
A modern day masterpiece for sure.
Bentley Reyes
Like a real life shogi club? What country?
Joseph Sanchez
i still don't know the exact rules for shogi but i just roughly tranlate it into chess in my head.
Christopher Fisher
Portland, Oregon. This afternoon, in fact.
Lincoln Peterson
probably never cause shaft is dead
Isaac Brooks
Both titles are soap opera-esque when it comes to the bullying. The characters are stereotyped (cute girl vs shitty teacher). The reality is gray.
Camden Gutierrez
Yeah, it's really sad that Shaft is pretty much done now.
