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3月のライオン [Sangatsu no Lion] #1
March Comes in Like a Lion, Volume 1
Opening Move
Rei Kiriyama is a seventeen-year-old professional shogi player who lives alone in Tokyo's uptown. Unfortunately, the young man lost his family at a young age, sending his life into a deep world of solitude.
This is a heartfelt tale of how he recovers his life upon coming into contact with the Kawamoto sisters—Akari, Hinata, and Momo.
Rei Kiriyama is a seventeen-year-old professional shogi player who lives alone in Tokyo's uptown. Unfortunately, the young man lost his family at a young age, sending his life into a deep world of solitude.
This is a heartfelt tale of how he recovers his life upon coming into contact with the Kawamoto sisters—Akari, Hinata, and Momo.
186 pages, Paperback
First published February 22, 2008
50 people are currently reading
834 people want to read
About the author
Chica Umino
64 books192 followersChica Umino (Jap: 羽海野チカ) is a Japanese mangaka.
Her real name is not disclosed, "Umino Chica" is a pen name.
She began work as a product designer and illustrator.
Umino has a unique drawing style, listing Studio Ghibli amongst her influences, and her characters are remarkably well-developed.
Her most famous series to date is Hachimitsu to Clover (English name: Honey and Clover), a 'slice of life' manga series which debuted in 2000 in Shueisha's manga magazine, CUTiEcomic. The series won the Kodansha Manga Award in 2003 and was nominated for the Tezuka Culture Prize and an award from the Japan Media Arts Festival. It was also adapted into an animated television series in 2005, a live-action movie in 2006 and two individual live-action TV series in 2008.
Her ongoing recent series is Sangatsu no Lion (English name: March comes in like a lion), which began serialization in 2007. The series won several important prizes including: the Manga Taisho prize and Kodansha Manga Prize (general audience) in 2011, the Tezuka Osamushi Cultural Prize in 2014, and the Bunkacho Media Geijutsusai Manga bumon in 2021.
Umino has also provided the illustration for the 2009 anime series Eden of the East by Kenji Kamiyama, as well as 'Tobira o Akete' and the Glass Heart series, including 'Boukensha-tachi', 'Netsu no Shiro' and 'Love Way'.
Her real name is not disclosed, "Umino Chica" is a pen name.
She began work as a product designer and illustrator.
Umino has a unique drawing style, listing Studio Ghibli amongst her influences, and her characters are remarkably well-developed.
Her most famous series to date is Hachimitsu to Clover (English name: Honey and Clover), a 'slice of life' manga series which debuted in 2000 in Shueisha's manga magazine, CUTiEcomic. The series won the Kodansha Manga Award in 2003 and was nominated for the Tezuka Culture Prize and an award from the Japan Media Arts Festival. It was also adapted into an animated television series in 2005, a live-action movie in 2006 and two individual live-action TV series in 2008.
Her ongoing recent series is Sangatsu no Lion (English name: March comes in like a lion), which began serialization in 2007. The series won several important prizes including: the Manga Taisho prize and Kodansha Manga Prize (general audience) in 2011, the Tezuka Osamushi Cultural Prize in 2014, and the Bunkacho Media Geijutsusai Manga bumon in 2021.
Umino has also provided the illustration for the 2009 anime series Eden of the East by Kenji Kamiyama, as well as 'Tobira o Akete' and the Glass Heart series, including 'Boukensha-tachi', 'Netsu no Shiro' and 'Love Way'.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
February 13, 2016
I was looking for a new manga to start (yes, I know, I have enough other manga to still read!), and I found this one.
It is from the same mangaka who also made Honey and Clover, and you can clearly see that in this manga. At times I had to remind me that this isn't Honey and Clover, that this is a totally new manga. A manga about a totally different topic, but with the same amounts of drama.
The manga is at times a bit confusing, what happened to our main character? How did he get to know the 3 sisters and their grandpa? Why is our main character all alone? But, these questions are all answered, with each passing chapter we find out more and more about him and about the once around him. Because he isn't the focus alone. We also see his rival and how he feels, we meet with the 3 sisters and their loss, everyone we meet is a character who is important.
In the later parts we finally get answers to what happened to our main characters parents. Dear Lord. Poor boy. :\
I don't really like Shougi, I am not a big sports fan in general, but still it was interesting, mostly because so far in this volume we only had a few parts with Shougi.
Our main character was a wonderful guy and I am really interested in seeing him grow, to see him get stronger and for him to open up his heart to others.
I loved the 3 sisters, they were so lovely and so interesting. I loved how they interacted with each other and with others around them. Though, I have the confess, I thought the older sister was the mom for quite some time (yes, I know even when they said the mom died). The way she acts and how she looks, she is just so motherly, which is logical if the mom died some years ago (which I am guessing is how long it has been).
The illustrations are gorgeous (as expected from the person who drew/made Honey and Clover) and I really love the expressions on people, at times they are so hilariously exaggerated.
Oh and I have to give bonus points for the animals. It was so hilarious to see them "talk"/"think", to see their little comments (the cats when they wanted foods, the dogs when they were enthusiastic).
This is the kind of manga that will make you cry, it will make you smile, it will make you feel all kinds of emotions, and I would highly recommend people will try this one out.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
It is from the same mangaka who also made Honey and Clover, and you can clearly see that in this manga. At times I had to remind me that this isn't Honey and Clover, that this is a totally new manga. A manga about a totally different topic, but with the same amounts of drama.
The manga is at times a bit confusing, what happened to our main character? How did he get to know the 3 sisters and their grandpa? Why is our main character all alone? But, these questions are all answered, with each passing chapter we find out more and more about him and about the once around him. Because he isn't the focus alone. We also see his rival and how he feels, we meet with the 3 sisters and their loss, everyone we meet is a character who is important.
In the later parts we finally get answers to what happened to our main characters parents. Dear Lord. Poor boy. :\
I don't really like Shougi, I am not a big sports fan in general, but still it was interesting, mostly because so far in this volume we only had a few parts with Shougi.
Our main character was a wonderful guy and I am really interested in seeing him grow, to see him get stronger and for him to open up his heart to others.
I loved the 3 sisters, they were so lovely and so interesting. I loved how they interacted with each other and with others around them. Though, I have the confess, I thought the older sister was the mom for quite some time (yes, I know even when they said the mom died). The way she acts and how she looks, she is just so motherly, which is logical if the mom died some years ago (which I am guessing is how long it has been).
The illustrations are gorgeous (as expected from the person who drew/made Honey and Clover) and I really love the expressions on people, at times they are so hilariously exaggerated.
Oh and I have to give bonus points for the animals. It was so hilarious to see them "talk"/"think", to see their little comments (the cats when they wanted foods, the dogs when they were enthusiastic).
This is the kind of manga that will make you cry, it will make you smile, it will make you feel all kinds of emotions, and I would highly recommend people will try this one out.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
June 12, 2024
What looks like a ton of other Manga at first glance.
i.e. seventeen year old shoji player fights his way up the ranks.
It's not.
Rei the protagonist has a ton of baggage...as we get glimpses of his past and present..
Enough here to intrigue and come back for more.
i.e. seventeen year old shoji player fights his way up the ranks.
It's not.
Rei the protagonist has a ton of baggage...as we get glimpses of his past and present..
Enough here to intrigue and come back for more.
February 21, 2024
Bardzo miło było mi powrócić do tych bohaterów, których bardzo kocham. Jednocześnie wiedząc, jak rozwinie się historia, mogę docenić detale w tej mandze. Momo to jest takie złote dziecko, że wystarczy jeden jej panel i już mi się morda cieszy. Ten trop "found family" wyszedł świetnie, co łączy się z dużym smutkiem płynącym z tej serii. Połamani ludzie pomagają innym połamanym ludziom. Jestem z tą historią tak długo i nadal jest to jedna z moich ulubionych pozycji. Moim zdaniem jest to jedna z tych peak manga z dobrymi wartościami, tylko bardziej dla takich nerdów, szkoda, że jest tak mało popularna :((
August 1, 2020
Kiriyama Rei is a young shogi professional who turned to the game in order to escape dealing with the triple tragedy of losing his father, mother, and little sister in an vehicular accident. This threatened to turn his promising life into an utter wasteland if not for the three sisters who came in to his life in a most unexpected manner.
Right now, this story is a mess of sadness. The main character is virtually a void, if not for his shogi, he would be nothing. His interactions with the sisters are the most I could look forward to right now. Thus, giving this a grade of 3 stars is a reach, but it is a promise that this slice of life manga has something more to offer this reader.
Right now, this story is a mess of sadness. The main character is virtually a void, if not for his shogi, he would be nothing. His interactions with the sisters are the most I could look forward to right now. Thus, giving this a grade of 3 stars is a reach, but it is a promise that this slice of life manga has something more to offer this reader.
April 21, 2025
he is me and i am him
January 12, 2021
Rei, il protagonista, è il diciassettenne che molti avrebbero paura di essere ed è bello vedere lui stesso fiorire verso una versione di sè più aperta al mondo. Speravo allora di vederlo sorridere di più e credo mi sia rimasta la stessa intenzione oggi, che lo rileggo con l'intenzione di proseguire verso i volumi successivi.
L'ho riletto, pobabilmente oggi gli darei 3 stelle perché credo che qualcosa qui e lì andrebbe snellita di sotto-dialoghi che risultano eccessivi, ma lascio la valutazione della prima lettura meno esigente.
L'ho riletto, pobabilmente oggi gli darei 3 stelle perché credo che qualcosa qui e lì andrebbe snellita di sotto-dialoghi che risultano eccessivi, ma lascio la valutazione della prima lettura meno esigente.
September 11, 2019
Mon dieu que c'était nul. Rien n'allait.
Ca partait dans tous les sens et du coup rien n'était maîtrisé.
On ne comprend rien au principe du shogi et on ne s'attache absolument pas au personnage principal.
La mangaka ne sait tellement pas quoi raconter que pour combler le vide elle nous met des bulles de dialogues partout.
Elle nous inonde de mini sketchs pas drôles, super lourds qui moi m'ont usé.
J'ai d'ailleurs arrêté le manga une vingtaine de pages avant la fin. Je n'en voyais pas le bout. Interminable.
Ca partait dans tous les sens et du coup rien n'était maîtrisé.
On ne comprend rien au principe du shogi et on ne s'attache absolument pas au personnage principal.
La mangaka ne sait tellement pas quoi raconter que pour combler le vide elle nous met des bulles de dialogues partout.
Elle nous inonde de mini sketchs pas drôles, super lourds qui moi m'ont usé.
J'ai d'ailleurs arrêté le manga une vingtaine de pages avant la fin. Je n'en voyais pas le bout. Interminable.
May 7, 2022
I adore the anime adaptation of this manga and I’m so glad my library has this manga.
Vol. 1 was very good! I like the art style and it’s so lovely to meet the characters.
Vol. 1 was very good! I like the art style and it’s so lovely to meet the characters.
September 23, 2019
Another manga I read because of the adaptation. It's about a young successful Go player, Rei who is an orphan and a loner finding family & affection from strangers; 4 siblings & their grandfather and also his rival-childhood friend, Harunobu who also helps fan away his loneliness in his weird way. The first volume is about him getting used to the idea of a family & us readers looking into his backstory.
The storytelling is pretty laid back and suitable for autumn reads, is what I felt while reading it. Unknown to me that the same mangaka also penned Honey & Clover, a famous manga that I adored the drama adaptation. I will continue with the March Comes in Like A Lion series & hoping to see the growth in Rei & his friends!
July 9, 2023
I'm just a sucker for pain.
One of my most anticipated manga reads of the year and well worth the wait.
Beautiful art, melancholic drama around the game shogi. For every winner, there's a loser and much drama to be had.
One of my most anticipated manga reads of the year and well worth the wait.
Beautiful art, melancholic drama around the game shogi. For every winner, there's a loser and much drama to be had.
June 23, 2023
The cats are the best characters so far.
July 28, 2024
Woah, it's been awhile since a manga made me tear up. This follows a teenage professional shogi (Japanese chess) player, and focuses on found family and food. I'll be reading the second one.
April 10, 2023
C'est mais déprimant-
June 10, 2023
I love the anime so I'm happy the manga got an englush release after 15 years! Even in volume 1 the character depth is amazing.
May 29, 2023
Well fuck man, this is going to be one of those books.
Our main lead is Rei Kiriyama, who at the start you know has had a rough go just from how he acts and reacts to things, but the focus is on him living on his own and becoming a professional Shogi player (Kind of like chess). There in this town he meets the Kawamoto family which consist of Akari, Hinata, and Momo, 3 sisters trying to make it through life with their own set of tragedy.
And that's the story. Just trying to survive. Life is a bitch, and we just struggle to get through it. It's not easy, and finding some happiness with others just trying to survive is great.
Also the cats are hysterical.
A 4 out of 5.
Our main lead is Rei Kiriyama, who at the start you know has had a rough go just from how he acts and reacts to things, but the focus is on him living on his own and becoming a professional Shogi player (Kind of like chess). There in this town he meets the Kawamoto family which consist of Akari, Hinata, and Momo, 3 sisters trying to make it through life with their own set of tragedy.
And that's the story. Just trying to survive. Life is a bitch, and we just struggle to get through it. It's not easy, and finding some happiness with others just trying to survive is great.
Also the cats are hysterical.
A 4 out of 5.
December 26, 2018
Rei Kiriyama es un chico de 17 años que vive de forma independiente, gracias a que es un jugador profesional de shôgi. Perdió a toda su familia en un accidente cuando él aún era muy pequeño, por lo que fue adoptado de forma provisoria por un amigo de la familia...
Es un gran manga con bellas ilustraciones, que toca diversos temas peliagudos como el bullying y otros similares.
Es un gran manga con bellas ilustraciones, que toca diversos temas peliagudos como el bullying y otros similares.
June 23, 2021
Este primer tomo no me acaba de convencer, pero me lo han recomendado muchísimo y me han recomendado que siga un poco más. También me dio la impresión de que podía mejorar una vez que entrara más en materia. Leeré alguno más.
Edición relectura: Esta vez me ha gustado más. Supongo que me ha pillado en mejor momento
Edición relectura: Esta vez me ha gustado más. Supongo que me ha pillado en mejor momento
September 2, 2023
El león de marzo es una historia que lleva tiempo en mi cabeza y en mi estantería. Desde su aclamada adaptación al anime que tampoco he visto, la fama de este manga costumbrista centrado en el shôgi se ha hecho cada vez más popular.
Finalmente me decidí por empezar este primer tomo e ir viendo a la vez el anime. Algo que nunca había hecho. Suelo ser de esas personas que prefieren un formato por encima del otro dependiendo de la obra. Y aquí la experiencia ha sido rara pero favorable. Me obligo a ir despacio con el anime porque la lectura del manga va más lenta.
El león de marzo no es un manga que se puede leer a ligera. No no hay que hacerse prisa en saber qué pasa a cada rato. Es un manga muy reflexivo. Con mucho texto por página y con un montón de detalles dibujados. Creo que nunca en mi vida me he detenido tanto en leer un capítulo de un manga. Hay una capa principal y un montón de cosas que suceden al fondo de dicha capa. Personajes comentando algo irrelevante. Los gatos rogando por comida. Alguna nota de la traductora sobre alguna festividad japonesa. La mangaka Umino es una experta en ese tipo de narrativas lentas en la que no tienes que saber qué ocurre en la siguiente página. Te invita a hacerte un té y disfrutar de las vistas de un río o ver qué electrodomésticos acampan en la cocina de las hermanas Kawamoto.
Hay un elemento muy presente en esta historia: el shôgi. Una especie de ajedrez japonés que tiene bastante relevancia en Japón, donde se retransmite partidas y hay jugadores profesionales que viven de ello. Pensé que sería algo que haría de barrera para mi experiencia lectora, pero no ha sido así. Abunda, sí. Pero no molesta. Y gracias a esto vamos viendo una serie de personajes a cuál más pintoresco cuyo único objetivo es vencer a Rei a toda costa. Tiene esos tintes de spokon que curiosamente suman al conjunto.
Dejo de momento la reseña aquí. Y espero ponerme pronto con el tomo 2. Quiero hablar muy fuerte del dibujo de Umino. Y de Akari, Hina y Momo. Pero eso tendrá que ser en otra ocasión.
Finalmente me decidí por empezar este primer tomo e ir viendo a la vez el anime. Algo que nunca había hecho. Suelo ser de esas personas que prefieren un formato por encima del otro dependiendo de la obra. Y aquí la experiencia ha sido rara pero favorable. Me obligo a ir despacio con el anime porque la lectura del manga va más lenta.
El león de marzo no es un manga que se puede leer a ligera. No no hay que hacerse prisa en saber qué pasa a cada rato. Es un manga muy reflexivo. Con mucho texto por página y con un montón de detalles dibujados. Creo que nunca en mi vida me he detenido tanto en leer un capítulo de un manga. Hay una capa principal y un montón de cosas que suceden al fondo de dicha capa. Personajes comentando algo irrelevante. Los gatos rogando por comida. Alguna nota de la traductora sobre alguna festividad japonesa. La mangaka Umino es una experta en ese tipo de narrativas lentas en la que no tienes que saber qué ocurre en la siguiente página. Te invita a hacerte un té y disfrutar de las vistas de un río o ver qué electrodomésticos acampan en la cocina de las hermanas Kawamoto.
Hay un elemento muy presente en esta historia: el shôgi. Una especie de ajedrez japonés que tiene bastante relevancia en Japón, donde se retransmite partidas y hay jugadores profesionales que viven de ello. Pensé que sería algo que haría de barrera para mi experiencia lectora, pero no ha sido así. Abunda, sí. Pero no molesta. Y gracias a esto vamos viendo una serie de personajes a cuál más pintoresco cuyo único objetivo es vencer a Rei a toda costa. Tiene esos tintes de spokon que curiosamente suman al conjunto.
Dejo de momento la reseña aquí. Y espero ponerme pronto con el tomo 2. Quiero hablar muy fuerte del dibujo de Umino. Y de Akari, Hina y Momo. Pero eso tendrá que ser en otra ocasión.
June 21, 2025
Lovely story that runs around Rei's life, so young and already a champion in Shogi.
There are also some titbit about this game, perfect for who may be interested in it, thanks of the contribution from a real Shogi champion.
I have already become attached to the characters (especially with Akari and Hinata <3).
I love the style of Chica Umino's drawings as always. <3
There are also some titbit about this game, perfect for who may be interested in it, thanks of the contribution from a real Shogi champion.
I have already become attached to the characters (especially with Akari and Hinata <3).
I love the style of Chica Umino's drawings as always. <3
April 20, 2025
I enjoyed this quick read. Was recommended as I’m trying to get into Manga. It was a bit disconnected and I was as very confused with the storyline, but it looks like it is written to give us background information as the story unfolds.
July 22, 2019
I watched the movie before so I already knew the contents. However, I was just surprised Momo's characteristic. In the movie, she wasn't so much cheerful. For me, she was just kind and didn't express her feeling. Why always movie would change? I really want to know!
July 23, 2019
The protagonist, Rei Kiriyama was a lonely and he met three sisters. I believe they help him a lot and give him place where he belong. Also I want to his grow.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2021
Primo numero già adorabile! E già amo tantissimo Rei.
April 24, 2025
High 4 stars. There is sadness woven in between funny/quirky and wholesome moments. I do like stories about things I don't know much about, like the game the main character is a pro at as well as found family stories (with cats!). So, this is a great beginning for me.
February 12, 2017
I'm a b*tch for drama with little doses of fluff and happiness, so I'm really enjoying this. It is really easy to feel sympathy for Kiriyama Rei, the 17yo MC, who had a tragic childhood and constantly feels alienated from everyone and everything (a thing that is not difficult with his name -which means "zero"-, to be honest). The only thing that gives sense to his life is shogi and the three sisters. On the one hand, shogi is what makes him feels some kind of accomplishment, but there is a dark side to that; on the other, the sisters (and their cats!) present him with a different shade of family life that he had never experienced before and makes him feel rather good.
A really good manga with a great amount of inner monologue, for those of us who enjoy it, and great art. Highly recommendable.
A really good manga with a great amount of inner monologue, for those of us who enjoy it, and great art. Highly recommendable.
February 27, 2025
As much as I love the anime adaptation, the manga is admittedly hard to get into. This volume goes into Rei's backstory as well as his relationship with the Kawamoto family. There's a strong reliance on internal monologue to get across what he's feeling. While the story captures the feeling of loneliness well, Rei's backstory is tragic to the point of disbelief. On top of that, the amount of dialogue is overwhelming. If I don't know the story gets better later on, I definitely won't be continuing. That said, Umino's drawings are whimsical and beautifully rendered and I love looking at them.
April 20, 2018
Le seguía el rastro desde Honey&Clover, pero estaba con la duda de si hacerme con él o no porque se centra mucho en el shôgi... Al final el cariño hacia el estilo introspectivo de Chica Umino ha vencido. De momento no me arrepiento.
June 5, 2022
Very nice and wholesome, but it's a bit visually and textually dense. And a lot of time is spent with cooking, more than even shogi probably.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews