March Comes in Like a Lion, Volume 2

3月のライオン [Sangatsu no Lion] #2

by Chica Umino, Jocelyne Allen (Translator)

The Agony of Defeat

If we often say things like, "There's no real reason for us to win," then why is it so hard to lose? And these are the thoughts that are in Kiriyama's mind as he approaches the shogi board.

So when he interacts with either the energetic and kind Hinata Kawamoto or his own older step-sister Kyoko, he is reminded that he is human and always has somewhere to return to.

Genres: Manga, Comics, Fiction, Seinen, Slice Of Life, Comics Manga, Japan

192 pages, Paperback

First published November 28, 2008

About the author

Chica 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'.

Reviews

[Nicolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are moments when the chapters are really good, like the Shogi teaching two-parter. Aside from that, the main story seems to meander a bit. Although, introducing Kyoko in volume sets up an intriguing foil for future chapters.

This volume earned its 3 stars and I can't wait to read more.

[Anna Quilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though it can be loosely termed as a sport(shoji) Manga..it's more than that

Our hero Kiriyama seems to have crisis against every opponent he's facing and now his sister is making regular appearances which a whole different sort of angst.

[marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vol. 1 ★★☆☆☆

Whereas Vol. 1 is a frantic mess, this one strikes a better balance between humor and introspection. The key to enjoying the story is accepting you don't need to learn how to play shogi as it's just a plot device. The meat and potatoes of the series is Kiriyama's growth.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an array of interesting personalities! Many of them are emotionally stunted men, but it's realistic and done so well, going from hilarious to depressing at the flip of a page. We get a crash course in shogi (that Japanese chess game that is central to the story) using KITTIES of all things, which is quite helpful. It's pretty similar to Western chess, but with distinct differences.

[Mehsi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure if I will continue with this series. Don't get me wrong, it is pretty decent, but I have not much interest in Shogi. The previous volume had some Shogi, but this one doubled it and I just got bored during some parts. The matches are over quite soon, but they still take some time.

Not only that, I don't particularly like Rei. I can imagine he has troubles, he is sad about his past and what happened there, but I wish he would just man up a bit. He has so many opportunities, a whole bunch of friends that care about him and so much more. Yet, he keeps moping and acting sad. Thinking back to things that happened years ago.
I would love to see him smile for once, a real smile.

The other characters were pretty good (like the sisters), though I didn't particularly like Rei's friend (with the name I keep forgetting), I found him a bit too intrusive, didn't care for privacy or the word no. He reminds me of a character from Honey and Clover, I also didn't like him and the way he acted.

And then we have the one character I absolutely disliked. Kyouko. Dear Lord, grudge much? Yes, your dad picked Rei over you, and over your brother. Yes, this sucks. But did you do much against it? So far, it doesn't seem so. The only thing you did was bitch at everything and everyone. I dislike her and she is also a big reason why I am going to drop the manga.

The art is still gorgeous and I really love it. The characters are wonderfully drawn and the same goes for the scenery.

I loved the map we got at the end, too bad I don't live in Japan, or am planning on a trip any time soon (too expensive), but maybe one day I will go and if I still remember this manga and the map, I will see if I can visit the places mentioned in the manga.

Would I recommend this one? Sure, if you like Shogi and don't mind depressing characters.

Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Iago · Rating 2 out of 5]

Se me hizo bastante pesado. Quizás mis espectativas estaban sobre las relaciones humanas más que en el juego de shogui. Pero en general le veo demasiado texto para no decir nada, demasiadas escenas tipo kwaii que van en detrimento de la experiencia lectora y del dibujo, que aunque es bueno en las escenas bien dibujadas, que son lamentablemente son las menos.
Y después la imposibilidad física de conseguir el primer tomo, agotadísimo, pudo hacer también un poco de mella en la lectura. He dejado el tercer tomo a la mitad, con intención de retomarlo, pero sin ninguna gana.

[Leonor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este segundo tomo trata del pasado de Rei y sus motivaciones respecto a ser un jugador de shôgi profesional. Conoceremos más a Nikaido y Hina, también su hermanastra Kyoko aparece a remecer su vida...

[Aleksandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

March comes in like a Lion is just as good in manga format as it was in anime. I’m happy to continue reading it.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little too much focus on a game I never will find much interest in. The moments with the sister are easily the best part, but this volume doesn't feel as well put together or interesting as the fist.

[Wiktoria (^˵◕ω◕˵^) · Rating 4 out of 5]

{4.5}

[Kimi Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

the EMOTIONAL TRAUMA 😭😭😭😭😭

[Arsnoctis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il secondo numero si prende del tempo per introdurre meglio cosa sia lo shogi, dando un'idea del gioco e di quale sia la sua storia.

Qui è più evidente la passione dell'autrice per i dialoghi nei dialoghi. Forse uno dei suoi maggiori difetti, credo che la storia trarrebbe giovamento da qualche balloon in meno, soprattutto se consideriamo la qualità della stampa delle edizioni europee che rendono la lettura ancora meno agevole. Indubbiamente però mi è servito più tempo per finire questi numeri, rendendo la spesa media a volume un po' più sensata. Questo glielo riconosco.

[Marcos Francisco Muñoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rei trata de explicar cómo se siente y ha venido sintiendo a un relativo extraño, sin saber él mismo si entiende lo que trata de decir, pero su receptor entiende muy bien y se lo deja saber. Rei se siente tan feliz al respecto que le dan ganas de llorar.
Sí, este manga es para mí.

[Khari · Rating 5 out of 5]

忘れた。

零の過去は本当に悲しい。家族を失って新しい家に入ったがその家はホームはないし、そこ住んでいる人は家族ではない。契約だけ。彼が勝てば帰る場所があるが負けったら施設に入りさせる。プレッシャーは子供を運ばせて思いすぎ。

[Kaoru Takarai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amo a Chica Umino. Qué profundidad de personajes y qué fácil es empatizar con ellos. En este tomo, me he enamorado de Rei.

[Eressea · Rating 4 out of 5]

放棄理解將棋規則了，好像不是重點XD

[Met · Rating 4 out of 5]

Piano piano emergono dettagli della famiglia di Rei… e io mi appassiono sempre di più.

[Emi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reconozco que me ha costado, pero en este segundo tomo si que he entrado en la historia. A ver los siguientes.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Read my full review here.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a young, handsome grim reaper.

Kiriyama is playing against men much older than himself in (what I think is) the shogi tournament that will determine the players' ranks in the next season: the first opponent of retirement age, and the next middle-aged. Although I have no understanding of the shogi subtleties involved, I like how each match shows the psychological vulnerabilities of each through their play, and through their behavior during and after the match. I can contrast this with the novel I just finished reading, in that I felt I got to know these characters as people that I could sympathize with in a few brief panels or a single chapter. Now that's great storytelling. :)

More strongly than in the previous volume, I can see Kyoko and Akari as representative of different aspects of femininity. The self-sacrificing, cheerful mama type, and the woman with a venomous stinger in her tongue. Light hair and dark. Both with nice figures they show off for the "camera," too, of course. This is a seinen manga, after all.

[Chadwyck Byer · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a depressing volume. Ugggh do I feel for Rei. But it is the life he chose. He can still choose differently. He has the love and support of the Kawamoto sisters and I absolutely love every scene with them. Speaking of which, they are not nearly as present in this volume as in volume 1. Then he has the toxic relationship with his step-sister Kyoko who for lack of a better term is a straight up kuso onna!!! I very much dislike her and I’m sure that is how we should feel.

Overall, I didn’t like this volume as much. It was very spiteful. There was much more focus on the bad than redeeming qualities. It progresses the story but I hope to see some joy for Rei in the future and more interactions with the Kawamoto sisters to balance out the tragedy of the Shogi life.

I will say, the chapter focusing on learning Shogi were nicely done but seemed slapped in between all the drama happening.

[Kyoko · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a 1 1/2 year publishing delay, I finally got to read volume two!!!

I loved the character drama in this volume, but a lot of the shogi parts of the plot went over my head since I’m not too familiar with the game. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the anime, but from what I remember season 2 focuses a little less on shogi and more on the characters, so I’m excited for those volumes (if they ever actually get published…).

Although the publishing delays are incredibly annoying, at least the physical volumes are very high quality! The covers are a bit sturdier than the average manga cover and there’s a fold out poster at the beginning of the volume :D

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series overall. This volume does open slowly, and wanders a bit. Whether you sympathize with Rei or not probably depends on your own experiences. The second half is more dynamic. I love seeing the shogi matches play out, move by move, and pairing that tension with the psychology of the players is the series at its best. Kyoko's appearance is electric, and the pull she exerts on Rei is hypnotic and horrifying.

[bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

first of all FUCK kyouko she can honestly maybe disappear and leave rei alone.
speaking of rei though… poor guy :( i really feel for him and grew to just desperately want the best for him.
i’m really loving the story and the characters (not kyouko (¬`‸´¬) ) and i hope i get to see more of rei and the sisters together in the next mangas cuz they’re all my favs! i love their friendship origin story hehe

[Mits · Rating 5 out of 5]

I continue to adore this series, manga and anime alike. They are my comfort reads/watches. So glad I have multiple mediums to consume them in.

(Rei's take on Christmas as an end-of-year report card for who loves you and how much was dark. Something they didn't include in the anime!)

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

There really is something about this that captivates me. Perhaps it would be different had I not watched the anime, but there is an atmosphere in these pages that I cannot quite articulate, yet is unique to this story.

[Raechel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kiriyama continues to struggle with the understanding of if he wants to stick with shogi. He reflects on his past as he interacts with the sisters and the small town he lives in. The characters are still growing and the art still helps depict the story.

[luiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amando ❤️❤️

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be one of the best character-driven stories ever...and I still don't understand shogi.

[lanmreading manga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tập này nặng thi đấu quá nên đọc luật lệ, bàn cờ, giải thích mà đầu óc ong ong trôi tuột chả hiểu gì. Nhưng thích diễn biến tâm lý với tính cách nhân vật nên vẫn thấy khá là đáng đọc 🥹