Anime review: 3-gatsu no Lion (2016-2017)

The first season was the anime club's August pick so I was "forced" to enjoy a rewatch (3rd, I'd say). When I write forced I of course mean delighted, as it can rightly be called SHAFT's third pillar together with (and after) Monogatari and Madoka.

And with my lower than the usual low spirit, such a sappy and hard-hitting drama was perfect! Which is why I devoured it, did the same with S2 and caught up with the manga's scanlations; I had forgotten the arc with Kawamoto's father, oh God….

But first, an admission. Most of the criticism I've read about it is more misunderstanding than wrong per se :

• Yes, it is often as self-indulgent as gothic rock (even during the comfy segments) but that's the entire point! And it's executed so well that immersion makes it Just Werk™, really.
• Yes, characters start more as vehicles to convey emotions than fully fleshed characters, which is exactly why going further than a few episodes is important.

Both of these cause unsophisticated people or those acting in bad faith to throw it into the "hamfisted tearjerker" bin without giving it the attention it requires and deserves. Fatal mistake.

There's also the occasional "too much shogi" or "not enough shogi" but nothing worth taking seriously.

Like in Akagi, following the games or even understanding the rules of shogi (NB: which are quite simple and explained during the anime) isn't necessary at all to enjoy this anime. It's built this way.

There are many strengths to be found, but I'll try to focus on the important ones.

First of all, it is not an ode to despair à la Grave of the Fireflies or L'Assommoir. The gut punches alternate with recomforting moments that make you go "Awww~", the juggling between somber, heavy and light is done so… artfully! And that's not all, our cast slowly grows through this, showing us that pain truly is the best lesson in life; in this case, pushing you forward or teaching to appreciate the simple yet true joys in life.

Second, as a sports manga/anime, it's one of the few rare were the outcome of matches isn't always predictable, and that's a massive plus in my opinion!

Third, SHAFT shines with this kind of deeply introspective material and truly delivered during this adaptation. That it manages to stand this high compared to the already very strong manga is even more impressive.

And a late fourth that's often ignored: the secondary (not supportive) cast evolves to become worth caring about, with their own stories. For example, Nikaidou is an interesting sidekick character and the tired yet relentless Shimada with his I'll break before I bend attitude personally speaks to me. Even the Kawamoto grand-father feels tangible in his effort to hold the ship together.

Really, I appreciated it and the way SHAFT treated it more after each rewatch, it makes most misery porn feel shallow next to it, despite (or perhaps thanks to) the unsubtle rays of hope piercing here and there.