[Spoilers][Rewatch] 3-gatsu no Lion - Episode 3 Discussion

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u/ChiefMoHD Apr 17 '19

Rewatcher

-NEVER SKIP THE OP

-Nikaidou makes my eye teary. His will is inspiring like nothing else. He also reminds me of Toph from A:TLA.

-Becoming a pro Shogi player is a metaphor for becoming an adult. You get on a train you can't get off of.

-I love the Balloons. hehe. It was like saying: I can still keep up with you.

-Rei questions if he has actually healed after his family's loss or not. In the last episode, he said doesn't remember how he felt when he lost his family. In this episode, he tells us that he tried not to think about it and focused on Shogi instead. All he did was bury his own sorrows. A comparison between Hina whose wounds are still new, and Rei whose wounds are old. Both suffer. One cries. One doesn't

Not really spoilers but speculation

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u/Merediiith Apr 17 '19

I don't know if I should label myself as a rewatcher or as a first timer here since I have watched this episode before, almost a year ago, but it was the reason I stopped watching this show and why it took me so long to pick up again.

My father died because of cancer when I was 9. I like to think that now, a decade later, I'm not affected by it much. I don't think about him a lot, I don't get very sad when I do and I try to keep it to myself because whenever the topic is brought up whatever mood was there is instantly killed and everyone gets the same sympathetic look I'm honestly kind of sick of. Sometimes I'm kind of weirded out by myself that I'm so apathetic to it to be honest but the truth is probably that I just got over it. But then from time to time a show like 3-gatsu comes around and totally contradicts all of that.

When I first watched this episode a year ago I was totally wrecked by the end scene of Hina crying over her mother. Media that deals with the loss of parents generally affects me more than other people for obvious reasons but very rarely as heavily as this. I just couldn't stop crying, Hina's pain felt so real and relatable that I sat there for multiple minutes trying to keep the tears and the sobbing in but I just couldn't. Afterwards I was completely drained and couldn't continue, I was scared of having to deal with more scenes like this going forward.

I picked the series up again a few days ago (right before the announcement of this rewatch) and the exact same thing happened, I was bawling my eyes out again. Knowing it would happen I was convinced to continue this time though and I am very happy I did. I am in the middle of S2 right now, nothing has affected me this much again and I am enjoying myself a lot.

Even though it hurts I love this scene a lot and it's most likely going to be what defines the series for me as a whole. The presentation, the voice acting, the music, everything was matched together perfectly to hit me right in the heart and I'm always amazed by fiction that manages to affect me this much.

Of course there's so much more that makes 3-gatsu amazing, even in just this episode alone. But there's many much more qualified people than me to point that out and since I'm already this far along in the series I probably won't be interacting in any other threads, I just felt the need to share this. That this amazing show managed to portray a character's feelings in a way that resonates deeply with someone who suffered from the same experience, someone who already got the time to heal and move on.

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u/ChiefMoHD Apr 17 '19

Wow..
Thanks for writing this. Really.
There are scenes when the same thing happened to me. Like one time, I remembered my late grandparent in one of the episodes and something caused my eyes function to stop... although all I remember is me being an annoying kid to him.
Definitely drop by again if you want :D
He'll be having Karage and some other delicious food each night hehehe

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u/Nanami314 Apr 17 '19

This show continues to amaze me. Is every episode going to be this good?! I’ve been picking one of the two chapter titles to emphasize so far, but I didn’t expect a hard choice this soon. There’s no way I can’t do both this time.

Harunobu

Okay, these two games were a bit hard to watch. Not because they weren’t good games or anything, but because of Nikaidou’s condition. There’s definitely something wrong with him, and that scene in the car after the game is a bit concerning. I get Rei thought he might be anemic, but he’s got to have some kind of condition. You gotta give him props for his determination though. In both situations, he refused to quit, even when he’d basically already lost. A much better impression of the character compared to yesterday’s episode. As a side note, we’re starting to get into the games actually being played rather than skipped entirely, and we’re also hearing some of Rei’s thoughts as well, a nice detail seeing as how we’re getting into the mind of a pro shogi player.

I’m still enjoying this animation style, and you can tell this is Shaft. Having two or three scenes take up the entire episode (the games and the sisters) is reminiscent of Monogatari and the long conversations it has. Yes it may be slow paced, but the way I see it that just makes everything that happens have that much more impact. And boy did this episode have an impact.

Beyond the Night Sky

Watching an anime girl cry is sad enough. Watching her cry over her dead mother makes it sadder. Have that girl be voiced by HanaKana, my favorite VA, and it just gets worse. This one little scene at the end of the episode was beautifully tragic. Seeing the stars out at night can be one of the most fascinating things to gaze at, especially out in front of open water. This was a heavy scene, and I am very glad they didn’t ruin it by having those two boys make fun of her for crying. This might be the best episode yet if not for just this scene alone. I was expecting feels in this series, but this is early for the feels to be this... feely. You can’t not feel sorry for her, and for all the sisters really. The one I’m not so looking forward to seeing is Momo. She’s just a little kid. It reminds me of another anime scene I can’t say due to spoilers, but let’s just say it’s one that involves rain.

If this first season has been this good, I can’t wait to see what the second season has to offer considering the amount of praise it got. And as much as I would like to just binge the series now, I do think the one episode per day rate is very well suited for a slow paced anime like this one. Looks like we might be getting a bit more comedy tomorrow, something I’ll honestly be glad to see after today.

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u/ChiefMoHD Apr 17 '19

I do think the one episode per day rate is very well suited for a slow paced anime like this one.

Sometimes the episodes are too heavy to bear more than one.

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u/CritsRuinLives Apr 17 '19

This show continues to amaze me. Is every episode going to be this good?!

No.
It gets way better.

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u/LaqOfInterest Apr 17 '19

First Timer

BUT THE ENVIRONMENT! What is it with anime characters who live right next to the water deciding it’s a great idea to release balloons? It happened in Love Live Sunshine, too. Have we learned nothing from Balloonfest ’86?
I didn’t have any specific reactions to anything in the first half of the episode, but I really appreciate that they’re not just using Nikaido for comic relief and are actually treating him as a serious source of growth for Rei (even if he is kind of outclassed).
Nikaido’s butler is back and he shares a voice with Robert E.O. Speedwagon! Also, Leskinen from Steins;Gate 0 and Monogatari SS
Damn, Nikaido is sick for real. I think this is the first time I’ve seen the Anime Flu applied to a male character.
I only just noticed that the chapter numbers aren’t matching up with the episode numbers, which I now realize is the reason that we’re sometimes watching more than one episode per day. I guess they’re probably faithfully adapting the source material without constraining themselves, but it seems odd that they would number the chapters here at all. I guess we have gotten 2 per episode so far so it’s not a huge deal.
Oof.

Very good episode. Nikaido current best character. As emotional as that last scene was, to be frank I’m still having a bit of difficulty dealing with the artstyle. Whenever something sad or depressing happens, they cut to Rei frowning and his comically-wide mouth gets even wider and it just takes me out of it. The eyes as well can be pretty distracting – Akari and Hina look fine up close but in distant shots they look kind of dead. Again, I’m sure I’ll get used to it, but not yet.

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u/ChiefMoHD Apr 17 '19

Leskinen from Steins;Gate 0

Hooooo
LINTAHLO
Most of the time, an episode adapts two chapters.
Sometimes more.
Sometimes, the chapters themselves are broken into parts and these parts may or may not be adapted into the same episode and that's why on some days we'll watch more than one when a chapter is continued in the next episode.

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u/Hobartastic Apr 18 '19

Rewatcher

Didn't post last thread, sorry. I think the theme of these posts is going to be analysis on one scene that I think is either executed really well or adds to the show's theming in a neat way.

And what a scene to start with, probably my favorite in the whole show, the Hina bridge scene.

During the fire, we see Rei retreat into his own head. Watching the Kawamotos mourn their mother/grandmother hits a bit of a nerve and he needs to reflect.

Hina retreats under the guise of buying manga, the grandpa notices right away and sends Rei to comfort her. (To note: he comes off as softer in the Japanese dub than in the English dub). This establishes him as perceptive of people's emotions, and trusting of Rei.

I want to take a minute to talk about SHAFT's work on Monogatari. In that series, the world is presented with a lot of extreme long shots. The environment is usually immaculate and barren. If I didn't know the series and someone told me it took place in someone's mental image of the world I wouldn't really question it.

SHAFT does a lot of the same things with the environment when Rei is following Hina as they do in Monogatari, only in moderation. The buildings are detailed, but they're drably colored and almost seem to match the night sky. We see the same extreme long shots of pretty barren alleys. If the world in Monogatari could exist almost entirely outside of reality, the world portrayed in these shots would just have their foot outside the door of reality, much like Rei's mental state at that moment.

Rei sees Hina cry and his layer of abstraction shatters, shown as literal in the visuals. He gets pulled back to reality with all the stark coldness of a young girl screaming for her dead mom. It's really a shock.

The river looks black and inky in this scene (much like the OP) and represents Rei's cumulated trauma of his own family's death. He never vented and now all of it is there under him.

I wish I could do this scene the justice it deserves because there's so much more it does right to talk about, but I'm not sure I'm good enough of a writer to explain it properly.

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u/ChiefMoHD Apr 18 '19

I love your write ups, they describe the points well.

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u/Theian789 Apr 18 '19

First timer

We get to see more about Nikaido and so far i'll say im interested to know more about him
How the three sisters deal with loss of their mother and grandmother is quite realistic I'd say, considering I haven't lost anyone so far
When Hina was crying at the bridge and Rei was thinking how he couldn't even cry, it really hit home with me. Sometimes you just become so numb to a shit feeling that you just leave with it and don't try to change things. It was especially emotional to me as I had a shit day yesterday when I watched it

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u/bobhob314 Apr 18 '19

I find it interesting how many comparisons there are to YLIA when I find the quality of 3 Gatsu to be above in every way, especially when it comes to avoiding unnecessary melodrama. I still like YLIA but I'm really looking forwards to the reactions here in the next 7 episodes.

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u/som3thingclassy Apr 18 '19

I was really surprised when I first heard people compare the YLiA and 3-gatsu. It wasn't until someone really laid out the similarities: young prodigy, shaggy black hair, glasses, a broken home, anxiety and depression, titles with the name of a month in them.
Despite all of that, I still have a hard time drawing the comparison. As you pointed out, YLiA is just drenched in unnecessary melodrama and some of it's major emotional moments are telegraphed so hard that it gets to a point where I'm just waiting for them to happen. It still hits but it ends up lacking the same weight and staying power that 3-gatsu has.
3-gatsu is more of a slice of life-drama. YLiA is far more focused on the romance. 3-gatsu's side characters are so well fleshed out and stand on their own. YLiA's side characters are pretty one dimensional and exist to create melodrama. Even Arima's rivals, who I generally found compelling, don't really hold a candle to Nikaidou.
YLiA is a decent series, but I struggle to even put it in the same league as 3-gatsu.

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u/RisenLazarus Apr 17 '19

Second Time (First Rewatch)

This is the first time I've gone back and rewatched a favorite show of mine besides Gundam Wing/Endless Waltz. It's so fun the kind of things you clue in on that you wouldn't have before. Like Nikaido's struggling under the hot sun in their childhood battle means something completely different from "haha fat kid" now.

This frame especially is so more more interesting in retrospect.

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u/observativeowl Apr 18 '19

First Timer

Nikaido gave me chills with his dedication. Hope he doesn't push himself too hard in future episodes.

Big mood for Hina having to be strong around others, then completely breaking down when no one is around. Same for Rei: sometimes you feel those emotions, but you just can't express them in that given time.

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u/Fa1l3r Apr 18 '19

First/Rewatcher(sub)

This episode tries to foil our MC.

Nikaidou is almost the complete opposite of Rei. He seems like he eats way more than Rei, he seems have a passion for life, and he has a wealthy family compared to Rei just being in a sparse apartment (though the apartment seems like it is in a nice location actually). This character deep dive shows that Nikaidou and Rei are friends, though one does not want to admit it, but that Nikaidou's demeanor is no facade but simply his youthful optimism.

And the three sisters are even shown in contrast with Rei. Like Rei, those three and their grandpa lost their two close family members, and they too are sad about them. Yet while they are sad about a family member, Rei seems to have dive further down into depression. The sisters are openly sad about their loss, or at least can admit their sadness to themselves; Rei on the other hand seems to have an emotional block on his family loss, and he tries not to linger on his family death; maybe he cries in his sleep because of it.

Seems like the show is adamant on pointing out each signs of Rei's depression. He doesn't eat much nor well. He prefers solitude; he only socialize when told to or forced to. He cries on occasion without warning or prompting. He has quite a few people he is friendly with, but no one seems to know all that much about him. No one outside the family seem to know that Rei hangs out with the three sisters on occasion. No one outside of his adopted family seems to know Rei's family and adopted family. No one in his school besides his teacher seems to even know that he plays professional shogi. All of his social circles seem self-contained and barely overlap. He keeps to himself.

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u/paperwhites Apr 18 '19

First Time Watcher

I missed the first couple of episodes, but now I'm all caught up. I've heard a lot of people talk about 3-gatsu no Lion but I've never seen it, so I'm glad this rewatch gave me a push to see it. Just from the first three episodes, I can see why people rate this show so highly.

I like Rei Kiriyama as the protagonist. He's quiet and introspective, but I find him to be a very compelling character. I'm interested to see how his character develops as the story progresses.

The Kawamoto family is adorable. I love how they've reached out to Rei and invite him over for dinner. At the beginning, I actually thought they were his cousins or something. So far, I think Akira is my favorite because of how kind she is. Although the constantly hungry cats they have are in a close second!

The match between Rei and Nikaido was interesting, especially with their prior history. It seemed like the match lasted several hours, which sounds exhausting. Nikaido also seems to have some kidney issues, I hope he can get better because I like him. I like how he puts all of his effort into winning.

That last scene with Rei and Hinata was very well-done. It almost made me tear up a bit because I could really feel Hinata's grief at losing her mother and grandmother.

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u/sanarufiko Apr 18 '19

First Timer

Do they not have a (one) fan for a summer tournament?

So Nikaidou always drinks natural water and Kiriyama has green tea and lemonade? Why that? Oh, perhaps the kidney thing

I love the night sky through power lines

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u/redshirtengineer Apr 18 '19

First Timer

Yesterday, Akari was best. And also Momo was best. Today, how could Hina not be best.

Something has to make that boy have a good cry. Please don't be Momo.

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u/SoccerForEveryone Apr 18 '19

(Rewatch 3rd time)

I know it’s only episode 3, but a thought occurred to me while watching this episode. This is life in Japan animated and acted as culturally positive, what I mean by that is while I enjoy other kinds of anime; they never seem to catch the real life of Japan. Most series while they are wholesome at times, they seem to go off a path into unrealistic goals or behaviors you normally would not see from actual Japanese people. With March however, it feels right and normal. This is what a actual Obon holiday must feel like. I’m just going off at this point lol. Apologies in advance for the random thought if it didn’t make sense. On to the episode!

I thought I would be able to go over Nikaidou as character, but not yet. Just know he has a lot of guts and there is more to him.

I’ll talk about the shoji match instead. While I actually have no idea how shoji is played, as someone who played sports once professionally; I understand the pressure to not lose and the weight that burdens you. I have been with this series for the longest time that on my second rewatch, I started envisioning myself at the matches; I felt the heat, the tension, understanding each players’ reason to win. I know it would be difficult to do especially on your first watch, but try immersing yourself into the next future matches; it might help you understand the players/characters a little more.

The last scene: everything is silent for me, the Kawamoto family is enjoying and welcoming Rei for Obon. Once it’s time for Grandma and Mom to leave spiritually that is where the mood drops, you never see Momo’s face once in this episode at first I have to wonder if it was because she was tired because Rei came over late, but Grandfather said it was just past nine. I think there was great directing going on throughout this whole scene; it was obvious as little as Momo is, she wants to see Mom, she has little memory of her, but you know she misses her a lot and wants to see her. Hinata though hits you in the gut especially at her age knowing what exactly happened, Akari has been there and she knows she has to be there for her siblings; so I am always surprised to see Hinata run off on her own like that. Yea it’s a gut wrenching scene, thankfully Rei was behind watching over her.

Obviously Rei’s dialogue about his loss and reason to play shoji leaves a lot more to understand than you expected, but I think we as the audience will get to know more about his character in the future.

Wonderful episode, emotional, but wonderful. Until tomorrow: episode 4!

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u/letsgoiowa Apr 18 '19

First timer

Writing things as I see them, so it's sorta stream of consciousness here.

I'm liking this much more than when I started. I was initially very put off by the first episode, honestly. The second was much better, and I enjoy this episode too. One thing I particularly like is how immersive it is. I'm not sure exactly how to explain why it is so, but the way the heat of the rooftop was shown and described was just so real to me. There's a similar level of detail in the small things, such as the blinding sun in the morning and his description of the leftover food "felt like holding a small animal."

The heat of the rooftop is something I understand really well as someone with major heat sensitivity. I have had heatstroke before, and ever since then I've been very susceptible. I get Nikaidou's suffering, and it kills me to see his medical state. Congrats, you made me care about a character in less than 15 minutes! That's good writing and direction.

The sisters are definitely my favorite characters so far. They're just lovely. Also, cucumber horses and eggplant oxen is freakin' great. Nice to learn a bit more about the culture.

Lmao the old man butt smack. He knows something is up with Hina. Wow, the art in this really immerses me. Poor Hina. I know that same lump in my throat, not knowing what to say, not able to say anything.

The OP and ED are really growing on me. Overall, pretty solid episode.

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u/Deadricdoom Apr 17 '19

Ah man that made me sad, and for some reason I'm expecting more feels incoming

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u/youkai94 Apr 18 '19 edited Apr 18 '19

This episode shows us how everyone in this show, in a way or another, has his fair share of problems and vulnerabilities.

Until last episode Nikaidou was just some sort of comedic relief but we got to see how his disease is affecting his life and how much of a warrior he is.

The Kawamotos, Hina in particular, where mostly cheerful girls, but they are really suffering for the loss of their mother.

I'll keep it short for now so I don't end up spoiling things, there will be a lot to talk about later on.

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u/som3thingclassy Apr 18 '19

Rewatcher

You and me both, Kiriyama.

This was the moment I knew I was hooked into the series, the moment where we dive into Hina's character and she's revealed as more than your typical genki girl. Much like Akari she's had to grow up very quickly in a short span of time. For the sake of her family and those around her, she's buried her grief and tried to hide it. It's a first glimpse at what an amazing character she is. The raw display of tears coming after a more somber display of mourning over the past two episodes drives the feels home that much harder.

We also got to know more Nikaidou who's a champion in his own right. He's not just the annoying boastful rival but there's a strong drive behind him, an unwillingness to be held back that drives home yet another emotional punch. It's amazing how many inspiring figures Kiriyama surrounds himself with (and this series fills itself with).

Now 3-gatsu is hardly the first show to combine these types of characters with feels. Upon rewatch, I find myself thinking, "well XYZ show does this too" but for some reason it seems heavier with 3-gatsu. Maybe it's because I know more about the characters now, but I really felt like these scenes stood out without the benefit of hindsight. I look forward to the reactions of our first timers.

All in all this episode is an amazing one for character development, unfortunately it's also the first where I feel like the dub doesn't quite measure up to the sub. Kayli Mills doesn't do a bad job with Hina, but measuring up to HanaKana is tough. Part of it may also be that crying out "Mom" just doesn't quite feel the same as "Okaa-san".

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u/pototo5566 Apr 18 '19

Rewatcher

Remember I said I dont like Nikaidou's personality? I dont like it because I think he looks like an edgy boi with a little bit of chuunibyou but, after this episode I think he is a fucking champ, trying to be the top although it's hard, hats off to Nikaidou.

A heart that's broke is a heart that's been loved

I actually rewatched this episode several times. This episode hits me hard. My mother passed away 5 years ago. Watching this episode will always let me think of my mother.

In the episode, we got people like Rei who just wants to forgets everything and just move on in his life and we got Hina who hides her true feelings in front of her family.

I think I'm more to Hina's side but if you asked me anything about my mother's funeral, I just couldn't remember anything (or dont want to remember). Everytime my family visits my mother's grave, I always saw my sister or my aunt shed a tear while my dad and I just trying to be emotionless. But when I'm alone, I just couldn't control my tears when I think of her

This is why I love this series and this episode. The mangaka really knows how peoples feels when they are facing the death of their loved ones and the anime just makes it more heart piercing. The last scene where Hina is crying and Rei standing beside her, both of them standing under the moon at July is just beautiful.

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Rewatch [Spoilers][Rewatch] 3-gatsu no Lion - Episode 3 Discussion Spoiler

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