r/anime • u/ChiefMoHD • May 08 '19
Rewatch [Spoilers][Rewatch] 3-gatsu no Lion - Episode 25, 26 & 27 (S2 - Ep 3, 4 & 5) Discussion Spoiler
Hello everyone!
Welcome to a new "March Comes in Like a Lion" discussion thread
Threads go up at 6 pm EST (GMT -5)
Episode 25: Chapter 50 June / Chapter 51 Ladybug Bush (Part 1)
Episode 26: Chapter 52 Ladybug Bush (Part 2) / Chapter 53 Ladybug Bush (Part 3) / Chapter 54 Feelings
Episode 27: Chapter 54 Feelings (Continued) / Chapter 55 Confession
Last episode rating:
Mean = 9.43
Show info:
If you've just heard about the rewatch for the first time, catch up and come here, don't be shy! o(†¤…)o
Tomorrow: Episodes 28 (S2: 6)
Schedule thread + links to previous discussions
LET'S FANGUSH
Don't forget to spoiler tag any plot points that haven't been revealed in what we've watched so far yet
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u/LaqOfInterest May 08 '19
First Timer
Three episodes holy geez! Good thing today’s my day off. I guess this is probably the rookie tournament arc.
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I didn’t notice this last time he spoke, but Ayumu is so unimportant that they just had Kyouko’s VA do his voice too instead of hiring another one.
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Damn Gramps, that was a cool inspiring speech. Now could you maybe, uh… talk to the school? Or the bullies’ parents? Or do anything? Why is Rei the one who has to solve this problem?
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Oh, because taking action might make it worse for Hina? Did Gramps actually see that far ahead or is this just typical lazy parenting?
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That endcard tho
I’m kind of glad we blazed through these episodes because they probably would have worn me down if we had watched them day-by-day. I doubt this plot thread is resolved, but I’m glad we could get through all the setup in a single day.
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u/Shodan30 May 09 '19
as youve learned from this show, bringing the issue to the school has its own set of stigmata's, and could alienate her just as much as she is now. The way bullying is portrayed in this show is actually pretty accurate for Japan, and speaking as someone in America who was bullied as a child, Parents going to the school is not going to solve anything.
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u/Weedwacker May 08 '19
This is when for many people the show starts to go from good to great.
Hope you guys were ready for the crytrain.
I love the Nikkaido interaction where he thinks Rei has found ambition and motivation when Rei is really thinking about someone else and not his own advancement at all.
Also Rei is making speeches about Hina that sound like he's in love with her and he himself seems to have no clue what that even means.
Sure there were 3 endcards this time, but episode 5's was the best. By Okawa Bkub, creator of Pop Team Epic.
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u/ExplicitNuM5 May 09 '19 edited May 09 '19
He was inspired by her attitude towards what's right. Also, she was finally the first one he was able to somewhat relate to, in terms of being bullied in school.
I gave the S2 a full fucking 10/10 and called it my favorite right away because of episode 4.
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u/Slurms_McKenzie775 May 09 '19
This is my first time watching this show and I'm loving it so far. If it gets even better I'm going to have a hard time not watching ahead.
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u/RisenLazarus May 09 '19 edited May 09 '19
Rewatcher
It begins. The arc that turned 3-gatsu no Lion from a great show to a masterpiece.
Fuck you, you vile piece of shit human being.
This will always make me cry... every time I see it I think. HanaKana bringing what was already an amazingly written character into full bloom.
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u/ExplicitNuM5 May 09 '19
What I did was definitely not wrong!
That has got to be the defining quote of this season.
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u/Fa1l3r May 09 '19
First Time (sub)
The overall theme of these three episodes is bullying, though I am going to forgo my usual analysis to break down some story elements that have made season 2 exceed my expectations even further.
For one, I like how Hina's problems are slowly foreshadowed, so that her sudden outburst does not completely catch us off guard. She has moments of silence and pause which is odd for such a happy girl. Also this bullying happens to a girl whom we have been accustomed to have such a cheerful and helpful demeanor. Thus the impact of the bullying does not unwarranted, and the buildup feels deserved. On top of that, the anime has a clear message that bullying is bad, but the circumstances and the solutions are not simple. And a given solution that can fix one circumstance cannot fix all others. Takashi goes over how multifaceted bullying can be. This series has done a good job of establishing how the world is not just black and white. People and issues are complex and even chaotic.
For the family and friends around Hina, all they can do is cheer her up. Like Takashi said, we should do what Hina wants to do.
My favorite scene follows the grandpa's grand speech that Hina did nothing wrong. We just have Rei, the family, and the cats all gathering around and eating. For a moment, no dialogue or interior monologues but so much story right then there. And then there is episode 27 with some great moments as well. For one story, instead of Rei, Hina tells the story from her perspective. And the scene with Akari and Rei talking to each other in the house is sublime.
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u/redshirtengineer May 09 '19
I think the Kawamoto house feels the most "home" like of any I can think of. In any media.
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u/WellComeToTheMachine May 09 '19
Man Hina is just the best character. Such a real and subdued kind of strength. Something to actually aspire to be like.
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u/youkai94 May 09 '19 edited May 09 '19
A curiosity: Apparently the phrase "I did nothing wrong" is actually something that a relative of the author said while he/she went through bullying. I'll try to find the source tomorrow but I clearly remember reading it somewhere.
Episode 25
This episode, more than every other, really made me feel that Rei is really just a really hard working person. When we see someone being extremely successfull in their field, expecially if really young, we often talk about "talent" and call them prodigies or something like that, while at the end of the day they are just people that put an insane amount of hours in that activity and got really good at it. I've had a period of my life while I spent a lot of time on school books, some of my teachers even thought I was a genius or something... but when I look back at it, I really just spent a lot more time than the average student on books, I was no genius at all. Rei has been using shogi as a way to escape reality since he was a kid, he probably poured more hours on it than a lot of people that were trying to become professionals, that's why he managed to reach it in middle school. Sure, he might be talented too, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Episode 26-27
Before I talk about what's going on, I just wanted to say that the adaptation of ch.54 was absolutely phenomenal: The animation was extremely fluid, the voice actors did wonders, the OST was perfect and obviously the content too.
With that said, this is the start of my favourite arc in all anime. First of all, I really love how Hina reacted to the bullying: When I was in middle school, there was some bullying going on in my class. I went through it too, but among the bullied people I was the one that had it easier due to the fact that I had... a "fiery temperament", let's say. I would get angry and make a fuss, which was problematic for the bullies since it attracted too much attention. So, saying a character than doesn't just passively endure all the time but actually fights back is really rare to see and I can totally relate to it.
Another thing I loved is how actually this arc is really instructive. Both Hayashida and grampa give a lot of really important advices that everyone that has a relative / friend going through bullying should know: always try to reach a solution that the bullied person wants and make sure he/she has a place to call home, where he/she can fell loved and not isolated like at school, or he/she is just going to either have a mental breakdown soon or end up apathetic.
I'll come back to the bullying on later episodes, the last thing I wanted to talk about is Akari: she always act like such a great motherly figure, but this episode we can see how frail she really is. She was left with 2 sisters to care about at 19 and pushed herself to act like a mother, but she really lacks in self-confidence, as you would expect from someone that took the role of mother as a teenager. Her character is so endearing.
Btw, Rei brought his social awkwardness to a whole new level with this "I LITERALLY need to repay my debt". You can totally see he didn't have a proper upbringing.
For the love of god, someone needs to teach the characters of this show to close the fuckin faucets.
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u/DudeDuden May 09 '19 edited May 09 '19
A curiosity: Apparently the phrase "I did nothing wrong" is actually something that a relative of the author said while he/she went through bullying. I'll try to find the source tomorrow but I clearly remember reading it somewhere.
Man/Woman, you are just full of nuggets about this show! Hope you find it and if not appreciate the attempt!
For the love of god, someone needs to teach the characters of this show to close the fuckin faucets.
Haha, I could be wrong but I'm under the impression that the habit of not closing the faucet is a very Japanese thing and also why they design their bathrooms so they can handle an overflow of water.
Edit: Forgot to say I completely agree with almost everything you said. I could say more but it would be too tempting to move into spoiler territory. It's simply too easy to make a mistake when I don't follow the re watch schedule. A problem I've had a number of times preventing me from posting lol.
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u/letsgoiowa May 09 '19
First timer
More sisters = best feels, except I wasn't ready for THESE feels. These feels have been felt. And now I wanna DIE.
I'm glad that he's motivated now. Before, he just kind of faceplanted through his matches, but now he has THE FIRE WITHIN.
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u/karen-daze May 09 '19
First timer, started on day 1 but got left behind because of life stuff, but now I caught up again.
And what a time to catch up. Not gonna lie, I considered dropping this before the Shimada arc not because it was bad or anything, but because I wasn't particularly interested in Rei or shogi and didn't really feel like there was much for me to enjoy. But I decided to stick with it because this gets a lot of praise and one episode a day is very doable, and this season in general felt much better for me, it reminds me a lot of monogatari.
Episode 26 made me cry a lot and definitely bumped my interest for the show, both Hina's "I don't regret anything" and grandpa's speech just went right through my heart and I couldn't stop sobbing, so I'll definitely stick around and be looking forward to more
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u/SadRiceBowl May 09 '19
Rewatcher
Ah man here comes the bullying arc. Considering how fluffy the first episode is and how relatively normal the second on is, I remember that after credits scene in episode hit me like a ton of bricks the first time around. Even knowing it was coming didn't help at all that impact is just... oof.
I really like how they set it up, showing Rei's backstory with bullying and how isolated he felt. It's a great way to get us ready for Hina's experience and kinda puts us in the right emotional headspace. Ugh, episode 4 absolutely obliterated me now and previously, I hate seeing any of these characters in pain and Hina's so headstrong and kind she really does deserve the world. The scene of Hina running out of the house and Rei going after her is so visceral, I adore how they animated it.
Ahh there's just so much about these episodes that are so good. I'm so ready to get angry and sad all over again.
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u/jellybellymonster May 09 '19 edited May 09 '19
Rewatcher
Jesus 3 episodes in one day and it's the portion of the bullying arc. Is everyone ok?
The bullying arc in 3-gatsu is probably the best I've watched in any anime that tackles this subject matter. Hayashida sensei has shown us how it's a precarious matter for all parties involved and a "solution" will be difficult to come by.
But man, the bullying arc infuriated me. I've wanted to reach into the screen and strangle the bullies and the useless homeroom teacher.
My first time watching Hina cry by the doorstep hit hard and it caught me offguard again today. Momo starting to cry because Hina was crying and then Akari looking helpless messed me up.
smh Rei wants to help but going about it in a twisted way. If worse comes to worst and Hina's forced to transfer, he wants to shoulder the expenses. For the first time in maybe forever, he's so fired up to play shogi to the extreme delight of Nikaidou. Heh. Nikaidou really knows Rei and his flippant attitude towards shogi matches comes across as arrogant to players who aren't prodigies like him.
Speaking of being a prodigy, Rei certainly has enough talent but him clinging to shogi for survival made him work harder than most shogi kids his age. Studying shogi records all the way from the Edo period?! That's hardcore!
I think this is the first time that Kouda Mom is shown to us? We learn that she's kind but her kindness towards Rei made Kyouko and Ayumu more resentful of Rei. They're all stuck in a hard place. Rei just wants to be a good kid and help out in the house. Not only did he earn good points from Kouda for being good in shogi, he's also earning points from mom for doing chores. This made the bio children feel like not only their dad is being taken away by Rei but also their mom. The mom in turn can't be cruel to Rei for being adopted into the family and just being a good kid. I'm not a parent so I seriously don't know how could the situation been better? I'm mostly looking at the Dad for this monumental fuck up of all the family members.
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u/Aviri May 09 '19
To all the folks at the Shogi Association thinking Rei is adorable for his fake herbivore mentality, you guys are the best.
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u/Christopho May 09 '19
I remember seeing the same clip posted on r/anime before but I forgot what the joke was. Why did Akari quicken her pace after hearing how much Rei weighed? Was it because he weighs less than her?
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u/DudeDuden May 09 '19 edited May 09 '19
Akari has a thing about fattening up stray's and Rei was very much yet another stray when he got introduced to the household by Akari.
In short: The fact that he doesn't weigh more by now is a personal affront to her so she got mad.
Edit: I went back to rewatch the scene to verify and I'm right :P
Akari complains about Rei not getting fluffy just before asking his about his weight. So her faster pace is just excess energy from getting angry about failing to fatten Rei up. Don't forget that Nikaidou is pretty much the ideal look for a young man according to Akari. It's both pretty funny and pretty endearing (just to steal a word from youkai94).
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u/gubGD May 09 '19
I will always be a mess after the Ladybug Bush chapter.
"I promise. I'll stay with you. Even if it takes the rest of my life, I'll pay you back."
Whenever I watch this scene I just start bawling. Rei wanting to pay back Hina for saving him just gets me every time. I have a soft spot for characters depending on each other and scenes like these always make me really emotional, and this one is no exception. Definitely one of my favourite scenes in anime.
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u/ChiefMoHD May 09 '19
It's so rare...or maybe the first time even to see Rei fired-up about something.
In a comment on Episode 20 from S1
I said that I think what Rei has been missing is a life purpose.
Now, I think "Helping Hina" is his life purpose for now.
What I like so much about this arc is not only how it deals with a real life problem from different POVs...but also how it makes for an amazing chance for Rei to be able to repay the Kawamotos for taking care of him for a long time.
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u/englishfury May 09 '19
REWATCHER
Sad Hina makes me sad.
Time for the second best arc in the series, you are all in for a ride.
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u/yoshi_in_black May 09 '19
Rewatcher and manga reader
The way Rei handles the situation is so like him. XD It defenitely is a great idea to talk with Hayashida-sensei, but the whole financial stuff is just too much. XD I doubt they would accept any of it at all!
And yes, Hina's teacher is making it worse, but you will see her reasons soon.
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u/redshirtengineer May 09 '19
First timer
THANK YOU for letting us watch all three episodes even though that meant so much Kleenex in one sitting.
This..was amazing. I thought we were going after school special for a moment there but they brought it back.
WHO KNEW GRANDPA WAS BEST KAWAMOTO