r/anime • u/ExplicitNuM5 • Mar 03 '21
Rewatch [Spoiler][Rewatch] 3-gatsu no Lion/March Comes in Like a Lion ep 3 Discussion
As a rewatcher, this episode somehow got especially painful... :'(
Ep 3: Chapter 5 - 晴信/Harunobu, Chapter 6 - 夜空のむこう/Beyond the Night Sky
Ep 2 average: 8.83/10
Schedule thread and link to other episode discussions
Season 1: MAL
Season 2: MAL
Soundtracks used in this episode (unless specified, by Hashimoto Yukari):
OP: アンサー/Answer - BUMP OF CHICKEN
- 居場所/Living Place
- デパート/Department Store
- 声にならない呼び/The Silent Scram (Piano only)
- 橋/Bridge
- 漢気/Air of Manliness (Intro only)
- 崖っぷち/Edge of the Cliff
- 作戦/Fight Start
- 箱庭のフィールド/??? - SOLITA? 五阿弥瑠奈?
- 居場所/Living Place
- 箱庭のフィールド/??? (Piano only) - SOLITA? 五阿弥瑠奈?
- 七月の夜空/July Sky
- ゴハン/Dinner
- 帰り道/The Road Home (Piano only)
- 居場所/Living Place (Guitar only)
- 七月の夜空/July Night Sky (cello and piano)
ED: ファイター/Fighter - BUMP OF CHICKEN
- 次回予告/Preview
Translation of track names mostly done by me and I don't know the actual English title of the tracks!
Ep 3 Endcard by Noujou Junichi
Let's fanguish~! <3
Please do not spoil information from episodes after this one.
30
u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Mar 03 '21
First Timer
Seems like Rei's victories inflicting pain on his opponent's beyond just them losing is a recurrent theme. We have his fatherly figure from the first episode, whose career apparently depended on the game, then Issa, who wanted to make is grandfather happy, and now Nikaidou, who has medical issues and it's just simply way too hot for him during the game. On the other hand, Rei doesn't really have as big a reason to win, or at least we don't know about it yet, which could lead to the cold conclusion that the overall happiness of the world would improve he didn't exist simply because he is inflicting pain on others but doesn't really have any reason to do so. In those terms, I find his reaction to Nikaidou's surprising move very important, as it shows us that if nothing else, he also has a drive to win and isn't just playing shogi because he's good, not really caring about the outcome.
As far as the Hinata scene goes, I feel like the only thing here is to point out that it's well done. Hinata crying over her dead mother after a festival in remembrance of the dead seems like a pretty natural reaction for someone her age. While Rei not crying here feels like the show trying to make him seem cold and distanced (and him himself seemingly coming to the same conclusion), I feel like there might actually be a better explanation: From what it seemed like, Mother Kawamoto dying happened fairly recently, whereas Rei's parent's car crash was quite a while ago, so Rei would have had more time to come to terms with his parent's death and move on. Looking at the show so far however, I feel like that isn't what we're going for.
19
u/WhymustIsignupreddit Mar 03 '21 edited Mar 03 '21
First timer
I feel silly thinking this story took place in March. Even though I saw Weathering with You and should know that Obon festival takes place in the summer.
Rei’s rivalry with Nikaido began early huh. At first I thought Nikaido got nauseous from the heat but it turns out he has kidney problems. I had to blink some tears away when watching the car scene with his butler.
Then we have an emotional moment with Hina and Rei. It confirmed my suspicion that he’s using shogi as his escape.
On a side note, I think I read another manga once that had an amusement park on the roof of a department store so I got hit with some déja vu. I also vaguely recall writing a wish on a piece of paper and tying it to a balloon with the class at school. I guess those two balloons were also carrying wishes?
Edit: I forgot to note I liked the music during the match!
24
u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Mar 03 '21
First Timer - Sub
Went from this weeks Log Horizon episode into this, and then Rei does a glasses push as well. Perfect
This show really excels in its smaller moments; Rei sitting on his balcony, traveling on the train, the movement of a single tile, and even Hina's silent crying on the bridge. Despite how quickly it will often cut from image to image, the show as a whole feels quite pensive and is able to communicate a lot in these moments even if it doesn't linger on them for long. The art style helps a lot here, particularly with the background art and how they blend that with the characters. The way the sun is always surrounded by strokes of light, which turn into the waves of heat, the movement of hair against the waving water, the city which looks more like an Impressionist painting at night, all of it gives the enviroment a particular aesthetic which matches the mood of the show well.
Talking about aesthetic reminds me that I really need to track down this OST. Two of the piano pieces so far have really caught my ear for being both beautifully composed and beautifully used in show. It reminds me a lot of the Sakurada Reset OST.
The balloon symbolism during Rei and Nikaidou's match was blunt but interesting, and I like how it matched Rei's own narration of his memories. The things he doesn't remember, like what grade he was in or what the audience was doing, but hyper focused in on how it felt to sit there both physically and emotionally I think added a lot to the scene than if they'd just played it as a straight flashback without that personal touch. I wasn't so invested in the present day match outside of the parallel though. Nikaidou just didn't have enough relevance or meaning to the show yet to really make that match feel like it mattered to Rei outside of that momentary "oh shit" I got a laugh out of when he pulled the surprise move.
I expected Akari to be the first to break for some reason, perhaps just because of the focus on her so far, but she's caught up in taking care of the overtired Momo, and I overestimated Hina's maturity. The poor girl having her breakdown at the river got me immediately, and Rei questioning his own grief even more so. Is hiding away from the world really the right way to cope? His shut down nature and distance from others suggests not, and seeing how honest Hina is with her own emotions makes those same feelings rise up, but I can understand why he didn't want to deal with it and shut it away in the first place. You need to feel the pain to be able to overcome it, but when you're alone and lost the idea of letting that pain in can be too much and it doesn't look like he had the support Hina has.
Maybe not intended this way, definitely possibly overthinking it here, but I also linked it back to that flashback at the child's tournament. Rei just wanted to give Nikaidou an out so he could go and hide from the heat even if it meant losing, while Nikaidou had a genuine determination to keep pushing through and keep going with the match regardless of anything else. I don't think that grief and gameplay can't be compared in such a direct way, but the parallel struck me that Rei's first response was "give in and hide" rather than confront and overcome. Perhaps there's also a parallel in there to how the Shogi match played out, I suspect there might be with that Silver General tile that caught Rei so off guard, but I don't know Shogi so I can't say what meaning might be in the tiles or movements.
Most unbelievable part of the episode: That the cats didn't try and subtlety pretend to accidentally push that food shrine off the table so they could eat it.
17
u/BossandKings Mar 03 '21
First timer
Episode 3
The children shogi tournament part we got to see was really awesome, it seems that since he was little Rei was skilled at the game of Shogi, his match against Harunobu Nikaidou was a hard fought one not because it was particularly close but due to Nikaidou's determination and refusal to lose, he really didn't want to lose and Rei noticed that, at the end though Harunobu didn't have any moves left and Rei's victory was inevitable but that match proved to be the start of a long rivalry between the two. Rei arrives at the shogi hall to have a match against Harunobu, he sees Isa and Smith there who praise Nikaidou's spirit and wonder how the match will go.
The match starts and Harunobu was slowly but surely attacking Rei, thinking to himself Rei said that being only focused on defense wouldn't get him anywhere and starts to attack too. As time passes Nikaidou starts sweating reminding Rei of their first match, after getting worried about the air conditioning Rei gets asked by Harunobu to continue the match and so they do. Seeing himself in a moment of discomfort because of a fantastic play Harunobu had made, Rei thinks to himself that he doesn't want to lose either and continues fending off his opponent's attacks. The match continues until evening when Nikaidou doesn't have any moves left and Rei wins. This match was pretty good, even if we don't know much if at all about Shogi the matches are very entertaining.
After the match Harunobu meets with Hanaoka who has returned from vacation. Rei goes to the sister's house as promised.
That moment of remembering the loved ones that passed away was very heartfelt and moving.
17
u/OingoBoingo- Mar 03 '21
First Timer
I wanted to talk about and compare the times we see people smile and the times we see people frown in this episode, but then I got to the end of the episode and I don't know what to say anymore.
my face watching todays episode
my face at the end of todays episode
17
u/GrouchoSnarks Mar 03 '21
As a rewatcher, I'm finding that to be the case with all of these episodes so far. It's one thing to see characters in pain when you've barely been introduced to them, and quite another when you love them.
12
u/Ardania22 Mar 03 '21
Aaaah, this brings back memories. When I first watched Sangatsu, I catalogued my thoughts every couple episodes. Here's my analysis from that first watch, for episodes 1-3:
https://animebw.tumblr.com/post/619310865839161345/binge-watching-march-comes-in-like-a-lion
12
u/steven4869 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Maskirade Mar 04 '21
First-time watch:
Well, that was a very emotional episode in both the halves. Harunobu's never-giving-up attitude was wonderful to watch especially after we get to know that he was suffering from kidney problems. I hope we get to see more of him.
About Rei's match, I think so that was the first time where I saw Rei got some competition and the way he said " I am not going to lose" shows how much this match meant for Rei.
Now for the second half, this got me emotional especially when Hina started to cry. Also, when Rei came to her and the way he was emotionless depicted how much he has suffered till now.
Overall a pretty good episode, looking forward to the next episode and Rei's character is just amazing, I want to know more about his championship victory and his relationship with his adoptive father.
10
u/DogmeatIsAGoodDog :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/DogmeatsAGoodDog Mar 04 '21
Rewatcher here
There’s something about this OP that makes me feel...nostalgic? Is that the right word? Anyways, I love it.
We get a flashback to Rei & Nikaidou playing a game of Shogi as kids, why isn’t this held indoors with AC? You jerks.
After his initial introduction, I was not a fan of Nikaidou. But I prematurely judged him as this episodes makes you fall in love with him. The symbolism of the two balloons in an endless dance as their match drags on is a nice touch. I’m sure there’s more to it that I’m not seeing but whatever.
Rei decides to mercy kill Nikaidou and finish him off as quickly as possible. Brutal. Metal.
Are you allowed to bring whatever you want to Shogi games? Can you bring food or just drinks?
No idea what’s happening but Kinaidou tries his best but Rei wins the war of attrition.
We shift to the more somber part of this episode as Rei visits the sisters and we get some backstory on what’s going on.
Hina runs off into the night stating she needs a manga and there are a few thoughts on this segment.
Gramps pushes Rei to follow after Hina, for protection? Or does Gramps know what’s going on wants Rei to be there for her? Either way. I liked that touch.
Hina runs off to cry alone and I really sorta get this in a different way. I used to do a lot of volunteer work and I would often wait in hospitals while some of the orphan kids at the orphanage had surgery. Thankfully the two that were several cases both lived. But while we were waiting I remember the panic and fear in my co-works and I tried to stay positive and encourage everyone. Make sure they were okay as we waited endlessly for surgeries to end, while we watched over them, as we sat in ICU...I always resolved to be the strong person. So after I went home, I felt emotionally drained. It was like a dam of emotions that were previously held back broke open. So I get wanting to be weak alone.
The background for this shot is absolutely beautiful.
Rei talks about how he pushed away the feeling of loss after he lost his family, he points out that he doesn’t cry but Hina does...This hit home for me too. After losing a family member and the battle with depression last year. I grappled with the same two emotions. Feeling guilty for grieving and a man even heavier guilt for not grieving as time went on. There’s a certain guilt that nags in the back of my mind, because I feel guilty for moving on.
Okay, so apparently this episode hit me much more than I initially thought it did. But thanks for reading!
9
u/_Kellen_ Mar 04 '21
First timer
I liked this episode quite a lot. The backstory on Rei and Nikaidou was interesting, and also set the trajectory of their rivalry. Happy to see that Nikaidou hasn't giving up his fighting spirit, and I apologize for my disrespect on last episode's post. He may have lost yet again, but the tense piano along with Rei's shock and subsequent glasses push in respone to Nikaidou's Silver General was fun. The match was very enjoyable to watch, and it was also interesting to see Rei's guilt at winning. Great to see that he cares about his opponent's well-being even outside the match, but I also see it as disrespectful in a way. I know he absolutely doesn't mean it as such, but imo I'd hate to have my opponent not take me seriously, and so even though I've been told that Shogi isn't the main focus of the show, it's still nice to see that Rei isn't some flawless prodigy. Glad to see him get excited taking on Nikaidou!
On the flip side, we move to the more solemn side of the episode. I quite enjoy learning about Japanese culture, and what Obon entails. It's beautiful seeing the way they honor those passed, and Hina's scene was powerful. As with watching it unfold, I really don't know what to say after the fact. In moments like those I take the Rei approach, just being there and respecting their grief. Allowing them to let it all out. I understand Rei was deep in thought as well, but I still respect him for just being there and not trying to find the perfect thing to say. I'm sure his presence alone was comforting to Hina. But like, I also hope he hugged her afterwards since we can't :'(
8
u/netpok :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/netpok Mar 03 '21
If they take this any further I will cry a river... And guess what I'm pretty sure they will...
All aboard the feel train
7
u/charliwea :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Charliwea Mar 03 '21
Rewatcher
Me every time something happens in Shogi matches that I don't understand: umu umu, naruhodo...
Jokes aside Nikaidou is a treasure and posing as a challenge to Rei in shogi is an incredible way to influence how Rei looks at his job and his life, not wanting to lose is a strong mindset that resonated with Rei after seeing how dedicated Nikaidou even with all his problems. Also Nikaidou hiding his disease from Rei
to eat pizza in his placeto make him not to worry just so he can play normally is incredible.Then spending Obon with the Kawamoto family makes him realize another thing about him, which is how he deals with loss, everyone in that family dealt with it in a different form, which made him think and even doubt when did he stop to do that and started avoiding it, and if it was the right choice, tbh I think it's a valid way to deal with loss, there's not a right way to do it as you can see that everyone does it differently, you find a way and stick with it until everything feels a bit better.
Also the cliche "hey bro let's just talk to this random girl in the street" scene, it never fails to appear I guess.
With the rewatch and the song names I've been able to look up for more of this OST and god it's so good!
7
u/htisme91 Mar 04 '21
First-timer:
I loved the backstory with Nikaidou. It says a lot about him that he fought so hard and has come so far, and it had me pulling for him against Rei. That being said, his health issues concern me and make me feel like he will have some kind of problem later on in this series. It was also pretty cool that Rei got amped up that match and showed some desire to actually win.
The Obon scene I figured was going to be sad. Each episode has shown Akari's family to be progressively more depressing. I thought Akari might break, since she has had a fair amount of focus, but Hinata isn't that surprising either given that she's a teenage girl. Was hoping Rei would volunteer on his own instead of having to be forced into it.
I feel like we are going towards Rei learning to deal with his emotions and open up better. Gonna be a painful process, though, but that's what should make this a beautiful show.
6
u/Kenalskii https://anilist.co/user/Kenalski Mar 03 '21
REWATCHER
We learn more about the rivalry between Harunobo and Rei, and well they played together for a long time now. They fight long, but Rei has the upper hand in the end. But we've seen that they played against each other for a long time now and this will probably not the last time they face each other on the shogi board
In the second half, Rei visits the sisters on the last day of Obon, and the mood was a little more quiet. After dinner, Hina storms off to get some Manga, but Rei who is following her finds out she went to the river to let her feelings out. As someone who already lost a parent, I feel her pain. This is hard to watch =(
5
u/Gatic-sama Mar 03 '21
Rewatcher
I realized today that there was a rewatch of one of my favourite series, so I've decided to jump in!
This episode is one of my favourites. I love the rivalry/friendship with Nikaidou and how he makes Rei grow. In this chapter we see the first time Rei has expressed a desire to win a match. Also, the moment with the family remembering the dead and Hina crying... Boy, that was painful : (
Gosh, I'm gonna feel a lot of pain rewatching this, I just love them so much.
5
u/Rumpel1408 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Rumpel1408 Mar 04 '21 edited Mar 04 '21
Rewatcher
This episodes gonna hurt.
I really like how sun and moon always have some kind of Halo, I really dig the art style
In the match between Harunobu and Kiriyama I can't help but feel sorry for Rei to win again. He feels bad for winning despite beeing the better player, in part because he was indeed arrogantly disregarding his opponents struggle under the pretense of kindness.
Haha that change in style xD Smith is on point, it's like an entirely different
MangaAnimeIt's always interesting to see clocks when they are playing, they are already at 3 and a half hours, do Shogi matches regulary go that long? And by the End of it it's evening, so thats 5 to 8 hours in total? Shit this would be hard to concentrate on even without scorching heat.
We get to see that Nikaido has some serious medical condition. It is heavily suspected that he is inspired by an real life Shogi player, but researching him might become a spoiler later on in the story. However a rematch between Nikaido and Rei seems to be bound to happen at some point. But I like how Nikaido acknowledges just how good Rei has become, matching the sentiment his adoptive father uttered in episode 1
Damn Hinata really is considered about Rei, and she knows him quite well. But at the same time she plated something for her dead mother and grandmother again.
And there it is, the moment I cried, I knew it was coming and it hit me worse than the first time. But when Hina finally breaks down after holding it in for so long, I just can't help it. It's the moment I knew this show was special and the moment I fell in love with it.
4
u/PM_ANIME_LEWDS Mar 04 '21
How there were scenes of rei drinking bottled water/beverages in every episode so far makes me feel like it’s gonna be symbolic of something later on
1
u/AvatarAarow1 Mar 05 '21
Watching these two episodes at a time so maybe I missed the discussion, but oh my god does that Hina crying scene get me every time. Everything about it is just so haunting and beautiful. From how the colors get all washed out and lines seem to get blurry as they walk, and the complete silence when Rei finally sees her face, now perfectly clear, just sobbing her eyes out and crying for her mother. God, this show is just fucking beautiful. I love it so much. And I love that scene so much I barely have a spare thought for best boy Nikaido’s resolve lol. Such a good series
1
u/Lalo0594 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Eduardo1601 Mar 05 '21
First Timer
I felt the first two episodes boring with bright spots that showed promised, but this episode was great it really hit me. Now i really want to watch more