And with March comes in like a lion, we’ve got all three of my episodic shows up and running. March is very excellent so far – its tone can sometimes feel disjointed and its comedy can be pretty bad, but its characters and framing are easily strong enough to make up for those issues. Some shows can get by purely by conveying a character’s headspace as well as this show’s first episode – the fact that it seems the character development going forward will be just as strong is gravy. I’m having a great time with this one!
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my episode two notes below.
His opponent Nikaido
The pacing of our lead’s exit is pretty good. Nice choppy cuts
The comedy just isn’t that good, though
And this melancholy sequence by himself is so nice!
Issa Matsumoto is his next opponent
Kiriyama’s the lead
God, the disconnect between the quiet scenes and the comedy is so great
I really like this sequence that actually shows the progression of his shogi match in significant detail. And his opponent’s faces are actually good here, too. Having shogi be one of the pillars of the show is an unexpected strength
There are even shots that just specifically show the board itself very clearly
Kiriyama feeling unhappy about victory again
Akari, the eldest sister, is a hostess
The recurring use of the bubbling water
His memory framed like a hazy dream
Akari, Hina, and Momo
“This Akari is different from the Akari at home. But I think both of them are very beautiful”
Lazily realizing a holiday is approaching because of store displays
Akari is really great. Guilting on him here
The little bits and pieces we get of the conversation with Akari’s grandfather are great
“How long did it take for me to regain my composure?”
The beautiful images of his loneliness
The family has their own sadness. “Having company over will be a good distraction”
Given your earlier recommendation, I wanted to like March comes in like a lion, and I did during the first half of the initial episode. But then there was that drastic shift in tone you write about at the start of this post. I had flashbacks to Your Lie in April — fitting, given their similar titles. I hope it doesn’t turn out that bad, but it’s unfortunate an otherwise beautiful executed production is weighed down by such bad humour.