Review:
Following on from last week, Rei kind of made friends with the middles sister’s crush, though that’s probably not the case. It’s more that somehow meeting him caused Rei to open up just a little bit and as a result emotions that he’s had cut off for awhile kicked into gear. Probably the best things about this episode is where Rei loses it while watching a video with commentary on one of his previous games. As the middle sister says, she’s never heard Rei raise his voice. It’s definitely a sign of change for a character who was previously accepting stagnation.
Other than that, there isn’t a lot to say because this show just continues to be what it has been from the start and the characters drag us along as they go about their daily business. Fortunately, so far that’s been an interesting journey.
March Comes in Like a Lion is available on Crunchyroll.
I loved Hina in this episode. Rei was probably expecting her to become afraid of her given his own “dark” depiction of his inner self, but instead, she accepts despite that and even reassures him. This feeling of “acceptance” and “being understood” is a recurring theme that is reflected in his interactions with Hina’s crush, and even in Harunobu’s borderline patronizing commentary. But Hina really brings it home when she asks Rei to teach her Shougi. It’s her own attempt to enter Rei’s world and engage with him — pull him out of his mental isolation and engage with the many kindred spirits that are already around him.
In many ways, this was a very uplifting episode for me, and it was tonally much more refreshing than everything else that came before it. Like letting out a deep exhale after everything had been stuffed in for so long.
Sometimes I wonder if 3-gatsu wouldn’t profit more from being just a 1 cour show. I think especially some comedy scenes could be cut out without much loss.
I’m undecided about that. Normally I’d agree because the comedy elements don’t add much but I do think the contrast is needed at times. Mostly I think it is that I like what this show is trying to do but I’m not entirely convinced that it is going to succeed from a plot point of view.
A fair point, but the way the show cuts between those contrasting parts doesn’t appeal to me at all. Let’s just hope for the best.
I can understand that. I kind of feel that way about comedy in general. It might be funny but it rarely appeals to me and can make an otherwise enjoyable viewing experience just fairly tiresome.