March Comes In Like a Lion 2nd Season

GREAT
88%
OF 89 SCOUTSRECOMMEND

In the second season, Rei Kiriyama navigates the pressures of professional shogi and personal growth, forging bonds while seeking the meaning behind his career.

📖 SYNOPSIS

At just 17, Rei Kiriyama is a professional shogi player who lives alone, carries the weight of a painful past, and barely knows how to connect with other people. The first season cracked him open. This second season is where everything hits different. 3-gatsu no Lion's second season takes the emotional groundwork from before and builds something genuinely devastating — in the best way. There's a bullying arc centered on Hinata, one of the Kawamoto sisters, that will probably wreck you. It's one of those stretches of anime that people remember years later, and it earns every bit of that reputation through patience and honesty rather than melodrama. Shaft's watercolor-inspired animation gives everything this dreamy, fragile quality, and Yukari Hashimoto's soundtrack knows exactly when to be quiet and when to break you. The shogi matches carry real weight too — not because you need to understand the game, but because the show makes you feel what each win and loss means to these people. If you loved the emotional intimacy of Honey and Clover or the way Your Lie in April explored grief and creative pressure, this is in that lineage but arguably more grounded. It's a 22-episode TV series adapted from a seinen manga, and it's less about big dramatic moments than about a lonely person slowly learning he doesn't have to be. That's it. That's enough.

✨ MUST WATCH IF...

You loved Season 1's emotional depth — this season hits even harder with Hinata's bullying arc
Character-driven drama exploring depression, trauma, and resilience is exactly your thing
Shaft's visual metaphors and color contrasts elevate the storytelling beyond typical anime drama
You want the focus to expand beyond Rei — supporting characters get full, powerful arcs here

❌ SKIP IF...

You haven't finished Season 1 — Rei's relationships and shogi career context won't land at all
You prefer Rei as the central focus — this season shifts heavily toward other characters' struggles
Fast-paced or action-driven stories are what you're after — this is slow, introspective, and somber

🎬 EPISODE GUIDE

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MANGA BRIDGE

This season covers Chapters 1-null of the manga. Continue reading from Chapter 1.

Manga cover

🎭 CHARACTERS

Rei Kiriyama

A 17-year-old pro shogi player, Rei struggles with grief and loneliness while navigating life and school.

Portrayed by Lee Wendee, Uchiyama Yumi, Kawanishi Kengo, Dao Khoi

Hinata Kawamoto

Hinata Kawamoto, a caring middle schooler and Rei's girlfriend, is loyal, mature for her age, and adores her family.

Portrayed by Hanazawa Kana, Mills Kayli

Akari Kawamoto

Akari Kawamoto, a 23-year-old who works at a wagashi shop and hostess bar to support her family.

Portrayed by Post Laura, Kayano Ai

Momo Kawamoto

Preschooler Momo, youngest Kawamoto sister, is pure but selfish, loves Bodoro, and calls Rei 'Rei-chan'.

Portrayed by Kuno Misaki, Huynh Xanthe

Great
Great
90%(4 Reviews)
March Comes In Like a Lion 2nd Season

Studio

Shaft

Season

Fall 2017

Start Date

2017-10-14

End Date

2018-03-31

Episodes

22

Type

TV

©羽海野チカ・白泉社/「3月のライオン」アニメ製作委員会

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