Ranked #455

Shion no Ou

A show about shougi (Japanese chess), but still it's so much more! I recommend it!
This show is a pretty cool one. Now, it may not seem interesting to many people - Japanese chess a.k.a. shougi is the foundation of this show. However, it's also pretty interesting in the fact that it's a murder/mystery-solving show as well. The main person's parents were murdered, causing her to go mute. That's the first thing you get to know. That's pretty interesting; a mute main character.

Talking about characters, this show has an array of great, well-built characters, all of which have some depth to them. It's not like the hero's only objective is to win, win and win. She's got her struggles and other things to do. And the hero's rival doesn't exist solely for the purpose of being a rival. He has some depth to him. So does pretty much all the other characters too. They're all interesting characters, and that got me hooked.

The animation of the show is nothing to complain on either - detailed, awesome-looking and realistic. It's hard to think that they can make one once a week - the detail put in it is pretty amazing, if you ask me. That alone is worth checking out!

Final thing; the tension. "How can playing shougi possibly be tense?" you may ask. Well, it is pretty tense. They present it in such a way that I can't help but feel the tense aura. In fact, I almost forget that it's about shougi. Seriously, you don't really have to be that interested in shougi nor chess to enjoy this show.

This is an awesome show, and a definite recommendation! Watch it!

To 'Not Helpful' voters (and you 'Helpful' voters too): Feedback greatly appreciated =) read more

::QUICK REVIEW::
Story: 9 (Shougi connected to a crime mystery is impressive)
Art: 7 (Good quality for today's standards)
Sound: 9 (The way Shion moves Shougi pieces is sexy)
Character: 8 (If you find a way to hate Shion, you're going to hell)
Enjoyment: 8 (Very good from beginning to end)
Overall: 41/50 = 8.2 (Serious sports anime are a rare find )


::FULL REVIEW::
Shion no Ou was a fairly fun take on the game of Shougi. It could easily have taken the tired and true route by just making this a shounen sports title with an emphasis on comedy. But instead, they manage to make this quite an involving story concerning dead parents, corporate undermining, a mute loli, and a sexy trap. Sounds pretty ridiculous for a show centered around Shougi.

But I'll be damned if I didn't love every minute of this show. A great draw to this show is that if you know anything about Shougi or not, you can still have a very inquisitive experience with all the mystery and drama stored in this lovely little 22 episode show. It paces itself perfectly and keeps the Shougi games very intense and thought provoking. Granted many things get left out during the games but once you're used to the terminology, you'll feel like you're right there watching the match. Also, for an anime about shougi, its pretty G-darn bloody.

The high definition aspect the the art and animation wasn't used to its full potential but what can you expect. Everything looks crisp and clear, but at the same time it has a feel of simple and plain. Don't get me wrong, there are amazing details thanks to the high definition aspect, but it looked like they preferred to keep most things simple and settings limited. I mean theres only so many changes you can do to a shouji room and some matches last longer than one episode. The only things that changed constantly were the characters.

It's hard to talk about sound effects in this day and age considering its pretty tough to critique such a simple (yet essential) part of anime. All I'm going to say is that I was shocked when I actually appreciated the crisp sound of shougi pieces slamming on to the board. Something so simple, yet you can literally feel the emotion relayed through the pieces (also a recurring theme in the show).

The characters are a mix of 'pretty boy' men and 'cute loli' girls, there are also a mix of middle/old aged adults that really look their age and all have their own unique look and personality. Well not so much in personality since most of the shogi players are either passive or aggressive. Thankfully, The main characters are the big draw for this show. Each has their own play style and matching personality to how they play. But enough about the personalities, the my favorite of this show is definitely the lovable, Shion Yasuoka. Theres something about a cute little girl that cant speak and only communicates through written messages in her sketch book that makes her very, VERY moe. Her facial expressions are simply classic, and even her non spoken words feel like they have more character and power compared to most anime characters WITH voices. And don't get me started with Shion's fashion sense. Ever since she was a baby she's been wearing omega cute clothing and it definitely works for her and her character.

Overall, the way this story was constructed perfectly. From the beginning to the middle to the end, it will constantly keep you guessing on many aspects. It's kind of embarrassing when a show like this can write a better crime drama than most anime out there. Don't let the shougi fool you!! I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good mystery anime. You wont be disappointed, this is definitely a diamond in the rough. read more