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 =)

::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.

Shion no Ou is the story of a young girl with a past full of tragedy and a present full of love.
This anime made me redesign my entire scoring process...


Story: Unique, genius, suspenseful, and even funny at times. I barely knew what Shougi was before I watched this, and while I was watching it, but I still enjoyed it. There are several twists and turns, but they all follow the main story line, and are extremely well thought out. It is easy to keep up with this show, but at the same time you have to think a lot.

Art: Near the end it got ... funky, but for the main part the art in this show was good. Very dramatic, cute, silly, and so forth, but only when it was needed. I loved it.

Sound: You hardly notice it in the background, but it makes your heart pound and increases the suspense.

Character: I don't even know how to go into this. Shion has amazing development, considering she was mute. I changed my suspects in the middle of the show, before it became obvious, because of the dropped hints that made me think. The other characters are also very interesting, Ayame in particular. It is hard not to love some of the characters, and hate others. They design it in a way that made the wins and losses somehow make sense.

Overall, This show, as I stated before, made me redesign my entire rating method. It brought into my eyes a whole new meaning to a 10 score. I will never watch anime the same again.

=^.^=

This is my first ever review, but i hope it helps.
This anime is much more than it seems, i have never like these genres of anime, i have always been more into romance, but this is the first time ive changed my mind, I recommend this to all no matter you're genre, it is the kind of anime that will stick with, leave that feeling that you have learned something, it it really has taught me a lot, i have fully enjoyed this anime greatly!

Art- It may not be the top newest art, but i don't think any other kind of art could replace ... it, the art itself gives off so much emotion, i absolutely loved it.

Story- The plot of this anime fell together like a masterpiece! It kept you guessing but gave you a feeling of completeness, just when i thought i figured it out, it came up to be something different, it really was an amazing anime i will never forget, so for me i (obviously) recommend this to everyone who like anime period, lol well thank you for reading all the way to this, have a nice day and watch this anime! Its a must see!

Just finish watching Shion no Ou lol I Gotta say this anime is really well written and I enjoy watching this till the end! the story is well plan out and not like any other anime I watched. If you like/enjoy Hikaru no Go then you should Definitely check out this anime too, If you don't know Hikaru No Go then I still recommended watching this. I'm a really big fan of Tragedy animes and so this anime is seem really good to me.

Well in few words an really worthy anime to actually spend your time watching it, i gonna to deepen into it a little more to present you what i consider their charms and also the ones that werent really good.

What i gonna let you in clear before to beging with, its the even the following negatives points that i gonna to metion below, i should aclare that its an really good anime that we actually dont use to get anymore in more recents days, so you are informed of it even throught at the end of the review i gonna metion it again, ... i wanted to say it.

First and foremost the anime its about an murder to the paretns of our protagonist that take place when she was a around 4 years old, after a time and being raised by his adopted parents (which she considers his real ones after of how much love and care gave to her), althought an big part of the series revolves around the shogi which its an japanese game and gradually we are going discovering who its the culprit of the murders of the parents of yasuoka shion(our protagonist) and another person more, we can enjoy the anime even if you dont have an knowledge of the game itselft (althought it might a improve the experiecen even more if you have some idea of the rules and how to play it).
The fact that its able to catch us wanting to know what happen in the next episode even trought as i mentioned the anime in a big part is about shogi and could not be really interesting to people like me who deosnt know anything about it, its actually shows how good its and the mystery its handled pretty well with interesting characters i wasnt expecting to like the protagonist (for being what it looked to me an stereotypical one, that could end up being really plane without any kind of development or motivation) but to my surprise its was an well rounded one,interesting and well developed and should say that i like it, also some other ones where pretty interesting and had an good development , althought i must say that at the end of the course i felt that they were left aside and i felt a little of dissapoinment.
It could be nice to actually add an couple more of episodes to give the secondary characters more time screen and give them an more decent ending , the ost its just perfect, each soundtrack its freaking amaizing and fits so well each situtation i even have the ost dowloaded of how much i like it, it overpass so many anime with so much high production values in this aspect, the music its perfect.

The things that were more remarkable for being really bad and other ones a little underwelming in comparision with how well the story, characters, ost and overall development, was the animation and the actual reason of the murderer, i must say the animation has many flaws and more than just a couple of times we can notice it , althoguht i have to say that to certain extend leaving aside the fact that wasnt an good or even an decent animation i like it the style of the drawings many times from the beggining (it has this vibes of early 2000 , and i utterly love it to death).
I have to say that the animation even trought its pretty bad most of the times, has his beaty on it at least to me ( it might be just bias in this case hehe), the other one its the actually motivation for the killings it was one of the most weak ones and really didnt hold to the values that this series deliver in others aspects, i mean i dont gonna spoil it but i have to say that most likely you are gonna end really dissapointed i mean that doesnt ruin the series but just fail to stay on pair to the rest. The last thing that i want to delve a little more that i mentioned above its that i just wished that the secondary characters were given more screen time there were two or three that in the beggining were properly presented giving them important rols in the series and his respective dilemas and past together with an good development , but in the second half of the series most of them were just dropped out without really an solid ending or deserved closing.

RESUME

In few words this anime i completly reccomend it has an BEAUTIFUL OST , and an really interesting and catchy story with well rounded characters and to my surprise the protagonist actually surpassed my expectations and actually show me to not judge an book by his cover, in this case, the only downsides could be the animation itselft wasnt really good, in the climax of the series where its revealed the murderer and his reasons were really poor ones and the last one could be the fact that didnt gave an proper closing and screen-time to some secondary characters in the last chapters in the series that were really interestings. Overall i give this series an 8 , i just wish we could get more series like this one, also could be pretty nice to get an second season i think i could work given how it ended.

This is a outstanding anime one i highly recommend, it has 2 very distinct stories going along with this anime the mystery element of it as well as the shougi game part of it and they combine it so well, each character in this anime is amazing even the smallest characters seem to fit perfectly to the overall story. The story starts of pretty well paced but once it gets to the big shougi tournament that is when it kicks off from the first match to the last it has you thinking all the way plus the twist this anime throws at you is one ... of the best i have seen, if you havent seen this anime yet please do it is well worth it

I always had the impression that playing games like shougi (I am more familiar with chess) is boring, and watching games like shougi being played is torture. Two people sitting on two sides of a board with a lot of pieces on it pondering for a long time, wrinkling eyebrows and stroking chin and doing other similar unconscious activities indicating that their brain is working overtime. They take a long time to finally make their move. However, the shougi sessions in Shion no Ou are a real treat.

I was glancing through the synopsis of different animes, and Shion no Ou caught my eye. A ... murder case made it seem interesting enough. Add to it the fact that the only person who witnessed the murder loses her ability to speak, and this qualified it as promising. On top of it all, there is shougi written all over it - the murderer leaves the king at the crime scene and challenges young Shion to a game of shougi. While shougi in itself holds no fascination for me, I found the concept of shougi closely entwined with a murder irresistible. That is not something that one comes across everyday.

The way they take the murder case forward with each episode is excellent. Till the end, I was hooked. (I was slightly disappointed with the climax, though.) But the real punch was the shougi matches. Take this from a total noob to the world of shougi, you don't have to know shougi at all to feel the adrenaline rush while watching Shion at her game. The way they depict each move being pondered before being played has been extremely well done. The hollow wooden sound that is made when a player moves a piece is, for me, the essence of the whole thing.

Then there is the character of Shion. Apart from the fact that she cannot speak, the innocent and sincere way in which she wishes her opponent good luck (by means of written words) at the beginning of every shougi match she plays endears her in the mind of the viewer. As for the art, it is not exactly the best I have seen, but I am not complaining. To be fair, I think the art deserves atleast 7/10.

Overall, I would give Shion no Ou a rating of 8/10.

Well, I've always liked chess, but I didn't know anything about that game called shougi. At first, I thought for sure that Shion no Ou was going to be a really boring anime, just because one of the main themes was something like chess.
Oh, How I was wrong...
I watched every single episode already waiting for the next.
I also got interested in shougi...

It's just that, well, this anime is really great.
And it is so great because it focuses on elements that, for me, are the most important in every anime: The plot and the characters.

The characters are all very well developed, and the show focuses accurately ... on every single one, so they really appear deep when you look at them, they appear also more real.

The plot acts really wisely, slowly creating a suspense and mistery aura around the events(expecially past ones) and the characters. It become more fast in the end, but still mantaining the peacefull yet sorrowfull atmosphere of the anime.

The sound really fits the show. It's nothing particulary elaborated but, it really does its job perfectly. Some of the sounds can be really intense too.

What's left to say?
If I were to give an advice to anyone, I'd surely hope they'll watch this amazing anime, also because, it's not too easy to put it into a particular genre in my opinion, so really everyone could enjoy this.

Please, you too, just go after Shion's King :)

It is often assumed that there are genres dont go too well with each other. A sport series opening with a murder is definitely one of those prime examples. Shion no Ou is once again proving this tedious fact.

So why do I give this anime such a high score? While it did failed as a sport series, what Shion no Ou managed to achieve is a compelling and intense story about obsessive love, overcoming the odds and most important of all, growing up.

To me, Shogi is such a boring game. It's not something I want to play even with my friends let alone someone who ... would murder my family. But that's the case for our little Shion, traumatized by the horrible event, she lost her voices. Seven years later, being quite masterful at shogi, she eventually emerges in the pro scene. There she met her rivals and then slowly the murder that haunt her is slowly unfold.

Now I will explain why the "sport" part is bad imo. I'm sure to most of you, Shogi is quite a boring game. But what really hold this anime down is that the mystery plays such a big part in the overall tone of the show. Frankly, it darkens Shion no Ou so much that it kills any exciment you can have while watching the game. Even though I find the matches between players is quite captivating and intense. But when you consider "sport" as an element of the anime, it actually adds up to the depth of the show, raising it to be truly one of the best mystery I have ever watched.

The characters is another strong aspect of Shion no Ou. Every characters, especially the main ones. have clear motives for their actions and being developed very well through out the show. I especially enjoy seeing the antagonist, the reasons for his wrongdoing is interesting and quite ideal. Personally, I give the cast for this show a 9/10.

I have been a fan of mystery for very long. And even amongst those that I watched, Shion no Ou is quite a unique show. And I will give it a high recommendation for anyone who enjoy a good mystery as I do.

In the beginning, I was very hesitant to start watching this anime. It popped up in my recommendations a couple of times, but I waited months until I finally started to watch it. The first episode was not the most amazing, but it got me interested in the story. I wouldn't say that the artwork is anything special, but there were times when the art caught my eye. My favorite thing about this anime, though, is the story. I just love the direction this anime headed. I would find myself bored at times with this anime, but I couldn't bring myself to stop watching it. ...

If the story wasn't so well portrayed I would have never of taken a second glance at this series. I can guarantee that it will keep you on the edge of your seat, questioning what is yet to come!


-Raz

Shion no Ou's description painted a picture in my head of Hikaru no Go + (a bit of ) Death Note, and it delivered on that promise...Kinda...

If you don't know what shougi is (like I didn't at the time of watching) it's practically Japanese chess...Not knowing ANYTHING aboot Shougi/chess, I was rather hesitant to watch, but I figured I gave Hikaru no Go a shot, why not?!

What's start out with a rather dark opening, devolves into a half and half story...On one side you have Shion and her friends playing through tournaments and up the ranks ofshougi in order to better themselves...On the other side, ... you have a couple of detectives trying to unravel the mystery of Shion's parents murder 8 years ago...

So the Death Note portion isn't as deep as I would have liked and the ending seems rushed and the motive of the killer is bizarre to say the least...Overall, I liked it, but felt it wasn't as interesting as I thought it could be, though I enjoyed watching it...I bet if I knew more aboot shougi, that would have helped the intensity of the matches...

Still, good series, worth checking out for a 22 episode series, check it out!!

With a rating of 5 being average this series is in between mediocre and perfection. So it's pretty darn good to view. You should enjoy the character interactions and revelations along with the story progression of this "who done it". It's not very psychological or mentally demanding so it's an easy watch. The excessive hints were a bit much, if they had cut back on it a bit the climax would have been much more fulfilling. After it's all over and done with there's nothing to be left for interpretation it's all relatively superficial and open before you.

At first, I really didn't think I will enjoy this series as much as right now. Looking at the main theme of the story, 'shougi' look didn't much interesting and probably be boring. But, I was wrong. The story starts off slow-paced, but as more as the story follows, the tension starts. Little by little, the pieces scattered connected to the mystery of Shion's parents death slowly form a thread that leads to the truth.

The art and sound are fair to me. The opening and ending songs are quite ordinary, but the bgm in the story is fitting and you could feel the tensions in ... the match.

I love the characters for this series. It's been quite a while since I saw a series that has revealed character development. As the story goes on, the characters learn from the experiences and grow to a better person.

Overall, I enjoyed this series so much. I don't know how to play shougi, or even chess, but I don't need to know that to enjoy this series. There has been an overflow of pointless anime whose only point is fan-service, so if you want to take a break and enjoy a good mystery, better watch Shion no Ou.

I don't know what Shougi is in the first place, just know it' s just a game. I don't know the name of the pieces nor the rules, still the whole basis of this anime is Shougi and yet i enjoyed it. Yasuoka Shion the main protagonist, a victim of a tragedy makes Shougi her strength and battles on through and through and wins. My game when watching this was to find who was the murderer and i'm pretty satisfied.

Story: The story might be a lot out of place to anyone who doesn't know the game. They could drop the anime from one episode unless ... they are patient enough to watch how the interesting stuff settles in. I saw many elements of Psychology, i thought reading people through their games were a myth, but this anime proved that wrong. Even though it doesn't look like it, the whole anime is a battlefield.

Art and Sound: The opening and the ending were good overall,i have never seen a more suitable opening which totally matches the story's protagonist. The characters were drawn attractively, no complaints there.

Character: Interesting paces, interesting backgrounds amazing mentalities,There's a cross-dresser involved here, Cross dressing is especially rare in anime. The player's motives for playing Shougi is different, it not only means victory, but strengthening themselves,finding their true selves, hiding their trauma,madness and obsessions. There are hints of undeveloped romance, still it was enough even for the plot.

Enjoyment: Despite not knowing anything about Shougi, i relatively enjoyed this anime. There were incredible plot twists, the last time i got excited when dealing with mysteries was when watching Danganronpa, and this is the second time. The only flaw was that it felt the anime was elongated unnecessarily. This could have finished with 13 episodes the least.

Overall: As all mysteries, the police gets misled,likewise the mangaka tried to mislead the audience from finding who the culprit was. I felt some frustration on knowing who the killer was, but waiting was worth it i guess. This anime shows clearly how hatred and revenge becomes an eternal cycle, unless there are people who are strong and forgiving enough to break it. Also if you are into Shougi and Mystery, this anime could be the heaven you were searching for.