What did you think of this episode?
5Loved it!
64.8%
263
4Liked it!
24.1%
98
3It was OK
8.4%
34
2Disliked it
2.5%
10
1Hated it
0.2%
1
Average 4.5
406 votes
DO NOT discuss the source material beyond this episode. If you want to discuss future events or theories, please use separate threads.
DO NOT ask where to watch/download this episode or give links to copyrighted, non-fair use material.
DO NOT troll/bait/harass/abuse other users for liking or disliking the series/characters.
DO read the Anime Discussion Rules and Site & Forum Guidelines.
DO NOT ask where to watch/download this episode or give links to copyrighted, non-fair use material.
DO NOT troll/bait/harass/abuse other users for liking or disliking the series/characters.
DO read the Anime Discussion Rules and Site & Forum Guidelines.
| THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE. ---------------------------------------- The shogi battle between Rei and Shimada commences! Colorful language is something that can be appreciated from this as the creator of the series really has talent in writing the dialogues. Really like the visual effort they put into the episode (particular the narratives used from Rei's point of view in his head) The opening of the glass shattering was pretty stylistic. I'm also starting to get used to the OP song too. |
Stark700Jan 21, 2017 10:12 AM
 |
Stark700 said: THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE. ---------------------------------------- The shogi battle between Rei and Gotou commences! Rei wasn't facing Gotou in that match. Though in his mind I suppose he already was, and that was what led to his undoing. So Rei really was crushed. His brooding afterwards was difficult to watch. He's already a very bleak, introspective type of person even in victory. But here that side of him was dialed up to 11. Hopefully he joins that workshop and the sisters finally return next week. A 15 second cat scene is no substitute for the much needed warmth they bring. |
animefan8800Jan 21, 2017 9:42 AM
| Amazing inner monologue. Great touch by the episode director. Overall this is well paced. The recap was very brief. The visual metaphors were nice and subtle not to jarring. Animation and production quality is on point. Looks like we are really seeing a progress in narrative. I loved these 14 episodes of a struggling Shoji player. |
animefan8800 said: Stark700 said: THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE. ---------------------------------------- The shogi battle between Rei and Gotou commences! Rei wasn't facing Gotou in that match. Though in his mind I suppose he already was, and that was what led to his undoing. So Rei really was crushed. His brooding afterwards was difficult to watch. He's already a very bleak, introspective type of person even in victory. But here that side of him was dialed up to 11. Hopefully he joins that workshop and the sisters finally return next week. A 15 second cat scene is no substitute for the much needed warmth they bring. Oops, I meant Shimada. Not sure how I got the names mixed up. I agree with you though, Rei shouldn't of underestimated his opponent, a costly mistake. |
Stark700Jan 21, 2017 10:22 AM
|
| Great episode. Damn, Rei was completely destroyed. The post match review where Shimada countered every move he thought of really brought how Rei was utterly decimated in the game. Then again I suppose it was his fault for not looking at the opponent before him and only focusing on getting back at Gotou. Great imagery this episode, It was pretty hard to watch Rei's depression though. :( The school teacher yelling at Rei was kind of amusing to watch, He got pissed off by Rei's constant musings. xD I really liked what the guy had to say about Shimada, really liked Shimada's character after that. Hope Rei joins this workshop and overcomes his depression. I still really miss the original OP and ED. :( |
 |
| The monologues in this episode were so captivating. Ugh, I want to give Rei the biggest hug ever, it's so hard watching him struggle with himself :( Sidenote, the segment of Rei in gym class playing basketball was hilarious. Reminds me of myself back in high school. |
| Many expected Rei to "inevitably" win and play against Gotou. xD Rei shouldn't have everything handed to him because he's the "protagonist". the real world just isn't like that. This is a great change in direction for the plot. |
 It all ends when the higurashi cry. |
| Poor Rei took that loss hard. His inner thought process was intense. Shogi means so much to him. Smith loves his Cat. LOL Sensei. No more "But". Hopefully Rei can get out of this depressive state. Need more Kawamoto Sisters. |
"I’ve set myself to become the King of the Pirates…and if I die trying…then at least I tried!" Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece) |
| First half was particularly good this time. I wonder what's next, going back home or joining that place. |
 |
| Shimada is a good man. He helped Rei to get back to his senses mid-game and is being considerate. Rei probably would have had a hard time with Shimada even if he focused on him from the beginning. I can understand his embarassment of underestimating him. I'm interested in which direction we will go now, quite a few possibly ways from this point. |
| No more buts :))))) |
| "The future is always blank. Only your willpower can leave footsteps there." "Ruling over death means ruling over life. Death is the climax of life. To have the best death, you must honor life." |
| Rei seriously underestimated his opponent, and he lost because of that. He took that loss hard, and was deeply depressed. I hope he gets out of his depression and joins the workshop. Learning from someone who defeated you is very helpful. |
 |
| I honestly wonder how this show will end. |
 Three things cannot be long hidden.. ...the s u n, the m oo n, and the tr u th. |
| The monologues again reminded me of Livejournal. |
 |
| Rei ;-; he will join the workshop! |
| Does anyone know what Gotou's dan was? Or was it never mentioned? If Gotou won with Smith hes probably 7+? I assume this Souja is 9th dan cause thats the highest if I understood the wiki correct. |
 Oshii is probably the only director that loves dogs. He thinks he's a dog himself. That's right, its slime! It will dissolve your clothing slowly before my eyes! |
Zelev said: I honestly wonder how this show will end. Considering that the anime's been following the source material almost to the letter (barring things like last episode's opening and some of the other one-off gags) and can probably only go up to less than half of what's currently out by the end of 22 episodes, they're probably going to end it at an arc and leave it up to chance for a second season. Making up their own ending is a possibility, but I don't know Shaft enough to know whether or not that's something they as a studio would do. |
Dishonest said: Does anyone know what Gotou's dan was? Or was it never mentioned? If Gotou won with Smith hes probably 7+? I assume this Souja is 9th dan cause thats the highest if I understood the wiki correct. Gotou is a 9th dan player (looking back at the Smith chapter for reference, not sure if it's mentioned in the adaptation) as well. Souya Touji is also 9th dan, but since he's a title holder, he'll typically be addressed among his peers by the one that's the most prestigious since he holds several. In his case, it's his title of Meijin (what the subs refer to as "Master", which is technically not what it means). In any case, I think Class is more indicative of your currently skill level in shogi in comparison to your peers, I believe? If I'm understanding the way the professional circuit works, dan ranks never go down, regardless of how your performance fluctuates over the years. Class, on the other hand, does go up and down depending on how you compete against your opponents. |
Bakazuki said: Dishonest said: Does anyone know what Gotou's dan was? Or was it never mentioned? If Gotou won with Smith hes probably 7+? I assume this Souja is 9th dan cause thats the highest if I understood the wiki correct. Gotou is a 9th dan player (looking back at the Smith chapter for reference, not sure if it's mentioned in the adaptation) as well. Souya Touji is also 9th dan, but since he's a title holder, he'll typically be addressed among his peers by the one that's the most prestigious since he holds several. In his case, it's his title of Meijin (what the subs refer to as "Master", which is technically not what it means). In any case, I think Class is more indicative of your currently skill level in shogi in comparison to your peers, I believe? If I'm understanding the way the professional circuit works, dan ranks never go down, regardless of how your performance fluctuates over the years. Class, on the other hand, does go up and down depending on how you compete against your opponents. Thanks. You might be right about the Class thing. Rei is probably C2 since he became a pro pretty recently? Dont spoil me please dear manga reader :) |
| Oshii is probably the only director that loves dogs. He thinks he's a dog himself. That's right, its slime! It will dissolve your clothing slowly before my eyes! |
| very heavy episode. Rei be going critical with his existential crisis. |
| I'm really enjoying this show but I can't look past everything walking in place when we're looking at things from a distance. It drives me insane! |
 |
| Pretty sad episode, wonder where it goes from here. |
 |
| I have to say that I enjoy how well the show portrays depression. Biggest reason why I really like this show. It is getting slower for me imo which makes it tougher for me to want to start watching an episode, but once I start it keeps my attention the whole time. |
Avus said: that's what makes him realistic. All of us are easily manipulated by anger/hatred that we get too caught up with it that we start to ignore the possibilities that can hindrance to the goal formed by anger. I also agree that he deserved the loss.He deserve to loss 100%... He looked down at many people.... Also his goal to win are pure revenge... |
Dishonest said: Bakazuki said: Gotou is a 9th dan player (looking back at the Smith chapter for reference, not sure if it's mentioned in the adaptation) as well. Souya Touji is also 9th dan, but since he's a title holder, he'll typically be addressed among his peers by the one that's the most prestigious since he holds several. In his case, it's his title of Meijin (what the subs refer to as "Master", which is technically not what it means). In any case, I think Class is more indicative of your currently skill level in shogi in comparison to your peers, I believe? If I'm understanding the way the professional circuit works, dan ranks never go down, regardless of how your performance fluctuates over the years. Class, on the other hand, does go up and down depending on how you compete against your opponents. Thanks. You might be right about the Class thing. Rei is probably C2 since he became a pro pretty recently? Dont spoil me please dear manga reader :) No problem, I won't~ Thankfully, I can answer this one for you since Rei does state what it is as his first line of narration back in Episode 1: He's in Class C1. |
| Loved this week's episode. Complete defeat for Rei. Would have been disappointed if he actually won it tbh. He completely underestimated his opponent, looking ahead to face Gouto when he had to focus on his current opponent. Even in the post match review, he had no chance. Gouto is scary. His Face Anyway :P I really want to see what kind of person this Souya is gonna be tho. Smith and his cat moment, LOL Also, I love that sensei. How pissed off he was over Rei because of him constantly saying "But" hahaha xD I hope Rei joins the workshop. |
  |
| There were a lot of things I really liked in this episode. Rei's loss to Shimada was surprising, interesting and had real consequences in the story. Also the representation of having lost as drowning in shogi tiles was I thought one of the best visual metaphors they've done so far in this series. I also really liked the grounded and uncomfortable depiction of the embarrassment that comes with losing any game. Especially one on one games like shogi or chess. I feel burned out however on Rei's depression. As horrible and unempathetic as that makes me sound. I hate watching characters wallow in depression when you assume for the sake of the story it's a foregone conclusion they'll overcome it. I at least appreciated that they hilariously lamp shaded this with the teacher's outburst. On a final note Strawberry is really cute, why isn't she in the next episode? |
 |
| Honestly, the way the episode dragged out (not in a bad way) the match between Kiriyama and Shimada, I was almost expecting Rei to somehow turn it around. However, it definitely works much better for the narrative to have him lose in such an overwhelming fashion instead, especially considering the severity of the after-effects of the match on Kiriyama. Still, it'll be interesting to see how Rei learns from this and ultimately how he goes on to recover from it too. Hopefully then he will be in a much better position to face off against Gotou than he would have been if he had beaten Shimada. |
| To many people don't realize how such a good anime this actually is. I hardly seen a anime with this much thought in it. |
 .. |
| loved the inner monologues and the visual metaphors that go with it. good ep. |
| Rei pretty much set himself up for that defeat against Shimada. Shimada was really considerate enough to help Rei snap out of his panicked cycle of thoughts mid-game, but there wasn't really much Rei could've done to make a comeback. And that's what makes him very realistic. He lets revenge get to his head too much and it has cost him the chance to go and do battle against Gotou. And for someone who had a tragic and troubled childhood, a defeat this heavy broke him harder than it would on any other player in this show. So seeing his school teacher doing his best to cheer Rei up was a nice touch. However, I'm not sure if moving back to his mentor's place would be the right choice. He could either do that, move into the warm and lovely Kawamoto sisters' household, or simply stay where he is. I'm hoping that he'll join Shimada's workshop. =) Speaking of which, I hope we get to see Shimada battle it out against Gotou. It'll be interesting to see who wins that match. Honestly, I laughed a lot when Smith went back to his apartment and in crazy fashion, greeted his new kitten, Strawberry. She's really adorable! =3 Overall, this episode did a solid job at portraying Rei's depression as a whole. Hopefully he'll get himself out of the rut and slowly get back to winning ways soon. |
| Never underestimate your opponents, ugh. I felt really sorry for Rei when he lost the match. |
  |
| This episode was painful for me, seeing Rei get reckt was hard. But it seems it was better like this, for he will join the workshop and hopefully meet and open up to more people. I missed the sisters, I need their confort too. |
| Baby, daijobanai... |
| felt bad for rei losing.... but Ooh well |
 |
| The loss was hard to take lol. Even I felt somewhat second hand embarrassment XD Shows how good the episode was. |
 |
| This episode was just loooong. It felt so dragged out with endless back and forth between Rei, Smith and other guy, long drawn out Shogi playing (probably moot to complain about that now) this show is good at times long and dull at others it's just all over the place. It's 14 episodes in been going three months and somehow feels like it's been so much longer. Pointless transition scene with Smith coming home to his cat, though I must admit it was funny. Whom among us doesn't do that to our pets when we come home? Also what is up with Harunobu, one moment he's like REI MY BFF FOREVER! Next he's FUCK HIM UP! Frankly I think this show is the most interesting when Rei is with the sisters, I love the chemistry between all of them otherwise it's a drag. |
| My Channel Anime Reviews, Unboxings and More Drak Shadow For LetsPlays and Movie Vlogs |
| Kiriyama monolouge omg. For a moment I thought he was going to be sick again. Sensei helping him out. Hope he joins the workshop |
| Now I'm curious how often Kiriyama actually goes to school in a week. Like 1 or 2 days? |
| allo |
| I am SO happy that Rei lost. In a story-way 8V Because... Holy crap, yes, he was against a really tough opponent and wasn't even looking at him—just look at how Shimada was portrayed in the last episode! This is just, absolutely astounding. I wish Rei could say why he really doesn't want to go back to his mentor's home... Get better, Rei ;U; And Smith's Strawberry XD Is adorable The fact that it's with Gintoki's VA, and Gintoki, who loves Strawberry Milk just—Bahaha. Probably a coincidence but it's still great XDDDD |
 |
| Again and again, this anime manages to explore beautiful applicable themes. Rei's foolishness just lead to his defeat. Rei totally deserved his defeat, but how will he recover? The workshop? We shall see next episode. :) |
| Man, Rei was crushed! I think it's actually good for him, he needed a wake-up call after all :P Shimada really knows what he's doing and I think it's good that Rei recognized that. Plus it really shows that he loves the game especially with the workshop and stuff he's doing :D I want to see the match between him and Gotou XD Anyway back to Rei, he really doubted himself and even started to look for other jobs, I hope he manages to reach out to Shimada for the workshop. I guess he realizes that he can't push Rei into going and that he has to wait. Either way this episode was a bit on the slow side for me but was still enjoyable. The teacher's played a big role in helping him out too so I'm glad that's the case :P |
| Now, Shimada-san is one of the hands those guide Kiriyama to the path of light. *feeling relieved* |
 |
| Kiriyama totally underestimated Shimada and the result is an utter complete defeat! He was so depressed and even became dehydrated! that's not good for the health! You always must drink water cuz its important. Takashi-sensei, a teacher on Kiriyama's high-school was to hysterical because of Kiriyama's indecisiveness especially the "demo...demo..demo" (all the buts) 4/5. |
 |
| Rei lost due underestimating his opponent. This will definitely be an important life experience for him. |
 |
| Great episode. I love how whipped is Smith for his cat. I love that Kiriyama has people like the teacher in his life. stay hydrated! |
More topics from this board
» Where is season 3?VforWitty - Nov 14, 2025 |
17 |
by manga_senpai
»»
Nov 18, 2025 1:22 AM |
|
» does anyone else just not see the hype?lilm16 - Jul 25, 2022 |
34 |
by eblf2013
»»
Nov 6, 2025 6:36 PM |
|
Poll: » 3-gatsu no Lion Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 )Stark700 - Oct 22, 2016 |
162 |
by lamegaming
»»
Sep 28, 2025 8:09 PM |
|
Poll: » 3-gatsu no Lion Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page )Stark700 - Oct 8, 2016 |
295 |
by Patricio_pjp
»»
Sep 2, 2025 8:08 PM |
|
Poll: » 3-gatsu no Lion Episode 15 Discussion ( 1 2 3 )Stark700 - Jan 28, 2017 |
114 |
by tsumaobu
»»
Aug 13, 2025 5:07 PM |