<SHORT REVIEW>
Pros
1. Cute characters
2. Great details on Shogi
Cons
1. Boring art style
2. Rushed adaptation
<LONG REVIEW>
I heard about this series through it's winning in the Kono Light Novel Ga Sugoi Contest 2 years in a row, beating series like Snafu and Sword Art Online. It was shocking to see a light novel about shogi with lolis can beat series like SAO in a popularity contest, so I waited for the anime to see how this series handles its loli characters and also the Shogi element.
After finishing the series, I have to say that it's quite disappointing, but I still had fun watching it. There are two things that this series fails at, it's adaptation and it's art. Now let me start with the adaptation part. I only gathered this information based on comments from fans of the LN. Apparently this is a failed attempt at adapting the LN, which I can agree. As an anime only, I can also see a lot of important events being rushed. A lot of the contest were quickly glanced through just to go to the final match. There is seriously a lack of explanation at scenes throughout the series especially near the end. Secondly, the art for Ryuuoh isn't that good. It isn't as bad as Marchen Madchen next door, but compared to a lot of series running this season, the only anime I can find on par with Ryuuoh in terms of art is Mitsuboshi Colors, which is also pretty weak at the art department. The only thing I like about Ryuuoh's art is how the characters' eyes were drawn, especially when the characters are being serious while playing shogi, their eyes are beautifully drawn. There are also so points within the series where the characters just look badly drawn. Well, coming from Project No 9, it isn't really surprising just by looking at their previous works.
Now moving on to the good part. First its the characters. I like each character in this series. It really isn't because they are well fleshed out or anything, it's just I like how the characterization for this series is done. Among all the characters, my favorite one is definitely Yashajin Ai. I just love her design very much. Development wise, there are some minor development for each character but nothing grand, some examples being characters getting better at shogi, overcoming their fears, having confidence in themselves again etc.
The details on Shogi is also very apparent in this series. If you know at least the basics of shogi, you can really learn from each of the contest in this series. They really did explain each step well. However, if you aren't familiar with Shogi, then you won't understand anything during the match. Personally I am in the latter part, but I still enjoy watching the matches, maybe because I also play chess and I know the feeling of not wanting to lose easily.
So overall, I enjoyed watching Ryuuou no Oshigoto, but is it a must watch from this season? No. I will recommend you checking out the LN if you really like this series. I would only recommend the TV anime if you want your daily dose of loli cuteness. Otherwise, just skip this series or just go read the LN.
