About March Comes in Like a Lion
March Comes in Like a Lion follows Rei Kiriyama, a seventeen-year-old who became a professional shogi player at a remarkably young age. Living alone in Tokyo, Rei carries the quiet weight of loss and isolation after the early death of his family and a difficult childhood spent in a foster home where the game both rescued and burdened him. The series uses the formal world of professional shogi as a backdrop for a tender study of a young man slowly learning how to connect with others.
Rei's life begins to change when he meets the three Kawamoto sisters, Akari, Hinata, and the youngest, Momo, who welcome him into their warm and lively household. Their home, full of shared meals and gentle teasing, gradually becomes a kind of found family for Rei, offering the steadiness he never had. Through their kindness he starts to confront his feelings of loneliness and self-doubt, themes the show treats with patience and great care rather than spectacle.
Across two seasons the story balances intense shogi matches against rivals and mentors with quieter scenes of recovery, friendship, and growth. Produced by the studio Shaft and directed by Akiyuki Shinbo, the adaptation is known for its expressive visual style and emotional honesty. It is widely praised for portraying depression, grief, and the courage it takes to ask for help in a thoughtful and hopeful way.