March comes in like a lion

Episode 3

Heat dominates the first segment of this week's March comes in like a lion, as Rei matches up against his self-styled rival Harunobu. The dry sounds of summer are omnipresent, cicadas and gull cries and water rushing in the distance. You notice water more when you're very thirsty, be it the sweat on your opponent's brow or the rush of bubbles from your own bottle. Even the colors seem despondent in this heat - robbed of their usual richness, pastel hues fade to pure white at the edges of the frame.

I was a little apprehensive entering this episode, given last week's treatment of Harunobu. There, he was framed as a boorish joke, an expression of March's very unimpressive comedy instincts. Fortunately, almost none of that framing carried through to this episode - instead, we opened with a lengthy flashback, as Rei thought back to their first fated encounter as child prodigies.

I loved this whole sequence, which seemed almost like an old diary entry. The heat is uncomfortable enough for Rei, but Harunobu seems to become physically ill in the weather, so Rei begins trying to find a way to put his opponent down quickly. It was an intimate and fully realized vignette, Rei's monologue and close shots on Harunobu doing an excellent job of sharing Rei's discomfort with the audience. Far from the buffoon of last week's episode, here Harunobu came across as an unfortunate but supremely dedicated opponent, shoving off Rei's pity and gallantly fighting to the last man.

Rei and Harunobu's present-day rematch followed the mode of that flashback, though each of them had clearly grown since that day. The contrast between the two was a tidy study in memory and character development; with both of them now on the edge of the professional circuit, their match was fierce and dignified and brutal. The strong piano track did an excellent job of keeping the tension high, and like last week, it was easy and satisfying to parse the dramatic flow of the match. I wasn't really sold on this sequence's reliance on the close-up turning shots that have become such a SHAFT staple, (head tilts, etc.) but Rei's bottle continued to serve as a cogent, impactful visual motif.

Beyond its aesthetic execution, Rei's commentary on Harunobu's behavior acted as the central through-line between this episode's first and second segments. March is still a relatively disjointed show, in that the two chapter-halves rarely add up to a congruous narrative, but Rei trying to parse his emotions in the context of the outbursts of those around him gave a steady theme to this one. Harunobu's passionate displays of self are alien to Rei, but he can understand Harunobu's feelings perfectly - caught off guard by an unexpected move, Rei's present self ends up echoing Harunobu's childhood desire to win at all costs. Harunobu's youthful tears found their double in this episode's finale, as Rei witnessed Hinata sobbing over the death of her mother.

That scene was another distinct highlight for this show, and the staff seemed to know it - there was a long build-up to this moment, as an extended walk through streets and alleys built both suspense and the magical atmosphere of a summer night. Seeing Hinata's ugly sobs, Rei thought back to his own parents and how he'd chosen to bury his pain. Through three episodes of steady monologue and visual malaise, March has demonstrated that Rei's depression isn't just a conflict he's afflicted by, it's the very world he inhabits. Through the contrast of Harunobu and Hinata's clearly expressed feelings, this episode thoughtfully documented Rei's efforts to connect with the more passionately expressed feelings of those around him. Rei is not an overtly expressive person, but March's conveyance of his perspective consistently demonstrates that he still feels a great deal and has even more emotions locked beneath the surface. It's beginning to seem like the trajectory of March comes like a lion will not ultimately lead to Rei learning to laugh, but instead conclude with Rei learning to cry.

In the end, what most sticks with me about this episode was how good it was to all its characters. Rei's lack of expressiveness was treated with patient sympathy, Harunobu was given a poignant final scene with a close family friend, and Hinata's pain was conveyed with unflinching intimacy. There were still a couple cheap jokes at Harunobu's expense, but bad comedy has been established as the price of entry here. Everything else is priceless.

Overall: A-

March comes in like a lion is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Nick writes about anime, storytelling, and the meaning of life at Wrong Every Time.