March Comes in Like a Lion - Chica Umino
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March Comes in Like a Lion is a poignant work by Chica Umino that delicately explores loneliness, resilience, and the search for identity through the lens of shōgi, Japanese chess.
Rei Kiriyama, a shōgi prodigy at just 17, is a teenager haunted by the loss of his family in a tragic accident. Taken in by a friend of his father—also a professional shōgi player—he grows up in a home where intellectual competition replaces affection. This stifling atmosphere leads him to isolate himself, living alone in Tokyo, gripped by melancholy.
His encounter with the Kawamoto sisters—Akari, Hinata, and Momo—changes everything. Though they face their own hardships, they offer him warmth and a new outlook on life. Their kindness and simplicity contrast with the cutthroat world of shōgi, allowing Rei to rediscover the quiet joys of daily life.
Chica Umino captures Rei’s inner turmoil with striking subtlety, using powerful visual metaphors—especially water imagery—to illustrate his emotional state. The shōgi scenes are portrayed with gripping intensity, highlighting his inner conflicts. The author draws inspiration from Western literature, particularly works like “Anne of Green Gables,” to craft deep, authentic relationships.
Serialized since 2007 in Hakusensha’s Young Animal, the manga currently spans 17 volumes. It has won numerous prestigious awards, including the Manga Taishō and Kodansha Manga Award in 2011, and the Grand Prize of the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize in 2014. An anime adaptation by studio Shaft aired from 2016 to 2018 and was acclaimed for its faithfulness and artistic quality.