I just caught up after reading like 100 chapters in one day, so in order to clear my head from thinking about this manga so much, I thought I would write about a few things that I think will happen post chapter 192.
Starting with the ongoing shishi ou tournament, with Kiriyama having beaten Nikaidou, he will play Shimada 8-dan next. If I'm remembering correctly they haven't played an official match since chapter 27 when Kiriyama was badly beaten. However since then a lot has changed for him. The first being that he has joined Shimada's study group, meaning that he has had the opportunity to play against him a lot more than most other people. This study group has clearly been effective, with all 4 of the members making it out of the preliminary rounds for this tournament. But unfortunately for Shimada, the strongest of the study group, this means that he has helped to improve his opponents.
The second change is the growth of Kiriyama's mental state. For the first time since his parents died he feels that he has a place in the world where he belongs outside of shogi. This along with the support of Hina, will likely reduce the pressure he has felt in the past about feeling useless outside of shogi. Now, while he still doesn't want to lose, he also knows that it is not the end of the world if he does. This mental weight off of his shoulders might have already been teased in the match against Nikaidou, because while it was shown entirely from Nikaido's PoV, what was shown of Kiriyama during the match was a change from the poker face he normally has, and instead showed a variety of facial expressions (and of course Tanaka's comment about him looking cheerful). He also told Nikaidou after the match how much he enjoyed it, which is not something I remember him saying before and is a big change from him wanting to change careers.
Of course for this match I would say it is still a 50/50 for who wins, because Shimada is more experienced and has also been able to train a lot with Kiriyama, but I think from a narrative perspective it would be more interesting to see Kiriyama win. Whoever wins the match though, I think they will be the challenger to Souya for the shishi ou title. The challenger may not win this year, but either way I think Kiriyama will at some point become the shishi ou (lion king) because it fits too well to give another meaning to the name of the manga (this may also be when he moves to sangatsu town, making him the sangatsu no lion/ the lion of sangatsu town). The shishi ou tournament has had a much greater presence in the manga than any other tournament, so this may have been planned by Umino sensei, to show the tournament through the years, until it is won by Kiriyama. Possibly even further than that, to when he is challenged by others such as Souya, Shimada (who may have won another title in the meantime) or even Nikaidou.
For another future arc I think we will see Kiriyama defeat Kouda (his adoptive father) as the last match of the season which then results in him being demoted. Despite relating himself to the cuckoo at the beginning of the manga, after having dealt with the Kawamoto's father and knowing his father's own words to him (that showing respect to your opponent means to always play your best), he will be able to overcome his past guilt and any qualms he has about winning and the implications it will have for his father. This may lead into introducing his adoptive family to his new family, but that might be a bit too awkward if what I wrote above actually happens.
Finally I think that by the end of the manga Kiriyama will realise that he does like playing shogi, chasing the thrill of winning, the people he plays with, and that it is an important part of his life. That being said, it may not be something he wants to do professionally for his whole life and may retire earlier than most.
I was going to write more but I think that is enough for now. If you have any other ideas or disagree with me about anything, please tell me, because I don't know how I am going to survive with just a few pages a month from now on. |
