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Nov 18, 2015 12:24 PM

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Jul 2009
4805
They could have made Makoto's reason to kill Shion's parents better.
I am glad Shion won against him, he was crazy! And he would kill Satoru's girlfriend because she knew he was the one that killed Shion's parents, because she made the tape for him. 8/10
Apr 22, 2016 7:09 PM

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Jun 2013
578
he killed her family just to make her stronger? WTF!

She spent her whole life mute and suddenly starts talking PERFECTLY as if nothing had happened?
May 14, 2016 10:19 AM

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Jun 2011
14139
That animation quality dip.. lmao

Nice series with a great ending, but a lot of stuffs from the beginning and the end of the series were kinda meh. I enjoyed the middle part the most, when it focused more on shogi and the mystery, rather than the romance. I didn't like the motive for killing, even though I understood the reasoning behind it. I wish Hani-meijin was not the culprit to be honest, I liked his character. Oh well.
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May 25, 2017 8:25 PM

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May 2008
877
Goodness, the animation quality is easily the worst thing about this show. It just doesn't ever look beautiful after the 1st episode. This anime somehow made Ayumi uglier with each appearance after his haircut. I dunno how they did that, lol.

I did like the mystery; they did a good job with not making it too obvious and slowly ramping it up as the show progress. The most of the characters were good; I never felt uninterested when they were in the spotlight.

Beyond that, I did a few minor issues:

- While they did a good job with the tension of the games, I felt that the lack of explanation of shougi basics is a minus. I should not have to know how to play chess (which I don't) nor do my own research just to understand the basics of the main tool of the plot. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the characters expecting us to understand what everything means. The only thing I got was that you have to get the king (or make it so it is impossible to do so) to win. But, perhaps, it was my fault for expecting this show to be more like Hikaru no Go when I started watching it.

- After all the build up, I was expecting Hani-meijin's motive to be about shougi, but not for such a weak reason. He didn't even play Shion before killing her parents! I get he was crazy, but the craziness needed more foundation other than "this guy said so then died".

- The side characters (mostly Saori, I won't lie) other than Ayumi kinda get dumped halfway through the show. What was the point of Saori when she proved to be weak and mostly useless? She didn't help out with... well, anything.

- Ending felt a bit too rushed like "this, this, and this happened and everyone lived happily ever after. the end."

Yet, overall, I enjoyed it despite all the hiccups and it did make me a bit more interested in shougi. Now if I can find a show that is truly all about shougi...
Oct 7, 2018 5:06 AM
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Jul 2018
564055
kitten320 said:
I don't mind Hanii's reason for killing her parents, common. Though expecting a 4 year old child to give you a boost is a bit silly but whatever.


However, I still don't get why he tried to kill Satoru's girlfriend. What did she have to do with any of it?
she made the tapes for him. But I don't see why that would lead her to suspecting him. But she knew it was him and was going to tell his brother.
Apr 26, 2021 3:44 AM
Shalltear

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Apr 2018
34568
Damn Hani-meijin was sure a crazy one... glad he got arrested and that Shion won against him, she even manages to talk again now, great ending for this anime that I really loved overall. 8/10
Aug 10, 2021 5:03 PM
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Nov 2014
70
I really liked this anime but the first half was better than the second one, somehow the characters' behaviour made more sense in the first 14 episodes, also the animation went worse towards the end. And Hani's motive for killing was a bit ridiculous...
However I still liked it a lot and enjoyed the characters (in the first part Ayumi and Saori were really interesting, there could be more focus on them later on) Ayumi was my fav for sure.
Feb 10, 2022 4:52 PM

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May 2020
47
Damn! Quite an amazing show that exceeded my expectations. Turns out an anime with chess battles as its setting can be really emotional, intense and moving. Not once have I felt a moment of boredom, could have easily binged this in a day or two if I wanted.

As with all the murder mysteries, I tend to make immediate blind guesses about who the culprit is. Funny enough, my first suspect was the Meijin the moment I saw him in EP1. I know the show was trying to lead us to believe it's Satoru - which of course had the opposite effect - but it did it in a way that never quite crossed out the possibility that it might indeed be him, at least until the last couple of episodes when the real culprit was basically confirmed.

Great OST, played well with the drama thriller nature of the show. Easily 8/10, might change it to 9 after I sleep on it.

I see. Your only option is to revolutionize the world.
Feb 28, 2022 12:34 PM

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Nov 2016
32007
Nice conclusion, epecially since Shion started talking again. She owned verbally Zoo.

This series surprised me positively. I didn't expect such a mix of mystery, slice of life, drama and shogi. A unique experience and a suspenseful one in spite of the obvious culprit and motive. Hani is a certified madlad xD

7,5/10

One Piece episode 914 & 915 & 1027 were a mistake and 957 brought the salvation - FMmatron


May 17, 2022 8:42 AM

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Jan 2020
2956
Imagine going through this whole ordeal; having your parents killed, being threatened and taunted, and then coming face-to-face with the murderer, whose the Meijin of Shogi. And then you beat them, and your reward is that you're the lowest level of Pro. I feel like Shion should be the Meijin now, she literally beat the current title holder.

This was overall good, but it could've been far more impressive if they had taken the time to polish up Makoto's motive a bit, and maybe sprinkle some more breadcrumbs throughout the series to build up the mystery and suspense. There were more than enough episodes that took away from that.

I wonder if the manga fleshes stuff out more? I'll probably check it out soon.

"...Is your mother worried? Would you like us to assign someone to worry your mother?"

Jul 8, 2022 5:11 AM

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Nov 2009
1408
The Meijin's motive is ridiculously corny and stupid, the weakest part of the entire plot. Otherwise, great show.
ったく、嫌な世の中だよ。
May 23, 2023 10:21 AM
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Aug 2021
160
ok why didn't they show any reactions from the association and his colleagues after Meijin's arrest -_-  the antagonist was kinda predictable but still the motive didn't make any sense for him to turn into such a vicious killer overnight. They could've fleshed out the story and the characters a lot more. The show wasn't without holes but it satisfied my craving for a game+suspense anime w/ a girl MC which are very rare so it was well worth my time fs

Nov 16, 2023 6:30 PM

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Dec 2022
5321
This episode wrapped everything up very quickly in the last few minutes, but still felt organic due to the centralised nature of the plot. Makoto had intended to influence her into being the opponent that would elevate him to new heights, but instead he was met with a girl who became proficient enough at the game to end his reign at the top entirely. You could say his goals were met, to a degree, even if they ultimately didn't go his way.

It's hard to make a mystery that never bores or drags at any point, but this anime is proof it's not impossible. Exceptional characterisation and an intelligent narrative aside, even the shogi had the same unpredictable gravity to it that the murder plot did. Shion no Ou is outstanding in pretty much every facet of anime design, so I can't fault it.
Archean-ReturnNov 16, 2023 6:42 PM


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Aug 28, 5:03 AM

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Apr 2011
2872
Good show that falls off toward the end, with the story and animation. I couldn’t help but laugh when all of a sudden all the characters have way more shadowing and characters all start doing odd jojo like poses. Almost like the staff completely switched. The story was decent by corny anime standards, I guessed it was Hani very early on they gave way to obvious of hints with even more obvious red herrings.

I saw someone say he killed his brothers gf because she would have known it was him since she made the tape, guess that makes sense. Why would she fill that very sketch request in the first place though? The plot was definitely all over the place in that sense. I looked and the manga was written by a professional female shogi player, so that explains why the shogi aspects are well done.

Overall 7/10
FintanSep 18, 9:18 PM
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It’s time to ditch the text file.
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