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Yes, it was interesting getting more insight into Gotou's situation. Kyoko reconfirms herself as an incredibly annoying human being. And I continue to miss the sisters. As well as any significant shogi activity on the part of Rei himself. For so long know (if you include the second half of the first season), the focus seems to be the trials and tribulations of other shogi players.

Season 2, Episode 3

I was not happy to be hit with the revelation that Hina is being bullied, for a few reasons. First, we occasionally get reminders that Rei was bullied and isolated as a child so I feel the topic is already being covered. Second, the only emotional catharsis I get from watching bullying in anime is when the bullies get pounded into the ground, an outcome I rather doubt that March is going to provide me. Last season showed that Hina had a crush on a boy ... why couldn't the show have developed that instead? The other thing is that I don't trust this show. Having introduced the topic, it could easily drop the thread for the next four or five episodes while we are forced to watch the shogi travails of a character we haven't even been introduced to yet before the show decides to return to the subject.

Is it bullying? Oh, just got after the credits, my empathy is truly on that.

Well what I can comment on is about the second half of the episode being kind of what expected would happen, after Rei doing so well something small triggered his depression and was having a bad day, a relapse. Like it happened suddenly out of nowhere and filled whole the day. I don't think I have nearly had it is bad, but I think that I have had my share of depression. I can actually directly relate with as a child in ending up looking at insects, after not really being a part of the rest of the kids, and also relate to a small thing that can remind me of bad times can turn what might have even been a pretty good day into me having a very sad mood. I think it was kind of coming to me that I had depression without realising it.

Bullying too is something I can relate to, I had some pretty hard times, although probably nothing going to the stuff you sometimes see in anime, or the revenge (Vivid Strike anyone?). But it is a topic, and although I can't deny having some revenge fantasies, I don't think it is always the way to go, not since being in a different position as a role of authority to someone who was being bullied. And you might say that the subject has already been covered by this show with Rei, but my idea so far is that it is exactly the point. Why do you think we had such a long part of showing Rei going through a depressive streak of a day in remembering things, right between parts which have been leading to revealing that Hina is being bullied? My thought that is these things are connected, but not just in the bullying is bad way, but that Rei had a bad day from feelings of isolation, not being of use to people, and that there is nothing to be gained from that past. And yet, what he has gone through may provide a useful point of what Hina is right now, that he could be of use, and the way out of his depressive moods can be feelings of worth to someone else.

It kind of feels like it went back to the first season where both he and Hina cried together at the river, how in particular time it was Hina at that time who helped break Rei out of his shell. It is kind of one of the most powerful scenes in the show to date, and I think a pretty large part of the music video of Fighter, the song by Bump of Chicken did off the manga and eventually became the first OP. Anyway, I think that this is the time that Rei might really be of some use to her, and through that it will help himself.

Season 2, Episode 4 (Episode 26)

What an emotional episode. It was more than a story of HIna being bullied, it was that for some time she had been trying to help her friend who was being bullied, a girl she was close with and was getting torn up by what was happening and how others acted. And the tipping point came where her friend was so affected that she left the school, still not an end to anxiety, and as the girls made fun of her one more time Hina lost her cool, now the bullying has been turned against her.

Amazing part of the episode was the grandpa, he was awesome when he said how awesome Hina was, that she was brave for what she did, that even adults may not have that courage, and she should be proud because he sure is. So much tears, but if there is something that I have learnet from this show, it is that tears are not a bad thing, holding it can be worse, and it was kind of done earlier when HIna felt guilty about her crying making Momo cry and ran out of the house to do it elsewhere alone, but with Rei going with her, giving her support, and also thanking her because she is touching people, like him.

Rei provided her with a bit of a distraction, showing that he is there to support her, while trying to think of anything he can do. It all reminds me of things I know about, like how powerless family can feel for one of its members suffering from bullying when there is little they can do out of fear it could have opposite effect. That teacher who called it light hearted pranks makes me feel so angry. that I don't think they actually care about actually looking after the student. And that anger Rei felt over who would make Hina cry like this.

But again the dinner scene was such a wonderful mix of warmth, but also tears, that Hina fight through as a sign of conviction, but not that they should not be there. You could also feel the powerlessness of Akari, who no doubt is feeling incredibly anxious about it too, in how she takes such pride in trying to look after her sisters.

As feared, I'm not particularly satisfied how the show is handling Hina's bullying. Grandpa's speech to Hina was amazing but what blunted the effect of it for me was the thought, "Yeah, Rei, you moron this is what YOU should have said to her when you caught up to her last night." I mean, sure, it's great he went after her when she ran from the house and it was nice he showed support by taking her to the library, but the common sense words Grandpa used should have come out of his mouth right after Hina told him her story. Seems pretty damn obvious things to say.

So, if he can't even figure out something simple like that, I wonder how he's going to come up with any plan that will actually help Hina's situation at school. Obviously Hina's moronic teacher isn't going to be useful in any way.

The other thing I didn't like is that the bullies have already been successful in driving Hina's friend Chiho away. So no matter what genius plan Rei comes up with to help Hina, that part of the bullying storyline will never be successfully redressed.

I'm not sure I entirely understand the source of your complaint. First, Rei will have a hard time figuring out what to do to help Hina because there aren't very many options available to them. That seems like a realistic portrayal to me. So was the departure of Chiho.

As for Rei's not saying to Hina what her grandfather said, that's also more complex than you make it out to be. First, Rei never finds it easy to express his feelings about anything. More importantly, though, I think his reticence is tied to his own experiences with being bullied. I think he has internalized to some degree the notion that his being bullied was his own fault, that he wasn't somehow good enough to blend in with his schoolmates. Yes, we all know, including Rei, that neither of these is true, but that hardly means Rei doesn't feel that way. So while he clearly knows that none of what Hina is experiencing is her fault, and that she was brave to stand up for her friend, he probably has a hard time verbalizing any of that.

Yes, I understand that Rei is verbally useless. The fact he couldn't say anything helpful is very realistic to his character. It also makes the situation irritating for me to watch. If I'm forced to watch a storyline about bullying, I want emotional satisfaction, not realism. That's why I had deep misgivings when this storyline was first introdcuted, because I sensed that this being the kind of show it is, it would not be handled in a way that I would find emotionally satisfying. I don't expect other viewers to feel the same way, but that's my particular viewpoint.

So you want 3-gatsu no Lion to be something it's not? It doesn't offer simple resolutions or conclusive events, and characters often persist in behaviors we find upsetting. I like that about this story even if it makes watching it rather painful and difficult at times.

The NHK and the Japanese Government are using this show to promote an anti-bullying campaign.

No, what I would have preferred is if the show had avoided the Hina bullying storyline altogether. I do like that the show is realistic in its handling of situations and I'm just not super stoked to watch a realistic portrayal of bullying where there probably won't be any satisfying emotional catharsis for me. As I say, I recognize this is my own personal viewpoint and is not meant as a criticism of the show itself.

Well the show is meant to tackle topics you would probably rather characters not deal with, the show has been consistent in hard stories. That maybe it is a valid reasoning to find fear that they would just be beating a dead horse on topics that are already dealt with. Like how many shows deal with bullying, does this show actually need to also deal with it? But I have found it pretty consistent that even in its saddest moments, this show has a strange warmth to it, that it is not just doing the same thing that other shows have. That there is real merit to the topics it has, even if you don't want that to happen to characters you care about.

Hina's story was not even about her just being bullied, which would not have even been surprising since it is not like her family has a lot of money and you could imagine kids being cruel for some reasons. It had her actually standing up for the bullied, not being okay with any of the signs, and eventually trying to get support from others when she knew being quiet was not in her friend's best interest. People often make lip service that they would protect someone from being bullied, but often times they end up just ignoring it, and really are just as bad as those doing it. Hina was a brave kid, and the show did not play it lightly like it would actually be an easy thing to do, it actually feels like it gives weight to this topic.

I would even say that it avoided going the path of simply making the bullies horrible pieces of filth to take cheap tricks at them being crazily evil, for instead more realistic girls who I don't think fully grasp what they have done. Not that there is any sympathy for them, because regardless what they are doing is wrong. And really, life rarely plays into hugely cathartic bullying situations, that in some ways what is done can read as hollow, or maybe not that healthy way to deal with a situation, as fun as seeing Rinne fight back was. Physically fighting back was one way I actually dealt with a situation, and in the end although some situations I can't blame myself, I knew there had to be better ways.

Probably off topic, but I am actually going to a high school reunion this weekend. And one of my thoughts in my head is over how likely some people who bullied are going to be there. That I don't think after this time I have actually forgiven them over the scars they put on me, or about how I never had anyone come to my side. One particular bad memory was of having my bag stolen, my things eventually found in a bin, taking way too long to do so. I don't even hold a lot of sympathy who just ignored it, but rather pretend it was not happening, but it would have not been solved by some hugely satisfying easy move to pull regularly on a TV show or movie, so I actually interested to see how this show plans on tackling it.

@ DP - I agree with your points and I don't want to fall into the same trap that I sometimes see other people fall into where they come across a storyline they don't like and instead of just recognizing that the problem lies with an incompatibility between their own emotional viewpoint and what the show is offering, they blame the show. I'm not doing that here. I think March, so far, has handled the issue with the same degree of skill that it has handled other tough topics.

No, the problem really lies with me. Intellectually, I understand that if there had been a scene with Rei going to Hina's school and beating the crap out of those little bitches, that would have been bad writing. It would have violated the tone and approach of the show to date. It wouldn't be believable. It would have been a cheap, easy sop.

And I would have loved every second of it.

Season 2, Episode (Episode 30)

And now we have learned a bit about Nikaidou, which really was not a whole lot of surprises from what had already been hinted, but that his situation is really hard and the effort he puts in is really inspiring. He faces quite a bit of bad first impression, but he is cool. And absolutely does not want to be seen as inferior, at least on the shogi table which is one of the battlefields he can go on, holding his rivalry in high regard.

Also, we got Rei's teacher going berserk (rightfully so) after hearing what HIna's teacher said, which was pretty awesome.

And lastly, the episode finished on a really nice piece of art, a picture of the sisters in the sort of style we see in the Monogatari series ED. Go SHAFT!.

Season 2, episode 8:

Haha, Rei's homeroom teacher is a hothead.

I like the way they adapted the scenes with the devil gimmick and making fun of the characters' personalities in particular the first half of this episode.

Really glad they focused more on Nikaidou's character more this season. It not only showed his background story but also his connection with Shimada. Really insightful stuff. Nikaidou has been a comic relief but this episode shows him in a different light, one that I think is important for this season.

Season 2, Episode 9 (Episode 31)

So Nikaido's opponent purposely took advantage of his poor health by drawing out the game, which led to Nikaido's collapse. Rei was not going to let that stand, and it was nice that he seemed to kind of take some lessons from earlier, like Nikaido said towards him on the TV. And Rei managed to win.

And Rei coming to the rescue, managing to find Hina. And Hina seems to understand that it must have meant things like Rei caring about her enough to one go looking for her during this time, knowing that she would have free time during this, and that he knew enough about her to know where she might be. Her letting out some pent up tears, one thing I remember the series having about it being good to release emotions like that. The episode preview for next episode was mostly about HIna's reaction to seeing him there.

Oh god, the never ending bullying arc. I can't tell you how much this storyline is bugging me. Yes, it's super great that Rei went after Hina etc etc BUT NOTHING IS BEING DONE ABOUT THE BULLYING!!! These gestures are nice but they ARE NOT ADDRESSING THE MAIN ISSUE. I just cannot enjoy this shit. Here Hina is going on a school trip which should be a really fun memory for her, but instead is a source of misery. Really, eff you show with your "tiny rays of sunshine amid the darkness" bullshit. SOLVE. THE. EFFING. PROBLEM.

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