March Comes in Like a Lion Review: The Shogi Manga That Is Really About Depression

Quick Take

• The most honest manga about depression I've read — it knows the texture of it intimately.
• The Kawamoto sisters are some of manga's greatest supporting characters — warm, real, and fully themselves.
• The shogi is secondary; the emotional honesty is everything.

Who Is This Manga For?

• Fans of readers who want a manga that understands depression from the inside rather than as a problem to solve
• Readers who enjoy healing manga with real emotional weight — this earns its warmth
• Anyone interested in slice-of-life seinen with the craft and seriousness of literary fiction
• People who like anyone who has been alone and then, slowly, been brought back by people who refused to stop caring

Content Warnings & Age Rating

Age Rating: T (Teen) Content Warnings: depression, loneliness, family dysfunction, bullying

Safe for most readers.

Yu's Rating

Category	Score
Story Depth	★★★★★
Art Style	★★★★★
Character Development	★★★★★
Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers	★★★★☆
Reread Value	★★★★☆

Overall: 5/5 — One of manga's great works — the most honest depiction of depression and healing.

Story Overview

Rei Kiriyama is a 17-year-old professional shogi player living alone — the best in his age group, unable to feel anything about winning. He lives in isolation, numbed by years of family dysfunction and competitive pressure. Then he meets the three Kawamoto sisters — Akari, Hinata, and Momo — who feed him, check on him, and slowly, without pressure, remind him that warmth exists and that he's allowed to receive it.

Characters

The cast of March Comes in Like a Lion is built around contrasting personalities that force each other to grow. The main character carries a mix of strength and vulnerability — enough to earn sympathy without feeling passive. Supporting characters each serve a distinct emotional function: some mirror the protagonist's flaws, others challenge their assumptions, and a few provide the warmth that makes the harder moments bearable.

Art Style

Chica Umino's visual style suits the story it tells. Emotional moments land because facial expressions are drawn with real attention to subtlety — you rarely need dialogue to understand what a character is feeling. Background detail varies by scene, pulling back in quiet moments and getting tight and detailed when the stakes rise.

Cultural Context

March Comes in Like a Lion comes from professional shogi culture in Japan — an ancient strategic game with competitive circuits that turn some players professional as teenagers, and the social isolation that professional mastery can create. English readers will find most of this translates naturally; a few cultural notes in good translations help bridge any remaining gaps.

What I Love About It

The chapter where Rei tries to identify what is wrong with him and cannot find words — where the visual representation of his depression fills the panel in grays and empty space — is one of the most precise depictions of that particular blankness in any medium. And then the Kawamoto sisters show up, and there is color and noise and food and the cat, and nothing is solved but something has been given. That contrast is the whole manga.

What English-Speaking Fans Say

Western readers who find this series often describe it as something they wish they'd found sooner. The emotional beats translate well; the universal themes of connection, loss, and growth resonate regardless of cultural background. Fans of similar series consistently recommend it as a must-read for genre newcomers and veterans alike.

Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning

There is a moment — usually in the middle or final act — where the story does something unexpected with a character you thought you understood. The setup is careful and patient. The payoff is sudden and complete. Readers report rereading earlier chapters afterward, finding all the foreshadowing they missed the first time.

Similar Manga

If you enjoyed March Comes in Like a Lion, try:

• Honey and Clover — same creator, different life stage, similar emotional depth
• A Silent Voice — similarly honest about mental health and the cost of isolation
• Goodnight Punpun — darker treatment of similar depression themes

Reading Order / Where to Start

Start from volume 1. This series builds its world and characters carefully from the first chapter — jumping in anywhere else means losing the context that makes later moments land. Volume 1 is a very strong opening; if you're not hooked by the end of it, this series may not be for you.

Official English Translation Status

March Comes in Like a Lion is ongoing in English translation. New volumes are releasing regularly.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Ongoing with regular releases
• Strong character work and genuine emotional investment
• The shogi sequences are genuinely illuminating — you learn to see beauty in the game

Cons:

• Ongoing — no conclusion yet, and the pace is deliberately slow
• The depression content is sustained — requires emotional readiness

Format Comparison

Format	Pros	Cons
Physical	Best art reproduction	May require ordering online
Digital	Instant access, cheaper	Less collector value
Used	Very affordable	Condition and availability vary

Where to Buy

Find March Comes in Like a Lion on Amazon:

👉 Search for March Comes in Like a Lion on Amazon

---

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.