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3-gatsu no Lion Season 2 – Episodes 21 & 22 (END)

3-gatsu no Lion Season 2 – Episodes 21 & 22 (END)

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SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN  SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN  SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN SEASON 3 WHEN  SEASON 3 WHEN  SEASON 3 WHEN  SEASON 3 WHEN  SEASON 3 WHEN

There’s nothing more deserving of a third season than 3-gatsu no Lion. That is an objective fact, and arguing otherwise is utmost heresy.

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Me when there’s no Season 3 announcement yet.

Anyways, there was something obvious about 3-gatsu that I had in my mind before, but it seems like I never got it into writing. I guess that’s one side-effect of having too many things to do. My brain just gets cramped with jumbled thoughts of manga, anime # 1, anime # 2, 4, 6, books, games, work, money, that even the pretentious-sounding word I used just only week ago has completely slipped out of my mind then stayed at the tip of my tongue.

It’s about Rei and Hina’s momentous scene at the riverside, specifically the latter’s assertion that she did nothing wrong. Hitherto I was under the impression that Rei is thankful for his savior because Hina trying to protect Chiho was consequently a gesture of her reaching out to Rei, a person who spent his younger days in isolation and was probably bullied as well. That in itself is true, but seeing Rei visit the ‘other house’/his adoptive family may as well be an indication that Hina’s words had a greater impact on him. Remember that Rei was pretty harsh on himself during the first season; he even called himself a ‘cuckoo’, a parasite who lived off someone else’s family and ultimately bringing it into ruin. There was this time too that the other shogi players called Rei a ‘shinigami’ just because they think of him as a player who ends a professional’s career in shogi, prompting our boy to run away and unleash a fury he has been bottling inside in one of the most memorable scenes from last season.

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If anything, Hina’s words worked as an affirmation that whatever Rei did before wasn’t wrong, ending the uncertainty he has towards the choices he made. He was just… trying to live in the only way he knows, after all, and even if he felt like he was trampling on someone else’s life, he went about it the nicest way possible. There wasn’t any prior intimation of him visiting his adoptive family’s place, and so the only thing I can think of is that he finally got the courage and mindset to drop by, say hi to the mom of the kids he broke apart, and, you know, just be nice to her. There was a feeling of conclusiveness in that scene (probably just because it’s the last episode?) — it even felt awkward at times, like that feeling of visiting a place where your presence doesn’t bring a pleasant atmosphere. The visuals were dreamy — almost like someone is sorting through an album of precious pictures — reflecting the wandering thoughts the mom is thinking of. Maybe it looked that enchanting because that very afternoon was something she doesn’t want to forget — an afternoon where she spent a very tense-free, mellow moment with the boy she dreamt about later on. What the dream meant, or why she felt relieved at the thought Rei will turn out just like Ayumu and Kyouko if he really was her son… I don’t know. I can only surmise that deep inside she really wanted to think of Rei as her real son and not an outsider, regardless if he turned out to be modest or spoiled.

It wasn’t much, but at least, even in that brief afternoon, the house that he previously recounted as a gloomy, oppressive place turned into something one might be able to call a home, complete with a mom, a pet dog, full of colors and positivity. It still is, however, a contrast from the usual place we’re used to having fun at which is the Kawamoto’s residence, and it’s obvious Rei feels more at home when he’s at that house by the riverside. I mean, who doesn’t want to stay at a place where the big sister cooks delicious food 24/7, where the cats are fluffy, where there’s Momo, where there’s a dependable grandpa, where there’s a house deity/kokeshi doll/Setsuko in the flesh? Ah, well. Whatever. Just give us season 3 already.

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Short thoughts:

  • Love how this ending coincides with the season in real-life Japan. If I ever take a trip over there, it’s either going to be during Winter or Spring.
  • I forgot where I heard it, but the mangaka was said to be inspired by a girl’s haircut from a movie by the same title. I guess there’s a hint of truth to that.
  • I wouldn’t be surprised if they used Hanakana as the model for Hina’s new look.
  • I don’t even want to entertain the idea of which season is better because that ain’t gonna work with 3-gatsu. It’s more like they’re both a part of a single story, obviously, and should be taken in as a whole.
  • I feel bad laughing at that Setsuko joke by Akari but… damn, some dark humor right there.
  • Hina with a bob cut is a win. It’s hilarious how everyone took turns roasting her haircut.
  • SEASON 3 WHEN.
  • Some mono no aware going on with Takashi bidding his farewell.
  • Akari gushing over the thought of Hina cutting her hair is the best thing ever.
  • I’m a staunch ReixHina faggot but they’re just too pure for our fantasies.
  • SEASON 3 WHEN.

 

8 Replies to “3-gatsu no Lion Season 2 – Episodes 21 & 22 (END)”

  1. This was such a perfect ending to a really fantastic second season. I want more of this show but I am not in anyway disappointed by this season final.

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    1. Likewise. I actually wouldn’t mind if they end it right here just because there’s already an air of finality in it like… it’s enough to see these guys happy and knowing that they’re a lot closer now, making it easier to support each other.

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  2. Season 2 > Season 1.

    drops mic

    Seriously though, Sangatsu no Lion is much much better for me when they tackle things around Rei instead of his story. I dunno, I think Rei is more of the passive observer in this show.

    …. which gives an interesting comparison to H and C where Takemoto’s POV is basically the one that is the most interesting stuff for me.

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    1. Yep, I like the other arcs too where it’s a different guy they treat as the main character, but I guess it wouldn’t be as great without Rei in the picture. It’s like he’s this straight line where a number of other lines branch out from it (in short, I feel there’s emphasis that his story and its connotation are still relevant to another person’s).

      H&C on the other hand is like a couple of parabolas that starts on a single point, just like how the characters each found their own separate ways. It struck me before as something that’s also about the choices you make and how much it affects the group altogether (and of course how much it affects yourself too). I love Takemoto. I actually have both him and Rei in my MAL’s fave corner. I relate with him more prolly because he’s initially established as this talentless, run-of-the-mill loser. Especially that part about pedalling his bike with no destination in mind. I think… he did that at first when he was young because of what happened to his dad, besides from what he just said that he’s trying to figure out how important the things he leaves behind are. Not saying I lost mine but I certainly have moments where I want to wander aimlessly, trying to see things from a different perspective.

      Well anyways, here’s me hoping for a 3rd season

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      1. SEASON 3 WHEN. I WANT MOAR HINA-CHAN.

        Her arc is probably the best one I have seen this year. I am an Evergarden loving sucker but… I… was… just… you know, shedding manly tears with her storyline.

        Also, I think Sangatsu has more to tell albeit I am not sure if that will have the same payoff since it will be all about Rei. 😀

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  3. Season 3 when? Oh yea, that IS the question!

    Hina’s bob cut… I dunno. I like bob cuts and pixies, but I don’t like hers. Not so much because it’s such a huge change, but because she’s so unhappy with it.

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    1. I like it tons. I think Hina will only stay unhappy with it if they keep teasing her, otherwise’s she’ll grow used to it with enough “Um, yeah”s from Rei. Plus it isn’t as if the cut was that terrible — it really does look good on her.

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