Hatesu

Yes, it's a good show despite being predictable. Despite not knowing a damn thing about Shogi I really enjoyed this show. You don't need to know anything about Shogi to enjoy it at all. The show provides the tools you need to follow along without being technical and boring. The story and premise is decent and it has a good cast and some funny dialogue. Despite being put in typical awkward situations with lolis the protagonist isn't some kind of pervert and only ever comments on the girls being cute. Watch it for the lolis and stay for the Shogi, it's a decent show.

Stark700

This anime. Or rather, this copy-paste formulaic anime adaptation of the light novel that apparently was voted #1 in the Japan’s Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! for 2017 made me wonder if the anime industry even tries anymore. It’s 2018 and here we are, an anime adaptation based on shogi with a cast filled with questionable characters and content. I was cautiously optimistic about this show at first but upon finishing this anime, I can say that without a shadow of a doubt, Ryuunou no Oshigoto left little more than desired. Sometimes, people say don’t judge a book by its cover. Unfortunately, that statement is hardto apply for this series. Upon looking at the key visual, you’ll notice an average dull looking male protagonist surrounded by what seems to be a harem of girls. No, I’m not calling this anime a harem but it doesn’t help by the fact that some of them look about half his age. Still, there’s some hope because the show involves shogi, a strategic game of intelligence, right? Wrong. The story itself may be focused on shogi but the overall tone of the show will be far distracting than you’ll realize. The first few episodes can easily rub people in the wrong way with the way its characters are introduced. The main culprit is 9-year old Ai Hinatsuru who seems to have an attraction towards shogi master Yaichi. It leaves a controversial impression especially with how she reacts to him when other girls are involved in their lives. After being taken in as disciple, she seems to be even more attached to him to the point where you’ll see “yandere” moments. That’s just the tip of the iceberg though. We also meet Ginko Sora, a female prodigy who also happens to be Yaichi’s childhood friend. I think it’s easy to pinpoint her intentions after watching her reactions from just the first episode alone. Nonetheless, the initial beginning will test the audience on whether they should continue or not. For me, I decided to give this show a chance to see if it improves. Sadly, I’m mistaken. It seems almost every episode along the way wants to showcase shogi but also leaves the impression of underage girls doing what a grown up would do. Is that an overstatement? However, it’s undeniable that the show gives an uncomfortable feeling whenever characters such as Ai, Charlotte, or others tries to get Yaichi’s attention. Yaichi himself is hardly an interesting character either. The show saturates him with a generic personality and gets him often into compromising positions, either with his disciples or Ginko. It doesn’t help that he is dense as a black hole and the show never really develop him as a character. Speaking of development, the show is mostly void of that except on technical improvement of shogi skills. The only character that I respect in this anime would be Keika Kiyotaki. In perhaps one of the more realistic and heartwarming episodes, we see her determination and strive to improve. The storytelling of her past also make us understand Keika as a person and shogi player. Unfortunately, one episode can’t carry the show as altogether as the others are far less welcoming to watch. Now I’m not an expert on shogi but this anime seems to dedicate a lot of time in the matches themselves. One might think this is a positive but it’s hardly that. The mind games and psychology is hardly felt because of the way dialogue are delivered. It doesn’t help that the show often jumps around between opponents without giving the audience a memorable rivalry. Furthermore, the main cast is just incredibly one dimensional with personalities that are hardly interesting. If you want some actual shogi with integrity and promising story, check out 3-gatsu no Lion. Project No.9 is an oddball studio. My impression of their work in recent years has quite underwhelming and it seems that they didn’t manage to step up to the plate this time. On paper, the anime quality looks tolerable with the body movements, character designs, and facial expressions. However, there’s not much else that makes this anime’s visual quality stand out. Sure, there’s character reactions that can be comedic at times but it gets tedious fast. You can pretty much open up a light novel and see similarities in almost every series these days. It doesn’t help that the anime pulls out fan service moments that set off red flags. Oh and Yaichi, he has a very punchable face. On a more positive note, I suppose the anime’s soundtrack and voice mannerism managed to stay its welcome. Younger characters aren’t easy to portray but I got the impression that it was well delivered. Ginko’s voice is perhaps the most noticeable whenever she gets into a bad mood. On the other hand, I wish there was an auto-mute button whenever Yaichi talks in overly long dialogues. The theme songs of the show are rather catchy despite how generic it looks. If I said it once, I said it a hundred times. This show leaves little to be desired. You can watch this anime for the shogi but in the end, you’ll probably remember more than that. And I don’t mean that as a positive impression. One character I will actually remember for good measure though is Keika. I prayed the show would develop her more but it seems the anime decided to take steps back after that one memorable episode. For what’s worth, watch this anime with caution if you choose. It honestly became a show that gives shogi a bad name.