Review the first - Shion no Ou
Ok, for my first anime review, I'm going to be talking about the series "Shion no Ou." So let's get right into it.
Shion no Ou starts off with a bang. A young girl named Shion, late one night, is witness to the murder of both of her parents by an unknown assailant. The attacker catches her, but for some reason spares her life. The only clue left behind by the murderer? A single shogi piece, the King, placed on the forehead of her dead father.
As a result of that night, Shion no longer has the ability to speak, and communicates with gestures, facial expressions, and by writing things down on a notepad she carries with her. 8 years have now passed, and Shion, having been adopted by her neighbor who also happens to be a high-ranked shogi player, is ready to enter the world of the female professional Shogi player, at all of (I think) 13 years old. Along the way, she meets several other young women in the professional circle, and slowly begins to rise in the ranks due to her careful playing style. But someone is watching from the shadows, and could it be that her advancing career as a Shogi player may lead to the truths behind the murder of her parents?
Overall, the series is well-animated, being from late 2007 to early 2008. The lines are crisp and clean, the characters move smoothly, and the characters are each distinct in their own way. From Shion, to her adoptive parents, to her rivals, to the various people in and around the Shogi Association, every character gets a good amount of time to develop their personality. Though I have yet to discover the motives behind the murder (I've only seen up to episode 13/22 so far), the clues are slowly coming together, and forming into a rather elegant picture.
I discovered this series when chatting with some people online, having been lamenting the fact that I'd seen Hikaru no Go and Saki, which cover two of the three main 'Japanese' games (go and riichi mahjong), and wondered if there was one based on Shogi. Whereas in HnG and Saki, a lot of time is spent seeing the games played, Shion no Ou focuses on individual moves and how they will affect the board, so if one doesn't have at least a basic grasp of the way the various pieces move and the rules of the game, it can be a bit confusing at times.
Overall, I give Shion no Ou a 'fun watch,' since while it does get a bit confusing with the actual shogi, the storyline is strong and the characters vibrant. I will be finishing this one soon within the next few days (probably going to shotgun the last half of the show on my days off).
Shion no Ou starts off with a bang. A young girl named Shion, late one night, is witness to the murder of both of her parents by an unknown assailant. The attacker catches her, but for some reason spares her life. The only clue left behind by the murderer? A single shogi piece, the King, placed on the forehead of her dead father.
As a result of that night, Shion no longer has the ability to speak, and communicates with gestures, facial expressions, and by writing things down on a notepad she carries with her. 8 years have now passed, and Shion, having been adopted by her neighbor who also happens to be a high-ranked shogi player, is ready to enter the world of the female professional Shogi player, at all of (I think) 13 years old. Along the way, she meets several other young women in the professional circle, and slowly begins to rise in the ranks due to her careful playing style. But someone is watching from the shadows, and could it be that her advancing career as a Shogi player may lead to the truths behind the murder of her parents?
Overall, the series is well-animated, being from late 2007 to early 2008. The lines are crisp and clean, the characters move smoothly, and the characters are each distinct in their own way. From Shion, to her adoptive parents, to her rivals, to the various people in and around the Shogi Association, every character gets a good amount of time to develop their personality. Though I have yet to discover the motives behind the murder (I've only seen up to episode 13/22 so far), the clues are slowly coming together, and forming into a rather elegant picture.
I discovered this series when chatting with some people online, having been lamenting the fact that I'd seen Hikaru no Go and Saki, which cover two of the three main 'Japanese' games (go and riichi mahjong), and wondered if there was one based on Shogi. Whereas in HnG and Saki, a lot of time is spent seeing the games played, Shion no Ou focuses on individual moves and how they will affect the board, so if one doesn't have at least a basic grasp of the way the various pieces move and the rules of the game, it can be a bit confusing at times.
Overall, I give Shion no Ou a 'fun watch,' since while it does get a bit confusing with the actual shogi, the storyline is strong and the characters vibrant. I will be finishing this one soon within the next few days (probably going to shotgun the last half of the show on my days off).