Shogi is a two-player board game in Japan. Like chess, it’s traditional (some say that original one was recorded in the 13th century ) and still very popular.
【先行カット公開】
今夜23：05からＮＨＫ総合テレビにて、 #３月のライオン 第39話（第2シリーズ17話）が放送です！https://t.co/XbtiihwgJ6pic.twitter.com/Hkg2erCEcW— TVアニメ「３月のライオン」公式 (@3lion_anime) 2018年3月3日
As a proof of recent popularity, on-going winter TV season got two shogi anime. One is March Comes in Like a Lion (M.C.L.L) and the other is The Ryuo’s Work is Never Done (R.W.N.D)*.
By official site of ‘March Comes in Like a Lion’
アニメ #３月のライオン 第２シリーズ最終話までの放送予定をお知らせ！
第１８話 3月10日23:00
第１９話 17日23:00
第２０話 24日23:00
第２１話 31日23:00
第２２話(終) 31日23:25
※31日は２話連続の放送となります
※放送予定は変更になる場合がありますhttps://t.co/ieuWUpxhTJ— TVアニメ「３月のライオン」公式 (@3lion_anime) March 5, 2018
By official site of The Ryuo’s Work is Never Done.
『りゅうおうのおしごと！』８巻は、３月１４日ころ発売となります。
美しい二人の女流タイトル保持者が春の京都で大激突！今回は通常盤のみ。しらび先生の描く、流麗な和装イラストが目印です！！https://t.co/9Vdx8BcwdT#りゅうおうのおしごと pic.twitter.com/FSJxpK6ryn
— 白鳥士郎 (@nankagun) 2018年2月19日
I am following through all episodes of both so far. As an amateur Shogi player, I recommend RWND as Shogi scenes are more realistic.
However, I don’t drop MCLL because characters are based on real Shogi player (kind of…) so some reality of Shogi pro world is there.
Interestingly, both are featured by very impressive background art. It’s from real Tokyo and Osaka city landscape.
But why Shogi is back in popular world this way?
OK. let’s see what-is-shogi stuff a bit deeper.
Firstly I try to save your time to read Wiki in case you have not heard anything about Shogi before.
As in chess, you play Shogi pieces the way you capture opponent’s King piece. One difference, which would surprise chess players, is that dropped opponent’s piece can be brought back in play.
Therefore, whole gameplay always looks ‘all-out’ condition which makes Shogi more strategic one (giving astronomical explosion of gaming pattern) . I am personally surprised by the fact professional players keep inventing ‘wining moves’ even after 800 year history.
And that is very reason why manga creator still look into this old-school game as hot subject…
A good example is here: Do you know one young Shogi player recorded 29 consecutive wins since his day one of professional career, and then have beaten ‘unbeatable’ permanent Meijin (Master) in a match?
It happened just last month. And now AI challenges them by new computational hardware (It will be quantum CPU near future…)
Reality is as exciting as sword&magic fantasy, isn’t it?
Ongoing two animes above are a good introduction to deep Shogi world!
Author: Guest writer ‘Roppu’
*it’s just coincidence they sound like terminologies of network protocol.