Anime: Shion no Ou

They say it is a mistake to judge a book by its cover. Ok then, I will not judge it by the description that says sports (which I hate) or mystery (which are rarely to never that interesting in anime format). I am not going to judge it by the entry picture either, which shows some typical school and teenagers. I am just going to look at the technicals, which are a lot more creditable, since a studio or a person are usually following a pattern that provide you with a few important details about what to expect. And guess what?
Shion no Ou is bad from the first second.

A veteran viewer will immediately know that by simply looking at who made it. The production team is Studio DEEN, the officially worst of all famous studios (yes, even worse than GONZO). Just looking at the name is enough to let you know “Oh boy, here comes some really mediocre production values and possibly a bad story.” So the story is at least giving you a few hopes of it being great but then you see the director’s roster of previous works. The same guy had directed Tenjou Tenge and Beyblades and any 8 year old kid can tell you those were some really shitty anime.

Talk about negative bias before I even start watching the damn thing. It is about sports (well, technically a board game), it is about some DONE TO DEATH school kids, it is made by the worst anime studio ever, and it is directed by a guy who was trying to convince you for 500 episodes that playing with spinning tops will make you look cool for the rest of the gang.

Wait, I am not gonna start talking about the anime yet. I will also deal with that issue regarding all those newbs who dared to compare this piece of negative bias with the most cool game promoting anime of all times. “If you liked Hikaru no Go, then you will definitely like Shion no Ou” is what they were saying. Troll harder you fools! Apart from the fact Go and Shogi are VERY DIFFERENT games, the basic plot itself is downright different. While the protagonist in Hikaru was a BOY trying to be THE BEST GO PLAYER IN THE WORLD (trademark catchphrase), in Shion it is a GIRL trying to find the killer of her parents while playing Shogi. As corny as the first premise may sound, trying to find a killer by PLAYING A BOARD GAME is plain ridiculous. It’s like trying to save the world with card games. Isn’t that right Yugi?

Anyways, let’s just suppose this is a series where through some weird superpower if you defeat someone in a board game, he reveals his crimes to you… Hey wait a second, there are no superpowers in this anime! How is Shogi going to help if it doesn’t magically force peoples’ crime to be revealed?... What? Shogi has nothing to do with finding the murderer? It is an irrelevant extra? The detective thriller part of the story has absolutely nothing to do with the Shogi tournaments? So we practically get two completely different stories in the same series? Talk about trolled hard!

To all you people out there who aspire to become scriptwriters. If you write a story about penguins and spaceships, make sure the penguins have something to do with the spaceships (like piloting them) and that they are not COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT AND ISOLATED ASPECTS. See what I meant by negative bias? Those who like the penguins will dislike the spaceships, and vice versa. In a similar fashion, those who like Shogi will dislike the mystery, and those who like mystery will dislike the Shogi. IT IS PLAIN FACTS!

To be honest there is a vague connection. The anime is basically about a girl named Shion, aiming to become a Shogi master because the murderer is a Shogi player and by playing with all of them she can find leads to who he may be. And as you can probably figure out in five seconds after reading this, LOSING THE GAME HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FINDING THE KILLER. She could be a total amateur for all we care and the result would be the same. So basically watching Shion trying her best to win does not make you feel like she cares to be the best in the world and you immediately lose a big chunk of fondness about her. Looking for the killer while trying not to miss the deadline for the next match feels like she doesn’t care about it much either. And thus PRESTO you are not going to like either.

Superficially, the anime does things right by fleshing out the characters on a basic level and maintaining the tension of the mystery. Underneath though there is very little actual motivation to keep watching and anticipating what will follow. The whole premise is blunt, the characters never feel special to bother remembering, and the whole murder mystery (get ready to facepalm) is resolved in the middle of the show! That’s right; she finds the killer way before the finale and then spends the rest of the show just playing Shogi! Hooray, how motivational! I avenged my parents so I can now return back to playing games. Thanks for having the peak of interesting gone midway! Not that I was very thrilled about Shion as a character before midway anyway. She is the more than typical too-goody, idealistic teen hero.

So beyond all doubt I proved to you how story and characters are big pile on crap, even without being biased against it (which I am anyway). Let’s move on to other aspects now, shall we? Let’s get to the artwork and the animation for awhile. Even if you are not familiar with how crappy Studio DEEN is in such things, it doesn’t take a genius to tell that there isn’t much to see here. Everything looks plain typical, from typical character designs, to typical buildings, to even more typical Shogi boards. The outlines are also never too detailed, the movements are never too smooth, and the visual effects are kept at a basic level. And remember; this is a 2007 anime and just a year before we had Suzumiya Haruhi’s funky dancing all over the place. See how dull it feels beyond all doubt?

And now the sound… Um… err… I don’t remember anything. Which again proves beyond all doubt (XD) it was mediocre because otherwise I would definitely have good or bad things to say about the soundtrack or the voice acting. Oh wait, I do remember something very well. Shion’s voice was amazing XD.

From all the universal truths I described to you above so clearly, it is easy to understand (and blindly believe) that there is very little replay value in this show. There is absolutely no reason to rewatch it after you know the outcome of each battle or who the killer is. And the rest of the plot is very basic and mediocre so again nothing worth seeing again here. The enjoyment part, as objective as it may be depending on the observer, is also low, especially if you have watched Hikaru no Go as well as other gamble anime such as Akagi and Kaiji. The amount of tension, raw emotion, and funky mindfucking background effects make Shion to look like a bedtime story and just as one grows up and leaves fairy tales behind, Shion no Ou will be nothing more than a dusty decoration on your shelf.

You have now been educated.

Note: This review is based on L-E fansubs. Picture quality and translation are pretty good, but there are some evident problems with sound in the first few episodes.



Originally written as manga by Katori Masaru and directed by Kawase Toshifumi (Tenjou Tenge, Beyblades) Shion no Ou[/b] is a shogi-themed mystery murder thriller centered on a young shogi prodigy Ishiwatari Shion whose parents were murdered by a mysterious shogi playing villain eight years ago. Now, Shion, adopted by a shogi master, is about to enter her first national level tournament and eventually learn all the secrets behind her parents' murder.

Shion no Ou sounds better on paper than it looks on screen. It makes sports and mystery genres work together without really going easy on either. It has relatively well fleshed out cast of characters, interesting premise and enough tension. Is it awesome then? Nope, far from it. Is it bad? Not really. Is it good then? Errr... maybe..? Characters while certainly fleshed out and developing here and there aren't really that interesting to begin with. Mystery, while not obvious, will never make you gasp at stunning twists. It's not like there is anything particularly bad with this show, to the contrary, I have yet to think of a thing to label bad in it. Unfortunately while it's crafted well and any potential is hardly wasted, I can't call Shion no Ou a good show because it is simply not that interesting. Maybe it is a lack of imagination, or a lack of suspense during some shogi matches, but this anime, while not particularly bad at any respect, comes off as bland and unmemorable. You will likely enjoy it to some extent at the time you will be watching it, but you'll forget all about Shion no Ou the day you'll finish it. It's a simple, well crafted detective story with shogi as a side dish and I can assure you've already seen better detectives elsewhere. This show, simply, doesn't stand out.

Animation: 6/10

While at first glance animation by Studio Deen (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Fate/Stay Night) looks quite nice you will eventually start noticing its many shortcomings. For example, while character designs are very well detailed when up-close (particularly individual hanks of hair look nice), they lose all their beauty when camera pans out and all the little details fly out the window. It starts to get especially bad when the show is nearing its end, there are some scenes which come off as simply awkward due to the sudden change of facial detail. Otherwise, original character designs aren't particularly memorable themselves, as the only one who has ever gotten my attention was Nikaidou Saori with her nowadays exotic long skirt sailor outfit. Background images aren't particularly imaginative either, while there are a few detailed shots at the cityscape, you will still spend most of your time observing bleak indoor walls or brown shogi boards.

The part that's animated best is when people are putting their pieces on the board. Otherwise, motion fluidity is kept to minimum. While the animation of character movement isn't particularly awkward, people with a keener eye and higher standards might sneer at Shion no Ou's skipped movement frames. Certainly not the quality you could expect from something made in 2007. Boring direction doesn't help either, as it's either a close-up to someone's face during the dialogue or a close-up to the shogi board during the match. Ultimately, like about everything else in this show, animation, while not bad, simply doesn't stand out.

Sound: 6/10

Nothing particularly stands out in sound department either. OP Lady Love by RIZE is a nice song fit for the shogi-detective mood. ED My Dear Friend by Aoyama Terma is a slow, relaxing piece good enough to lower the tension from the show. Background music composed by Yamashita Kousuke consists of bland, somewhat atmospheric themes, though there are few highlighting pieces during important matches. Unfortunately, even those are barely memorable.

Seiyuu team is quite impressive, sporting my favourite female seiyuu Kawasumi Ayako and likely nr.1 expert on female-to-male voices Paku Romi. Unfortunately, while Paku Romi does her job with her usual precision at voicing Saitou Ayumi, Kawasumi Ayako doesn't have much lines to say having to do the voices for the mute Shion. Her voiced thoughts still sound well, however. Other performances, on the other hand, aren't particularly exceptional.

Story: 6/10

While shogi matches in Shion no Ou aren't the most engrossing animated board gaming I've seen (can't beat Hikaru no Go, heh), lacking tension is easily supplied by the detective story going on in the background. While detective story isn't the most thrilling twisted mystery story I've seen, lacking tension is supplied by some interesting shogi matches... errr. Frankly, if you were to split these two apart you'd get either a simplistic detective story or a sports anime full of hardly explained deus ex machina driven shogi matches. Well, at least I can commend them for tying shogi and murder together so well. Either way, pace is good; mystery, albeit simple, is interesting; and shogi, while nowhere near as exciting as Go, is pretty fun (given Shion no Ou is the first shogi-themed anime I ever watched). So yeah, the show certainly lives up to its potential, too bad it wasn't that big to begin with. Shogi is about the only thing able to set Shion no Ou apart from two billion other murder mysteries (not like it makes this anime more memorable). I must admit though, I did enjoy the mild tension of this show as long as it lasted. Sadly, one day after the watch - I don't even remember what I particularly liked about it.

Characters: 6/10

Fleshed out: Check. Developing: Check. Interesting: ....not really. To tell the obvious, I have seen hundreds of Shion-like characters already: driven by sincere and pure emotions, loving their family, working hard, keeping deus ex machina for a pet, boring. Just like her character design Shion, even though fleshed out, is a boring character you are already very familiar with. I can't say I disliked her, more like, I was indifferent towards her (I fully knew where she will end up anyway). It appears she, indeed, does develop a little, however, her development is so minor you can go through the show without noticing it. Though I must say they did a good job conveying what she was thinking through facial gimmicks alone, she is a mute after all. Either way, you can give your characters whatever developments you wish, if they go from very boring to just boring, I'll still say they suck. Same thing applies to many other characters from this show, they have flashbacks, they develop a little, but you know what they think and where will they end up even before watching the show, stereotypes galore. There are, of course, exceptions...

Being a detective show and all, it is obvious some characters have to turn out different than what their first impression gives. And while some characters seemed to be taken straight from the stereotypes book, few turned out to be quite cool actually. The villain for example, while hardly a great characters is... quite cool. Committing murder motivated by shogi shows his devotion to the game is quite commendable. Then there is Saitou Ayumi who develops the most through the show. While I didn't find him particularly interesting and that devotion to the sick mother of his feels as if taken straight from a "XXth century stereotype collection", he still does manage to offer some mild drama to the viewers.

Well, all in all, while it seems I gripe at more things than I commend, characters of this show aren't really bad. They are stereotypical, most of them aren't really interesting, but they are still fleshed out, they have flashbacks, they develop. There are hardly any memorable personalities in the show, but, albeit bland, the cast still manages to carry the story to its finale without ever really messing up.

Myers-Briggs personality type indicator:

Villain - ???? (?)
Hani Makoto - ISTP (C)
Saitou Ayumi - ISFJ (D)
Hani Satoru - ENTP (C)
Nikaidou Saori - ESFJ (D)
Yasuoka Shion - ISFP (E)

Show Spoiler

Value: 6/10

Shion no Ou is certainly not a re-watch material. To put it simply, I know the villain - I know the show. Shogi matches aren't that intense and lack detail to work as a study material. Really, unless you are an avid shogi maniac, I can't see you re-watching this show. I certainly wont. I'll still keep it in my collection, it is slightly bland, but it isn't bad after all.

1. Conclusion[/u]: Shion no Ou is not a bad show, unfortunately, it's hardly good as well. Unless you are an avid board game themed anime fan, or you get your kicks out of any mysterious detective you see, you might be better off watching more memorable shows, like Hikaru no Go... or Monster

. This show is still mildly fun for as long as it lasts, so if you are sure you can't find anything better, watch it with low expectations, you might like it.[/i][/ol]

Shion no Ou gets off to a promising start - an interesting, well-balanced trio of characters centred on our eponymous, mute child genius. While the series' flair for the dramatic asserts itself early on, the characters are on the whole remarkably realistic, and we are given a depth and wealth of character background seldom seen in any but the longest shows. This is complemented perfectly by well-chosen music and some superb voice work - each voice is distinctive without needing any to be at all unnatural; the animation is actually quite poor on a technical level, but some well-chosen character designs and scene angles play to the animators' strengths and result in a series which is visually pleasant, though never outstanding.

But somehow despite - or perhaps because of - all this promise, the series never quite pulls it all together; rather, it begins to lose coherence towards the end. It is perhaps more than coincidence that this happens as attention is shifted away from our original triangle to focus exclusively on Shion and the mystery of her parents' murder; I also cannot help but suspect the series' unusual length may be a sign of being stretched out from what should have been a 16- or even 13-episode show. Our second set of characters are less well-rounded than the first; there are too many, and too little characterization as the plot begins to consume more screen time. Exposition is too heavy-handed, leaving one with very little sense of a mystery to be solved; rather, the viewer feels frustrated at being given no hints, only the major clues, which seem to be found to fit the episode schedule rather than following any inner logic; likewise the ultimate identity of the killer feels like a matter of dramatic convention rather than something the viewer could have been working out all along, making this a terrible candidate for rewatching. Where the first half was suitably dramatic, the second half is unsuitably melodramatic, with several scenes ending up more amusing than touching.

For all these faults, Shion no Ou is a highly enjoyable show - and it's important as a reviewer not to let the disappointing final segment overshadow an excellent beginning and solid middle. But the hamfisted approach to the mystery that should form the core of this show makes for a whole which is less than the sum of its parts; the superb characters cannot salvage a hollow plot.

This has been up for more than a year and it's unrated!?? Rate Me! I read your comments, even though I will likely be in a deep funk after.  
This review is based on the Live-Evil HD fansubs, and may be revised when I get the chance to review the DVDs.

Quick Take: This series, "Shion's King", is both a sports-drama (if Japanese chess, known as Shogi, is considered a sport rather than a board game) and a crime mystery-drama, with some romantic aspects on the side. It has excellent characters, a good (if slow) story, engaging sound, noteworthy animation, and it's different.  Sounds like a great series, no?  Yeah, it's that good. Appropriate for all ages, but because of the themes, I recommend it for more mature persons.

As a child, Shion Ishiwatari's parents were knifed, killed in their own home. Shion lived, yet the trauma caused her to lose her voice. The only evidence police found was a shougi board and one piece "the King," on the forehead of her dead father. Close friends of the family, Shinji and Sachiko Yasuoka, adopted Shion and tutored Shion how to play shougi. As the years passed, she became known as a child genius. Now, as her fame rises, her past resurfaces and she discovers that being a professional shogi player may just lead to finding her parents' killer.  The original manga is by Jiro Ando (art) and Masaru Katori (story), and the series mostly follows the manga with occasional small changes.

Animation: Animated capably by Studio Deen, it's mostly a mix of excellent 2D with a little 3D efx thrown in. Director Toshifumi Kawase (Beyblade, Tenjho Tenge) uses some cinematics like forced perspective, perspective blur, and lens flare to give the series a cinematic feel. However, don't expect a camera style more than a POV soap drama, as it's mostly done with interiors and closeups. Landscape, jump cuts, push ins or XLS (extreme long shots) are hard to come by!  

Following the manga, a little super deformation is used, but it's minimal, mostly during times when Shion is embarrassed or flustered. Excellent side character designs,backgrounds and in-between animation (flowing hair, clothing draping movements) mark this series. It's a small-action (often called soap drama) story told on a medium canvas, but the characters take on a moving, even powerful life through the series.

The OP is visually captivating, though the ED is more static. Though there are times when the animation is somewhat off, it's only occasional and could be the result of the fansub. I'd rate the animation 9 on character design, 8 on backgrounds, 6 on action sequences, and 9 for series composition, for a result of a solid 8. You won't be disappointed by the animation of the series.

Sound: The soundstage is wide and somewhat immersive, lacking establishing ambient foley (good foley, but lacking in soundspace ambience) but giving the listener excellent feel for character presence; technicals get a 7.

Good use of synthorch music for both emotional support for the characters, and setting the stage for the action and drama; I'd give the music a solid 8. Very effective OP (Opening Theme): "Lady Love" by RIZE, sets the stage for the 3-person soap opera that this is, and the Ending Theme: "My dear friend" by Teruma Aoyama, captures the essence of the show's themes.

Seiyuu are excellent, even though Shion's characer has little to say except in internal dialogue. It's an ensemble cast, and there are a large number of good characters with lots of dialogue, so I give the seiyuu an 8 on this. Sound therefore rates a 7.7.

Story: Wow, how can you make a story about chess seem exciting? You give Shion a dramatic, tragic backstory, and then resolve the murder of their parents at the same time as she competes for the win in a tournament. Taadaa!  Somehow, it works fabulously, and because its something not often done, I give the writers a solid 9 for the effort. You will absolutely be moved by Shion and her struggle to be come a stronger player, and I think you'll not regret the 8+ hours spent in her tournament room.

Make no mistake, this isn't a story about just one person, or even just one tournament, but everything seems to revolve around Shion, so selling her as a character is paramount. How you do that with her being essentially mute is amazing. Side stories abound, and involve impoverished Ayumi and her secret, as well as wealthy Saori's struggle for recognition.  I'd give the writers kudos, as I didn't think you could make a series about chess seem exciting. Somehow, it's a fabulous 9.

Character: This is where Shion no Ou shines. Shion is adorable, cute, determined, and honestly one of the best strong female characters you'll encounter in anime. The side-characters (and they are many) each have a defined place to play, a set character, and backstory that develops nicely through the series. It's an ensemble cast, nicely done, and you should feel good resolution to almost all character development in the series. I don't fault the writers at all, it's near-perfect. I suppose if Shion had more voiced lines, or did more action, she'd be in contention for end-of-year awards. You won't know who the antagonist is for a while, as you have several choices; suffice it to say, not every bad person is just drawn that way. The rating here is a 8.5-9.

Value and Enjoyment: I looked forward with anticipation to every new episode. Since it's not episodic, as the arc follows the flow of the tournament, you can't pick up in the middle without losing flow. Value is high, in my estimation, because the story and characters are interesting, because you learn something about culture and history, and because you have a lot of fun in the ride. Enjoyment is even higher on my scale also, and I think you will agree it's quite an interesting and enjoyable series. 8 for value, 9 for enjoyment.

Conclusion: It's not action, but it's great nonetheless. Shion is a great character, there are good side characters, and the story is both interesting and at times moving. Good animation, good sound, but the story makes it fun. Get this series and watch it.

It sounds so silly on the face of it. Combine a sports theme with a murder mystery, mix it up and see what happens. It would have been all too easy for it to fall flat on its face. But instead, Shion no Ou turned into an interesting, enjoyable journey through a shogi world that, fortunately, isn't really as "interesting" as this one became.[br][br]Story[br]The storyline is actually fairly simple. Shion, a young girl who is an exceptional shogi talent, lives under a shogi master, her own parents having been brutally murdered years ago. As she hones her skills, becomes a pro, and makes a name for herself, the mystery behind her parents' murder starts to unravel.[br][br]What makes it work so well, however, is how they keep up the pacing, set up dramatic tension, and only reveal just enough to whet your appetite without giving it all away early on. Even though most of the matches are simply matches, and don't actually matter, somehow they always seem to. Yes, plenty of sports animes do the same sort of thing, but here it's pulled off more convincingly than usual.[br][br]That said, the actual murder story is a bit disappointing. Yes, it's pulled off well, and certainly, the climax is exciting, but it felt kind of like a Scooby Doo episode in terms of who the actual murderer was. The mystery part wasn't as important as the climax after you know everything that's happening, but I have to dock it a point nonetheless.[br][br]Character[br]There's a pretty good mix of characters here. Shion, the young prodigy; Ayumi, the girl with a big secret; and Nikaido the "other one" are the three leading characters. There's a good supporting cast of other characters, many of which have some good moments.[br][br]But more than the mix of characters is the chemistry between them. It's always hard to describe chemistry well, but here it's always clear that the relationships between everyone work. Nothing feels forced, and a lot of the developments between the chararacters keep things moving and help turn some of the potentially dull scenes (especially early) into dramatic ones instead.[br][br]Animation[br]The animation is OK, but really nothing special. There's nothing wrong with it per se, but I also never looked at it and was impressed at any point in time. The detail, the coloring, the backgrounds, all are "fine", but nothing really stood out.[br][br]Sound[br]I liked the OP a lot, and I thought the voice acting was strong. Background music was good.[br][br]Value[br]For this type of genre, value normally gets a low score, because once you know whodunit, and once you know who wins which match, it's hard to want to watch it again. Here that really isn't the case. There were a lot of well-done scenes that are still good the second time around, and since finding out the bad guy wasn't some sort of huge climax, you don't really lose much on that front either seeing it all over again.[br][br]Enjoyment[br]A very solid 10 here. There are some shows where it's easy to forget about watching it for a while, or more important things come up, or you're just not in the mood. Not this one. This is a show that really keeps your interest from the start episode 1 all the way to the bitter end.

Recently I was browsing through new releases and came across this new Anime "Shion no Ou". Right after seeing the Tags I knew it'll be my next get it and watch it anime. I loved Hikaru no Go, thats why I was pretty sure that i'll like this one aswell. Even the names seemed kinda familiar. [br][br]Well, anyway. IMHO Shion no Ou is somewhere between Touhai Densetsu Akagi and the already mentioned Hikaru No Go. [br]Now let's get to a more detailed review.[br][br]Animation[br]There was a lot of testing going during that anime. From time to time (i think about 3 times) the quality dropped for a scene or 2. And let me assure you that im not talking about the quality of my copy. I guess the producer wanted to experiment a bit. [br]Otherwise the animation is definately up to date. I'm not goint to say "top- notch" since I don't want to get mad comments pointing out that I'm soooo wrong. But the animation is really good. [br]After all that flattery everyone is going to wonder "wtf that m-ron" gave only a 7 if its all that good. The reason is pretty simple. I deduced one point for the high complexity in following the games. I'm a pretty good chess player and I know the basic rules of Shogi but it was pretty much impossible to understand whats going on. Instead of showing the moves on the chessboard the faces of the players were shown while their moves were described. d - 5f, e - 4d. Stuff like that. Only once or twice during the whole anime (also probably the only times i understood what was going on) the situation was described on the chessboard. The important pieces were highlighted making it easy to comprehend the situation.[br]That is the only reason the animation got a 7 instead of a 8. [br][br]Sound[br]I said it a couple of times already and I'm going to repeat myself. It is really hard for me to rate the sound in any anime and still I try to make it. Not only based on my liking or disliking the Op and Ed. [br]Both Op and Ed were ok. They really got you into the right mood for this anime. Especially considering the background (murder and stuff, more of that while rating the story). But... the person responsible for music during the show should be shot ^^ [br]The sound was so just.. wrong during the most important scenes of the show. I mean... what's with that happy sound during the very last game? It is the most tense situation and you get to hear some annoying happy sound in the background? Baaad idea :P [br]Only a 6 here from me. [br][br]Story[br]Now we actually get to the good sides of the show. This show has a lot of twists which is probably why I really liked it. Starting here my ratings will remain rather high :)[br]We get to see a story of a young, genius and veeery cute female chess player. I'm not going to describe the story in general, if you want that just read the description on anidb. But if you want to know what's waiting for you (in case you haven't seen that show yet) keep reading :)[br]The story is good. Especially because of this dark background. Parents murdered. Murderer is a pretty mysterious person. The reason for the murder is unclear and so on. The games are really thrilling. [br]The story has only 2 downsides. I mentioned the first one in the "Animation" part. It's hard to follow and understand the moves. You'd probably have to be a pro shogi-player to understand everything that's happening. The second thing is that the background of the most character is way too plain. I got the feeling that most of the characters lost their parents or at least never get to see their parents.[br]That's why only a 9. [br][br]Character[br]I decided to rate the Character part with a 9. Not because of Shions cuteness. No, really! I swear![br]Hehe. Based only on Shion I would have given a 8 at best. But this anime is all about Character and their growth. All of them traverse big changes. They become better, stronger. The playstyle of shion changes peoples lives. Cold and gloomy people become friendly and openhearted. Greed becomes passion. Coolness turns into insanity. That kind of changes is what makes me happy when I watch an anime. Closer to the middle part we also get to know about the past and hardship of the side-character. Their stories are told with passion we usually get to see only regarding the main character in most animes. Nikaido Saori is the only person i would like to know more about. About her connection to the Maijin, her past, her parents, her casual life. But well i guess 22 episodes is just not enought :) Still... -1 [br][br]Value & Enjoyment[br]I really enjoyed this show. Most likely because I like this type of animes. Anyway this show is the reason I want to learn more about shogi and play it for a bit. It lookes more complicated than chess, especially because you can use "captured" figures to fight on your side. I could even [br]imagine rewatching this anime after knowing more about shogi. I'm sure it will be even more entertaining. That is also the most disappointing part of the series. Because of the reaction of the spectators you get the feeling but you don't really understand it.[br]To sum it up...[br]Great show, great main character, complex side character, superb villain(s) :)[br][br][br][br]