March Comes In like a Lion

March Comes In like a Lion
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Rei Kiriyama
3月のライオン
(Sangatsu no Raion)
Genre
Manga
Written byChica Umino
Published byHakusensha
English publisher
Imprint
  • Jets Comics
  • (2008–16)
  • Young Animal Comics
  • (2016–present)
MagazineYoung Animal
DemographicSeinen
Original runJuly 13, 2007 – present
Volumes17
Manga
Sangatsu no Lion Shouwa Ibun: Shakunetsu no Toki
Written byHideaki Nishikawa
Published byHakusensha
Imprint
  • Jets Comics
  • (2015–16)
  • Young Animal Comics
  • (2016–20)
MagazineYoung Animal
DemographicSeinen
Original runApril 24, 2015March 27, 2020
Volumes10
Anime television series
Directed by
Produced by
  • Akiko Yodo
  • Ryou Tomoda
  • Fuminari Fukino
  • Masahiro Nojima (1–22)
  • Masayuki Sano (1–22)
  • Tadao Iwaki (1–22)
  • Takahiro Yoshikawa (1–22)
  • Jun Sakata (22–44)
  • Kazuhiko Yusa (22–44)
  • Miku Ooshima (22–44
Written by
  • Shaft (composition)
  • Akiyuki Shinbo (composition)
  • Yukito Kizawa (scripts)
Music byYukari Hashimoto
StudioShaft
Licensed by
Original networkNHK G
Original run October 8, 2016 March 31, 2018
Episodes44
Live-action film

March Comes In like a Lion (Japanese: 3月のライオン, Hepburn: Sangatsu no Raion; lit.'The Lion of March') is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Chica Umino. It has been serialized in Hakusensha's seinen manga magazine Young Animal since July 2007, with its chapters collected in 17 tankōbon volumes as of August 2023. It follows the life of Rei Kiriyama, an introvert professional shogi player, who gradually develops both his play and his relationship with others.

An anime television series adapted by Shaft aired on NHK G from October 2016 to March 2017 and a second season aired from October 2017 to March 2018, with each season consisting of 22 episodes. The English dubbed version was released in four parts by Aniplex of America between December 2017 and April 2019. A two-part live-action film adaptation was released in 2017. The manga has been licensed for English release by Denpa. A spin-off of the manga ran from 2015 to 2020.

March Comes In like a Lion won the fourth Manga Taishō, the 35th Kodansha Manga Award in its general category, the 18th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize's Grand Prize, and the manga division's Grand Prix of the 24th Japan Media Arts Festival. The story has been praised for the psychological depiction of its characters. The anime adaptation has been overall well received by critics, being considered as one of the best of 2010s.