“Ayumu joins shogi club to woo Urushi, vowing to beat her before confessing his love.”
When Will Ayumu Make His Move?
それでも歩は寄せてくる
Would You Love or Hate This?
AI-powered analysis tailored to your taste
Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...
However, the slow initial episodes might test your patience given your history of dropping shows that don't hook you early. The art style shift in the middle arc could also be a concern...
Synopsis
Ayumu joins shogi club to woo Urushi, vowing to beat her before confessing his love.
When middle school kendo champion Ayumu Tanaka begins his first year in high school, he does not take the expected route of joining the Kendo Club; he signs up for the unofficial Shogi Club instead. His sole motive is falling in love at first sight with Urushi Yaotome—the club's president and only member—and will do anything to get closer to her. However, Ayumu decides not to confess to Urushi until he can beat her in a match of shogi fair and square. Naturally, this self-imposed hurdle is a formidable challenge for Ayumu to overcome, as Urushi is far more experienced at the game and sees through his every strategy. Nevertheless, this does not stop him from praising her looks, her skill, or even her smile, which, coupled with Ayumu's expressionless face and direct approach, makes Urushi constantly blush beet red. Learning more about shogi and the charming player sitting across from him, Ayumu inches toward making his confession with each exciting round they play together—even if it is one pawn at a time!
What people say
Community consensus
Derived from 36 sampled reviews
What 36 viewers settled on.
Mostly aligned
σ 1.75 · some divergence
2.1 pts
Recommenders 8.1 · others 6.0
↑ 0.08
Running avg · Jul 2022 → Oct 2025
- 10 “this is stupid flat and predictable with absolutely no plot line but holy cow i am SUCH a sucker for this. every minute that passes, i want to break into tears watching this or smash my head into a...”
- 9 “The plot is enjoyable with well-developed story elements, and the refreshing role reversal of having Ayumu head-over-heels while being younger than Urushi breaks satisfyingly from usual...”
- 8 “Great anime, but it loses points for the incredibly dull and unsatisfying ending, the final episode wasn't even bad, but the way it ended was the same way most romance animes do. With some sort of...”
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- Format 12 × 24′ eps × min
- Total runtime 4h 48m all episodes
- Aired Jul 2022 – Sep 2022 Summer 2022
- Source Tv media type
- Rated PG 13 - Teens 13 or older
- Ref. BS-18588 catalog
Produced by
- Pony Canyon Producer
- TBS Producer
- Kodansha Producer
- Days Producer
Licensed by
- Sentai Filmworks Licensor