Shogi Sasu Kedamono

A manga about Hikari Danzuka, a woman who’s vicious shogi play might makes waves in amateur tournaments. Her strength and ruthlessness catch wind of a reporter who digs up rumors of her sordid past.

Another enjoyable shogi manga. I’ve more than a few manga about female shogi players like Eisei Otome no Tatakai-Kata and Ryu to Ichigo but they always like to focus on the fact that female players are considered inferior to male players. I think a lot of these shogi manga focus on female players to emphasize their talent and skill in a competitive world dominated by men.

The protagonist Hikari also defeats her opponents with overwhelming strength but also completely crushes them without remorse. There’s a big mystery about why she’s so strong and bad rumors about things she did in high school. All of this makes for a really engaging read. Iroha Ichimaru‘s art looked familiar and it was because they also did Million Joe. Ichimaru’s distinct art style works well with these shogi player who are compared to beasts.

~dakazu