Blog posts on Chihayafuru Episode 2
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These episodes fly by, and I definitely didn’t see that coming. What I thought would happen – five episodes for as many matches focusing on individuals goals’ – seemed a perfect way to balance out a team-focused season. But no, these episodes defy those expectations and extend the team vs. individual theme!
Instead of using opponents established in the team tourney to hasten the individual matches, these episodes make Mizusawa members’ advances throughout the rounds of the individual tournament but momentary mentions (with regards to importance). The real focus is what goes on in-between matches, inside the heads of the players (memories and introspection) as well as the weight of choices. Thus the focus shifts from the playing of cards to the motivations behind the dedication to karuta.
There are, however, moments within individual matches worth mentioning and that contribute to character growth. How and that Chihaya surmounts her handicap seems a bit too easy, but what is inspiring is the degree to which she can analyze her own movements (we’ve seen how capable she is at analyzing others’). Realistically, Chihaya’s run should’ve ended sooner than it did, but the stopping point allowed for some much more potent conflicts of interest. This starts with Chihaya’s decision regarding her handicap versus Shinobu.
Ayase’s been saving her utmost, her encumbered, instinctual skills, for her match with Arata. But upon being paired against Shinobu, Chihaya’s proverbial and (loosely) literal gloves come off. While this may come across as just one part badass and one part hasty selfishness, what this match actually portrays is the underdog who represents the team spirit tackling the epitome of the individual. The outcome is rendered irrelevant, as what counts are the blows dealt, the lingering effects, and the respect gained.
After her match is over, Chihaya’s inner conflict between who to watch – team members or Arata – is significant. The series makes Porky the heavy, however, the moral scapegoat who opts to not support the team in favor of watching a separate match. With that selfish side of Chihaya projected onto Porky, her other side (and embodiment of this season), the team player, is free to sit on the sidelines in support of Mashima.
Later on, and with physics being the pain they are, Ayase still cannot be in more than one place at the same time. So like the cop-out with Porky, she has to decide whether she’ll attend Desktomu’s match or Arata’s. There are two bugbears in this instance that make it particularly offensive. First is the use of an at-capacity room to deny Chihaya, as led by Mashima, entry into Arata’s match. The two were then all set to go watch Desktomu, because there’s nowhere else to go – a little degrading to the team mentality. Second is really the same issue of using a fall guy gal. This time it's Fujisaki’s Sakurazawa, who uses her influence to squeeze herself and the lingering Mizusawa members into the room. While the issue is the same, the fact that the series compounds its offense via repetition gets under my skin. It can be viewed as two teams working together, but that’s stretching the theme out of its established focus.
Following through on team vs. individual, the match between Arata and Shinobu tells much. Not only in the winner, but in suppositions bantered between the players during the game and the fact that Arata considers himself a part of the Chihaya-Mashima-Arata team. In fact, this is the place wherefrom Arata draws his inner calm, which speaks volumes for what supports his motivations, versus Shinobu, who gets a piteous back story of guided isolation that evokes strong sympathy for her character.
That back story perfectly rationalizes Shinobu’s relationship with karuta, but it also speaks to something greater. Her intense attachment to the cards, to the poems. Her treating them as friends harkens back to the very first episode of this season, where Chihaya pleads with freshmen to make friends with the poems and fall in love with karuta. This likens Chihaya to the queen on a fundamental level. Until now, we have only seen how karuta has affected the newbies and amateurs. How Shinobu has been affected by the cards extends the reach of the game, of the poems, personally and deeply into the circles of professionals. The solace Shinobu takes in the cards is paralleled by a wonderful scene early on in episode 24.
That Oe “brings out poems like they’re candy or remedies” is wonderful in itself, but that this implication is recognized by newbie Sumire after Oe recites the initial line truly speaks as to how much Sumire has internalized the poems. The level of observation tempered with such a reserved response is almost a poem in and of itself. Oe says something without saying anything directly and to great effect.
This has been a wonderfully tense and swift season. Chihayafuru 2 portrays the distinctly Japanese sport of karuta and those who play it with adrenaline and heart, respectively, without miring the balance with overly intricate jargon or melodrama. The sport itself is one of endurance but without constant action, a test of mental strain and physical acuteness. These 25 episodes, at every turn (minus recaps), manage to make every aspect of that not only apparent but relevant and dramatic.
... and here's your final (m)Oe moment of the season:
Seasons 1 and 2 of Chihayafuru are currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
Impressions: Chihayafuru 2 Episodes 21-25 was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on July 8, 2013 at 4:00 PM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.
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Episode: Chihayafuru Episode 2
The final episode has passed, and that means I’ve tag teamed with Muse over at Subdued Fangirling for the last time. Go check out our final thoughts on the series. http://subduedfangirling.blogspot.com/2013/06/chihayafuru2episode25.html
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Episode: Chihayafuru Episode 2
Subdued Fangirling
06/29/2013 03:00 PM UTCChihayafuru 2 Episode 25--We Can Only Move Forward (END) >>
Justin: I think Taichi said it best at the end of the final episode of Chihayafuru S2:
“Forward. We can only move forward.”
This episode of Chihayafuru was not quite the best (then again, how do you follow up Arata vs Shinobu?), but since this show started 25 weeks ago, it’s been a roller coaster of emotions and good times. It only makes sense for the final episode to leave us with that scene between Arata and the person he works with at the bookstore, and the banter that ensued. It also makes sense that most of episode 25 had to have its characters move forward -- from Chihaya deciding to have surgery, to her attempting to learn from the Arata/Shinobu match, and to Taichi realizing what he needs to do before its too late to attract Chihaya, it could only end in this manner, and in this fashion.
Of course, the major part of this episode is the final nail in Taichi’s coffin. It all started back in S1, and it all started in S2. The one constant in Chihaya’s mind, that she would always turn back to, was to the one who got her into the world of karuta in the first place. Even with his limited appearances early on in S2, it was always Arata that had managed to evoke a response out of Chihaya that changed her every action, and for her to declare that she loves him pretty much confirmed what I had figured out at least 16 weeks ago. Of course, who knows what the future holds, but unless Taichi can do something to get even the clueless Chihaya to understand, it seems their future is set, but set without each other.
Muse: The first season of Chihayafuru ended with a pause, and it makes sense for this season to do the same. However, this time it feels more like it’s holding its breath than letting it out. This episode dropped a bombshell on the love triangle, a.k.a. Plot B, and just like in season one when we hoped we’d get to see Chihaya’s growth after watching the King and Queen matches, I hope that we get to see the fallout from this reveal.
But let’s back up a little bit and set the stage, since as usual, there was a lot going on in this episode. We finally got an answer about what was really going on with Chihaya’s finger. It turned out that she had a rare bone disease called Enchondromatosis (what a mouthful!) that makes a part of your bone soft. It probably wouldn’t have even bothered Chihaya if she wasn’t such a determined karuta player. It can be fixed through surgery, but it means a week’s stay in the hospital. Of course Chihaya opts for it, since anything standing between Chihaya and karuta has got to go, but I don’t think she considered what she would do when she was alone with her thoughts and a DVD of Arata winning the tournament. There was nothing else for her to do but wonder what she was lacking.
Which leads to the first part of the breakthrough--calling Arata. At the end of the tournament, Chihaya asked him why he was always smiling, but he gets cut off before he can give her an answer. Later in the episode, once Chihaya has thoroughly beaten herself up for losing and feeling farther from her goal than ever, Arata gives an interesting answer: He pictures himself in that old apartment, when he played karuta against Chihaya for the first time.
In the first season, I felt that there was a lot left unsaid about Chihaya’s mental state in the years after Arata and Taichi left her behind. It seemed to me that Chihaya’s actions had an undercurrent of loneliness to them at first, like she was trying to recreate what she’d lost. I don’t think that she believed that she could ever go back. However, Arata never left that moment, and it’s probably the source of his strength and bolstered by the hard training he put himself through when he came back to the sport. The idea that she could always go back probably never occurred to Chihaya (click your heels together three times). This is just my interpretation, but it’s fun to think about in the context of this episode.
And then there’s the second part, which comes from both Kana and Chihaya. Kana berates Chihaya on the importance of taking poetry writing seriously (which is all well and good, but I doubt it matters that much at a high school level) and is disappointed at first when it seems to have flown right over her head. But then she sees these two poems:
"Inside a room isolated
from the summer heat,
I feel bliss
upon hearing your words."
“Will I ever turn the
corner and find you?
I can only wait for
a dream or a miracle.”
Their meaning is obvious to Kana. She saw Chihaya talking to Arata that day. And then Chihaya drops the final blow:
“I'll always love karuta, and I'll always love Arata.”
You could argue here that the translation could be interpreted a bit differently and you’d be right on one level. That said, I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard a fangirl online arguing that the word “suki” (which is what Chihaya uses here) is not strong enough to mean “love,” so I’m a bit biased in this argument. Anyway, the phrasing and other evidence within this episode provides a stronger argument in favor of the translation used here. There’s no doubt that Chihaya loves karuta (if you’re willing to argue otherwise for the sake of preserving your ship, it’s time to get off the internet) so for her to put Arata on the same level says a lot. There’s also Kana’s reaction after she reads the poems, when she calls out Taichi for not trying hard enough, which I fully agree with. I may not ship it, but Taichi is giving up way too easily. However, it’s very possible that Chihaya has long been a lost case.
Justin: Man, you people and your ships. Oh well, we all know whose ship is sinking--
Anyways, I think there’s a few things to keep in mind thanks to this episode: the most important out of them is how can Chihaya get better? Will she be able to figure out what she needs to do? That’s why it’ll be interesting to see how she’ll do in the Fujisaki minicamp, along with Taichi. I think it’s starting to become clear that Sakurazawa, who at the start seemed pretty cold and didn’t seem like she’d play a major role in Chihaya’s development or important enough aside from her team’s match against Mizusawa, really has become Chihaya’s boon. I’m not sure that if Sakurazawa was around, Chihaya would have managed to see what she had lacked when it came to karuta. And when it comes to this minicamp, it can only improve Chihaya’s game and maybe she can see what she needs to be aware of. The other thing of course is to know how everyone else is coming along, as most of Mizusawa advanced up a level and will be tough to defeat in a match.
…But not surprisingly, we would need a Season 3 to go see that (or just go read the manga.) I’ll keep wishing that will get announced eventually.
I still remember the excitement I had when S2 of Chihayafuru was announced way back when. Since I heard the anime didn’t sell all that well, I was not exactly hopeful we would be getting more of it. Except that we did. The only question that came with another season of Chihayafuru is how would it manage to live up to S1? Would it be so different that I’d actually start hating the series? But the first episode quelled my concerns. It has a premise and charm that Madhouse would have been crazy to change, and for 6 months, it’s been nothing but an intense, exciting, and refreshing anime to watch. Sure the pacing was incredibly fast this season, and yeah, not every episode was perfect, and I did find one episode I wanted to forget about for the most part, but when Chihayafuru was on, it delivered in spades and just kept me wanting more each week. It brought forth varied characters, actually brought strategy into this season, and produced some memorable moments. To see it go again is pretty tough, but as Taichi said, I need to go forward. All the moments -- from the debut of Sumire and Tsukuba, to the intense match between Mizusawa and Hokuo at the High School Tournament, and to Arata vs Shinobu, among many other moments that stuck out in S2 -- will keep me sated for a bit, until the return of the series sometime in the future. Though of course, I don’t know how long I can wait!
Muse: I wouldn’t call the pacing fast--I think when I rewatch this season I’ll be skipping quite a few of the team tournament arc episodes--but I agree that the show is still fantastic and I’m very happy that we got a second season. I’ve heard that this season is selling better than the last, and we’re getting a Chihayafuru OVA later this year, so things are certainly looking rosier than they were at the end at of the first season. That said, the anime industry works in strange ways, so it’s better to assume nothing until an official announcement is made. I’m still perfectly willing to hope, though. It worked last time!
Justin: And with that, I guess my adventures on Subdued Fangirling have come to an end. Well, ok, I will definitely still be reading Muse’s posts or lurking and then throw out the occasional snarky comment every once in a while. But yep, it’s been an interesting and fun 6 months (can’t believe it’s been that long!) blogging with Muse. I wasn’t quite sure how this would go when this idea was proposed. I at least expected at some point our tastes would clash as well. But we probably picked the perfect anime to do a tag team about, and while we managed to miss a post 2 weeks ago, and we had some delays in scheduling when to write about Chihayafuru over the past few months, we ended up getting it done consistently. Needless to say, it’ll be quite an adjustment to have my Friday night on the East Coast back to me! I can only expect next Fri to try and get ready to write about Chihayafuru, then realize that it’s over. Oops!
Muse, it’s been fun. Thanks for letting me write about Chihayafuru with ya! Now go back to fangirling alone!
Muse: Thanks Justin! It’s been a lot of fun having someone to bounce my crazy ideas off of. I’ve never done tag-team blogging before, but I think that we can say that this was a success! And thanks for putting up with my crazy fangirling comments in the chat so that I can put my head on straight for the actual post. Those six months really flew by!
So how did everyone else feel about the finale? How good/bad do you think the chances are for a season three? Do you wish that I would shut up about shipping? Let us know in the comments! Thanks for sticking with us for these 25 episodes, and hopefully there will be more in the future!
Images from Crunchyroll.com.
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Episode: Chihayafuru Episode 2
Chihayafuru 2 25, the last episode for a while, was one of the few in recent memory where there was nothing at stake, yet, like most other episodes, it was fun as hell to watch. I always like it when shows take a breather after an intense story arc, and everyone on the team should […]
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Episode: Chihayafuru Episode 2
It’s not often that niche series, no matter how superb, get a second series. Thus it was a true joy to behold when Chihayafuru, a series that was never destined to hit it with mainstream audiences, was granted a second season. Nearly a year after the original series, we got a season two that definitely continued the story of the series forward, albeit focusing more so on the sport of Karuta than the delicate balance it had going in the prior season between classic josei romance elements and shounen style sports.
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Episode: Chihayafuru Episode 2
So Arata won because the Queen was sick? Here I was thinking the match is akin to the US Open in 2009 when Del Potro defeated the five time defending champion Federer who has never lost to the Argentine previously. I guess this means there must be a rematch in the future so I will [...]
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Episode: Chihayafuru Episode 2
Subdued Fangirling
06/22/2013 04:00 PM UTCChihayafuru 2 Episode 23-24--Dealing With the Pressure >>
Muse: Just like in the first season, the momentum keeps building with only one episode left to go!
But before we get to all that, I’d like to make a quick apology. I wasn’t able to put last week’s post together because of a crazy combination of finals week and a family emergency. I promised myself when I started this blog that I wouldn’t let it get in the way of my life, and, well, life happened. Sorry for the extended delay! But we’ve got a bunch of stuff to cover that I missed last week, and I shouldn’t put it off any longer.
Two things that I’ve been highly anticipating from this season happened across these episodes. The first was Taichi finally making it to Class A! Although it wasn’t quite the scene that I expected, nor was it a sure win.
If there was a theme to these two episodes, it was “pressure,” and that’s also the right word to describe Taichi’s finals match. He was placed up against Rion, who, as we saw earlier, has enough raw talent to give Chihaya a hard match. This time, she was playing under even more pressure from her teammates, who were still sore about getting knocked off from their top school slot. Rion had a renewed interest in proving herself, especially after learning some humility in her match against Chihaya. To Taichi’s credit though, before the match began he still hadn’t lost his strange state of zen that he’d gained during the team tournament finals. Being able to let go of whatever’s distracting him at the time seems to be Taichi’s key to victory.
But all of that completely flew out the window when Chihaya walked in. In the scene before that, there’s a moment of uncertainty over whether Chihaya would go watch Taichi’s match or Arata’s. When Porky makes up his mind to watch Shinobu vs. Arata instead, he says the following about Taichi:
“He's going to win. He doesn't need us there to support him!”
Which makes it a foregone conclusion which one Chihaya would pick. I wonder how reverse psychology works on her? Anyway, once Chihaya is there, Taichi loses the sense of calm that got him to the finals in the first place. He becomes preoccupied with winning the match quickly so that Chihaya can leave to see the Queen play. His mind isn’t on the game anymore, putting him right back in his bad luck spot and leaving him wide open for Rion to practice her listening skills. It takes him awhile to realize that he’s sabotaging himself and to realize how to reverse it.
Justin: It seemed like Taichi finally evolved. Remember, this was the same guy that Muse had called out a few weeks ago for yelling at Arata, but now we get to the point where he not only beat Retro, but beat him by 18 cards. Whether it was the opponents he faced or he finally realized what he can do at this point, Taichi changed, and it seemed like it was permanent. Too bad it came crashing down once Chihaya decided to make Taichi look foolish by showing up to his match instead of watching Arata vs Shinobu. It’s not merely the fact that he was wrong about Chihaya being there, but it’s also her watching him that ended up throwing him off his game. It’s called being affected by the surroundings and the moment, or in simple terms, feeling pressure. It’s the finals. You have a chance to get into Class A. You’re facing a strong opponent. And you’re tired from all the other matches up to that point. Now you’re distracted by someone you think you know and expected to think was watching a different match trying to support you when really, that ends up adding more pressure.
Of course, that goes both ways, since it’s not only Taichi feeling the pressure: Rion’s also feeling it from her teammates. Fujisaki has managed to maintain a standard that’s fairly unprecedented from other schools, but it’s a standard that’s common hat for them. But in this tournament, none of their players could win it all, and the only way that would have changed was if Rion, who they already had some misgivings for, could win Class B. Rion was so determined to actually impress them that she could not actually play with any consistency; it also didn’t help to have an inconsistent reader too. But in the end, both players eventually found their rhythm: Rion, who has a great game sense, used that to listen to the correct sounds from the reader to take cards whereas Taichi replaced Rion mentality with Chihaya.
Needless to say, that was one of the reasons the game changed and swung in Taichi’s favor: Chihaya is someone Taichi has never beaten, and is stronger than Rion. There’s always a talent and skill gap in players, and the difference between Rion and Chihaya at this point is pretty sizable. So it was good to remember that as strong as Rion is, she’s no Chihaya. But if it was just that reason for why he won, that’d be kind of lame. The other reason (or the real reason) he was able to win was because he stopped constantly thinking that he had to get a big lead and get Chihaya to watch Arata/Shinobu, and reduced his match with Rion to something simple -- get 10 cards from the opponent, keep 15 on your side. While talent and game sense matter, sometimes keeping it simple really does work, and that’s how Taichi was able to win his match against Rion.
It was somewhat amusing though how Taichi apparently lost track of the fact that he made it to Class A. It’s only right though that Chihaya, the one who wanted to see Taichi get Class A, was the one who couldn’t hold back the tears. At the end of Episode 23, it was an emotion that I generally liked. (Don’t worry, she made me take that back at the start of Episode 24.) And it finally managed to hit Taichi that after going through a number of trials for a number of years, he’s finally reached a class he’s been aiming to get in. And he should really appreciate that moment.
Muse: I was pretty happy that Chihaya was the one that made Taichi stop and savor his victory if only for a moment. I’d expected the scene when Taichi made Class A to be highly emotional, but before he can even process the win, he’s pushing Chihaya out the door to watch the other match. He doesn’t think of it as his personal victory at first, which is as funny as it is endearing. Too bad he couldn’t enjoy it for long though, since now there’s a whole new world of strong rivals waiting for him.
Which brings us to our second main attraction: Arata vs. Shinobu. I’d floated the possibility of this happening a few times before--this match was near the top of my season 2 wishlist, right under Taichi vs. Arata--but the way it went down was far better than I could’ve predicted. There are very few moments nowadays where an anime can capture my full attention (i.e.: I don’t feel like pausing and checking Twitter) and this was one of them. I was glued to the screen the whole time.
But let’s back up a little bit. We’ve spent a lot of time discussing Shinobu, her thoughts on karuta, and her dislike of the team aspect. We’ve gotten a lot more clarification on this in the last couple episodes through the context of backstory and further comments that Shinobu has made during this arc. This episode had a pretty definitive statement from her towards Arata before their match that seems to summarize Shinobu’s thoughts on karuta:
“The strongest karuta players are those who faced the cards alone. Let's make it clear once and for all. Neither you nor I need any friends.”
This sets up an interesting contrast between the two of them. Shinobu believes that Arata is similar to her, but that’s not quite the case; one of the major motivations Arata has for participating in this tournament is so that he can be with his friends. As we saw in the team tournament arc, he’s a little bit jealous of what Chihaya has created. He can see the merit of it and wants to be on a team with his childhood friends again. On the other hand, Shinobu’s playing style was born out of isolation, so it’s no wonder that she associates strength with solitude. I wonder how she’ll react to Arata’s college plans.
As for the match itself, getting back to the theme of pressure, this is the first time that we see Shinobu break her composure during a match. Sure, she’s gotten surprised before while playing Chihaya, but this is the first match where she’s had to work for each card. Arata is just that good, to the point that it’s scary. His karuta superpower (we’re getting to the point where we can’t just call these things “skills” or “talents” anymore) is his quick acceleration, which can beat even Shinobu’s speed. At one point, she reacted first, but Arata got the card. Have I mentioned that he’s scary yet? To be fair though, Arata’s skills weren’t the only thing causing Shinobu problems. He was also using a targeted strategy to tear down her strengths...not to mention, she had a fever from wandering around in wet clothes the day before. I guess stealing Arata’s shirt for a while didn’t help. Taking all of that into account, the rapid-fire back and forth they had going is nothing short of incredible. This was easily one of the best, if not the best match of the season.
Justin: It was pretty much clear in their matches (Arata vs Emuro and Shinobu vs Megumu) that Arata and Shinobu were going to face each other. But as the match approached, I couldn’t help but go, “Man, they’re both just on another level. What happens when people like that collide?” And well, we got our answer. Now, I think the level of drama produced in the match between Mizusawa and Hokuo was stronger than this, and left a better memory than this one; all that said, this takes the cake for one of the most developed matches in Season 2. I say that because it provided a lot of clarity and timely information on a number of aspects that most watching Chihayafuru wanted to know about.
Let’s start at the top: We’ve all known how strong Shinobu is, and we really didn’t get any sign of a weakness from her. If anything, only Arata would be able to discover why Shinobu is so good at card games. But as it turned out, Sakarazawa had an inkling of Shinobu’s weakness, but she couldn’t figure it out. Arata did: he decided to attack her strengths, and that involved executing a cross where she couldn’t get her card with complete accuracy and grace. What this ended up doing was forcing Shinobu to do something she hadn’t done up to that point -- sacrifice her cards. She apparently never thought about sacrificing her cards, but only against Arata, who she’s had a history with, she decides to throw that strategy out of the way. And that resulted in her being down by the time Chihaya and Taichi manage to watch the match. It was only when she realized this that she played right into Arata’s hands -- and as Muse pointed out, Arata’s kind of scary. Hence why as she good as she is, the combination of her being bound by the cards, facing Arata, and being sick ended up being the difference in this match.
I thought it was quite interesting how the upbringings of Arata and Shinobu kind of play off of each other. Remember, it was established how Shinobu ended up facing kids her age but was eventually forced by her teachers to only play older kids and no one her age. Well, we get the opposite with Arata: he still ended up facing kids his age (and won), but he had some trouble with older kids. When he sees his grandfather in the hospital, it leads to a moment that manages to separate Arata’s style of karuta from Shinobu’s style of karuta:
“When did you have the most fun playing karuta?”
This is what Arata’s grandfather says after chiding him for losing in a tournament, and especially for a mistake he made. During the team tournament match, what did Chihaya want Shinobu to do while playing karuta? She wanted her to actually enjoy the game! Now, is that the ultimate difference? Not really. Arata still have to work hard and train in order to be the player he is today. And even after taking a year and a half off, he’s at the point where he could possibly be the best karuta player alive. He’d have to do the Karuta society a favor by beating Master Suo to prove it, but otherwise, he’s proven that he might be up for the challenge.
Now, there was a lot going on in this match. Well, there was also a lot going on outside of the match too: It started with Chihaya, who had to figure out if she could watch the match or not. I was thinking this was a somewhat interesting reaction, since it could go either way: her watching the match could alter how she approaches the game, but vice versa, her staying away from the match, considering she didn’t watch all of it, might have benefited her in the long run. Instead, she is convinced by Sakurazawa to instead take advantage of this opportunity and see the match herself. And what she sees makes her feel a pressure that makes her think she can’t breathe. And then she even manages to see a strategy that she never thought could happen (one with Shinobu accurately taking the card needed despite Arata’s cross). All in all, there were a lot of key characters we’ve followed over the course of 24 episodes watch this match -- I’m going to guess their approach to the game and their desire to get better will change quite a bit.
Muse: The scene Justin just mentioned is the only time I can think of where we’ve seen Chihaya seriously hesitate; she’s the kind of character that runs into things without completely considering the ramifications or logistics towards meeting her goal (see: every time the other characters call her selfish). However, this wasn’t an average finals match (if there is an “average” for finals in this show). Seeing Arata play Shinobu had a “no turning back” feel around it. I think that Chihaya’s hesitation came from her being unsure of how this would change her perception of Arata. She’s held him up on a pedestal this whole time--he is the one who got her into karuta in the first place, after all--and she hadn’t seen him play since. What would he be like now? Sakurazawa hit the nail on the head though:
“If you've chosen to take this path, there isn't anything you're better off not knowing.”
What Chihaya will do with this new information will be interesting to see.
Aside from the two big matches in these episodes, there were some other things going on along the sidelines that I’d also like to mention. Like Tsukuba and Tsutomu making the finals for their respective classes. I’ll be honest though, I completely forgot about Tsukuba. I feel a little bad about that, but I got a good laugh when the characters had the same reaction that I did.
There’s also a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment of possible shipping at the end of Arata and Shinobu’s match when Arata points out that Shinobu has a fever. Between this and the clothes-stealing, I’m pretty sure a new section of the fandom will form up around this. It’s hard to say whether or not the show will do anything with it though. Chihaya has enough to worry about without adding in the possibility that Shinobu might be her rival in more than one arena. The love triangle is complicated enough as it is... However, that’s not to say that I don’t welcome the possibility. However, with only one more episode, there’s not much point to the shipping speculation anymore.
Justin: Hey, I didn’t forget about Tsukuba...I mean yeah he was only mentioned like once during this individual tournament, but I somehow remembered that he was playing in matches. Then again, it’s hard to forget a character who somehow gets a bye in the tournament. And is the only one too. Really, really, hard.
...And this is the part where I will for the last time give someone (Madhouse, Suetsugu, her editor, Kodansha, etc) grief. Yeah, developing the main characters was important, and yeah, I still loved and enjoyed the individual tournament. But relegating the other characters to the sidelines was kind of a disappointment. They’re all varied characters and could get a bit of time in the spotlight, but instead, we end up having the long running team tournament, the mishap with Chihaya’s hand, and then all of the focus on Taichi, Shinobu, and Arata. How about everyone else? Nah, we’ll probably just have 5 minutes of screentime for everyone else combined throughout this tournament. Really would have liked to have seen others get time in the spotlight as opposed to just getting these main matches. Is it because there’s a thought the matches would be inferior to all the Class A, Class B matches? Is this due to budget? Is it really the source material? Whatever the case, I wish there was just a bit more variety for this tournament, and that might have just made what were good to great episodes to great to amazing episodes.
Now, it’s that time. Next week is the last episode of S2. I can probably expect everyone to get the napkins ready before they watch. But what should we expect? Well, I’m going to guess we’ll get a short spotlight on some of the important characters that impacted Mizusawa (like Megumu and Retro). We’ll get lots of remembering of what the team accomplished during this run. I don’t believe we’ll get the Arata vs Master Suo matchup. That will have to wait until S3 is announced.
...Yeah, I’m going to hope S3 gets announced next week. Will air next year. That just means more card games involving karuta, and that means people will be happy. Madhouse should like happy people.
Muse: Hear, hear!
What did you all think of the matchups? And how do you think this season will wrap up?
Images from Crunchyroll.com.
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Episode: Chihayafuru Episode 2
Anime Diet
06/17/2013 05:17 AM UTCChihayafuru 2 Episode 23: To See The Beautiful Cherry Blossoms >>
As if there was any doubt previously, I am definitely cosplaying Arata for Otakon. And now I know exactly what to say and the expression to say it with. This moment marks the birth of arata as a new word. It’s definition? Sexier than sexy. Usage: The word countach isn’t enough to do justice to [...]
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Episode: Chihayafuru Episode 2
It’s Mizusawa versus four-time reigning champion Fujisaki for the title of best team in Japan, and Chihayafuru’s gonna get a little ... Rocky. It’s the final tournament between the top two teams, and oh does this show know it! In addition to having set an air of awe with such a distinguished reader as Yamashiro Kyoko, the series has already upped the ante on anxiety with Mizusaa having to use Tsukaba in such an important match after Oe sprained her finger. “So what,” I hear you ask. “Fujisaki’s team also substituted a player last minute.” Yeah, but did I mention that she has a bit of an advantage since her grandmother is the reader for the match? Go ahead, gasp; you’re gonna need that breath.
Unlike most of the teams Mizusawa’s played before, Fujisaki members’ eccentricities are there mainly for entertainment and some shallow tension (not that it’s exploited). Tsukaba plays a mirror of his weirdness, Desktomu faces off against a pretty boy in denial about being attracted to a certain other team member, Mashima faces off against the boob-obsessed captain, Porky’s competing against a contortionist, and Chihaya's playing against her younger self. Okay, maybe not everyone’s traits are there for yuks. After all, that match of youth vs. experience (Rion vs. Chihaya) — hearing and reflex vs. insight-tempered senses — is a poignant one, and Rion’s familiarity with the reader’s vocal stylings doesn’t give Chihaya any room with which to underestimate her opponent.
Given the team-first, individual-later focus of this season, it’s also worth noting for drama’s sake that Fujisaki’s karuta club has the respect of the entire school behind it. This stands in stark contrast to how Mizusawa’s team is regarded outside of its kindesses to other clubs. Secondly, Fujisaki benefits from a coach (Sakurazawa) who’d been a karuta player for a long time and knows the importance of proactive conditioning outside of the game, whereas Mizusawa’s coach, while earnestly caring for the team to the best of her ability, is tending to needs reactively, instinctively, motherlyly.
Forced to open the floodgates on her instinctual gameplay, something happens to Chihaya that’s never happened before. This does not come as a revelation but a sizable hurdle. While this severely affects the individual match, the more important effect is the silent rally of every Mizusawa member who senses her distress. But make no mistake; Chiahaya is no passive martyr for the cause. She’s a strong character and player and musters through until she gives out completely. More importantly, she’s active in assuring her worried cohorts of her wellbeing, her determination, and their goal. These interspersed moments of quiet worry and subtle assurance are breathtakingly real.
While her presence at the team tournament feels unreal, I have to admit that Queen Shinobu’s predicament of being stuck at the forefront of an audience dedicated to that which she loathes (team karuta) offers a great Grinch moment. Shinobu’s made to sit up front, as to inspire the players, and finds herself drawn into the matches by pointing out all the obvious mistakes the amateurs before her are committing. But what really intrigues this epitome of the individual is the match between Rion and Chihaya, whom Shinobu is shocked into remembering by a play similar to one in their match last season. This ups the grudge ante quite nicely, foreshadowing the individual tournament to come.
I’m running short on space, but that’s because almost every moment of episodes 17–19 need to be explained. Why, because I know you were blinking, and so much happens in each episode that a blink is a millennia! In fact, that’s what makes 19 the pearl it is. While all the episodes in this match have leveraged the following, 19 masterfully builds up tension via prolonged, emotionally charged pontification (almost prayer-like in some instances), camera cuts and angles, defeats, dead cards (teases), and situational investment. Who won? Watch 17-19. It’ll take ~66 minutes, but I guarantee it’ll feel like a heartbeat and that you’ll be panting as if you’ve just run a marathon.
Before I get to 20, there are some other important happenings to take away from the first three episodes with which this post is concerned: Desktomu gets a personal blow to his ego regarding his notes and then salves said bruise when he sees first-hand his notes benefitting Mashima. There is a lot of focus on individual tactics and strategy, but the cohesive implication is that efforts are for the collective match. And finally, all the episodes concerning each Mizusawa member playing their best to benefit the team culminates in a team maneuver. This is a most important climax as it shows progress through learning as a team.
After the ceremony for the winner, the focus almost immediately shifts to the love triangle. Chihaya finally becomes aware of Arata’s presence, and Mashima becomes aware of Chihaya’s awareness of Arata’s presence. After Ayase’s swept off by the coach, there’s a wonderful moment of tension between Mashima and Arata, who reveals his intent to win nationals and move to Tokyo. This is a very effective passive threat. It simultaneously says to Mashima “I’m going to prove I’m the best, invade your turf, and take your girl.” Or at least that’s definitely how Mashima hears it. Unfortunately, there’s no rest for the weary.
So after a brief clip show — which is well-placed and timed but seems all the more infuriating because it’s compiled from episodes that don’t seem that far away — the individual tournament starts! Ayase decides to soldier on despite her handicap in hopes of playing Arata, and everyone else in team Mizusawa is determined to win their divisions. What’s kind of nice about the individual tournament this time around, as compared to first season, is there’s more a sense of who’s going up against whom. The second season of Chihayafuru has done an excellent job in distinguishing competitors just enough to make them memorable, which I hope will go a long way in the coming episodes.
Because you've been so patient in reading my ramblings, here's your (m)Oe moment for this Impressions installment:
Impressions: Chihayafuru 2 Episodes 17-20 was originally published on Ani-Gamers (www.anigamers.com) on June 12, 2013 at 4:00 PM. Unless you are reading this in an RSS reader or a blog aggregator that credits the original authors, this version has likely been illegally copied (or "scraped") from our site. If you believe a site has scraped our content, please contact us so we can take action against the offender.
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Episode: Chihayafuru Episode 2