| @23feanor @inim @filifjonkan @RandomFriday @Antalk @jdvz @JokerVentura @KainiusTheGreat @ruckes @kekekeKaj @OrlahEhontas @cipheron @botnetMAL Bit of a longer term commitment with 3 seasons to cover, but I'm excited to see this one through. Given the holidays are coming up very shortly, we'll be taking a short break and starting the group watch on Wednesday, December 27th, 2023. Chihayafuru (2011), MAL 8.18/10, anidb 8.22/10, IMDB 8.1/10. Chihayafuru 2 (2013), MAL 8.38/10, anidb 8.78/10. Chihayafuru 2 OVA (2013), MAL 7.02/10, anidb 5.50/10. Chihayafuru 3 (2019), MAL 8.46/10, anidb 8.82/10. |
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| @filifjonkan Same to you! Hope you have a great holiday and happy to have you follow along and watch with us regardless. |
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| Alright, time to start this show. Episode 1 We get introduced to our lead through a pretty classic “reputation meets reality” moment. Our lead, Chihaya, is the sister of a model, Chitose. She’s quite striking in her own right for several reasons. She certainly looks pretty, but we’re also hit quickly with her strong drive towards the game karuta as well as her drive to form a club for it, and… oh yeah, her clashing fashion sense wearing track pants under a skirt. I like it. She generally seems to have little sense of propriety. Apparently her dazzling looks and personality clash for a lot of people (they call it “beauty in vain”), but she’s automatically endearing to me. First impressions of the world and the OP are good as well. It’s pretty with a lot of soft lighting and floral designs. The OP has some really neat color effects that remind me of Gankutsuou, particularly wit the cloth patterns and how they move across characters. That’s a big win for me. There’s also a strong focus on karuta in that OP, so we’ll be seeing a lot of it. Anyway, despite her determination, Chihaya’s recruitment comes up empty. She makes friends well enough, but can’t seem to bring them around. But her luck takes a turn when a friend named Taichi arrives at the school. She finds out he has a girlfriend, which puts her off not because she’s interested in him romantically, but because it might mean his focus lies away from karuta (girl’s obsessed). And she’s right, he just isn’t interested despite their history playing it together. From here, we discover a bit about what brought her to karuta. Turns out she was a bit of a tomboy back then, and jumps at befriending a loner named Wataya who joined their class (as well as putting off some of the bullying behaviors of others towards someone who has a different dialect and comes from a poorer background). She also has a bad habit of blurting out her thoughts whenever they come to her, which ends up getting Wataya in trouble (she thinks it’s amazing that he delivers papers, but students aren’t supposed to work). Turns out, while Taichi is a great student in his own right, Wataya has quite the recall capacity, particularly when it comes to the poems used for karuta. When Taichi, who grows jealous of Wataya’s performance, starts to bully him as well, Chihaya sides against him despite likely social isolation. Side note: Wataya is absent from the events before this flashback, so he is either not at their school or otherwise out of the picture at the moment. Given his presence in the cover art and OP/ED, he will no doubt come into this later though. It's through Wataya that she garners an interest in karuta, though she was exposed to it earlier through her school. The game begins by laying out the cards containing 25 of some 100 poems that they covered in class. Each participant has 25 distinct cards. The goal is to grab the card that contains the second verse of the current poem being read, and to ensure that your opponent doesn’t grab your cards. Honestly, this is my first time hearing anything about it. Wataya shows an intense interest in it, going so far as to fling a card into the wall after the second word of the poem is spoken. He dominates the match, though Chihaya’s own switch gets flipped. And honestly, you can see why – Wataya earnest devotion to it is infectious. We also get the title drop here, which is thematically appropriate: the first verse of one of the cards begins with Chihaya Furu, which means impassionate. Solid start. Got me interested in learning more about the game, I like the characters, and it certainly looks great. |
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| Hope you had an enjoyable festive break, Chinese on xmas day sounds tasty. We don't celebrate christmas for religious reasons, just getting together with family and eating, drinking and being merry. Just discovered that HiDive only now have Chiyayfuru S3 dub available, they did have all 3 seasons dubbed when I last checked a few weeks back. Crunchyroll do have it available, but only subbed. I don't know whether it's getting older but reading lines of text can be tiring and if a dub exists, I'll usually pick the dub. I chose the dub for S2 of Eminence in Shadow and enjoyed it more, as I was able to soak in the visuals and apart from missing Shadow's "I am atomic", which I switched to the sub version just to listen to, and Minori Inase as Beta, didn't feel like I was missing anything. Decided to do the same with Frieren and pick up the dub and so glad I did as it gives me more time to soak in the stunning visuals. Anyway, onto Chihayafuru and a game I know nothing about. With March Comes In.... I at least know that shogi is like chess with a couple of extra pieces but this game, Karuta, is completely new to me. This show has the josei tag, one of my least watched genres, only 6 shows in total, and half of them are those softcore hentai with stories like OreYubi. Episode 1. Oh, looks like Luci Christian (aka Nami in One Piece) is voicing Chihaya, she's one of the better English VA imho, does a great job with Nami and loved her as the teacher in Azumanga Daioh. As you said, straight off the bat we're told Chiyaya is the sister of a model, and she's very pretty but doesn't act it. Same with you, I love that she has a personality. Growing up I couldn't stand pretty girls that coasted by on their looks, or wanted special treatment simply for being beautiful (problem is that so many guys do treat them differently and let them get away with things, that's why they act that way). The pretty girls with personality, like Chiyaya were always more fun. Beauty is only skin deep as the saying goes. I know that romance plays a back seat in this show (at least for a while), but you can see the seeds of some deep running feelings between Taichi and Chi. He clearly likes her a lot and being friends they already have a bond. As for Chi, she just seems surprised he has a girlfriend, not because she likes him, but because he won't be free for karuta. As you said, girl is clearly obsessed. Then Chi mentions Wataya, and whether he's been distracted by things other than karuta, and Taichi clams up, clearly no love lost between himself and Wataya. We meet Wataya in a flashback to when he, Taichi and Chi were in elementary school. Getting the same vibe as we did with Kimi no Todoke when Sawako is being ostracised by her class and Kazahaya stands up for her. Funny about the paper round, over here when I was younger papers were always delivered by kids (11-15 iirc), I'd sometimes cover my mates delivery if he was sick and get a pack of ciggies in return. I was surprised by how much work it is lugging a bag of papers around and running up and down drives. Thinking back on it, maybe not that suitable for younger teenagers. Not sure I get karuta just yet. You hear part of a poem and have to grab the card that carries on the poem, seemed like you can grab your opponents cards as well as your own. In the dub Chihayafuru was translated as wild and godly. I tried looking up the meaning of the name Chihaya and discovered there are 148 variations depending on the specific kanji, that's a lot. Looks like Wataya's passion was the spark that lit Chi's desire to play. Like the visuals. Good start. |
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| It was a good time. I don't really celebrate the holiday much, though my wife likes to at least decorate a tree and check out some lights. Time with family and eating are always a given for this time of year, so I'm with you on that. As for the dub/sub, I see where you're coming from, though I still end to go subs most often. Maybe it's just because that's what I've gotten used to, or due to a bias towards them in general, but I tend to turn on the subtitles when I can even if it's an English dub. Just makes sure I'm not missing or mishearing something, though yes, that does mean I sometimes have to go back through and just ignore the text while I take in the visuals. Frieren is a great example of that. I don't have a lot of josei among my watches, either, but the standard is high given that they include Usagi Drop, Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju, and Only Yesterday (underrated Ghibli film). I've also got Raven of the Inner Palace on my ptw, which looks very good. I'm definitely hoping to learn more about karuta as we watch - similar to you, I knew enough about shogi via chess that it wasn't entirely necessary for March to give me a breakdown apart from a few pieces (though I did enjoy the cat-based book, dance and song that they used to teach the kids in the show - that was delightful), but I'll be more frustrated here if I don't get a deeper dive. Episode 2 Getting strong March S2 and Kimi ni Todoke vibes from early in this episode as well. The social consequences for Chihaya's association with Wataya are clear immediately, even if it's not as outright in the bullying department. But Chihaya, much like Kazehaya, does not give a shit about her social standing if it comes at the expense of someone else, particularly someone like him who stands out in his own quiet way. Her fearlessness drives Wataya to stand up for himself, challenging Taichi (who has also memorized all of the poems) to karuta at an upcoming tournament to show that he's got the skills to pay the bills. I guess Chihaya isn't involved in this tournament. Taichi proves himself pretty capable, winning the first round. Wataya makes even shorter work of his opponent, flinging a card away from the outset in dramatic fashion. They both clear the second round and face off in the final. It's notable that they show the scores for each game on the board, with 25-0 being a perfect 100% win. Wataya has two back-to-back, Taichi has a 16-0 win and a 10-0 win. That suggests that there's a limit to how long they can take before grabbing a card and that Taichi has more trouble recalling the next line of more of the poems than Wataya. Between games, Wataya tells Chihaya that she has the instincts of a karuta player before having a full soda can thrown at him by Taichi, which, of course, explodes in his face the moment it's opened. It's clearly a combination of jealousy and knowing that he can't win without some handicap that leads him to take Wataya's glasses. As someone with pretty awful vision without glasses, that hits me where I live and makes me sincerely question the decision of the tournament runners to push onward anyway. Still, he fights on, managing in spite of his lacking vision by memorizing where all the cards are upon close inspection beforehand. Dude's a beast, but as the cards move (I can't tell whether as a result of some subterfuge by Taichi or just as a consequence of the rough style of play used to grab them), he loses track of their positions. Chihaya, in an act of desperation, opts to take his place, recognizing that she doesn't have to know the whole poem to pick the right cards. Turns out, you're also allowed to just bat away the correct card (and others surrounding it) both to ensure that your opponent can't get it (she watches where he's looking) and to secure it for yourself. So there's some real gamesmanship in this. Using this strategy, she barely manages to win out against him with the card that bears her name. From Wataya and her enjoyment of the game, she takes on the task of becoming the best female player (the Queen), if not the best player in the world. Notably, despite her achievement, her older sister and mother show little interest, the former even being derisive. Even for someone like Chihaya, who can easily move past how her classmates feel about her, it must be a blow to have those she idolizes tell her that this doesn't matter. Even Taichi's mother seems to care little for it, telling him he should focus on academics and sports where he's strongest. I loathe that kind of attitude. Just because you're good at something doesn't mean it's what you want to do, and having something for which you have a drive to improve is a positive attribute, not one that should be shunned or buried. It's less rude than Chihaya's sister, but it feels even worse when you're told to give up something for which you have a passion. Chihaya and Taichi, both of whom are depressed from talking to their elders, meet up afterwards and follow a sound they can hear elsewhere in the building. They find Wataya, practicing the motions he uses to get cards in karuta without any cards. When Chihaya runs away looking for his glasses (upsetting some birds), Taichi reveals that he stole them, handing them back. He clearly cares about how Chihaya sees him. They go together to find Chihaya, Wataya finally using her first name and, thus, embracing her as a friend. |
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| Episode 2. So far I'm getting Kimi no Todoke (ostracised kid with someone of opposite gender standing up for them) and FruBa (two male and one female leads) vibes. For this episode we're back in the elementary school and get a head to head battle between Taichi and Wataya. What I really liked about this episode was that Taichi got some character development and more to him than just a jealous popular boy. So Taichi is clearly jealous of Wataya, both for his prowess at karuta, which comes naturally to Wataya, but Taichi has to work really hard at, as alluded to by Chi who says he had memory cards for the poems. And also for Chi's fascination with Wataya. This causes Taichi to call out Wataya and declare he'll beat him in the upcoming school tournament, watched by parents, to make it even more nerve racking and consequential. Taichi pulls a dirty move by stealing Wataya's glasses, which Wataya seems to know was him, but goes ahead anyway. What I admired was that Taichi admitted to Wataya that he stole the glasses, he was about to lie and say he found them, but his conscience got the better of him and he owned up. As a kid, that's not an easy thing to do, admitting your faults, especially to the victim of your prank. Then we have Chi, who steps in for Wataya, and beats Taichi. So yeah, seems like there's some gamesmanship involved, by swiping your opponents cards and beating them to the swipe. Do the cards get rearranged in the same order after every swipe as they appear to get knocked everywhere? Also if the aim is to get rid of your cards, ie the cards in front of you, why would you swipe away a card from your opponents deck, ie the cards in front of them? Sure this will become clearer as we learn more about the game. As you mention we get some pretty depressing actions from Chi and Taichi's parents in response to their kids participation. Chi's parents only seem interested in her sisters modelling career, and Taichi's mum doesn't want him playing if he can't win. What I disliked most was when she said "I can't possibly show this to your father", talking about the video of the game, just because he lost. You get pushy parents all over the world, but the competitive Japanese school system is on another level. Just be happy for your kids and praise them for a job well done, damn shitty parents. I am taking mental notes of what not to do when Aria grows up. So far this show has done a good job early on, similar to FruBa and Kimi no Todoke but without the shoujo embellishments. |
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| Entirely agreed that Taichi stands out from this past episode. Even with Chihaya running around elsewhere, he knew he risked a lot revealing that he was the one who stole Arata's (I'm going to transition to that name since he uses it for much of the series going forward after he insists the others call him by his first name) glasses. Respect for owning up to it despite his fears that it would drive a wedge between them. Episode 3 Our three leads are going to watch a group of adults practice karuta at the Shiranami Karuta Society, meeting the emotional Dr. Harada who accepts them in immediately due to the general lack of new recruits. They also meet Hiro, a thin boy who seems less accepting. Arata challenges him and 2 other members to a 3v3 match, the rules of which differ, as each side has 50 cards. They are allowed 15 min. to memorize the positions of the cards, but there's some gamesmanship in the placement as well - they can each have a set of cards that has consistent elements, e.g. Chihaya has all the "first syllable" cards, which are much more quickly recognizable based on the first syllables of their starting words. A team meeting reveals a workable strategy that I was honestly surprised was coming from Arata, as I didn't get the impression that he'd done many of these team match-ups. Maybe he's just been gaming it out before, but he even has print-outs to help and entrusts a lot in Taichi in particular to make the calls himself despite some uncertainties. And Taichi asks the obvious question: why not have Arata play by himself? I think his goal is to show that they all deserve to be there, not just him. That's not going to stop him from taking the reins when he has to, though, moving faster than Chihaya and grabbing the right card if Taichi grabs the wrong one. It makes sense. He's not used to playing as a team, even if he has gamed out how to do it. We also learn a bit more of the rules. If a player grabs the wrong card, then one of the opponent's 50 cards is passed onto you. We also get a very stark contrast in the perspectives of Chihaya and Taichi. Despite both of them being told by their elders that karuta doesn't matter, Taichi's the only one who has internalized that message somewhat; even if he still wants to play, it's not something he cares about. Chihaya isn't so much rebellious as she is entirely invested. She doesn't need external validation to find karuta to be something worth pursuing with all her might. Perhaps more importantly, they see Arata very differently in this game. Taichi sees a game that Arata could win on his own, one where his role is small, and he wonders why he should care. Chihaya sees the same intervention from Arata and her only thought is that she can't be left behind. She rises to the challenge, no matter how high the bar is, while Taichi simply views himself as overmatched and superfluous. But Taichi proves both to himself and Arata and that he can play in this arena, even if it's just with a single card that even Arata was close to getting wrong. Chihaya proves it as well, hearing elements that Arata doesn't catch with some intense focus. All three are very different players, and while Arata is easily the best, Chihaya and Taichi both fill in gaps in his play and drive him to try harder. They easily overcome Hiro's team, and we find out that Arata has won the national championship for his grade 5 years in a row, and has a grandfather who was an Eternal Master, winning 7 years in a row. Kid's a beast. So Chihaya and Taichi start to prep for an upcoming tournament with Arata for teams of 3. However, at least early on, they have to play individually. It's initially unclear why, but at least one of the other two have to win as well, apparently because they accrue a set of collective points to advance. Chihaya returns home, still fawning over her sister's modeling but also driven to study karuta. We see a touch of jealousy from her elder sister, who thinks Chihaya's only focus should be on her and is derisive of her pursuit of karuta. Pretty selfish. This is where Arata insists they call him by is first name, a moment where he puts his walls down entirely and invites them in. Pretty touching from a loner. Feels like my sophomore year of high school (I was pretty reclusive in middle school, had to be dragged out of it, and was happy for it). And this is where things fall apart. Taichi gets into a high level middle school (we heard about him going there in episode 1 and that he'll later transition to Chihaya's school, but she doesn't know that yet) and Arata has to go to a different city to help take care of his ailing grandfather. Just when Chihaya had found something that she could dedicate herself to doing with friends that felt genuine, it feels like it's getting snatched away, and she angrily refuses to come to the tournament, tearing up her notes. Both boys blame themselves. I like how Dr. Harada talks to her about this later, pushing her to focus on why both boys would be drawn towards something else rather than away from her. So the tournament comes. Chihaya ends up competing after the boys deliver a team jersey that shows their solidarity. They give it their all, but both Taichi and Chihaya lose their matches (the latter against a boy who was the runner up in nationals the previous year - no shame in that), so they're out. We cut to graduation. As Arata packs, they burst in on him, and both Chihaya and Taichi show their resolve, which brings Arata to tears. There's a particularly poignant moment where both he and Chihaya grab the same card (which goes to Chihaya, since it's on her side), but he's not willing to let go initially. It's her card, and he has a hard time letting go. I could feel that one. |
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| Episode 3. One of the reasons I was annoyed this show isn't available on HiDive dubbed anymore is that I can't type as I watch, as I have to hook up my laptop to the tv via hdmi cable. So we, along with Taichi and Chi, learn about 3v3 karuta, and the team nature of the game really solidifies the bond the 3 of them share playing. I am getting March Comes In... vibes with how the passion for an obscure game is coming through. So the objective is to 'win' cards, you do that by selecting them first when the poem is read out. Seems like you can also collect/win your opponents cards if you get there first, or knock the card away. They said the cards have to be arranged in order and then you memorise them in place. So what happens when you see someone swipe wildly and knock cards all over the shop, can they remember how the remaining cards were placed? Anyway, how to play this game is slowly coming into focus for me. Chi and Taichi learn that Arata is a champion and his grandad is a eternal master, clearly his inspiration for the game, same way that Arata is Chi's inspiration for playing. Nice how that passion for playing is passed on from person to person. You make a good observation about how Taichi and Chi see themselves playing as part of a team with Arata. Taichi sees himself as a hindrance when Arata could do so much better on his own, and Chi sees Arata as a test and wants to get to his level. For Arata playing with them both and having someone join his passioned hobby is the point. Arata and Taichi have to leave for different reasons so they won't be in the same middle school. Kind of amazes me how far school kids travel, especially in Tokyo, for school in Japan. Here you go to the local school, unless you can afford private school, or a scholarship somewhere. Yeah the sister was pretty annoying "why can't she just be happy being my fan club", or something along those lines. They don't get to the 3v3 match as Taichi and Chi lose their individual matches, but that's fine, they tried as a team, good bonding. Moment that really got me was Arata breaking down when they visit him at home to play a final game of karuta before he leaves. |
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| Yeah, I know what you mean about taking notes. Have to focus on the screen that much more. To that end, I've been rather exhaustive covering these first 3 episodes, so I'm going to scale back a bit and give more general thoughts with a few specifics. On that note, it is nice to see that Arata inherited not just his grandfather's gift for the game, but his passion as well. That's one thing that differentiates him quite a bit from Rei in March comes in like a lion - they both have aptitude, but Rei felt like this was the only path forward for him despite his lack of passion. He gained that passion as a result of those around him (which I loved to see), but Arata has more of an intrinsic motivation at this point, in part because his family is still here to support him (though we don't know much about his parents yet). I agree, it's nice to see the game coming together through each episode, even if there are elements I still don't fully understand. Episode 4 We return to the present with a promise by Taichi and Chi to rise to Arata's level, one which apparently only Chi still pursues. Based on Taichi's responses to her about Arata, that sense of distance applies to how he sees the prodigy as well. It is notable that Chi apparently hasn't reached out to Arata either, though that may be an issue of not feeling ready to face him given that she hasn't fulfilled her promise to reach Class A yet. Taichi has internalized the message from his mother that the best choice is to pick something at which you know you can easily succeed and advance (he views it not just as hard, but impossible to get to Arata's level), whereas Chi violently rejects that notion, following her passion in spite of what would likely be an easier path. Even her short stint in track was built on improving at karuta, despite her aptitude for that sport. Still, Taichi supports her, though I think he pities her, believing that she's setting herself up for a fall. When he sees her in action, though, it's hard not to be swept up in her high octane, loud playstyle as she continues to advance. We learn a bit more about how these tournaments work. Apparently, it's 7 rounds in a day. I'm not sure at what point eliminations start, but by the end of those 7 rounds, only two remain standing. In an intense final round with an aggressive opponent, Chi truly enjoys herself playing against someone who is not only strong at the game, but also clearly committed to it, similar to her. She wins the match and, in her emotionally buoyed state, promises to get stronger with a still reticent Taichi and calls Arata. This call stood out to me as very well framed. There's a lot to take in before anyone speaks: the call is made to a landline phone in an apparently empty, dark room. Arata emerges from the darkness in dark, nondescript clothing and answers. We can already tell that this won't go well, but Chi doesn't know that, breathlessly launching into a detailing for her recent successes and her desire to play with him again before asking her first question: "how strong are you?" We don't know how long it's been since she has reached out to him, but it's striking that she chose not to ask how he's doing despite what is likely a lengthy estrangement. His response is even more negative than I expected, telling her not to call him again and that he quit karuta. You get the impression that he was somehow forced to give it up and had to fully reject it himself to survive being cut off from the game he loves. I suspect this has something to do with the death of his grandfather and how both he and his parents responded to it, as well as his distance from Taichi and Chi. Look forward to seeing where this goes. |
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| Episode 4. This was the start of the 'band gets back together' arc. We're back in the present and Chi has been working hard to work her way up the karuta rankings. Notable that neither of them has spoken to Arata, or not done so in a while. Chi because she wanted to achieve A rank before she spoke to him, and Taichi because he felt inferior, or wasn't especially close to Arata himself, enjoying being part of a group that involved Chi back in elementary school. Chi's passion for the game is infectious and you are quite right about it being different to Rei in March Comes In... Rei played because it gave him a connection to his new step dad and felt like it was his sole purpose in life, and shogi was his lifeline after losing his family. Arata and Chi both have an infectious love of the game, in fact Arata's passion was the trigger for Chi to get into the game. So we meet Taichi's girlfriend and you can just see the seeds being laid for a future romance. He already said he's only going out with her because she asked, he doesn't hold any special feelings towards her. Then at the end of the ep you see how Taichi reacts when Chi hugs him, he's smitten with her, but equally knows that she doesn't hold romantic feelings for him. And the way Chi thinks about Arata constantly, putting him on a pedestal, and being the inspiration for her to get into karuta, I can easily seeing her catching feelings for Arata at some point down the line. I like how the doctor continually refers to him as 'eyelashes', lol. So Chi makes A rank after an interesting match, which helped me understand how the game is played. And then she calls Arata. As you said, this is where things go wrong. Arata's situation must have changed quite a bit, same as you in that I guess his granddad passed away and now he may hold a sad connection with the game. Every ep so far has held my interest well. I can tell because when the ED starts playing I'm like 'shit how has a whole ep gone by already'. |
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| Yep, this has been captivating so far. Episode 5 We find Chi and Taichi on their way to visit Arata out of worry. The latter doesn't seem too concerned, chalking Arata's rejection of karuta up to waning interest like himself. That shows how little he understands Arata (in part due to distance he helped create between the two of them when they were younger), and how comparatively cognizant Chi is of his feelings regarding the game, even if there are still elements she doesn't get. Still, both are reticent about seeing him for their own reasons. I agree that this is shaping up to be a bit of a love triangle between Chi, Arata and Taichi. Taichi's feelings are clearly one-sided so far, and his relationship with his current girlfriend is all superficial. Kind of love how he shows his interest pretty blatantly by accompanying her on this trip despite his obvious feelings that Arata doesn't need them and how oblivious she is to all of it, seeing it the way she's always seen him: as a friend who is there for her. The way they walk side-by-side with him subtly reaching out to grasp her hand is pretty emblematic of their relationship, especially as Arata passes right in between stopping it before it can start. Arata seems largely frustrated with their presence. The way he needles Taichi and encourages them to leave quickly says it loud and clear, but Chi won't leave until they play karuta, resulting in a more definitive gesture on Arata's part, resulting in a hasty exit. And yes, seeing that picture of his deceased grandfather confirms our suspicions. Arata's neighbor Yuri encourages them to take Arata's karuta cards with them, ending up telling them about what happened: he was out winning a karuta tournament when his grandfather suffered a stroke and died before he could return. That broke him, severing his relationship with his grandfather and karuta simultaneously. Arata only opens a letter from Chi after they leave. It contains a lot of notes she had regarding what to talk about with him, showcasing both her desire to be thorough upon reuniting and her anxieties about it. It also says that she sees Arata as a karuta god, the same way he saw his grandfather, and though he rejects that view, he still wants to return to their friendship. A distraught Chi and Taichi are on the train to go home when they spy Arata moving at top speed on his bike alongside the train. Though he didn't want them to see what he's become, he still can't let them go now that they're back in his life. Chi's takeaway is that this shows that Arata doesn't hate karuta... which isn't really what she should be taking away from it, but she is hyper fixated. Taichi resolves to help her found the club and wait for Arata's return. Meanwhile, some unknown young girl stands before one of her posters. |
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| I hit ep 1000 of One Piece last night. I remember starting OP back in late 2019 and thinking it would take me about 5 years to catch up, and I was about right. The production quality has dramatically improved during the Wano arc. Loved the special touches in ep 1000 shouting back to the earlier arcs. Should soon be caught up with the dub (currently 1048 eps out) and the dub will be caught up with the sub in a few months. Now the story is on the final arc guess we've got another ~200 eps to go, as Wano was 190 eps. I've spent 3 times longer watching OP than any other show, the next closest is Gintama and Fairy Tail at ~360 eps. When it eventually ends it's going to be a wrench after spending so long watching this goofy crew through all these adventures. Episode 5. The beginnings of this show have all the hallmarks of a romance with a love triangle, much like FruBa. The only reason I know that the romance takes a back seat is because I saw a video which said there is romance, but it's not the main focus. Also the love polygon tag, so another love interest must enter the story at some point. As you say, it's quite clear from Taichi's actions and words that his main focus and reason for keeping up with karuta is Chi herself, whereas for Chi and Arata it's the pure love of the game, as well as the fact they enjoy playing with the other two, something that Taichi doesn't understand, maybe because he's a popular guy. Seeing Chi eating mochi reminded me, I bought some over xmas, and yeah it's nice, bit like marshmallow but slightly different taste. I got one pack with peanut butter in the middle, wasn't as nice as plain mochi balls. I really like Chi's outfit for this trip, understated but classy and sexy with high leather boots, white coat, topped off with a red scarf, reminds me of the fashionable wear that Hachi wore in Nana. Always an ego boost when Japanese people discuss height. I always considered myself short, one of my nicknames was even 'Titch' back when I was younger (~12 y/o). I'm 5 ft 11 inches. I wasn't until I left school that i realised I wasn't short, it was just that nearly every one of my close mates were over 6 ft. So when you get Arata appearing tall at 5ft8, I'm like, huh. So the grandad died as we guessed. Chi's little notes and letter were really sweet, I love the addition of the notes as it gives us and Arata an insight into Chi's thinking without the audience intruding on her internal monologue. Then you have Arata chasing after the train, which he doesn't catch but they see him. Again good story telling (show not tell), it shows us that he wants to say something to them, and made all the effort to chase after them and the train, but we don't get some melodramatic meeting on a train station platform where they meet and all gush their feelings. Any finally, a girl looking at the karuta poster. Really good episode. |
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| Ooh, quite the mark for a One Piece fan. I picked up the series mid-stream (I think they were in Thriller Bark) and continued on for a while before going back to get some context. Early on, I was an anime-only fan, but transitioned to the manga after I ran out of material to watch. Now I'm almost entirely manga-only. I watch an episode every now and then from the series, and the one that especially reminded me why I do was episode 1000. It's the kind of experience you can only get from seeing it beautifully animated, and I'd go so far as to say it's one of the best episodes in the series to date. I've got my issues with the pacing for the anime, which is why I don't just stick to watching it now that I'm caught up on the manga, but when it goes hard, it's more than worth the watch. Fairy Tail ended up being a similar situation for me, albeit one where I revisit the anime less due to lack of interest beyond a couple of big fight scenes, though when I get to Gintama, that'll be all anime for me. Episode 6 I love how both Chi and Taichi start the episode hauling tatami mats through the crowded school center. Most everyone knows their names so it's quite the scene, with one student drawing parallels between Chi's "beauty in vain" perception and the club itself, calling it a "club in vain." Chi clearly doesn't mind attracting attention on their way to the dusty storage room that is their club room with the goal of finding 3 more members. Attention shifts to the young girl who was looking at the karuta poster at the end of last episode, Kana. She's an underperforming archery student who feels out of her depth, likes reading old books and wearing traditional clothing. She was drawn to the poster partially because of the design (it has a woman in a kimono on it) and partially because she thinks Chi would embody more of that classy, traditional style. She clearly doesn't know Chi or how they play karuta, but she gets a pretty clear view of how they play and gets to experience Chi when she goes all T-1000 on her ass. It turns out that Kana is really into the history of karuta poetry, but knows nothing of the game. She does, however, want to wear a hakama (like the one she's wearing now). This stems from a family history with traditional clothing that they can no longer afford, but which she still loves. However, that dress code isn't a thing in karuta, so she leaves. Taichi dismisses her as someone who cannot succeed at the game, given her interest is not in how to play it, but the trappings of it. Kana seems to agree with him. However, Chi continues to pursue her, even finding her way to Kana's family store. Kana gives her a crash course in the history of the Chihaya card with some beautiful imagery, and Chi becomes invested in learning more, partially as a way to better memorize the cards based on their meaning, but largely because it gives new dimension to her fascination with karuta. They end up spending all day talking about the poems, and just this ends up improving her performance at karuta. Seeing her dedication brings Kana back as well and she joins under the conditions that a) Chi models some amazing-looking kimonos (she's kind of perfect for it), b) that they wear rented hakama during matches, and c) they clean the place. Member #3 in the bag. A solid episode. What could have just been a story about doggedly convincing someone to join the club turned into some substantial growth for Chi and shows her club taking shape into something distinct. |
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| Episode 6. In the dub they call 'beauty in vain' a 'waste of a hottie', not quite as poetic. You can tell Chi doesn't care about what people say about her, but Taichi helps because he's with Chi, not sure he'd have the same resolve if he were on his own whereas I'm sure Chi would be happy standing out regardless of whether Taichi were with her or not. Interesting how Taichi confronts Chi about not being serious about karuta and only wanting to become the queen because she's following in Arata's footsteps. He doesn't get it, at some point it became her dream, although Arata was the trigger and inspiration. So we meet Kana and her initial introduction to seeing karuta isn't what she thought. That scene of Chi haring after Kana did make me chuckle, as did she jumping up and running full tilt into the door. Kana has a very different approach to Chi, and loves the history and expressive nature of the poems used in karuta, rather than the competitive game itself. Some lovely imagery when Kana is describing the stories behind the poems. So they have their new karuta club member in Kana and same as you i thought it was nicely worked with Chi drawing Kana out on her love of poems, but not just to get her to join, but because Chi was genuinely interested and her warmth drew Kana in. Tellingly for the series Chi ends the episode with "I learnt from Kana that the Chihayafuru card is about a love that burns deep red". Given Chi and Kana were talking about layered meanings this episode I can say that the show is about a love of the game of karuta and maybe later romantic love. A tale of love and passion if you will. |
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| @23feanor I ended up finishing out the manga for Girls' Last Tour (didn't take long), and yeah, they make the story hit that much harder. I loved it. I hope they do make an OVA for it someday, I'd most definitely watch it. Episode 7 For now, Kana sits on the sidelines and plays the chanting of the poems, and for the first time, we see Taichi try to address the shortcomings in his play, working on how quickly he can recognize certain elements. Even so, his quicker reaction doesn’t yield him victories against Chi, which makes Taichi feel like he’s not helping her advance, believing Arata could do better. Love Chi’s little faceplant after the game’s over because she’s exhausted herself. So Chi goes back to recruiting, going after the second-smartest student at the school after Taichi, Tsutomu. Beginning to notice a trend: everyone who joins the club is a bit of an outsider, Taichi perhaps being the only outlier. This kid, who apparently has everyone around him thinking he looks like a jelly bean (rude), is quite the study fanatic, and that leads others to dismiss him as socially irrelevant and, worse from his perspective, incapable of claiming the top spot at the school despite all his hard work, calling him “number two Desktomu-kun” (a play on his name, and also rude). He gets nettled by Chi’s insistence that he tries the game, saying he only cares about what’s best for his future. Chi demands that he give karuta a try, literally dragging him, desk and all, out of the classroom. She gets more… subtle? (I guess anything else would be)… by pointing out that the memorization required in karuta would help him in his studies. He disbelieves her at first, but notes that Taichi is also in the club, bolstering her argument. He also sees in this an opportunity: he challenges Taichi and Chi to flip the cards over after memorizing them, no mean feat and one meant to show the error in her argument. He believes it is impossible. Still, they try it, and show some substantial success, nixing the usual style that makes a mess of the cards to keep them in position and playing to Taichi’s memorization strengths, particularly as cards start being passed around. This also proves the lie in Taichi’s earlier position: he hates to lose, and dominating the game gives him new life while frustrating Chi. Still, Tsutomu feels that Taichi doesn’t have to work for his lot in life, whereas Tsutomu has had to struggle through everything and feels he will never be accepted. The distance and assumptions imposed by others runs deep, and he lashes out at Taichi, claiming he doesn’t have the talent for it and that studying is all he’s good for. He doesn’t know that Taichi has had to struggle himself with being told that he should only focus on his strengths. Taichi executes an awesome throw on Tsutomu’s desk, making sure he can’t hide behind it as he explains his own fervor for karuta and encourages him to join an do his best. Needless to say, this gets through to the loner who also sees in this an opportunity to find an accepting community of his peers. |
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| I'd also like to see an ending to GLT, maybe one day. Episode 7. This was another very good episode with a lot of useful life lessons. I'd forgotten that Taichi is smart and top of the class. I had a kind of experience mixed between Taichi and Tsutomu in school. I had plenty of friends/gf and was in top class for every subject, but I was never top, and people thought I was naturally smart but I spent way more time studying at home than I ever let on. I had a good memory, but I also had to work hard, so I can relate to both characters in this situation. Although I would have been fine landing second place, not sure why people in the class throw that round as an insult, I'd be like "where did you place", but then school in the UK and Japan are quite different environments. What I really liked is the lesson that Tsutomu learns about Taichi, that he has to work hard as well. Tsutomu initially thought that Taichi is gifted and everything is given to him, friends, top spot, whereas he learns that Taichi struggles at things too. This is something it can take years to learn. We look at other people and wonder how they can achieve the things they do with seeming ease, we don't know what struggles or inner turmoil is going on in the background that got them to that place. And the second valuable lesson is to not compare ourselves to others, we are not them, everyone has unique situations, strengths and weaknesses. This was a good episode showing Taichi's character. We start off with him losing to Chi and reflecting how Arata would be a better partner for her to practive against and improve. Then he wins when they have to memorise the cards and turn them face down and realises just how competitive he is and he beats Chi soundly, showing that he has the strength to memorise the cards she can't match. And here I had a question. Do the players arrange the cards themselves, if so then surely you'd arrange them in a similar format each time, and after a short while have memorised where each one goes. I think the pack of 100 cards is shuffled and then dealt into 2, so maybe you wouldn't know exactly what cards you'd get, but you could arrange them in certain orders (ones associated with sunny weather/love/rivers etc), however you bets memorise the poems. Also the cd players shows it plays the verses at random, but how do they stop it from replaying the same poem twice, or even more? The final talk between Taichi and Tsutomu convinces Tsutomu that stepping away from his desk and joining the club may be a positive thing. This episode managed to juggle character devlopment for Taichi and introduce Tsutomu with consummate ease. |
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| I agree, I did really love that last episode especially for Taichi’s development. Episode 8 Time to focus up and find the fifth member they need. Given their successes have so far been the result of sustained conversion efforts, canvassing in the quad just won’t cut it. Chis running herself ragged and, in her efforts to snag lunch, runs into a potential recruit: a boy named Nishida who she faced in karuta during the flashback who, at the time, was number 2 in the country. He’s an avid tennis player (he seems pretty good) and says he’s not interested. Doesn’t help that she keeps calling him Porky, though he doesn’t seem sensitive about his weight. Taichi wants to leave him alone, but Chi refuses to give him space. Turns out, Taichi and Nishida have a lot in common, with the latter finding tennis easier to excel at than karuta. He seems haunted by his loss to Arata once upon a time, but still uses the timing he learned with karuta in his tennis play, signaling that he still can’t let go. Eventually, he challenged to a match against Chi, and showcases his strength quickly against her, his play in tennis making his reflexes faster. He’s reminded of why he loved the game, and why he turned against it when it became solely about winning. We also get a bit more insight into how the game is played. As you mentioned earlier, the goal is to run out of cards first, but I did always wonder what was going on with passing cards and grabbing from the opponent’s side. Well, now we know: you pass a card when you capture one of theirs, both reducing your card pool and making theirs more complex. This card sending also happens when either side commits a fault, often the result of grabbing the wrong card, though apparently not always - it depends on the card’s position relative to the correct card, which affects how risky being quick on the jump can be with two similar cards. And that’s what Nishida uses against her, positioning cards such that there is a greater risk of a fault for being too quick on the jump. Still, Chi fights back to win after a hard fought game, showcasing her strong intuition. He opts to join the karuta team, quitting tennis as he realizes that this is what he wants to do. A bit of a weaker episode this time around, albeit still nice for introducing another distinct member to the team. Now it’s time to see them grow together! |
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| Episode 8. I expected Arata to turn up suddenly and be the 5th club member but looks like I was wrong. Noticed that Chi calls Tsutomu 'Desktomu', his nickname, although guess she means it affectionately, but people don't always like nicknames given them by classmates, especially if meant in a derogatory fashion. We get some exposition from Taichi on the rules of karuta, faults and passing a card to your opponent. He mentioned not touching a card while the 'ghost card' is being read, not sure what the ghost card is though. Chi runs into Porky, or Nishida as he prefers to be called. This is one trait of Chi's that isn't particularly nice, calling people by their unflattering nicknames, even though she doesn't mean it maliciously, despite Nishida repeatedly asking her not to call him Porky. Which I like, shows she's not perfect. So Nishida and Chi play and she wins, reminding him of why he liked karuta and persuading him to leave the tennis club and instead join the karuta club. Wasn't a bad episode, but by the standards set so far you're right was a bit weaker with a more traditional rope someone into our club type deal. |
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| Episode 9 The club, now filled with 5 members, goes to become official, with the only caveat being that Chi can't be club president (their soon-to-be advisor isn't exactly fond of her behaviorally, so that tracks), leaving Taichi to fill the role. Kind of love all the little notes Chi put next to each of their names, including "the roundest player in Class B" for Nishida. Glad he seems comfortable with his weight and that this isn't so much fat shaming as it is just Chi being Chi. And yeah, I kind of love that about her as well. She can be pretty oblivious to how other people feel when it doesn't involve karuta. Chi doesn't know how to tone down her play to help their new members, which makes Kana in particular feel down. Admittedly, as Chi explains, her interest in karuta was borne out of losing to Arata, another strong player who didn't take it easy on her, though I don't know if that will work as well on others. Still, the goal is to bring them all to a tournament, so the bar is set high. As someone who got thrown into the deep end quickly in my college debate club, I can relate. I definitely stuck with it, but you need a great deal of intrinsic motivation to get past those early stages. It also places Chi in a position where she's not going to get as much practice against difficult opponents before the tournament. It's interesting to see how they decide on card positioning. It's based on so many factors, like what makes it easier to memorize their cards, how quick their reflexes are, and their handedness. Little by little, their dedication is rewarded with success. It's nice to see how each of their approaches yield distinct types of growth. They even fashion a karuta training camp at Taichi's house to improve their stamina and play. The practice schedule Chi sets is exhausting (15 matches in 2 days), but clearly meant to push their limits, though it seems a bit much for their newer players. Taichi has to push Chi to recognize this, and later she confirms that it's hard for her to see anything beyond her focus on the game, though it turns out her compatriots appreciate how pushy she is. We get an intriguing moment here where Chi tries to go upstairs to check out Taichi's room, and he calmly but firmly shuts her down. It's entirely reasonable to set boundaries, though it's also clear there's a limit to the closeness of their relationship that wasn't there when they were younger, which I think they'll explore in more detail later. The whole things ends early with the unexpected return of Taichi's parents, though they later decide to surprise Chi with a birthday celebration over what looks like a delicious fruit tart with custard. The kind of unity and support they show here is touching. We end the episode with Taichi receiving a message from an unknown number that apparently hits him hard. It's Arata, wishing her a happy 16th birthday, leaving Chi shocked. A sweet ending that leaves Taichi feeling bitter, likely because he has to share it with Arata. Nice to see them develop as a group and to see that the members are up to the rigorous task set before them. |
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| Episode 9. Yeah those notes Chi made on the club listing were sweet, all adorned with little hearts for karuta, kind of like the thing most girls do when writing about boys they like on their school stuff, except for Chi, her love is for karuta. So the teacher takes exception to Chi and wants someone else to be club president, probably for the best as Chi is a bit excessive and Taichi is a good calming influence. So they start playing and Chi drives them hard, but explains that's how she first experienced the game and it's the best way to learn, tough but fair. Then they go to Taichi's house to practice. I think I can kind of see how the romance is going to go in this series. We know how Taichi feels about Chi, but Chi is not quite oblivious, but hasn't given romance a thought, and Arata is an unknown. As you say we see Taichi drawing a line in not allowing Chi to go up to his room, why, maybe he's got mementos from her, or pics of her, or maybe pics of him and his gf. Not sure but he is very aware of what it means to him allowing her into his room. Then you have Taichi getting a bday text from Arata for Chi (why didn't Arata send Chi a message directly, seems like the author wanted us to see Taichi's reaction to the text), and he instantly goes to eat the piece of cake she's offering (indirect kiss) and his directness startles Chi. He can clearly see how important Arata is to Chi, and it clearly effects him. Honestly, if I were him I'd tell Chi, and see where things go. Sometimes even if she isn't interested romantically to begin with, telling how how he feels could lead her to think of him in a different way and voila romance blossoms. I can see the romance taking a back seat with little hints here and there, like in this episode, until it blows up later down the line. Chi reprimands herself for being too forceful on the new recruits, but they later say they don't mind and welcome the fact she's making an effort to get them involved. Another nice touch for Chi's character, yes she is a bit obsessed and forceful, but she is self aware. Taichi's parents having a shrine to him is sure something. College debating (or university I guess) heh, battle of wits, reasoning and logic. One of those areas where you learn to argue an issue from both sides and try and understand both sides point of views (critical thinking), something it would be good if more people nowadays learned how to do methinks. I love watching videos of Stephen Fry debate, he's so eloquent and knowledgeable. |
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| College debating was a lot of fun, at least while I had a committed team/partner. I learned a lot over that time. And yeah, plenty of "understand the other side" resolutions helped me broaden my horizons, though a couple were so lopsided that it made appreciating the other side hard to do. As for what I'd do in Taichi's place, I'm not entirely sure. The closest scenario to this in my life was that there was a girl in college who I really liked and was friendly with, but the issue there wasn't that I was friend-zoned, but rather that she was already in a relationship and would be moving away after college ended. Suffice it to say I didn't want to rock the boat for something that wouldn't last. We're still friends, both happily married, so all's well that ends well. Still, if I were in Taichi's place, I'd agree that being straight up is better than beating around the bush. Episode 10 Chi cuts quite the figure in her floral hakama at the regional tournament. I knew to expect that from the OP, but still, nice to see in action. In general, everyone looks much more striking in their formal attire. I know they hate to stand out like this, but I think it's quite expressive. We get a potential answer for why Arata texted Taichi instead of Chi (and why he's also not responding to her texts): there's a shared desire between Taichi and Arata, an understanding that makes him a viable throughline to express what he can't say to her directly. Similar to the last time they played as a group, the whole club will play as a team, needing to win a majority of their matches (3/5) to move on. They end up managing it, with their two newest players both losing the first round and Kana coming back to win the second, though that leaves Tsutomu feeling comparatively weak, like he's not contributing to the team. There's also some interesting gamesmanship around who you try to match up with to get those 3 wins, but a combination of that and Tsutomu's feelings lead him to view his place on the team as dispensable and result in him lashing out. Taichi points out their lack of teamwork is partially to blame. This sends Chi's feelings spiraling, and when they face their next team, which has more of a sense of how to support one another during play, it puts them in a precarious position for the semi-finals. Chi in particular struggles for the first time. Taichi helps set things aright by patting each of them on the head and giving them words of encouragement, particularly in telling Chi to breathe and focus. Tsutomu eventually returns to the room as well and just his presence, as well as a shout of encouragement, after having walked away improves her mood dramatically. Despite being far down of her opponent, she manages to pull out a win while Kana goes down, giving them 3 wins. It's a sweet moment of success pulled from the jaws of defeat. I particularly like how Kana phrases it to Tsutomu later, pointing out that all the great players have callouses on their feet from all their practice on the mats, something they'll have to get before they're up to the task. Practice makes perfect. There's some brief mention of the current Queen in karuta, hyping up a character we have yet to see. We also get some peeks into one of the other teams, which includes members we've met before and a leader who seems to like to toy with his opponents and wants to face Chi in the next round. He seems quite sadistic, and thinks Chi is as well, so that should be an interesting clash. |
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| On Taichi and Chi and your comment about the girl you knew in college/uni, something I learnt as I got older was that you can meet the perfect girl and all be great but if you're not in the right place at the right time, both of you, then a relationship is less likely to work and it's just one of those facts of life. As in your case, your female friend was in a relationship and moving away, so even if you were both right for each other, life circumstances got in the way. I also find Japanese highschool much more sheltered than the equivalent period here in the UK when I was in college (16-18, highschool for USA also I believe). We had cars for those over 17 and you could legally drink over 18 (so people in the 2nd year of college), plus no uniforms. It gives college life a completely different feel than highschool in Japan. And for Taichi, if he doesn't get his act in gear then he and/or Chi could be moving away to Uni (college in Japan and USA) when he or she is 18 and then he's lost his chance. My view was better to find out what might be (even if it wasn't what you hoped for), rather than reflect on what might have been, having never done anything (although in your case I would have done the same, I didn't go around pinching other guys girls). Episode 10. Only a couple of thoughts of this episode. I wonder what Taichi was going to say at the end of his thought about Chi, himself and Arata, re the texting. It was something along the lines of "Arata and I both think Chi as our....", what love interest, crush? Not sure, but Arata's reluctance to text Chi directly is telling. The majority of this episode is your semi typical sports plot about a team game, reminding me a lot of Run with the Wind (Mount Hakone is the Sharpest Under Heaven, yeah, go team) and Haikyuu, and especially team dynamics as we see the different approach by different teams and how much Chi's team is lacking. Tsutomu stands out as he feels like a weak link, but comes to realise this is nothing to be ashamed of and lends to support to Chi in her final match, which gives her the push she needs. Taichi was the main standout, cajoling and supporting his team mates as required, guy did good. Random thoughts: my mouth always waters when I see someone eating a yaki soba or pork cutlet sandwich/bun, they look amazing. Also noticed that the guys were bare foot this episode, and not wearing the usual Japanese indoor slippers, no idea why. I always take me shoes off when going into a house, but changing your shoes for slippers at school just seems weird to me. |
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| That's a good breakdown of how things often play out in those early relationships. A lot of things have to work out just so for a relationship to be viable. I think if this girl hadn't been in another relationship, I would have asked to date her in college, though I can't be certain of that. I wasn't exactly outgoing when it came to those kinds of relationships, so I'm sure I would have dithered for quite some time at least. Didn't help that I spent much of my college years obsessively playing World of Warcraft, which dominated my downtime. Had to cut that out in grad school, full stop, and of course that's where I met my wife, so it all worked out. Oh yeah, and I love watching well-animated food in shows like this, and those are great examples of food that immediately make me hungry. The show Delicious in Dungeon just started, and while it's tonally a bit strange, the food on screen looks amazing, even though it's all made from fantasy creatures. Not sure I can explain the whole when to be barefoot or slippered instances either. Cultural differences can be even stranger when you get into the nitty gritty. And yep, definitely got some Run with the Wind vibes from the team in last episode. Episode 11 Onto the big match against the top-performing team. Chi actually comes up with a pretty good order for them that plays to their strengths as a team. There's recognition to go around that their function as a team matters as much as their individual performances, and that wrong choices speaking with one another can affect their play, and Taichi in particular is far more cognizant of his role. Meanwhile, the other team seems very confident, both in their predictions of their locations relative to the others using these Retrot cards and of their impending victory. Chi ends up getting matched with the sadist from last episode, who the rest of the team treats as their ace, Sudo. And yeah, he's a dick, setting her up to be frustrated off the bat after he puts himself in a position to get "accidentally" headbutted in the chin and demands an apology. He even arranges her favorite card front and center on his side to goad her. Yep, sadist. Hard cut to... Arata behind the counter on a slow day in a convenience store? That's new. Turns out he just hasn't been seeing Chi's messages, so his lack of response is apparently not have been driven by personal choice. And he finds out about Chi and her team being in the finals just as they're about to begin. Chi remains focused, but her opponent strikes fast and hard, as do the rest. Taichi rallies the troops as best he can, but Chi's opponent makes it hard to make a move, especially with the Chihaya card at the center as a distraction. Little successes add up, though, at they start to regain their footing as the other side starts losing their tight grip on the game. It's interesting how the reader's quirks can play into what the players hear and how quickly they respond, though I'd like to hear more about how that works. Chi finds her groove and bolsters the team, many of whom face their own challenges, with Nishida facing an opponent who practiced with them when they were younger and uses his own psychological tactics, but the degree to which his juniors are fighting for each card against superior opponents wins him back. Dude even does a barrel roll to secure a card (that's what they call it, but it's actually an aileron roll - learned this after Peppy from Star Fox got it wrong so often). Kana and Tsutomu lose their rounds despite fighting hard, Taichi takes a win, and both Nishida and Chi are in close matches, with the former narrowly taking the win against a Class A opponent. Chi takes her match in thematically appropriate fashion, ending it with the Chihaya card before collapsing. Thus, they are ready to go to nationals, Arata cheering them on in his own way. |
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| On an unrelated point abut dating in Japan, I saw the Abroad in Japan podcast talking about a survey that came out stating that 46% of males in Japan under 30 hadn't ever had a girlfriend. From anime and anecdotal vlogs and news reports seems that pressure to study and get a job is a big factor. Looking back on it, I saw dating early on (11-15) as very useful in learning about dating, getting used to what to do, what not to do and learning lessons that would come in handy later on for more serious relationships. Students in anime are often discouraged from dating in anime, with a lot having school rules stating students can't date (not sure how widespread this is irl though, may be an exaggerated anime thing). Once you get into the workplace finding someone becomes so much harder and your choices are narrowed down significantly. If Japan wants to increase the birth rate and get people together, let them date in school/college. I don't believe Japan has flexible working like we do over here though, so if a woman gets pregnant then she has to leave work and raise the kids. So her choices are either work or a family, which sucks, and I can understand why women in Japan are choosing the former. On that note, we have another little one on the way, bit of a shock but slowly getting used to the idea, due in July. Yeah I also watched ep 1 of Delicious Dungeon, bit of a weird genre mix but liked it. I love dungeon crawling anime and this one just happens to focus on monster food, and did look tasty, especially that tart at the end. I do all the cooking here, but I'm not on the level of making a tart from scratch, although if I've got the ingredients and an instruction video/recipe I can usually make something edible. I've got roast dinners and stews down pat. Episode 11. Karuta is a tough game to sell an audience on, but I'm slowly getting drawn in. Taichi explained in this ep that you as the game goes in on it becomes a process of elimination, you know what poems have been read, and what is left to come, but many of the cards differ subtly and you don't want to incur a fault and get a penalty card so you have to be sure. It sometimes feels like when you've seen one sports anime you've seen them all, especially for team sports. This ep we get the sadist team, with a guy that predicts the order through cards. It's hard for shows to create these minor roadblock characters, these were so so. Sadist was a bit grating, but Chi wasn't put off and came through. We see that Arata hasn't seen the messages, why has it taken him weeks/months to finally check his phone, although he did say he doesn't get any messages so why would he check. He sees that Chi and her new club got to the nationals, he really should send her a congratulatory message. Haven't played Arwing, but looks similar to a game I played on N64, I thought it was called X-wing, but that's a Star Wars game, ah just found it, was called F-Zero, looks terrible now, but was fun to play. |
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| Thanks for the detailed thoughts on both your own experience with dating and those in Japan. I was rather odd, since I didn't date anyone until I was in college and pretty much every date I had was half-hearted and not going anywhere. Ended up being that my first date where anything felt serious was with my wife. Worked for me, but I think the experience of going on dates throughout much of your life is beneficial and probably would have improved things for me as well. Been trying to up my cooking game as well, though I do less of it than my wife. Mainly been working on my grilling and curry recipes, which are going pretty well. Oh, and I loved F-Zero. Played both the N64 version and F-Zero GX and had a blast. Star Fox was among my favorite N64 games, and I loved Rogue Squadron, so X-Wings all the way. Episode 12 Yeah, this game has been growing on me as well as they reveal more of the ways to employ strategies to win. Really intriguing. This show is distinctly different in how it approaches competition vs. March. I like how that show tackled what it means to have reached a sort of plateau where you could be stuck in place for a long time. Chihayafuru seems more into the classic “triumph over adversity” narrative, and given than three of their players have been at this for years, it’s certainly believable, if less complex and interesting. With the tournament over, our characters now have the right to represent Tokyo at the national tournament. Nice to see that the loss has some real weight for their opponents as well. Chi comes home to a house that’s still more interested in her sister’s efforts and accomplishments than her own. Looks like little has changed. Doesn’t help that their academic advisor also seems dismissive, elevating the tennis team over them. I’ve been there, though thankfully not with my family. Whether in debate or scientific research, I’ve felt that kind of “you’ve been sidelined” approach, though this teacher is particularly cruel in her dismissal. Still, it’s nice to see the team remains very motivated, even to practice at a local karuta society (splitting up between two different ones). Nice to see Chi and Taichi getting instructed again by Dr. Harada and getting beat up by some top tier players, but Chi especially feels the weight of the coming trials. Taichi chops the imposter syndrome right out of her, showing that their former rivals are still behind them with info given to him by Retro. It’s a nice touch. Chi struggles with how to ask her parents for money to travel to nationals, since they’re already struggling financially, but discovers that her parents do have a scrapbook of her accomplishments. Nice to see she has some family support after so long feeling left out. Also good to see Kana trying new tactics that work for her style of play and watching her get mad at Nishida for not knowing the full poems by heart is endearing. Their dedication even wins over their teacher in the end, as she puts their trophy in front of the principal’s office, reads up on karuta and decides to attend nationals with them after all. |
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| Glad it worked for you, there is no right way to date or approach romance as everyone's different, but when I see that played out trope of going out to a stranger and confessing (usually with a letter) it makes me wonder, you need to get the know the person at least a bit before anything happens. I had more than a couple of mates who dithered with dates when they were younger, assuming it would all fall into place when they were older (uni or workplace). They married and now years later some of them are divorced/re-married or in unhappy relationships. I was like the male equivalent of a shoujo protag, always searching for the special girl that would take my breath away, never found her (life circumstances got in the way of a couple of girls), but happy nonetheless. I was tempted to pick up the shoujo romance series A Sign of Affection this season, and saw you're watching it. I'll probably check in with you in a few weeks for your initial thoughts if that's ok, and as long as it's not awful will pick it up myself. Sounds a bit like A Silent Voice but without the bullying and with romance and adult cast, looks promising. Just watched One Piece ep 1015. I thought ep 1000 was good but this was on another level, easily the best directed and story boarded ep of OP. Episode 12. You're right about this show being more in the typical sports anime bag compared to March, although to be fair, March is a stand out show for so many reasons. Having a karuta club suddenly come together and make it to nationals, beating more experienced team does seem a bit fanciful, triumph over adversity as you say. One aspect I liked about Haikyuu is that although the team they build do get very good, it feels earned and they have their major set backs along the way. Won't say more as I can see you haven't seen S1 yet. Can't wait for the final movie to come out. Poor Chi being eclipsed by her sister, you feel for her, but to her credit she's very supportive of her sister. I imagine a lot of people would become bitter at the lack of attention they get compared to their sibling. Same story with their advisor, the 'empress', who seems very dismissive of their achievement in getting to nationals. I like Hanada, he's a good supporting character, especially love him calling Taichi 'eyelashes' all the time, lol. Chi starts doubting herself and gets a Taichi chop for not believing in herself. Really admire how Taichi knows what she's thinking (educated guess) and gves her the support she needs. I'll say this, if Taichi had boobs he'd be one cute girl, his char design is almost as cute as Chi's. It's notable that Taichi is the one prepping Chi up, with her physically and emotionally, however, Chi is constantly checking her phone for a message from Arata and wondering aloud what she should do, as if Arata is some saviour. Ah, they do have a scrapbook for Chi, that was really sweet. Interesting that the way Kana arranges her cards is the kind of approach I arrived at, I'd have them all grouped by common theme, in this case seasons/weather. Sounds like the traditional way is to group them by syllables. I still have no idea what a ghost card is. So the advisor is won over by the club members enthusiasm and dedication and agrees to take them to nationals. Is it me, or does every poem seem to have something to do with some guy or other having his wife/lover pinched by the emperor, or some wife thinking of her lover/husband after being chosen by the emperor. |
23feanorJan 7, 6:38 AM
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| A Sign of Affection is off to a decent start at least. I can't say it's wowed me yet, but the animation is cute and they're doing quite a bit to depict things from the lead's perspective, so it certainly has potential. A few episodes should start to show whether this one can be really good. And yep, 1015 was another one I had to tag back into the anime to watch. Just excellently done. Haikyuu is coming up for me soon - I've got a couple of short shows to get through (just finished Land of the Lustrous - honestly, a bit overhyped, but I'll post a review later - and I've also been watching some mature animation of late that has been excellent, might post some reviews of those as well) and then it's all Haikyuu all the time for a while. Looking forward to it. I'm going to try avoiding too many comparisons to other anime, as I know even comparing to March is an "apples to oranges" comparison. I don't really have that big of a problem with them winning regionals, given that the three that really anchored the team are all veteran players.As for the poems having a rather consistent set of meanings, I wonder if that's just because Kana is particularly interested in that set of cards rather than most of them containing those themes. That would require me doing more research, though, so we'll just have to see if we get more insight from the show. And yeah, still don't know what the ghost card is, either. Episode 13 Their arrival in the famed Omi Jingu heralds the beginning of their biggest trial yet. Early on, Chi passes a young girl around her age with dark hair who leaves an impression immediately. Must either be the current Queen or someone who is in contention for the position. They get placed in a bracket with teams that aren't considered "super schools" based on Retro's notes, giving them a chance to get out of their block. There are also a lot of rumors circulating about their team, since they're new and unseated a strong contender. Makes sense. Chi in particular is unsettled early in her match, looking initially like she might be ill, though news that Arata's not in the competition definitely affects her as well. We cut to Arata, who is on his way there now, thinking about his past with his grandfather. He had a stroke, incapacitating his right arm, then a relapse resulting in dementia and a marked change in demeanor as his knowledge of karuta and Arata vanishes. In his upset state, he even physically assaults a classmate who admittedly is pretty dense when he talks to him about it. Then we get some insight into the events surrounding his grandfather's death. He regains some lucidity and, when Arata is left alone to care for him, he demands that Arata go to a tournament happening that same day instead. So it wasn't just his choice - his grandfather would have had it no other way. Back in the present, Arata arrives at the tournament, seeing Chi struggle and collapses before Taichi throws in the towel for her. Taking her elsewhere, the rest of their team continues to fight in their matches. When Chi regains consciousness, she's obviously upset feeling that she's failed her team. She gets taken to the ER. Meanwhile, Arata is struggling with his own choices, running into an adult he knew from when he was playing who assumes he's there to compete and admitting to himself that he still loves karuta. Turns out, the rest of the team managed well without her, with even Tsutomu taking games. They fell in the playoffs to one of those higher level teams, Fujisaki, but no one seems terribly upset about it. They all seem bolstered. After getting scolded by Sudo, who is there for the individual tournament, for collapsing (dude's harsh), Chi promises that she'll play the next day in the individual tournament. And she gets the message she's wanted all along from Arata, saying "next time, we'll meet in a match." If that's not motivation for her, I don't know what is. |
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| Land of the Lustrous made an impression, I'd love to see a S2 one day. Can't really remember my exact thoughts, but visuals were lovely and loved the self contained little world and mystery at the end. Would have scored a high 7/10 iirc. Completely random question, but do you ever eat american biscuits with sausage gravy? I've seen it around in cooking videos and it looks tasty. We can't get american biscuits over here so I'd have to make them, but I'm tempted. Episode 13. So they arrive and settle in at the shrine, and guessing you're right, Chi walked past the current queen with dark hair. Chi gets ill, heatstroke maybe, and ends up forfeiting the match. A large part of the episode was about Arata and his grandad, and how his illness came to pass and why Arata wasn't there when he passed, when he should have been looking after him. Then we're back to the present and Arata makes it to the shrine, but only in time to see Chi faint. He helps her out of the room following Taichi's manly save to prevent Chi from collapsing completely. Chi and Arata don't actually talk and he ends up going hom leaving a present for the team with a message saying he'll meet them again in a match. Chi feels relieved to hear this and feels her efforts to reach out to him have worked. Something's been bothering me about this show and this episode helped me figure out what it was. The characters and narrative are excellent, as seen in the flashback today with Arata and his grandad, really had me engaged. But when we switch to the team aspect of karuta, it feels like this show switches to a shounen sports anime, and it just doesn't grab me in the same way the inter personal stories do. Not saying it's bad, but karuta is even harder to figure out than shogi. Onto the individual matches. |
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| Land of the Lustrous had some really great character development and the visuals were great. The plot, however, left a lot of dangling threads and the way it wrapped up its mysteries just left me perplexed. More of a mid-7/10 for me. I've definitely eaten biscuits with sausage gravy - kind of a thing in the American south where I'm currently living. It's great, especially when everything is freshly made. Definitely worth trying. I see your point regarding how this series is balancing its karuta play and its more dramatic backstory/emotional interactions. The balance itself isn't bad, but I agree that the karuta is the weaker element so far. Episode 14 In individual competition, their two newest competitors are in class D together, so they could face off, as could Nishida and Taichi, the latter of whom recognizes that Arata could also be competing in Class B. Meanwhile, in Class A, Chi runs into Sudo and finds out the current Queen is there, Wakamiya (confirmed to be the girl she passed earlier), who has been in Class A since fourth grade. Much like Chi, she's not exactly a fashion icon, but I love her sense of style, if not so much her personality which comes off as abrasive. Chi isn't focused on her game as she plays against a talented opponent (she wins anyway), with the Queen easily dispatching hers (turns out this is the boy who gave Nishida a hard time during regionals, so not exactly small fry). Everyone is afraid to face her, but Chi steels her resolve and... gets her chance in the second round. Chi becomes laser focused and dead serious. Gone is any sense of enjoyment as she sets to the task of facing down one of the toughest players, which will show her just how high the wall is to achieve her dream. And the Queen struts her stuff, moving too fast for Chi to the point that she can even let Chi react first. Chi is dramatically outmatched. The question becomes not whether Chi can keep up, but whether she can even win one card. Still, Chi has no quit in her. Then something I love and was not expecting happens: they bond briefly over their t-shirts and love of strange mascots, and Chi suddenly recognizes the humanity in her opponent while the Queen loses the smallest bit of her focus. She's still intensely good, though, even winning cards that don't look possible. Chi starts to lose her drive and the Queen seems kind of disappointed. She finds her drive when she sees her teacher and Taichi watching, and imagines she's up against Arata, who defeated her easily once upon a time. A little analysis of how the Queen is so effective goes a long way, and Chi is able to fight back little by little, getting closer to taking a card and even surrendering one her opponent thought she'd won (a little less hyper focused on winning and more on the game itself). At long last, she takes a card definitively from her opponent's side, handing over the Chihaya card to show that she's still on the attack before taking it as well and, for the first time in the match, firing up her opponent. Solid episode, nice to see how Chi develops her both her play and analysis over this match. |
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| Apparently there's an adaption issue for Land of the Lustrous which meant that the mystery aspect was introduced right at the end of the season, one of the problems with a one cour show. I had exactly the same misgivings and was like, what the hell is suddenly going on. Episode 14. Agree the queen seems to be an interesting character, stand out fashion style, like Chi and even being sarcastic, a vein of humour not appreciated by most Japanese apparently. I'm glad, as from the way she walked past Chi when they arrived at the shrine I thought she was going to be the typical haughty type, happy to see my first impressions quashed. This was a good episode, I tend to like the ones focused on Chi more than the team game. She comes up against someone as formidable as Arata at playing karuta, only ending up with a couple of cards. So she's finally met the queen of karuta and a new benchmark for playing aptitude, something to aim for. Another aspect of the game I don't understand yet is why they can knock 2 cards away, surely each poem relates to only one card, so why can they knock more than one card. Also if they knock a bunch of cards away, can't they stand up and pick out the one that was right even if they didn't exactly hit the right card? Ok, i looked up ghost card. So out of 100 cards/poems, 50 are dealt out and split between the 2 players, so each player has 25 cards. I wrongly thought each player had 50 cards. So the 50 cards that aren't dealt out are the ghost cards or dead cards. |
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| Ah, that makes sense. Land of the Lustrous probably could have been great if it had had another few episodes to explore that mystery. A shame, really. I agree, generally this series is at its strongest when it’s focused on its titular character. Thanks for the details on the ghost cards. As for knocking away multiple cards, I’m sure there are limitations that prevent just sweeping away large portions of the field, but I don’t know what they are. You definitely have to allow for some movement, but there can clearly be quite a bit. Episode 15 Chi’s persistence is paying off, but the Queen looks imperious. It’s quite the shot when you see the camera looking up through the floor and cards, both of their heads positioned such that they’re almost touching. The Queen’s smile comes back (and looks very creepy - reminds me of Sawako early on in Kimi ni Todoke) as multi syllable cards start to come into play. But this is also Chi’s best time, since the number of options has fallen drastically, making it easier to focus. She starts to loosen up a bit, enjoying the match. Chi’s way too far behind to catch up, but she makes a dent in her opponent to be sure, and ends up taking 5 cards in total. That’s no small feat facing off against the best female player and, importantly, the Queen recognizes her as a viable threat. She is deeply frustrated when she reports the score. But despite the loss, Chi still approaches her afterwards about the shirt, which makes the Queen happy. She likely is viewed as unapproachable by most, so it’s not just about recognizing the snowman, but also closing that distance personally. Chi is all focus on her faults after the match, unusual for someone who usually collapses, as she can now see the dream she’s seeking. That frustrates Taichi, as he recognizes in Arata’s message a similar dream of hers, something he’s still fallen short of managing. The Queen goes on to defeat Sudo in the final by 12 cards, so he does a little better than Chi managed. Kana and Desktomu lost in the 3rd round, so they did alright. Don’t know how Nishida did. Meanwhile, Taichi makes it to the Class B finals, an entry point into Class A should he win. He wants to fight to stand with Chi and Arata. His strategy is careful and well-reasoned, but he struggles mightily to execute it against an opponent from Fujisaki, one of the better teams at the tournament. Despite fighting hard, he loses by three cards. His teammates seem to take it harder than he does at first, but it still hits him how close he came. The team literally bows out, back home to push themselves hard anew. Arata returns to his karuta society and the Queen too has found a reason to push herself. A nice wrap up to the tournament. |
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| Episode 15. So Chi gets beaten by the queen, but manages to win 5 cards. The queen goes on to win the tournament, but takes careful note of Chi's name and school and will remember her in the future. I wonder if Sudo had won the tournament, would he still have been called the queen, or maybe the king of karuta? So is the highest placing female the queen then? Taichi has a close match and comes a close 2nd in the group B ranking tournament, which the team takes harder than he does. I'm warming up to this team, but I'm still struggling when the focus is on the karuta game itself, too many unknowns make it hard to discern what is happening, apart from what we're told. I saw Taichi's opponent swipe away 3 cards in their match. Felt like the end of an arc as the club members bow out and return home to practice over the summer break. We also see Arata return to a karuta club which is a positive sign he's getting over the trauma of his grandpa's death and still wants to play. |
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| Episode 16 With the first major arc done, it seems like we're getting a palette cleanser of sorts in the form of a recap episode. We've seen a number of different styles of recap, from providing an some interesting vehicle for telling them (e.g. the little old men from Kimi ni Todoke, which admittedly set the gold standard for these, or the small group at the bar in Nana) to just providing some new narration over/between scenes to give us a distinct perspective (e.g. Rainbow). This show follows a different track, just presenting events as they happened with interludes of varied comedic strength. We learn that Chi's sister stole Chi's New Years money and gifted her the outfit bought with the stolen goods. A resulting rumor that kids aren't supposed to receive New Years money after they turn 10 (Chi hears it from her sister, Arata from his mother, likely due to hard times) leads to silly shinanegans in the classroom as Taichi gets deemed a lawbreaker for getting too much. We get some Japanese idioms that describe the various members of the team, some of which are decently funny (Taichi gets "Jack of all trades, master of none" before getting changed to "easy on the eyes," Chi gets "fools rush in", and Nishida gets "pork dressed as lamb," which I don't get). Nishida has a set of t-shirts that embrace his foodie lifestyle. I guess it's no wonder he doesn't seem terribly upset by the "Porky" nickname. Makes me think of Fat Amy from Pitch Perfect... which was a bit of a miss for me comedically. To be fair, this isn't so much self fat-shaming (Rebel Wilson's a funny actress, but this is just cringy) as it is just being comfortable in who he is, so good on him. His sister, who looks a lot like Nishida with pigtails, prints these shirts and others for the team, which doesn't quite work for what they need and also hints at her physical preferences (Tsutomu is her type). We also get some insight into all the guys' physical preferences (Tsutomu and Nishida like themselves a sizeable rack in Kana and even Taichi has to admit she'd be a better girlfriend). Another classmate asks about Kana's and Chi's preferences, and yeah, even Chi's on the Kana train. No spoilers for their actual romantic interests, apparently. Overall, not a bad way to handle the recap, though there should have been more relation between the extra scenes and the recap scenes. |
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| Episode 16. Not much to say about this one, we've seen a few recap eps and agree Kimi ni Todoke is the gold standard, with Nana and the bar talk not far behind. With recap eps I like to get a new perspective, so I don't mind rewatching old scenes if we get some new insight, such as narration from a character. I did like the more comedic tone of the insert scenes, I just skipped through the rest. Kind of interesting that the guys in the team don't drool over Chi despite her being a beauty, they know her nature by now and realise she wouldn't be much of a gf, constantly obsessing over karuta all the time. Think I kind of agree with them. |
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| Episode 17 Ah the sports festival episode. No one expects the karuta team to do well, but remember: Chi was active and good in track before she started the club, Nishida was great at tennis, and Taichi is no slouch himself. Intrigued by the idea that each club passes an item (in their case, a karuta card) as a baton to the next runner, though that seems unfair when you have to carry a decent sized ball. Turns out Kana and Tsutomu can run as well, albeit not quite as well. Karuta ends up taking it in the end, but despite their efforts, they don't recruit anyone new. Next is a look at the upcoming tournaments, which includes some of the big matches to decide the Queen and Master. Everyone has something to aim for. IN the middle of the discussion, his girlfriend calls Taichi and he just breaks up with her by phone. Cold, dude. Both Kana and Tsutomu worry that their training isn't producing dividends, but Kana seems more optimistic about their chances, still viewing it as an art that she can excel at even if she still has a ways to go. Meanwhile, Taichi prepares for a tournament that may include a rematch with Arata in an attempt to move up to Class A (turns out Nishida had the same idea independently, as did Retro). I found his interactions with Chi fun as he triggers her to swipe by clapping. Arata doesn't end up being there, but Taichi and Nishida both fail to advance. Chi plays back home in their karuta society, both showing improved speed and a still high degree of faults, indicating room for improvement. Dr. Harada encourages her not to take cards with her speed, which is anathema to her. She needs to learn to be better with the cards that aren't her sweet cards and more accurate. She moves by instinct, but like the Queen, she has to recognize that that's not enough. Tsutomu puts his big brain to work figuring out what cards she's good at getting on the field depending on their position and the number of syllables. It's quite the breakdown that shows big gaps in her play. Meanwhile, Kana tries to help her with her faults, encouraging her to see the differences in cards that might sound similar at the outset, even putting it down to perceived differences in color, a way to play to Chi's more intuitive strengths. It's really nice to see these two play a distinct role from the rest in helping the team improve using the very things that made them non-traditional players in the first place. This is a good way to make the team feel like more than just a collection of players of varying skill levels who shout encouragement during a match, which is most of what they've been so far. This leads Ayase to actually read up on the Hundred Poets for the first time (though it's so unbelievable to her teacher that she thinks Chi is reading manga), dedicating herself to a different way to improve. |
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| As you saw in my post on the club page I finally passed my test. Aria woke us up at 3am night before the test so I was tired and expecting to do poorly but ended up getting a perfect run with no minor faults. Got a car already, just need to go and pick it up from Belfast. Episode 17. The karuta club winning the sports day event was unexpected but a sign of how hard they've all been training physically. I think Taichi splitting up with his gf via phone shows us just how little the relationship meant to him. Then we get the moment on the train where she falls asleep for a moment on his shoulder and he looks longingly at her hand, almost reaching out to hold it. I think it was noticeable in this episode that Taichi is now invested in karuta for his own reasons, wanting to get better and improve, as seen by his solo trip to the tournament hoping to go up a rank. Previously he was only playing karuta and in the club to be close to Chi. funny that the little graphic said Chi had bad luck with guys, if she's as beautiful as everyone says then she could literally whistle and guys would come running, doesn't mean that it would be a suitable partner though. I also really liked the way the team members all inject their own thoughts on how each other and Chi can improve, Tsutomu with his methodical reasoned approach, recording where on the mat his wins and losses come from and Kana giving background to the poems on the cards which makes them more distinct. |
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| That's great! I'm sure it'll be good to have that mobility, I know it was for me. I was slow to get my license myself - my university was far more bike-friendly than it was car-friendly, and my roommate was from my hometown, so if I needed to bum a ride, I easily could. Wasn't until after I finished that portions of my schooling that I ran out of reasons not to go for it, but I failed the driving test 3 times for 3 different reasons before I passed. Good point about Taichi and how he's changed since the start of the series, nice to see some real development both in how he approaches Chi and karuta. Episode 18 The team's got a karuta tournament to attend, this one not limited to high schoolers, making that pool that much deeper. We've seen the current Queen, but there are bound to be other players that keep up with her level of play. So Chi needs to learn to play differently, not just relying on her speed to win matches and, in particular avoiding faults. Up against an older woman, she has trouble breaking the habit against an opponent who plays a more mental game with her, showcasing patience and care, calling everything "lucky," and using both positioning and card sending to make things more difficult for Chi in a way that shows how well she understands the younger woman's play. But this is where things get interesting: Chi is already aware of many of these problems due to Tsutomu's help, so she can alter her play to address it by literally stepping back. This actually does slow her down just a bit, forcing her to not touch a card quite as readily as well as get a different perspective on the field. Her opponent is still using little manipulations and has distinct timing that places her at an advantage, resulting in Chi's loss in the first round, though she learns a bit from the experience. Nice to see that the older woman still pursues the dream of becoming Queen someday. Meanwhile, all the other members of the karuta club make it to the finals, facing off against one another for Class B and D. Chi calls this the worst moment of her life, which is pretty silly (if anything, this should be momentous), though it does mean she has to pick a match to watch. Retro is also there to watch after having lost to Taichi earlier. I like how Taichi and Nishida are competitive, while Kana and Tsutomu are a little more focused on how they're performing. It's especially nice to see Kana play in a hakama and adopt a different posture and manner as a result, and both she and Tsutomu are very good at understanding and exploiting each others' play. And Chi garners info from their match as well, taking in what she can about their play. It's a nice opportunity to see a little more of the intricacies of (most of) their play. Seems we might get some insight into Nishida and Taichi next episode. |
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| Episode 18. So they're at a tournament with every age level, not just high schoolers. Thing I noticed, they're all barefoot again. I think taking your shoes off indoors is a good thing for hygiene and marks indoor and outdoor spaces (only exception is when some people have the entire downstairs hard floor, like my brother, to clean up mess from the kids, so he's not so bothered about shoes being on downstairs, but not on the carpets upstairs), but walking about a public space barefoot, that's a big no no for me. When they're all playing and you get 7 ghost or dead cards read out in a row, I'm not sure why this applies to all the players in the room seemingly. I thought each pair playing each other split the deck of 100 cards, and from the 50 then split them between the 2 players. So why do all the players in the room have the same split, shown by the fact they've all got the same dead/ghost cards (the likelihood of every pair splitting the deck of 100 into the same groupings is very improbable)? Too many little details niggle at me as I'm watching. What I liked about this episode that you've already alluded to is that we get personalities behind the playing, something March Comes in... was masterful at. You get different players with their own approach and each works for the person for varying reasons. Chi's game teaches her to slow down and play the person not the cards. Then you have Tsutomu vs Kana, who each have their own playing styles including strengths and weaknesses and are aware of both. I often get lost in the nitty gritty of the the details when we're watching them play, but in this ep I was much more engaged as it was a battle of playing styles and approaches rather than details of the game. Find out who wins next ep. And yeah it was a bit melodramatic of Chi to say it was the worst moment of her life because she lost and everyone else in the club won. |
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| Yeah, there are still some things I don’t understand as well. I guess everyone in a round gets the same 50 cards, meaning the same 50 ghost cards apply to everyone. That’s gotta be frustrating to deal with. As for Chi saying that was the worst moment of her life, I think she was referring to having to choose a match to watch or a player to focus on, not so much that they won and she lost. Still melodramatic. Episode 19 The games draw to a close. Everyone’s fighting hard, but Tsutomu seems to almost give up near the end before fighting back with bold card placement, refusing to lose to himself. It does seem like you can just swipe all the cards away as a means of touching the right one, which is an odd strategy to allow. Eventually, Tsutomu falls to Kana, largely due to faults and a mistaken card send, but Kana is the one in tears and bowing to him in the end. Interestingly, they both advance to Class C. Meanwhile, Chi almost entirely forgets about the other game, which is down to one card apiece. It’s almost entirely luck who will win. With 6 dead cards, though, it’s about more than just whose card gets called first, and Taichi still struggles to take to the offensive to beat that luck. Multiple dead card calls in a row make this very tense, but soon enough, all the cards with shared starting syllables are gone and Nishida takes the match because his card is read, advancing to Class A. Taichi seems miffed, chalking Nishida’s win up to luck, though he knows better. I get that - it’s a hard loss to take for someone who is so dead set on getting to Class A, and I’ve certainly had times when I chalked my losses up to luck when there were other factors involved. It makes it easier to accept. With Nishida’s help, he’s able to rebound a bit (while also knocking down Chi a tad by accident, who takes it personally that she’s been too flippant with the nicknames - about time, honestly). The club as a whole did great, and they affirm that by wanting another team match. |
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| Episode 19. As you say Tsutomu swipes away a handful of cards, seems like legal cheating, you could just swipe away half the cards and likely get the right one. Despite Tsutomu's sweeping tactic Kana prevails. They both played well and can see how much they've improved. Taichi and Nishida's match goes to sudden death and it comes down to whose card is read first, turns out to be Nishia's card and he wins. Luck does come into it, as with most sports to some degree. Yes if Taichi had played better earlier then it wouldn't have come down to sudden death, but ended up in a situation where the person whose card is read out first is basically guaranteed, and that is down to the pure chance as to which card gets read first. Honestly I completely agree with Nishida here, calling people by a nickname is demeaning, even if it's meant in a friendly jovial manner. Unless, that is, if someone asks to be called by a nickname, then it's ok. Funny Chi being called a space cadet. After overhearing Nishida she makes an effort and calls them by their actual names, good to see her changing her behaviour once she becomes aware it makes the guys uncomfortable. Kana's mum is kinda cute, and a lady with glasses :) Haven't mentioned it before, but I had earphones on today and paid more attention to the OST, and it's good, a bit understated by does a good job. |
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| Yep, the music has been pretty good in this series. Episode 20 Chi considers her play very deeply, and like Tsutomu says, if she had even a bit of that focus in her classes, she'd be in much better shape academically. Her grades have suffered so badly that she will not be able to attend a tournament as planned. So, Tsutomu is conscripted as her tutor. Meanwhile, Taichi, who is doing very well, is off to the tournament to advance to Class A. One thing I don't get: apparently, the karuta societies they belong to are the ones who decide whether they can advance in classes. Not sure why that's allowed (isn't there a conflict of interest?) or why they'd be allowed to have different rules for doing so (apparently, Taichi placing second twice should have meant he advances, but he was denied for unknown reasons). Just strange to me. Anyway, Dr. Harada is playing in the same tournament as Taichi and both are doing well. Apparently, this is quite an important tournament for Class A players hoping to go to the Master's Tournament, so the quality of opponents is improved. And yes, Arata's here with his Dr. Harada equivalent (the two have known each other since they were younger). He tells Taichi he had expected him to be in Class A by now (a blow to Taichi's ego) and Arata hands him his contact info to deliver to Chi (another blow). Meanwhile, Chi abandons her studies to go cheer Taichi on because of course she does, ending up on the wrong train and under the ire of her tutor from afar. She wants to be there for Taichi, which is kind, but avoids her responsibilities. Taichi loses in the third round (I really feel for him, though it's notable that Chi doesn't try to console him despite him being her reason for coming) and Chi learns Arata is there, going to watch him instead. You feel Taichi's pain when he crumbles the sheet Arata gave him. Still, Taichi is the one she grabs onto for support upon fully realizing Arata is back. Dr. Harada makes it to the semi-finals, and Arata barely loses out to one of Dr. Harada's better students (Hiroshi, their ace), showcasing his own prodigious strength despite losing. Kana comes to collect Chi and drag her back to study. There's a brief exchange between Arata and Taichi where the former clearly assumed the latter was in a relationship with Chi after so long out of their friend group. That's the reason he gave his deets to Taichi and why he had been contacting Chi through Taichi - he didn't want to step where he didn't belong, and his both physical and emotional distance frightened him away. Given how Chi later regards a love poem, the love triangle is back in force. Upon her return, Tsutomu does a good job incentivizing Chi by pointing out that Taichi has to excel in academics just to play karuta. It's also nice to see their teacher's development. Before, she would have scolded them and told them to leave at 7 on the dot. Now, she lets them stick around and study, both for their academics and to continue playing karuta. It's quite the shift and it feels genuine after all we've seen from her. Turns out Dr. Harada and Hiroshi both lose out in the end, and we get our first mention of the Master, Suo. Clearly, Hiroshi thinks very highly of Arata to mention him in the same sentence as the top male player, even if he thinks Suo would defeat him. And this is where we come back to how societies promote their students. Dr. Harada offers to promote Taichi to Class A so he can face off against Chi and Arata at the big qualifier tournament, which apparently goes against their internal rules, but Taichi laughs him off, wanting to prove himself as someone who won't run away. Nice to see some genuine development from Taichi, who would have jumped at the chance not too long ago, maybe even earlier this episode. Dude knows there's more to it than just standing alongside them - he's got to earn his spot. Solid episode all around. |
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| Episode 20. Yeah the rules for being promoted seem a bit wishy washy. I thought it was like shogi, you had to win and become top of rank B before you could be promoted to rank A, but sounds like the individual karuta societies have a lot of say in when you get promoted and they don't all follow exactly the same protocol. Chi is failing her grade and needs to buckle down, so Tsutomu steps in to assist her studying. And yeah, she runs off to watch Taichi in the tournament. Girl has a one track mind. Taichi and Arata meet at the tournament. Doesn't Chi already have Arata's contact info? Feel sorry for Taichi after that loss. Good to have Arata back, he reminds me a little of Rei from March..., it's a joy to watch him playing, that feeling when you realise you're watching a master at work. You make an astute observation about Chi. She's enthralled to see Arata back playing, but the person she shares her joy with is Taichi, physically grabbing his arm. Arata tells Taichi that he hadn't given Chi his details directly or contacted her as he assumed they were dating, pretty logical assumption to be fair. Anyone looking in from the outside would assume the same. There's a physical closeness between Chi and Taichi that is natural, like the way she stroked his hair when he napped on her lap, and she pulled his head gently onto her shoulder when they were in the car. If you're that close with someone it's only a small step away from being a couple. Chi seems to revere Arata, but they don't have the same closeness that she and Taichi share. However, that said, I can see why Taichi is wary of Chi's feelings towards Arata and adoration can easily lead in infatuation and romance. All Taichi needs to do is tell her how he feels, but guessing that's a way down the road. When you hear Chi mention the poem about a childhood friend and says it seems like a love poem to her, even touching her lips as she spoke. Made me realise that if Taichi doesn't make his move soon Chi is going to fall for Arata to some degree. Some hints of romance just creeping in again, even Chi, who up until now hasn't seemed interested in romance or suggested she's even thought about it. Bold move from Taichi turning down the offer of a promotion. He wants to earn it. I really like Taichi, Arata as well, but we haven't seen as much of him compared to Taichi. |
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| Episode 21 To her credit, Chi looks driven to succeed in her classes, with the front of her hair pinned up so it doesn't get in her face. The end goal may still be karuta, but whatever it takes to get her grades up. Her hard work pays off and she passes her exams, earning her plaudits from her teacher as she urges Chi onto the qualifiers. She's also making an effort to play differently, trying to capture something of Arata's play in her style. Kinda crazily, Taichi is practicing his memorization by reading cards at random from memory, though Chi initially doesn't notice. Dude's got game. Importantly, this also reveals the weakness of his style: he knows the words, but can't "feel" the cards on the field. This means a couple of things. One, he has trouble visualizing the cards, only seeing them as the words written on them and therefore can't react as quickly. Two, and related, he's more of a sensing type, having to take the words he's hearing and find their match on the field, rather than the more intuitive Chi and Nishida who respond more quickly as a result. He probably faults less often, but he's slower on the draw. Onto the qualifiers. The team can't wear their usual hakama due to the heat. Chi is especially focused this time around, though Sudo disrupts her a bit, ending in a bet that whoever loses first will shave their head (more of a problem for her than him). Sudo gets matched against Nishida off the bat (tough draw, he loses), but Chi might have it worse, facing off against a sixth-grade prodigy like the Queen who really puts on the cute. There's an emphasis on her good hearing and fast speed. Chi once again takes a step back and her play improves as she matches the reader's timing, taking lessons from her previous tournament. And here's where her opponent starts to act petulant because Chi is technically playing slower than she is. That's exactly how Chi was before, so it's easy to see her improvement against an opponent who plays as she previously did, committing more faults and moving too quickly for her own good. Chi even starts to note cards that her opponent is targeting, sending them to her to avoid giving her advantages in offensive play. She's much more methodical, and Chi's play even gets noticed by others who don't know her. And then it's time for her to turn on the gas, quickly outspeeding her opponent. Given that she took the time head to prepare a stronger field for herself and get the lay of the land, she is more accurate even with her increased speed. Her opponent steps it up a bit as well, now sporting tears of frustration, but Chi takes the round by a healthy margin (8 cards). Thus, she displays a capacity to use multiple "weapons" in a match, which elevates her play, and walks away with the prodigy's support. I do appreciate that they even had several moments during and after the match where various bystanders questioned the prodigy's capability. It's not fair to treat a child that way, but unfortunately, expectations have been set by the current Queen and people will compare her, for better or worse. Nice to see that her mother is fully behind her. Meanwhile, we get some short time with Arata, who is being told that, despite all his efforts, he can never become Master over the current champion - can't be easy to take when you hear it from your senpai. There's a scene with Taichi trying to text him good luck before leaving that out of his message and just telling him he needs to become the finalist of his region. He no longer sees himself as below Arata, and while he'll support him, it's as a challenger, not an outsider. Like you, I'm fond of Taichi as a character - he's gotten a lot of human moments and you really can empathize with him easily. |
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| Episode 21. Chi passes her tests, taking to heart Tsutomu's speech about how Taichi works hard at the things he doesn't like, ie studying, so he's allowed to do the things he does like, ie karuta. Chi goes up against a child prodigy and applies the knowledge she learned from the last tournament to adapt her playing style and prevails. Sweet to see such a supportive mother, unlike Taichi's pushy mum, or Chi's disinterested parents. From the beginning of the series we've seen Arata as this godlike figure at playing karuta, but we're now getting to see the whole field including the queen and master and realising that despite being a genius player, there is an upper limit for Arata also, as his senpai tells him. |
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| It's interesting to see the general nihilism of other players in karuta. Suo, the current Master, has been elevated to near mythical status, to the point that he's largely untouchable. The current Queen, Wakamiya, has a similar air of reverence around her. And while we haven't seen how Suo responds to that hype, we have seen how Wakamiya does: she has a compulsive need to win big, a demand to put opponents in their place even when the difference is 20 cards. There's some question about whether that's just who she is or whether she's been built into that, though it's notable that the prodigy from this last episode hasn't embodied that at all. She's still enjoying the game, still able to appreciate her opponents as well. I recall how March handled its master, Souya, who was much more of an enigmatic character with an air of being untouchable (largely because of his nature and his hearing loss, not necessarily his play), but who had also clearly lost games and struggled against difficult opponents. The degree of separation here is far wider, at least perceptually, and what makes that particularly interesting for Arata is that he grew up with an Eternal Master in his corner, doubtless losing countless games to a superior opponent. This isn't going to dissuade him. And that nihilism is a common sentiment that characters have had to overcome in this show. Nishida pushed back on joining the karuta club because the entire reason he fell out of it was due to feeling outmatched and losing a few key games at a time where he felt he was at his peak. Tsutomu pushed back because he was barely able to maintain 2nd place in the class rankings despite working so hard and didn't see the point of pursuing something with so much energy and time that he wasn't already good at doing. And Taichi is the strongest example so far, having both the nihilism from his youth of watching Arata exceed him and draw away Chi's attentions as a result, only to return to it and have to struggle all over again trying to climb that wall before finding that there was joy and strength in enjoying the climb, something Chi taught him through her play. If anything typifies this season of the anime, it's this sense of staring in the face of something you perceive as far greater than you can manage and not blinking, even when you fall short. Episode 22 Chi's paired against the previous Queen, Yamamoto Yumi. Lot of hype around this character, apparently. Like Chi, she clearly suffered losses against the current Queen (despite being much older - she finished college), but her response doesn't seem to be at all similar, instead coming off as generally depressed and disinterested, despite Chi remembering her as someone who was very much invested in karuta. Her coach wants her to reclaim her title as Queen, but Yumi doesn't seem invested in it. Yumi also seems spiteful, showcasing a massive chip on her shoulder as she thinks how beautiful and talented both Chi and the current Queen are when compared with her when all she has is karuta. Her loss to the current Queen is clearly still hanging over her, especially as the younger girl has a habit of making others feel far less than. That breeds the nihilism I mentioned earlier, the attitude that she can never measure up, so why bother? That's very much unlike Chi, so I suspect we'll be seeing a very different response from Yumi at the end of this match. Turns out, Sudo destroyed Nishida in their match. Despite their skills being similar, his sadism really got into Nishida's head. The match is tough. There's a certain measured confidence in Yumi's play that can only come from years of experience, but Chi's persistence and vivacity are her strengths. Chi notices Yumi's lack of passion. There's a sense of defeat in her even in the middle of the match. Maybe it would be better if she lost early so she doesn't have to face Wakamiya again and suffer that same loss right at the finish line. I feel that, though I'm definitely more in Chi's camp on this one. The times I went to a debate tournament and faced down a top ranked team were among the most fun I had, even if I lost every one, because they were a challenge that taught me a lot in the process. It might not have been so great if our opponents were rude or dismissive, though. Slowly over the course of the match, Yumi starts to be drawn into Chi's orbit, raised up by her energy, as well as the energy of her coach, which revitalizes many of the players in the room. Yumi is apparently known for contesting close calls, and starts exercising that again, taking Chi off her game a bit and showcasing her mental fortitude and taking the game by 4 cards, stunning Chi into silence. Good to see them give some reverence to the readers as well. Like judges in debate, they likely don't get the kind of love they should in real life play. |
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| Good analysis of the theme of the characters struggling against their own personal hurdles and how they worked around them and improved at karuta. I'm most impressed with Taichi, he was only ever playing to be with Chi when they were little, and his mother didn't approve of him losing and discouraged him. Then he had an inferiority complex with Arata being such a superior player and drawing Chi's attention. Still he persevered and is now a decent player and enjoys playing, not just because it's a shared hobby allowing him to connect with Chi. Episode 22. This ep was all about sports psychology as Chi plays the former queen, who comes across as bitter and resentful of the new queen, and Chi for their youth, vitality and enjoyment of the game. A lot of this is personal gripes and nothing to do with the game, but her own neurosis coming through, ie being plain looking and older. Being known as the disruptor is a somewhat annoying trait, if you bring up genuine fouls that's fine, it's a game structured by rules. But if you do it to frustrate and brow beat an opponent, then I don't like that, even if it is just a tactic (trash talking is a tactic much used to get inside an opponents head and put them off their game). There's no judge watching their hands, so if you have a meek opponent you could just keep claiming you got the card first even if you didn't. Reminded me of that player in March that continually clicks and raps his fingernails, who Rei beats despite his tactic of provocation. The former queen finally gets serious and ends up beating Chi. Another lesson for her. I've never had an experience like you in debates, but agree that in general facing off against an opponent that makes you play your best is a worthwhile experience, and more fulfilling than if you beat them easily. I'm only thinking of playing football, pool and video games, but when you start winning easily it gets boring. Thanks to the cards so far I've learnt that there are many prostitutes in Naniwa Bay (a place that doesn't exist anymore and is thought to be somewhere in the port of modern day Osaka), where there are many reeds whose colour changes with the seasons, and the Tatsura river has lots of red leaves floating down in autumn. Like Kana, I quite like the poems. |
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| Episode 23 Chi is gobsmacked by her loss. It’s initially unclear why this one hit her so hard - this isn’t the first time she’s been out early at a tournament or faced a talented opponent, though it might be the first time she has been beaten partially due to her overconfidence. She’s embarrassed to have lost the way she did, running off rather than facing her teammates. She becomes aware of how her previous opponent’s challenges goaded her into moving faster and making more mistakes. Its a tactic she never knew before, and I feel that - the first time I got hit with a Kritik in debate (basically a way to win the debate without arguing directly on the topic), I felt completely flustered and badly fumbled it. It’s hard to willingly set your frustrations aside, thank your opponent and move on when you feel that defeated. We also get a challenge from Dr. Harada against Sudo to prevent Chi from shaving her head. Cool move, especially since they may not face each other for a while. They both win their third match and face off in the fourth round. Dr. Harada takes a hard-fought match, taking it by 3 cards and saving Chi’s hair. Soon enough, the tournament ends with a a different player (the ace of Dr. Harada’s club team) and Yumi scoring tickets to a best of 3 match with the Western finalists. Arata fell as well, so they all have a ways to go, with him feeling the weight of lost years of practice. Even his attempts to get his senpai to come back to practice (the same one who told him it was pointless to continue) are afflicted by his prior absence. Sad to see, really. The match between East and West proceeds, and in the end, Yumi and the Western male player earn their matches with the current Queen and Master, respectively. Chi also gets asked out by a boy from a different school who barely knows her, which Taichi expertly shuts down when Chi puts it to the club later. Nice to see him taking an active role in her love life, even if he’s not a participant. It’s also nice to see that the rest of the school is inspired by the karuta club. A positive side effect of all their hard work. In the end, Chi calls Arata, though for once she’s initially lost for words, finding them in the poetry of karuta on a Christmas night. I’m liking the poems quite a bit myself. |
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| Episode 23. AS you say Chi takes this loss hard although at least Dr Harada saves her from having to shave her hair off. Looked up a kritik, always cool to learn something new. I've only just realised that when it comes to the tournaments they have a mens and womens grouping, that's why you get a master (men) and queen (ladies). I thought they played each other but noticed that it was all male or female pairings at the tournament. Chi only just being asked out for the first time seems a bit improbable, but Taichi steps in the way and blocks the dues number while saying he'll travel with Chi on the train, hoping the guy will get the message. Interesting from Chi's point of view that she's open to the idea of dating someone, at least for the experience. Maybe she's one of those girls who is genuinely unaware of her own attractiveness to the opposite sex and doesn't see themselves as much of a catch, but who guys would fight over just to be in with a chance of dating. They're rare, but they do exist. Chi doesn't even think of Taichi or Arata here, no sideways glance at Taichi to see his reaction or show us that when she thinks of dating someone Taichi isn't the person she thinks of. We do get some indication at the end of the ep when Chi calls Arata, she thinks of a love poem (as I said before all the poems seem to be love poems or about weather that works as an analogy for a love poem). As I said before, all Taichi would have to do is tell Chi how he feels and I think after reflecting on their relationship and closeness, he'd win her over. Nice to see all the club members mixing it up with their various classes and getting recognition for the hard work the karuta club has put in. I also appreciated that the xmas bit was short and sweet, most anime would drag that out over an episode or two. |
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| Yep, agreed on your analysis of both Chi's being asked out by a rando and Taichi's lack of will to pursue her. I'm hopeful that changes sometime soon. Episode 24 The penultimate episode of the first season focuses on the impending Queen and Master matches. I suspect, given what we know of how much the incumbents are revered/just obviously great (the Queen), this will be pretty one-sided, maybe with some decent competition in the Queen category since the Yumi has her spunk back. Chi and Taichi resolve to watch it at his place. We see some real development quickly in how he deals with her, smoothly inviting her up to his room (when circumstances call for it - his mother's kind of terrifying) rather than barring her from his personal space as he did earlier in the season. Chi even feels nervous about it due to their previous interaction, though once she's there, she can only talk about what she remembers from visiting when they were younger. She remembers a surprising amount of details as well. Eventually, the others join them. Taichi's mother really hasn't changed from when he was younger, still dismissive of him playing karuta and viewing the entire thing as a distraction for him. There's a certain amount of active pushback on him that isn't there with Chi, whose family is largely just dismissive, drawing attention to her sister instead. The Queen shocks everyone by... having put on a few pounds, apparently. Yeah, she hardly looks like the same person, apparently all the result of wanting to obtain a bag and handkerchief through eating a lot of ice cream (Chi knows a great deal about it for some reason). She certainly doesn't seem bothered, though it does seem to affect her speed. She still takes the first game by 5 cards, though that's easily the closest margin we've seen from her. Yumi seems a lot more in control of the second game, but when Wakamiya finds her groove, she runs away with the game, securing her title by 13 cards. Another tough loss for Yumi, though her society rallies around her. Nice to see it. It's made clear that Wakamiya has something in common with Arata: a famously successful grandparent whose legacy she tries to live up to, though the role of her grandmother was certainly more overbearing. Her love of karuta, though, is real. She even takes to apologizing to each of the cards she loses as though she failed them, and demonstrates an uncanny ability to find them wherever they're hidden, even treating each card capture as almost a careful and targeted caress of the card. Little hints throughout the match indicate just how strong the Master is, since their match is happening at the same time and his speed outdoes Wakamiya's on occasion. Strangely enough, the score differential in the first two Master matches are exactly the same as the ones for the Queen match. Suo, the current Master, puts on quite the show in the third match, showcasing a similar but distinct capability to Chi's to determine the correct card during the first moment it's being read. This could be very informative for her. |
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