Chihaya is still a very fun character to me, as she provides most of the spunk and energy of this show. So I disagree with Guardian Enzo in that I think that Chihaya remains the heart of the show.
However, I do think that Taichi is increasingly
the brain of this show, and probably the touch-point character for viewers (i.e. the idea may be that the viewer enjoys watching the wonderfully odd Chihaya, but identifies with the more realistic Taichi).
Chihaya is where you find the energy, the "Oomph!", the electrically explosive eccentricity. She's the primary plot-mover, and it's her drives and passions that most pronouncedly permeate the entire work. Thankfully, though, these drives and passions are not played simply as entertaining elements unto themselves, but also as the catalysts for compelling conflicts within the Karuta club. With this in mind, I do think that these drives and passions have caused Chihaya to lose sight of the outside world, and that she has allowed her own desires to overly dominate those of her fellow club members.
In Episode 9, we see a brief inner monologue where Chihaya starts to seriously doubt herself, and recounts how others have said to her that she's become blinded to everything but the game of Karuta. It is true that the episode later shifts to Kanade and Tsutomu being
thankful to Chihaya for the extremely rigorous training regimen she forced them through. Still, I think that we may later see some character development in which Chihaya eventually learns to balance her overwhelming passion for Karuta with other aspects of her life, as well as the concerns of the wider world (such as the well-being of her friends and loved ones, including respect for
their desires).
Taichi, I would argue, is an important anchor in Chihaya's life, and will likely become increasingly so in the future. He's much more socially conscious and down-to-Earth than her, and hence he keeps her from going overly out of control and getting herself into serious trouble. What Chihaya brings to him is an appealingly earnest approach to everything that she does, which provides his life with a refreshing escape from his domineering and ever image-conscious mother. So when Taichi gets caught up in Chihaya's activities, he's brought into an invigorating world of hope and sincerity, the very opposite of cynicism and superficiality.
The two are a very good match in this regard. She brings his life color, and he brings her life structure. She is the heart that brings life to dullness, and he is the brain that brings order to madness. Together, they color beautiful pictures as Chihaya's creativity chooses the specific crayons to use while Taichi makes sure the coloring stays inside the lines.
I think that this is very much an anime where comprehensive character evaluations can only be done when you factor in the role that each major character plays for each of the other major characters. While these characters all have their own distinct personalities, their development is intrinsically tied into the relationship dynamics between them. They push and/or refine one another, and in many cases, they come together to form a greater whole.
The whole of the main cast is greater than the sum of its parts, in other words.
So this is one anime that I continue to hold in high regard, as it truly gets the most out of its cast as a whole, imo.
As for the discussion centering around Taichi, I think his response to Arata's text message is understandable, and it's not like Taichi didn't show it to Chihaya (
that would have been the douchey thing to do, and Taichi admirably avoided that). The timing of that text message couldn't have been much worse for Taichi, given his growing romantic hopes as it pertains to Chihaya.
Speaking of which, I think that part of Taichi's reason for not letting Chihaya into his room is psychological in nature. He wants her to like him
as a guy and not simply
as a friend. Chihaya is still in this psychological space where she's largely oblivious to romantic/sexual/gender-based concerns. Chihaya is not friendzoning Taichi so much as she's friendzoning
everyone, as she has yet to truly mature into, well, a sexual being you could say.
This is yet another area where her passion for Karuta is crowding out everything else. Her passion for the sport is probably consuming/sublimating whatever libido she has.
All in all, I give
8/10 for Episode 9.