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Old 2013-07-04, 05:19   Link #1521
Quadratic
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Join Date: Feb 2011
I wanted to make a longer post on reflecting on Arata and a few others, so here it is.

His minimal screen time makes an interesting story telling technique (ok, technically he got a lot more screen time this time round!). He is a person who is isolated within the story, and to the viewers themselves.
His mother's observation of him on his win was especially touching: "He's doing what he loves and shining at it, all on his own."
His goal to win the competition and go to Tokyo is an excellent sign of him actively breaking out of this isolation.

One thing I found interesting in the the Shinobu vs Arata game was how we no longer listened to his thoughts halfway (a quarterway?) into the match. Everything regarding him was told through an external manner.
If anyone questioned that (I certainly did not at the time), it made the reveal of where his mind was really brilliant.

Also, I finally found the scene where he expressed his jealously of Taichi & Chihaya's team (almost 1/4 way through ep 10). At first I thought his jealously was that they had a team, but I'm starting to suspect it's because they had formed a team without him, as he revealed their childhood team was the only team for him (so, +1 on feeling excluded?).
In any case, his team match showed how good natured he is with respect to the game. The thing that was hurting him the most was his inability to respect his opponent by properly fighting his opponent, since he could not influence the final outcome of the match.


A while back, I said that Kanade was the observer of the love poems and Sumire wanted to experience what is written in the poems (or I said something to that effect).
Kanade had definitely taken an interesting development in the last episode, by stepping out of this role of watching Taichi wasting his time going nowhere with Chihaya and actively trying to get him to make a move.
Kanade is definitely becoming the wingman in the typical romance story; I'll help you confess to your lover...minus being the wingman who's also in love the person she's helping.
A confession relieves the burden on the character, but it looks like Taichi's "tragedy" will probably extend until the end of time (and so will the "discussion" ), since confessions almost never occur until near the end of a story.
Sumire seems to have fallen out of relevancy, and it seems she's devolved into merely an observer (probably due to the show having too many characters now...). In some ways, I am also glad, as it meant more screen time for other things (ie. Shinobu & Arata...).


On a final note, this season on a whole was about the same level of enjoyment as the previous (which is to say it was highly enjoyable).
There was a few boring bits (mainly involving the photographing trio...), but definitely a show worth watching again in the future.
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Old 2013-07-04, 08:41   Link #1522
hyperborealis
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Quote:
Originally Posted by karice67 View Post
Hm...if that's what it ultimately is, then I think that gaining Chihaya's respect is important too (in terms of karuta, at least).

Personally though, I feel that Taichi's goal is to ultimately become someone that he himself can be proud of.
True, but Arata sets the terms for what it means for Taichi to become "proud of" himself, by naming Taichi a coward, in fourth grade, and later, in Fukui. Taichi's goal of becoming "someone who doesn't run away" relates directly to these two incidents.

And it is Arata who makes excellence in karuta the standard of Chihaya's respect, of course.

Arata is an ideal; but that does not mean he is idealized, an unrealistic or impossibly perfect character. He is simply a capable, strong person. For example, he sets his goal of moving to Tokyo, inspired by the memory of his Christmas phone conversation with Chihaya; makes the deal with his parents that he can move to Tokyo if he wins the nationals; and then he seals the deal by beating Shinobu. Think of how he is with Taichi, when he tells him he's going to win the tournament and move to Tokyo. He's a little aggressive--he puts his hand on Taichi's shoulder; he's self-confident; there isn't a trace of boast in his words. And think of how the animation depicts him after he's won, when he's on his way back into the hall for the closing ceremony: we see him from from below and behind, looking up at his shoulders as he walks away. The image emphasizes his physical presence--since we can't see his face, we look instead at his back, his shoulders, made the more imposing by the fact we're looking up at him. All of this is to suggest Arata is a man. A manly man, in fact.

Taichi also is a person who has set a goal for himself this year, and accomplished it. He has finally lifted himself up into Class A. He is no less a man than Arata. But he is a different kind of man. In contrast to Arata, who plays karuta serenely, and accomplishes his goals apparently without anxiety, Taichi is beset by inner turmoil and doubts, and finds his game drops a level whenever Chihaya is around. More than than, Taichi has the particular heroism of the man who experiences and endures failure, in karuta, and in love, without giving up. There are the heroes who win: that is Arata. Then there are the heroes who lose: that is Taichi.

I suspect a lot of the fan shipping arguments stem from which of these two kinds of persons the shipper identifies with and prefers.
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Old 2013-07-05, 02:20   Link #1523
karice67
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hyperborealis View Post
True, but Arata sets the terms for what it means for Taichi to become "proud of" himself, by naming Taichi a coward, in fourth grade, and later, in Fukui. Taichi's goal of becoming "someone who doesn't run away" relates directly to these two incidents.
I'm sure Arata has something to do with it too, but I actually link it back to what Chihaya told him just before he returned Arata's glasses, where she challenged him regarding "what's wrong with losing something fair and square?", and Taichi can only address her in his mind, "Chihaya, I haven't been doing things fair and square."

Though that's from the relevant manga chapter - I can't check at present whether it was in the anime or not (would probably have been episode 2).

That's why, to me, Taichi's goals aren't just associated with Arata - they're also associated with Chihaya. But at the same time, I prefer to think of it as coming from himself, as something he wants to do to improve himself, even if the inspiration/impetus from it initially comes from elsewhere.

Quote:
Originally Posted by hyperborealis View Post
He's a little aggressive--he puts his hand on Taichi's shoulder; he's self-confident; there isn't a trace of boast in his words. And think of how the animation depicts him after he's won, when he's on his way back into the hall for the closing ceremony: we see him from from below and behind, looking up at his shoulders as he walks away. The image emphasizes his physical presence--since we can't see his face, we look instead at his back, his shoulders, made the more imposing by the fact we're looking up at him. All of this is to suggest Arata is a man. A manly man, in fact.
Must admit, I never looked at that as an aggressive action, even if only 'a little'... Possibly because of the somewhat comical effects that the animators put on at that point...

And let me stay right away from the shipping aspect...some bad memories in terms of another series, I'm afraid...
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Last edited by karice67; 2013-07-05 at 05:19.
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Old 2013-07-15, 15:49   Link #1524
Eragon
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The chimes are starting to get on my nerves. Am I the only who feels that way?

Another enjoyable season....and now, I don't know what to say *sigh*
Loved Taichi's growth. Loved Arata's way of playing. Always enjoy more of Shinobu-chan(she needs a hug (and a kiss ). C'mon Chihaya, what you waiting for). Liked Porky getting all teary-eyed over Tsutomu not playing with him (er, them ). Loved to bits, Sumire not going fan-girl mode on Taichi. Liked Tsukuba not turning out to be annoying - his final match against weird-poses-guy was probably the funniest Sudo is sadistic - that's all I need to like him .

And why, oh why, are anime teachers so frickin' gorgeous - I'm not talking about Taeko Miyauchi (yes I just Google'd her name). I would remain in school forever if Midori was the teacher (Onizuka is the only other teacher I would do that for).

Shipping aspect is probably gonna be a pain in the forums, or has it already been one?
Btw, I support Chihaya/Shinobu or Chiahaya/Midori or Taichi/Midori or Porky/Tsutomu Crack pairings are always fun
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Old 2013-07-22, 11:52   Link #1525
LeoXiao
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I still don't quite understand exactly how karuta works, but the anime is awesome in how it sets up the matches and the psychology going on in everyone's heads. Shinobu's defeat was something I was looking forward to because up until that match we hadn't really had the chance to see anything except her usual "pwnz0r kuu-ween" side.
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Old 2013-07-23, 07:52   Link #1526
brocko
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Karuta? Just be the first person to get the read card





I like how these vids show how legit the depiction of karuta is in Chihayafuru.
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Old 2013-07-23, 20:11   Link #1527
LeoXiao
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lol I see how Chihayafuru does a good job...but at the same time, IRL it looks more like a couple of cats eyeing something and then jumping for it simultaneously, because you don't get to see the actions in slow motion.
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Old 2013-07-24, 03:39   Link #1528
brocko
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These types of vids have the in-depth playback that you're looking for.

They're reactions and speed really are impressive.
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Old 2013-08-07, 22:35   Link #1529
karice67
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Update from the manga website on the OAD that comes with the 22nd manga volume out on Sep 13:

The story will be something...

Spoiler for OAD story slight spoiler:
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How Suetsugu Yuki drew the cover for Chihayafuru volume 34

Interview translations etc

You must free yourself from that illusion,
from the illusion that a story must have a beginning and an end.


"No, you are not entitled to your opinion... You are only entitled to what you can argue for.”
- Patrick Stokes

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Old 2013-08-31, 22:17   Link #1530
SeijiSensei
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Chihayafuru hits 10 million copies

Wow. Earlier I posted the sales for the manga before and after the anime began. They jumped from 40,000 copies to nearly 200,000 for the volume released after the telecasts began.
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Old 2013-09-20, 15:00   Link #1531
bastek66
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Are there any pics from OVA on net yet?
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Old 2013-09-20, 19:33   Link #1532
Guardian Enzo
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Not that I've seen, but it seems to be a side story rather than a continuation - i.e. ChihayaTaichi at the training camp - which I'd hoped it would be. Oh, well.
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Old 2013-09-23, 12:08   Link #1533
bastek66
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OVA sucked. Almost entirely about that annoying shit.
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Old 2013-10-26, 10:03   Link #1534
Kanon
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The OVA is finally subbed.
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Old 2013-10-28, 20:55   Link #1535
thundrakkon
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LOL Sumirefuru was hilarious. The OVA focused exclusively from Sumire's point of view, without Chihaya throughout most of it. It also featured NTR-faced Taichi for no apparent reason (ok, maybe because Chihaya was not featured in the episode). Arata had a cameo that pretty much stated that he is shafted on screen-time.

I don't know about Sumire. At first, she was annoying; however, I have a soft spot for people who try really hard, and in this case, Sumire does try really hard. I'm not too crazy about people who have things handed to them in a plate and still attempt to cause pain towards others, so Sumire has definitely warmed up to me.

The rest of the cast was scattered throughout and had some funny moments. Kanade has become more annoying or more endearing, depending on which perspective you have. However, overall, the OVA was enjoyable.
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Old 2013-10-29, 10:51   Link #1536
Kanon
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I found Sumire's desperate attempts to make a play where she could be Taichi's lover quite endearing. I liked how she slowly managed to manipulate everybody into siding with her. She could have gotten her way if mother nature hadn't decided otherwise.
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Old 2014-01-21, 08:23   Link #1537
SeijiSensei
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NHK's English-language sports show included a segment on karuta recently. They use high-speed cameras and sound recording to measure how quickly a championship player can react to the reader's voice. For this task they employed the man who had been the Meijin for most of the 2000's. It certainly appears that he reacts to the inhalation and exhalation sounds of the reader before even a syllable of the poem is heard.

This video will probably be taken down soon, but for now you can watch this at YouTube.

Edit: That video is indeed gone, but you can watch this one instead. It's a bit more elementary than the one I posted before, but it does also mention Chihayafuru.

YouTube
Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload?

Japan crowned a new Queen in 2015, but only because the prior Queen chose to step down after holding the top spot for ten years. She first won at age 15 in 2005.

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Old 2014-01-21, 12:26   Link #1538
Blaat
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That was great to watch the speed is so unreal, thanks for the link SeijiSensei.
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Old 2014-01-21, 16:38   Link #1539
SeijiSensei
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Thanks, but the real credit goes to Bamboo Dong at ANN. I was lazy and didn't link to her piece in the first comment.

I was disappointed, but not surprised, that Chihayafuru was not mentioned by the NHK's presenters.
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Old 2014-01-21, 17:35   Link #1540
Kanon
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The speed is incredibly impressive. So "hearing" a syllable before it's even pronounced by the reader like Chihaya does is a real thing.

Thanks for posting the video, there's no doubt I would have missed it otherwise.
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