(L+CR) Chihayafuru

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by thundrakkon

True, that is a good question about Chihaya's motives. However, how does that relate to having more members in the club or just the 2 or them?

He said so himself. If she's only doing this because of Arata, that would mean she isn't serious about the club. Taichi himself lacks passion for the game so if Chihaya wasn't serious about it, what would be the point in looking for new members?

I'm not saying he's right. I'm just saying this has nothing to with jealousy or ulterior motives. If just him projecting his lack of passion on others.

Originally Posted by thundrakkon

Also, Chihaya is finally found a passion in something she really likes, whatever her motives may be. You can see clearly in all her action that she loves what she does, instead of just following and admiring (which she originally did with her sister and Arata).

I'm not so sure about that. I do think she's very passionate about it, but for now her main goal and motivation is still Arata IMO.

[thundrakkon]

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

I'm not saying he's right. I'm just saying this has nothing to with jealousy or ulterior motives. If just him projecting his lack of passion on others.

Then what was the point of "helping" her create a club if it is only meant for the 2 of them, per his perspective? Yes, I do admit that he lacks passion, but it seems like all his actions is to be with Chihaya. It is like he says one thing ("help" her open the club), and does another (let's just keep it exclusive among us). I did not say this has anything to do with jealousy, but it definitely has everything to do with ulterior motives, from my perspective.

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

I'm not so sure about that. I do think she's very passionate about it, but for now her main goal and motivation is still Arata IMO.

Well, imo, Arata may be part of her ambition to do what she does. However, ever since she turned down her sister admiration and pursued something she enjoyed, it become a passion for her, no matter what the motivation might be. That motivation will be drama that we will probably get to see figured out later on, but that does not detract from her passion for the game. From what I can see, she loves the game, every time she plays it. Her goal might be to reach Arata, but everything she does is for her own motivations.

[hai_san]

Omg i love the 6 ep, when Kana explained the cards it make me wanted to play Karuta too(great job to her seiryuu)... The japanase Karuto organisation must all love this serie because of the advertisement it gives.

ps: saw a miles ahead who is gonna be the model when Kana said they have no model for their shop xD

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by Kanon

Episode 6 was lovely. It made me - and Chihaya - see Karuta in a new light. Kana-chan is nice addition to the cast. Her love for Karuta is very different from Chihaya's and Arata's but it's just as strong nonetheless. I hope the other future members (they need two more and I'll expect they'll get them) will be as colorful.

You know, I'm surprised nobody's joined the club simply because the incredibly gorgeous Chihaya is running it yet. Oh wait, there's Taichi. By the way, is that flier meant to advertise the Karuta club or Oe's shop?

The shop. She said they didn't have the money to pay for a model, so that was the price of her joining.

Also, how come Chihaya can catch up to a guy on a bike in three seconds, but she has trouble running down a short, not very athletic girl?

[PreSage]

It is clear that Chihaya likes the game Karuta but I get the impression that in her head, the game has to include Arata. It would have been interesting to see what Chihaya becomes had Arata not ran after them at the end of ep 5. Would she drop Karuta like Arata did when his grandfather was no longer there? Well, we won't know that now. I'm just curious to see how Chihaya absolutely has to see Arata or needs the comfort of knowing Arata is still interested in Karuta, whereas we don't see that same super exuberant reaction when it comes to Taichi. This gives me the impression that Chihaya's desire to get the three back into Karuta, not just because she likes playing with them as a team/friends, but something more to do with Arata. But then I'm an Arata fan, so I may be unconcsciously biased when reading the scenes/actions of the character.

Is it just me or does it look like Taichi is less attached to their friendship than Arata? I mean Arata clearly values his friendship with both Taichi and Chihaya but Taichi appears to remain friends with Arata because of Chihaya.

With how this series seems to be setting up, I hope the producers give us a clear answer of these three's relationship in the end - an open ending in this case would be irksome.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by thundrakkon

Then what was the point of "helping" her create a club if it is only meant for the 2 of them, per his perspective? Yes, I do admit that he lacks passion, but it seems like all his actions is to be with Chihaya. It is like he says one thing ("help" her open the club), and does another (let's just keep it exclusive among us). I did not say this has anything to do with jealousy, but it definitely has everything to do with ulterior motives, from my perspective.

There's no ulterior motives. He helps her because he cares a great deal about her, but even then he finds it difficult to believe her passion can be so great while his is basically a joke. That's why he's so negative about it even though he's helping her out.

Bottom line, I don't think Taichi cares whether they're the only members or not. He knows that wouldn't help him get into Chihaya's pants anyway. The only real obstacle is Arata, and Taichi knows it.

EDIT:

Originally Posted by PreSage

With how this series seems to be setting up, I hope the producers give us a clear answer of these three's relationship in the end - an open ending in this case would be irksome.

The manga is still ongoing so...

[sikvod00]

Right now, Chihaya's love for karuta is almost inextricably linked to her fond memories of playing with Taichi and Arata. Basically, karuta and "enjoying yourself with friends" mean the same thing to her. That's my take on her passion for the game, and it is a very common thing for people who are equally obsessed with other sports. The competitive-try-to-become-the-best aspect remains second place to this IMHO.

[hyperborealis]

I can't even say just how wonderful this episode is! Kana-chan, if only I could meet you! So many beautiful moments: the kimono, Kana's explanation of the Chihaya card, the vision of the cards as each having its own special image...

Did you notice that Chihaya learns who she herself is from Kana-chan's analysis of the card? Art explains life. Karuta is not a game or a tradition, but a way whereby life here and now itself becomes richer, fuller. As the title of Kana's book suggests, "Higashiyama Culture and Modern Japan," a riposte to the schoolgirls' joke that she was born in the wrong age. Or, as in "Chihaya furu," "Chihaya full."

Kana brings her own lesson about Karuta, but only Chihaya hears it: Taichi does not. He can be very perceptive, about the weaknesses in Chihaya's game, perhaps even about Kana's capacity for competitive karuta, but he doesn't seem to get karuta on its basic level. For instance, when Kana suggests they clean up the room, Taichi just wants to clean the tatami mats, but Chihaya understands Kana's real meaning, that karuta demands the decorum and respect of cleanliness, and in contrast to Taichi is eager to follow Kana's suggestion. I'm afraid he's the foil or the baka to Chihaya in this episode. Funny that he calls Chihaya baka--the joke is really on him...

I hope everyone caught the episode's last image, of Arata bringing out the karuta cards? He's coming back! Can't wait for more!

[PreSage]

EDIT:



The manga is still ongoing so...

Darn, then I fear I can guess what type of ending this series will get. I'll read the manga after the anime then. A question to the manga readers, does the anime follow very closely to the manga plot?

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by PreSage

A question to the manga readers, does the anime follow very closely to the manga plot?

Yep , it's basically the same thing.

[ars89]

Lol Chihaya ran straight into the door. Her enthusiasm of recruiting Kana was great. Really like when Kana was teaching her about the meanings then she pictured them on the cards. Suspected it would take a mutual agreement for her to join. Glad it ended up what i expected that Chihaya would model for their catalog. So now they need 2 more people to be an official club. Is Arata finally picking up the cards again.

[GundamZZ]

This episode's background melody is so rich and vivid. I enjoy it a lot. From the music and dialogue, I can feel Kana and Chihaya's excitement.

Spoiler:

[Triple_R]

That was indeed an excellent episode six.

It was 50% hilarious, 50% cheerfully uplifting, and 100% colorfully passionate.

The first half did have some great comedy moments. This anime has a very good handle on slapstick comedy, and uses it judiciously so that each instance of it is very effective.

The second half was cheerfully uplifting, with the well-executed introduction of the rich history behind the poems that make up the game of karuta. It's neat to see that there's very different ways you can approach karuta, and that neither way is necessarily any more or less legitimate than another.

It was good to see Chihaya's passion meet with equally great passion from someone else, as that allowed for some interesting dialogue dynamics. The colorfulness of that passion was displayed gorgeously by the superb artwork and animation of this anime.


I also definitely think that this was the perfect time to bring in an interesting new character, and give viewers a bit of a breather from romance drama. I'm glad that this is one episode discussion where debates over Taichi's characterization or shipping wars will hopefully take a bit of a backseat to appreciating the anime as a whole.

Speaking of Taichi, I thought he was very useful in this episode. I think you needed him there to balance out with the extremely expressive exuberance of Chihaya and Kana.


9/10 for Episode 6.

[Guardian Enzo]

This show is really doing a great job capturing the emotional volatility of teenagers, with Chihaya filling the role you'd more often see in the hands of the male lead. I think Kana-chan is a very solid addition to the cast, and I really enjoyed how this episode showed how each kid views Karuta differently. Taichi is very analytical, quickly picking out Chihaya's weakness though he's barely been playing and his skills are rusty. Chihaya is pure instinct, relying on her passion and even her athleticism. And Kana-chan is totally about the beauty behind the game, and what it can teach about a history she thinks is very much worth preserving.

And then there's Arata, who seemed to play the game out of a love of family and gave it up when that became too painful. Can his love for Chihaya be enough to pull him back into Karuta? Obviously, yes...

[Dawnstorm]

Originally Posted by thundrakkon

Then what was the point of "helping" her create a club if it is only meant for the 2 of them, per his perspective? Yes, I do admit that he lacks passion, but it seems like all his actions is to be with Chihaya. It is like he says one thing ("help" her open the club), and does another (let's just keep it exclusive among us). I did not say this has anything to do with jealousy, but it definitely has everything to do with ulterior motives, from my perspective.

Okay, to understand Taichi, I think, you need to understand his social anxiety. The most terrible thing that can happen to him in is to "fail in public". The opening scene has Chihaya and Taichi carry the mats through lots and lots of students, some of whom whisper about them. Chihaya's reputation is mixed up with the club, and Taichi is now also associated with the club. Taichi is hyper-aware of this constellation, and he simply doesn't want to draw the "wrong sort of attention". Pressuring other people into joining, the way only socially oblivious Chihaya can, is a threat to his situation. He's not saying: let's only stay the two of us; rather he's saying: if people don't ask to join, what can we do? (With the implication that agressive marketing attracts the wrong sort of attention and makes them both "weird" for not getting that "nobody cares about that funny old game".

From episode one onwards, this has defined their relationship - Chihaya is the necessary "kick in the ass" for Taichi, and Taichi is the airbag for Chihaya's social crashes. Same thing this episode (only Taichi was more ueseless this time than last episode).

***

I wondered when they'd bring in the traditional aspect. (Kana is a great character!)

***

And Taichi does have a point when he's saying Chihaya is only emulating Arata in her desire to win. Remember episode one? Arata said:

- You have to have a dream of your own,
- because having dreams of someone else is not fair to them.

Chihaya picked up the former aspect, but ironically she did so in Arata's competitive terms (seeing Karuta as a sport when joining the club...). In other words, she borrowed Arata's dream for herself. Now, she's in the process of borrowing Kana's. She's a sponge, really, soaking up all the enthusiasm around her.

Comes full circle, doesn't it? At home, she used to play second fiddle to her sister, and the only way to gain attention herself appears to have been cheering on her sister. Then along comes Arata, and tells her she needs a dream of her own. But she doesn't know how to find one; no-one ever seems to have encouraged her to develope interests of her own. And playing karuta with Taichi and Arata is fun. Here's something she can do with others, and she has place herself therein. When she learns that the three of them won't play together forever, she almost quits, and one of the things that sways her is that T-shirt with team name ("Team Chihayafuru"). There she is, right at the centre of the group. Of course, this is fun. Of course, this is precious. Of course, she doesn't want to lose that. At home she didn't get that sort of attention at all; mostly this means no training ground.

Then Arata and Taichi are gone, and she sticks out in the karuta club. How many friends does she make there? Almost one (not sure if sensei counts)...

And this episode, they're establishing the club. Enter Kana - enter a new aspect of karuta. Chihaya's passion for the stories Kana has to tell is sincere and absolute, and she's a good learner. Really, really childlike. It's almost like Chihaya's arrested development is turned into an epic - gather party members to defeat loneliness - and karuta is the medium.

When Kana said their shop is too poor to even afford a model, my ears perked up. And, yes, Chihaya did end up doing the job. I bow before the genious: we now have Chihaya - small scale - in her sister's role. And it's tied to karuta. And it comes along perfectly natural. It's predictable as hell, but it's so well constructed that you have to admire the weave of plot and motivation and theme... It's extemely, exquisetly constructed - but it doesn't feel like that; it feels entirely natural.

Truly excellent writing.

[ETA: *stares at post* Did I... get carried away? ]

[Pellissier]

Very poetic episode, showing how much love for karuta can be different. Chihaya's is definitely superficial, but her burning passion made up for it. I really hope she'll wear that red kimono one day in an official match.
Kana-chan was the best addiction the series could have, bringing in the love for the game seen from a different perspective. Refreshing and cute. And lol at her condition, having Chihaya modeling for her family's catalog. Well, a fine choice indeed, Chihaya is not only beautiful but also very classy, so she added a lot to those kimonos.

I knew beforehand that Kana was voiced by Kayano Ai, but I still had troubles in recognizing her in the actual interpretation, both for voice and pronunciation. At any rate, she reaffirms her status as best newcomer seiyuu of this year imho.

Meanwhile Arata has started using those cards again. Inevitable given the sparkle seen in episode 5. She and Chihaya keep thinking about each other. Very curious to see how the whole proceeds.

[Sol Falling]

The way I saw it, Taichi was just asking the same question Kanade echoed later on: you don't need teammates/friends for Karuta, so why is Chihaya trying to make a club? Appreciation/ambition for the game itself was not why Chihaya picked up the game.

Well, fixing that was precisely Kanade's job as a character. Still, I'm kinda shocked that in just one episode Chihaya is supposed to have learned the meaning behind all of the cards. One of the things I first imagined about this shoujo anime on a Japanese card game about ancient traditional poetry, was that we might be invited to share in some sentimentality about the poems themselves. However, speaking of the gorgeousness of the main characters and how the series has laid itself out so far, I can see that "plain" Kanade is probably still just a secondary theme.

In any case, I enjoyed this episode. I'll be looking forward to what comes next. One thing that I would be very interested in seeing is what her sister's reaction might be to hearing that Chihaya did some modelling herself.

[LKK]

Originally Posted by Sol Falling

Still, I'm kinda shocked that in just one episode Chihaya is supposed to have learned the meaning behind all of the cards.

I don't think Chihaya has learned the meaning behind all 100 cards yet. When they showed the metaphoric images rising from the cards, I only counted about a half-dozen or so. My interpretation was that that's about how many back-stories she's learned so far.

[DragoonKain3]

Highlight of the episode: Chihaya finally doing some modeling, and looking darn pretty while at it.

Just a shame new girl beats her in the bust department. Didn't realize how flat Chihaya is until now we have someone to compare her with lols.

Originally Posted by PreSage

Am I wrong to understand that Chihaya appears to like/love Arata more than Taichi? Well, I am rooting for Arata, since Taichi's cowardice (for lack of a better word) tendency is irksome to me.

I'm of the opinion that Chihaya has shown more romantic clues towards Taichi than she does towards Arata. At the very least, Chihaya has shown signs that she likes Taichi more than that way since she gets jealous/irritated when the subject of Taichi's girlfriend comes up, while her concern with Arata has always been about Karuta. Also doesn't help that Chihaya acknowledge Arata as her God of Karuta, much in the same way Arata acknowledged his grandpa as his God of Karuta.

Which really is unfortunate, since I haven't yet forgiven Taichi's 'treachery'. >_>

[Utsuro no Hako]

Originally Posted by DragoonKain3

I'm of the opinion that Chihaya has shown more romantic clues towards Taichi than she does towards Arata. At the very least, Chihaya has shown signs that she likes Taichi more than that way since she gets jealous/irritated when the subject of Taichi's girlfriend comes up, while her concern with Arata has always been about Karuta. Also doesn't help that Chihaya acknowledge Arata as her God of Karuta, much in the same way Arata acknowledged his grandpa as his God of Karuta.

Which really is unfortunate, since I haven't yet forgiven Taichi's 'treachery'. >_>

After just one episode, I'm already convinced that Kana x Arata is a better match than Chihaya x Arata ever could be. Even though they haven't met, their personalities already seem compatible, while Chihaya seems like she'd drive him crazy after a couple hours.