(L+CR) Chihayafuru Season 2

[Mubyoshi]

Don't think there is any other anime that has ever made me this anxious, this anime continues to be extremely intense, I love it!

[azarhal]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

I know that is what she says she is doing, but in this episode she seems to intuit the card solely on the basis of how the reader takes a breath before even beginning to read. First, if readers were that obvious, you'd think they would be trained to avoid making tell-tale sounds. True this reader was a relative novice so he might have been easier for Chihaya to read. Then there is the whole business of cards having similar openings. You would think the reader's breathing would be similar in those cases as well and non-predictive. The whole idea still seems like magic to me.

Sudo took reader class to learn all the reader's cue and give him an edge over other players. The Meijin in the show did the same thing. He also have "super hearing" though, this give him 28 one syllable cards. Kana-chan also use reader's cue to pick up cards. This is why she thanks Sudo.

Chihaya is doing something similar, but like the Meijin her hearing is extremely sensible. She hear things before others do. Going by the anime she can hear snowflakes fall.

[hyperborealis]

The title poem is #69. Here is Joshua Mostow's translation, from Pictures of the Heart:

It's the autumn leaves
of the hills of Mimuro
where the tempests blow,
that are the woven brocade floating
on the waters of Tatsuta River!

The curious thing about this poem is that the card itself, as far as I can tell, never comes up in the episode at all. It is not played during the match with Hokuo, and is not referred to otherwise.

So why do the writers choose this poem for the title?

I think the title poem is an allusion to Chihaya. By repeating the motif of the autumn leaves floating on the Tatsuta River, the 69th poem alludes to the Chihayafuru waka, which you will recall goes as follows, Mostow again:

Unheard of
even in the legendary age
of the awesome gods;
Tatsuta River in scarlet
and the water flowing under it.

I think the title is there to make sure we recognize Chihaya's achievement in the episode. There are different things we might point out to illustrate this. There is her growth as a karuta player, indicated by the several comparisons between her and Suoh and Shinobu. There is her refusal to give up once Hokuo seizes the advantage by gaining the split cards, where her practicing swings to her opponent's side inspires Taichi to do the same, with the result that Taichi wins his match on Hyoro's fault. There is her clear awareness of just what happens on the final card, not to mention her admirable honesty: in contrast to Amakasu's knee-jerk and flustered insistence he touched the card first, Chihaya explains precisely what happened, and with perfect nobility concedes the match. Finally, against Nishida's attempt to blame himself for the loss, Chihaya decides the aftermath of the match by insisting that it was fun.

Yes, Chihaya lost. But in every other respect, she was the player who showed the greatest stature in the episode. The title card is there to underline her central place in the episode, and the anime.

------------

Also, #69 is the first card Arata ever takes from Chihaya, back in the first issue of the manga. The title may be alluding to the connection Chihaya & Arata share, which we see nicely illustrated at the close of the episode, when Chihaya responds so emotionally to Arata's email.

[BBOvenGuy]

I'm watching on Crunchyroll as a non-subscriber, which means I'm a week behind all you folks, but I had this to say about Episode 5:

Nishida's sister is Honey Boo-Boo???

Also, I liked the bit where Kana is reminding herself that kimonos were designed for women with her body type, and so she actually has an advantage. I was very glad to hear from you all that she beats the guy who keeps calling her "boobie girl."

[Theo]

So I'm on episode 10 of the first season and this...is pretty good. Nothing that changes the world, but it does its job of entertaining as well as getting me invested in the game.

-The characters aren't cartoons but people, that's what so many shows seem to forget and make them do lol wacky deformed gags that are just unfunny, while this one keeps the humor sparser, so when it comes up it makes a huge impact, (Chihaya running after Yo or slumping in the train seat).

-It doesn't waste your time.

So many good shows like to put in nonsense like extended scenes of people eating or doing stupid bullshit that doesn't generate any humor nor does it contribute to the main themes. When the characters eat here, it all leads back to karuta. Chocolate is eaten but it's solely for the purpose of demonstrating the game's high energy consumption. The dinner in episode 9 is after the fact everyone's near dead and again demonstrates karuta's exhausting nature. And of course I'm sure you know the eating scene after that and why it's so fantastic.

-It makes me interested in what I'm watching.

The words "premise" and "potential" are absolutely worthless to me because it could be the greatest idea in the world, but if you fuck it up, it becomes the shittiest thing in the world. It's all about the execution and the director demonstrates his chops. He makes slapping cards around just as tense and exciting (or even moreso) than a lot of action sequences from action anime like Guilty Crown or SAO, possibly because the attention to detail is so good with each player demonstrating strengths and weaknesses and little intricacies (like memorizing vs hearing and card placement).

I'm also considering Space Brothers, despite how far along it is already.

[Blaat]

Sumire without make up. She kind of looks like the former queen from Nishida's society (Yumi is her name IIRC). Also is it early of me to ship Sumire with Tsubaka?

Anyway good episode, bit on the slow side but beautiful I liked the scenes with the various members of Chihaya's family (I really liked the mum) and Chihaya's hakama looks great in colour.

[kitten320]

I loved this episode, it had a good amount of humor. Harada bear was probably my most favorite part

Besides Kanna broke 4th wall

It is also good to get more info on Chihaya's family since they barely ever appear in her life.

Taichi really needs to do something if he is serious about Chihaya. Otherwise she will never notice and he will lose her to Arata and Karuta.

[Yume Hanabi]

Very touching episode on many fronts. Can't wait for the tournament to begin, and I hope that this time Sumire and Tsukuba will get a chance to shine!

[kitten320]

I think it is a bit early for them to shine since they just joined and tournament will be full of strong people...

[Kanon]

Sweet and touching episode. We finally know how much Chihaya's parents care about her. Her mother has left her alone until now because she knew her daughter had already chosen her path and assumed she'd be fine. She wasn't wrong. She should probably worry a bit more about her though. Can you make a living with Karuta? Because that's pretty much all Chihaya is good at.

"We're in the second season and she still doesn't know the meaning of the title?!"

That line was pure gold
Kana's little lesson was highly informative. I had no idea chihayafuru had such a profound meaning either so I can't blame Chihaya for her ignorance.

The ending was interesting. Sumire bluntly asked Chihaya if there is anybody she likes, her first answer was Shinobu ( ) and then she thought of Arata... which prompted her to call him. Taichi saw her talking to him and put on his NTR'd face once again. Do something, damnit!!

Originally Posted by Blaat

Sumire without make up. She kind of looks like the former queen from Nishida's society (Yumi is her name IIRC). Also is it early of me to ship Sumire with Tsubaka?

She reminded me of Yumi as well. She looks so plain without make-up

[HandofFate]

Enjoyed episode 7. Some daughter & mom time has been due for a while. Also liked the bit about money, made things seem more realistic.

For those more familiar with stuff like hakuma. How expensive do they tend to get? And how much do you think the one Chihaya would be given the vague impressions they had on it?

[Reckoner]

That excuse from her mother didn't really work for me at all. Neglecting your child is bad, plain and simple.

This episode felt a bit choppy for some reason, seemed like it was rushing through events pretty quickly. Still enjoyed it overall, but definitely quick paced.

[LKK]

Originally Posted by Kanon

"We're in the second season and she still doesn't know the meaning of the title?!"

That line was pure gold

I wonder if that was an anime addition or if there is a manga-basis for that little bit. I could see it being added in after a realization that there were audience regulars who also didn't understand the meaning of the title. (I certainly qualify as a Didn't Know. )

[ars89]

Like the moment with her mother. Nice how Chihaya getting back to her usual self cheered up her sister as well. Lol Kana broke the 4th wall. Agree with Sumire x Tsukuba. Of course Chihaya only thinks of Shinobu. Though poor Taichi seeing her on the phone with Arata.

[Arya]

Count me among those who Didn't know

Nice slow episode. Finally Chihaya's mother cared for her. At least they gave us an insight of her family situation. They care more for her elder sister because they are more worried about her and her future than Chihaya's. Even if it is not a defence it's quite a down-to-earth parents' behavior. In fact her mother even exaggerated buying an expensive hakama, to compensate If I had to say I was glad to see Chihaya's sister turning her efforts toward something more concrete. Sadly it lasted more or less half a day
Kana and Kana's mother are always spot-on, they are like a safe haven sort of.
And it's nice to see someone, Sumire, not so single-minded on Karuta; she is fun. ahahah I liked how she explained how she is adopting Taichi's set of rules to conquer him. Karuta way of thinking is influencing her more than she thinks. Sumire, sweetie, you are smart so you should aready know how that approach doesn't work at all
Taichi's NTR'd moments are happening more frequently, so probably something major will happen soon? Poor Taichi.
By the way, as usual, even with a direct question Chihaya's reaction is still confined in the Karuta box. Not that I was expecting something different.

Oh, I liked Chihaya's theory that led her to let the music club using the second floor as a storage room. I usually do the same way.

[thundrakkon]

Originally Posted by Blaat

Also is it early of me to ship Sumire with Tsubaka?

Nah, it should be Sumire with Taichi. Then Chihaya is with Arata, and all is well in the world.

Originally Posted by HandofFate

For those more familiar with stuff like hakuma. How expensive do they tend to get? And how much do you think the one Chihaya would be given the vague impressions they had on it?

They could run from a couple hundred dollars up to a few thousand dollars. The one Chihaya got could be $1000 total (the whole set) or $3000, is my guess.

Anyway, this is a great Chihaya focused episode. It was a nice breather from the intense competition, and the music plus wind flowing in the band scene was very beautiful. Such a wonderful series. Arata and Chihaya connect on such a higher level, it is just so beautiful to watch. To be able to connect so well even when they are far away is something that so many couples wish they have, which so few are able to accomplish. Things will definitely heat up if Arata ever has the opportunity to move to Chihaya's school (season 3, I bet).

[lightbringer]

Originally Posted by LKK

I wonder if that was an anime addition or if there is a manga-basis for that little bit. I could see it being added in after a realization that there were audience regulars who also didn't understand the meaning of the title. (I certainly qualify as a Didn't Know. )

The usual breaking-the-fourth-wall manga equivalent would be "we're already in volume 8 and she still doesn't know the meaning of the title". Not sure which volume, if any, this scene is in, but I wouldn't be surprised if you'd find something like that written there. The joke's too good to pass up

[Kirarakim]

Originally Posted by thundrakkon

Such a wonderful series. Arata and Chihaya connect on such a higher level, it is just so beautiful to watch. To be able to connect so well even when they are far away is something that so many couples wish they have, which so few are able to accomplish. Things will definitely heat up if Arata ever has the opportunity to move to Chihaya's school (season 3, I bet).

And yet in a significant way they actually did not connect this episode. Chihaya talked about the joy of having teammates but Arata said he wants to focus on individual matches.

While the individual match is very important to Chihaya, her teammates and the friendships & connections she forms through karuta are equally important.

In fact in some ways I would say those connections & friendships are the most important thing for Chihaya whether she is playing a team or individual match. It is also in my opinion what makes her karuta so strong because she learns from everyone: her teammates and opponents.

[thundrakkon]

Originally Posted by Kirarakim

And yet in a significant way they actually did not connect this episode. Chihaya talked about the joy of having teammates but Arata said he wants to focus on individual matches.

At this moment, that is all that he can focus on. He does not have a karuta club at school, and his goal is to win the individual match to probably go and be a part of Chihaya's club. Hence, it makes sense that he is focused on individual. It is a goal that will eventually lead to team.

[Blaat]

Originally Posted by thundrakkon

Nah, it should be Sumire with Taichi. Then Chihaya is with Arata, and all is well in the world.

Really? Sumire is the most interesting when she's herself which she never is around Taichi with Tsubaka on the other hand...
And, believe it or not, you can have Chihaya with Arata without saddling Sumire with Taichi.