Quote:
Originally Posted by Arya
I'm not saying this to support Chihaya being a bad friend. But the main reason she ran off was to stay by Taichi's side, to not leave him alone. So she thought. But in the end that was exactly what she did. She left him alone. That was underlined by her sudden reaction hearing about Arata. She turned and left him alone, without a word. She switched on karuta-mode.
Later, if Tsutomu didn't ask her about Taichi, she wouldn't ever mentioned he lost. She didn't even know how he felt. As I said, she completely forgot about Taichi.
Instead Kana mailed them to let them know how Taichi did. And if I remember correctly Kana arrived much later so she didn't know that Chihaya practically ignored him. So from her point of view she thought that Chiahaya did comfort him, why should she have thought otherwise? The only observer at that time was Harada, who in fact later tried to reward him. Not that I'm trying to convince anyone here, but to me that episode was quite clear in what wanted to deliver.
And that wasn't her first time. In another tournament once she finished playing, she forgot to go cheering her friends. The show has been consistent in that regard IMO.
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A couple points. Taichi is already alone when Chihaya comes into the lobby. His solitude marks his depression, not simply at losing, but at the private meaning the loss signifies: the dashing of his plans to make Class A and to compete in the same space as Chihaya. Compounding his depression may be the new prospect of Arata as a romantic rival. Later he will berate himself for not having stayed on the floor to watch and learn from the other players. So we know from his own mouth that his solitude is a mistake, a personal failure. When we recall his words to Harada-sensei, that he wants to become someone who doesn't run away, we recognize that in the lobby, he has precisely run away into himself.
Given this situation, there is no way any friend--and of all friends, especially not Chihaya--can help Taichi in the place he has put himself. Chihaya doesn't want Taichi to be all alone when he wins or loses, but Taichi himself has already decided the issue. Faulting her for not showing more solicitude is quite besides the point, especially when she does fumble a response, only to be halted when Taichi himself changes the subject by bringing up Arata.
Which brings me to my second point. Arata's presence at the tournament is a stunning, overwhelmingly important event for Chihaya. It is not too much to say that the whole reason she and Taichi have created the karuta club is to connect up with Arata again. So it is not at all surprising that Chihaya heads immediately to the match floor to watch Arata play. Again, the idea that she is not being properly attentive to Taichi's feelings is besides the point: at this moment she is fulfilling one of her heart's fondest dreams.
I am not sure why there is an expectation that Chihaya do more than she does. The idea that she is supposed to stay at Taichi's side, or to take care of his hurt feelings--well, to be honest, that smacks of gender stereotypes. It is a viewer's projection of his or her own expectations about friendship onto the show, and not something the show itself expresses.