Quote:
Originally Posted by Sol Falling
However, I think the intention might simply be to reinforce Nishida's character as someone who knows the pain of being second place, and his tears can be read not so much as sympathy for Taichi but rather a sublimation of his intense engagement in Taichi's match such that he felt like he was playing himself. That is to say, perhaps Nishida was crying from his own pain, because in comparison to Taichi (who said to himself, "I haven't put in the time") who just became passionate about karuta today, the one who most experienced the bitterness of failure this time might in fact have been Nishida.
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I agree. I think during Taichi's match, Nishida wasn't really seeing Taichi playing some unnamed opponent. Rather he was seeing himself competing with young Arata again. We know how deeply that match affected Nishida. Perhaps subliminally, Nishida was hoping that if Taichi won, then Nishida's own loss might be wiped from his memories. But Taichi's win didn't happen and Nishida, so swept up in his memories, had to relive his second place finish once again.