2013-01-20, 14:34 | Link #241 |
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
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I'm not quite sure I get her either. I mean, yes, she wants Taichi to live up to his full potential, I get that. But she also pretty much leaves him to do what he wants as long as his grades don't suffer. Including financial freedom Nishida can only dream of.
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2013-01-20, 16:55 | Link #242 |
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Brighton, UK.
Age: 61
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To me the most revealing scene in this episode about Sumire was when she realises she has nothing much to say to her new first-year friends. She wonders if this is how it is when you are not in a club and resolves to put more effort into getting a boyfriend. It shows she is aware of a feeling of shallowness, emptiness, that needs filling. Now her train of thought seems like it should end with "find a club that interests me and provides the social / intellectual / emotional stimulation that I'm lacking". Instead it ends with "boyfriend". Well it would give her something to talk / boast about to her friends I suppose, but I suspect she needs more than that to fill the emptiness, even if she doesn't know it yet. It would explain something that I've found odd; that she seems quite serious about Taichi although she actually knows next to nothing about him. She's been accused of shallowness for this, but it might be fairer to say she's confused. She does have depth of feeling but the only outlet she is currently aware of for such feelings is "boyfriend". Maybe she read too many of those shoujo manga whose heroines she identifies with? So she's setting her sights on Taichi although, knowing this series, it will become increasingly obvious that the hole in her life is karuta-shaped.
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2013-01-20, 18:07 | Link #243 | |
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Join Date: May 2004
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That makes me think that, on that matter of classes, the author is not trying to criticize some particular social class, if I had to say, she is criticizing our society as a whole, where every main character is a victim. Even Taichi, especially Taichi, the one who was once a liar and a thief, was on the verge to become a bully and later even a womanizer.
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Last edited by Arya; 2013-01-20 at 18:28. |
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2013-01-20, 18:59 | Link #244 | |
Lost at Sea
Join Date: Mar 2010
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Not just the poetry: she also remembers Harada and Taichi's words to her. These remind her of a life of dedication and purpose, an essential seriousness, which she lacks, and knows she lacks, but does not fully understand. I think the point of her telling herself she needs to give up seeking the hottest guy in the school, and just get a boyfriend, and then, of having her angrily reject the speciousness of the former boyfriend's proposal to get back together, is to let us viewers know that the boyfriend motive from the previous episode, in general and as applied to Taichi, has exploded. Only, she has not yet worked out it's replacement. That's why she does go back to the club, but participates there with indifference and nonchalance. It's only after Sumire's conversation with Kana-chan that she finally gets it. And I don't think the getting is of karuta. She accepts karuta as a necessary discipline, following Kana's words about the formal character of the poems, but that is not her main focus. I think she is motivated by an ideal of love, as it is expressed in the poems. Quadratic's point that Sumire wishes to experience what the poems have been expressing is spot on. Sumire wishes to live the life of the poems, to become a lover as described in the poems. Or put it this way: she is cultivating her life, so she can make of her life a poem that can express the full depth of her love. The irony of all this is, as you point out, that the object of her love is incidental. Taichi is a star, but who he is actually, does not seem to be a part of Sumire's aspiration. Of course, this is true of Taichi's aspiration for Chihaya as well. He loves her, and truly, but who she is, within her heart, is beyond him. I think your description of Sumire as a person of deep feeling who only has superficial outlets for her passion is exactly correct. Thanks for bringing this out.
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2013-01-20, 20:04 | Link #245 | |||
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Join Date: Feb 2011
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*saves explanation for future Taichi bashing* But still, I'd like to think there's a small part of him that's happy for the sake of the club, like how he was happy over Arata being back (even if I didn't personally find it 100% believable). Quote:
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Off on another tangent, I want to see more of Yuu (Arata's neighbor), because there was a hint of how much she cared for Arata (ep 5 of season 1 was one of my personal favourites). |
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2013-01-21, 08:05 | Link #246 |
Lost at Sea
Join Date: Mar 2010
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Jane over at 1000 Summers makes a nice catch re Tsukuba's name: the kanji for his name opens poem #13. So, like Chihaya (Chihayaburu, #17) & Shinobu (Shinoburedo, #40), Tsukuba has his own card. So, maybe he will make meijin Jane connects Tsukuba the anime character to Retired Emperor Yozei, a violent tyrant deposed for wantonly killing people for sport--but notes that the poem is a love poem, so--my reading now--perhaps he will be another sadist who loves karuta, like Sudo.
Here is Mostow's translation of #13: Like the Mina river that falls from the peak of Mount Tsukuba, so my longing has collected and turned into deep pools.
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2013-01-21, 08:26 | Link #247 | ||
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: My Desk
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Last edited by Crontica; 2013-01-21 at 08:51. |
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2013-01-21, 12:06 | Link #249 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
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Take that as you will although saying this to a guy who thinks Taichi attempting to strangle Arata would be in-character might not be so smart. I definitely agree with this one, I hope she'll appear this season.
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2013-01-21, 14:05 | Link #250 | |
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
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I just acknowledge that this was one instance of bad timing and of his usual social awareness failing him because he was distracted. I don't really blame him, but I can see that it did look bad. |
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2013-01-21, 14:15 | Link #251 | |
Did nothing wrong
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Needless to say, I find 90% of shipping wars (including this one) to be garbage. Chihaya x Karuta, obviously
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2013-01-21, 15:23 | Link #252 |
Lost at Sea
Join Date: Mar 2010
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So true! I mean, in this very episode, when Sumire tells Kana and Chihaya she has her sights on Mashima-senpai, Kana thinks she is crazy about love, and then the animation writes in "karuta-baka" next to Chihaya. How much more explicit can the anime get?!
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2013-01-21, 15:40 | Link #253 | |
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Join Date: Aug 2007
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2013-01-21, 18:29 | Link #255 |
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Join Date: May 2004
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I saw it in the same way. Considering even how apparently he should have been aware of Sumire's interest toward him from the past episode. On the other side I even thought that it was intended as a sort of comedic closure (because it was a bit OOC for him). Even if I don't know if it delivered.
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2013-01-21, 18:41 | Link #256 |
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Join Date: Jul 2006
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Chihaya's parents have barely any screentime at all, but I wouldn't say they don't care about Chihaya. They do have a small scrapbook of Chihaya's few kurata accomplishments. I think they dot on them both equally, but the sister happens to have more publicity stuff to put in a scrapbook.
The sister just seems indifferent to Chihaya. She doesn't care about Kurata so she just sees it as some kind of 'little hobby' that her sister is doing. Same with Chihaya, she doesn't pay any particular attention to her sister's modeling either.
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2013-01-21, 21:23 | Link #257 | ||
SIBYL salesman
Join Date: Feb 2011
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Just because I understood the writer/mangaka's intent, doesn't mean I have to find it believable, especially when there are more things showing otherwise. I can't be bothered going over this again, as I had already explained my case in the season 1 thread. Anyway, Sumire is the latest proof of people not finding Sumire's goal of "finding love" to be believable, so really, it can just be chalked up as the mangaka isn't always that good at presenting certain ideas. Quote:
And beside, I think you missed the idea of why I consider in character: being tempted to take shortcuts. The easy way to get to this situation is for Chihaya to not acknowledge Taichi's dedication and Chihaya and Arata being an inch closer together. Temptations are always worst in desperate situations. But then again, it's obviously an outrageously bold, unsubstantiated claim since I couldn't back it up with evidence of Taichi being extremely possessive, showing capability of being violent, or resorting to underhanded tactics in an act of desperation. Anyway, I don't want to argue about him anymore, the less I think of his actions, the better opinion I'll have of him. |
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2013-01-21, 23:56 | Link #258 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
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In a way, I am glad the thread turns out the way I wanted (just as planned! light Yagami face) that the thread had turned into pro vs against Taichi
To me, posting/ reading in an anime forum thread is about learning what people from other background think of the same material I watch. Frankly, no argument will make me like a certain anime which I hate or hate a character which I adored. However, I am interested to know why other people think so differently compare to me. So having different opinions is a very good thing. To me, except Chihaya, everyone in the series is very realistic (maybe realistic is a bad word, since there are people in real life act like Chihaya), rather than idealistic. What makes Taichi so bad even if he only thinking of Chihaya instead of the club? I can clearly see the inner struggle of Taichi regarding Arata, he consider Arata as a friend (otherwise he can do plenty of underhanded tactics to separate him from Chihaya: e.g. not telling Chihaya Arata texted him) and yet he knows Arata would be his greatest obstacles to get thru Chihaya. To me, Taichi is like someone I know from the real world, he has his good and bad and yet I will still consider him as a friend. On a side note, what do the anti-Taichi faction thinks of Hikaru (Hikaru no Go)? Because frankly, I saw Hikaru do much worse stuff to a friend (Sai/Akari) then anything Taichi ever did and yet I never see the hate toward Hikaru. To me, both Hikaru and Taichi is realistic, compare to idealistic characters.
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2013-01-22, 04:11 | Link #259 |
Did nothing wrong
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So Chihaya's on her quest to convince people that Karuta is better than sex, but it's not going very well. And Sumire proved to be of use so they can add to the group, though she's pretty honest with her intentions and not the best, but they're desperate.
I guess the point of this season is that Chihaya will improve her understanding to be able to teach others. She is good at the game, but she's a lousy teacher, and demonstrations can only go that much. She does things too much without thinking, and is too disconnected with everyone else's goals. Well everyone has their own agendas right now and could work together to find better meanings in each other as well as their own goals. Maybe... great show regardless.
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cards, josei, karuta, sports |
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