2011-12-21, 02:42 | Link #761 | ||
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
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2011-12-21, 06:18 | Link #762 |
Mmmm....
Join Date: Sep 2006
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Certainly, I think the 'Empress' changed her mind about going to the Karuta nationals because beforehand she'd just seen it as a simple card game, and thought they were just goofing off.
Watching them practice she saw how much energy, concentration, and passion they were putting into the game, which changed her mind. She was able to take them seriously at last. I liked the bit when Kana was extolling the cultural virtues of the cards, that while winning is important you mustn't lose sight of what the cards actually mean. The part where Chihaya finds the one scrapbook with her name on it, and the newspaper cutting in it, was beautiful. Some shows could have spent weeks on a 'getting ready for the nationals' sequence, so good to see here they've gone straight to it. |
2011-12-21, 07:18 | Link #763 | ||
さっく♥ゆうきゃん♥ほそやん
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: in the land down under...
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She was also a fair few pages into the scrapbook, so I'm sure there were other articles. Just not as many as her model sister.
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2011-12-21, 08:12 | Link #764 | |
Kana Hanazawa ♥
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: France
Age: 37
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2011-12-21, 08:14 | Link #765 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
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I actually didn't get the problem with Kana's card placement... if she feels comfortable with it and remembers all the positions, what's the problem?
And if it is a new placement, isn't it a bonus then? Enemy will be totally confused by it, I think Kana would have a rean advantage there.
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2011-12-21, 09:18 | Link #766 |
~AD~
Join Date: Oct 2006
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At first i am really annoyed at the teacher.
Well, Karuta is supposed to be heritage of Japan's culture. And considering their role as teacher, the one who guide youngster, how come they are not supporting the one that still interested in the "old" culture? Thankfully, near the end, the "Empress" changed her mind and decided to support them. |
2011-12-21, 15:01 | Link #767 | |
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Virginia, USA
Age: 62
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ETA: The biggest problem I see with Kana's layout is that it could potentially split her attention on the second syllable cards. Grouping cards by season could place second syllable cards on opposite sides of the playing field. This would divide her attention. She wouldn't know which side of the playing field to be aiming for until the second syllable is pronounced.
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Last edited by LKK; 2011-12-21 at 15:35. Reason: added thoughts on Kana's layout |
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2011-12-21, 15:39 | Link #768 |
Blooming on the mountain
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light....
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Agreed ... Kana is definitely the member of the Karuta club I am interested in the most. It was not until she appeared and her approach to the game was presented that I took more of an interest in the game in general, and how it ... erm ... "made sense" I guess.
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2011-12-22, 02:26 | Link #770 | |||
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Karuta is unquestionably good for those who get involved in it... but it won't pay for the mortgage. It's Ok to slip a little bit in your academics in order to balance that out with an intense and fun past-time that encourages personal growth... but being fifth from the bottom in your class for grades really isn't acceptable either. I honestly found this refreshing. Some sports anime shows have a tendency to not keep the sport in proper perspective, and to build it up as something that's bigger than what it is. I recall LittleKuriboh's joke about Yu-Gi-Oh: "Determining the fate of the world through a children's card game!" Nobody in this show is pretending that Karuta is the end-all be-all of everything. Even Chihaya recognizes that it's not more important than her sister making money for the family's well-being. But this show is arguing that Karuta deserves as much respect as any other serious sport does, such as tennis. And part of arguing that involves showing how a character/person can grow through Karuta just as assuredly as s/he can grow through a different competitive sport. Sports ultimately bring people together, and force them to better themselves in certain ways in order to achieve victory. Body and/or mind become swifter and more accurate, while you simultaneously build meaningful friendships through team-based camaraderie. Nice memories and possibly some momentoes (i.e. trophies) are gained, while one's social well-being is maintained if not heightened. All of this can be beneficial even outside of the context of the sport itself, of course. And all of this is very well-portrayed in Chihayafuru, by how we see the effect that Karuta has on our main cast members. But as good as this all is, it won't address every need and want in your life, and it's important to remember that as well. The show doesn't spend much time on the critics of the sport, or those simply not interested in the sport, because ultimately they simply don't matter. Well, they matter insofar as they can't be completely ignored (Chihaya has to deal with her sister, for example), but they don't change the benefits that come from enjoying a competitive sport and growing through it. What this anime has shown is that the best way to deal with the critics of the sport, or those simply not interested in it, is to leave them be and accept them for who they are. However, there's no need to internalize their lack of passion for the sport and allow it to cause your own passion for it to diminish. In fact, such passion can sometimes be contagious, as we saw with how "The Empress" changed in this episode. Ultimately, I see no problem whatsoever with how Karuta has been portrayed in this anime. It is very much in-line with other good sports stories (both in anime, and outside of anime) that I've seen, and if anything, it does a good job of managing to keep the showcased sport from being blown out of proportion. Quote:
Chihaya's sister isn't doing this just for sheer vanity's sake - She sincerely wants to help her family. That's rather destroying of the admittedly villainous image she had in some brief moments before. Chihaya's parents understandably put the daughter activities that hopefully will pay the bills first, but they thankfully don't completely forget about Chihaya either. Honestly, I felt this episode was great for Chihaya's family. Quote:
Episode 12 was a nice "bridge" episode that helped to keep "the real world" surrounding Chihaya in sharp and appropriate focus while we transition from one team tournament to the next level team tournament (i.e. the Nationals). I must say that it's nice to watch an anime where we'll get to see 'The Nationals' themselves, rather than simply the regional tournament that leads into it. As much as I loved Moshidora and Saki, this is an edge that Chihayafuru has on them right now. 8/10 for Episode 12.
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2011-12-22, 10:31 | Link #771 | ||
Lost at Sea
Join Date: Mar 2010
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Karuta also connects in particular to the life stories of the main characters to construct their histories and identities. The three main characters are living out the imperative drawn from their pasts, from when their encounter with karuta created their relationships in the first place. Nishda is now doing the same thing himself: he remembers his karuta sensei from childhood, and takes Kana and Tsutomu with him back to his old school. The show gives us karuta as a way of life, which is to invest karuta with values and expectations which go beyond those which we ordinarily associate with a sport. The show constructs karuta in terms you could say are religious in scope and function. As such, it gives to karuta a deference that is absolute. You are right to say the show provides a non-idealized perspective upon karuta in this episode. We do get a sense of how ordinary people think about the game, from Miyauchi-sensei's initial indifference and casual ignorance. I appreciate her conversion: the depiction of the unconverted Shibata-sensei as a bozo infatuated with the "Lake Biwa Birdman Rally" not so much. I can see where Dawnstorm is coming from. He has a point. I don't agree, since I am completely of Kana's party, but he has a point. Quote:
I hope she does make it as an actress in the Taiga drama. Wikipedia tells me it's a year-long TV historical drama, on the air since 1963 (!), focusing every year on different segments of Japanese history. Chitose hopes to be redeemed by Japanese tradition, as well... ----- Nice catch to Guardian Enzo in his Random Curiousity review to match Taichi's mother's over-parenting of her son to Chihaya's family's under-parenting of Chihaya. Silly GE, to think that somehow makes them perfect for each other! How striking that Chihaya looks to her phone messages from Arata to get guidance on what to do. Or later, when she asks Arata in her mind about Omi Jingu--and the childhood Arata tells her the shrine is red. Arata is already her kami for karuta. ----- I love Kana so much! I wish they had dramatized the show from her perspective. I also wish we could have a discussion just on her, and how her poetic sensibility informs the show. Nobody has brought up the episode titles, which are lines from the hyakunin isshu, but they must reflect directly on the content. And the flower symbolism, the tradition of hanakotoba--it is no accident that the title sequence shows us blue hydrangeas wet with rain. Really the show has been Kana's all along, only I just don't know enough to appreciate it. Last edited by hyperborealis; 2011-12-22 at 17:40. |
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2011-12-22, 12:23 | Link #772 | |
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However, I think it's important to mention that there are other sports, in real life, that are like Karuta in this regard. Football is widely regarded as a crucial element of American culture and tradition. Hockey is widely regarded as a crucial element of Canadian culture and tradition (in fact, it's hard to overstate the importance of hockey to the overarching sense of Canadian identity). In many nations, Soccer is regarded as a crucial element of national culture and tradition. It's true that not all sports enjoy this sort of cultural prominence and prestige, but some do. Is Karuta this "big" in real life Japan? Perhaps not, but maybe the anime is arguing that it could be, as the anime (through Kana) demonstrates that Karuta can be a great way of conveying a rich history and tradition through competitive sport. My basic argument is that Karuta is not idealized to a point where it cuts the narrative off from the real world, that it exists as more than thematically-driven theater of the mind that's unimaginable outside of the narrative itself. It's true that non-fans of the sport are not looked upon in the most positive of lights, but I don't think the anime goes out of its way to degrade them either. Again, it's just that they're largely inconsequential to what the anime is aiming for.
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2011-12-22, 17:59 | Link #773 | |
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Austria
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If the show were dramatised from her perspective the idealisation of karuta probably wouldn't bother me at all, since it would seem "concept central" - we'd have a more clear cut distinction between modern life and traditional values, and a story of how to deal with tradition in modern organisations. It would be an interesting show, but it's not what we're getting. (For what it's worth, Kana is my favourite character, too.) But it's precisely because of scenes like the ones that Triple R mentions that the idealisation bothers me. These scenes come across as token acknowledgment, to me. Take time spent on karuta vs. studying: Tsutomu is fine with dropping grades, because he's high up; Chihaya is played for laughs (it's just who she is; isn't it cute?). In the early episodes I thought that they would play it for character flaws and deal with it in some way or other. Well, right now it's on the backburner; let's see if they pick up again. Kana stands out, in that she's the only one who integrates karuta into a life-plan: her parents have that shop, and it's clear she identifies with it. Of all the characters, she's the only one who uses karuta for her own ends, deliberately, with a goal in mind. It's this that brings out the traditional values. Btw, pursuing hyperborealis' links [and cross-clicking from there], I found out that Karuta itself is just the game; you can play it with other card sets, too. You could, in theory, play Pokemon Karuta. The variant they're playing is just that - a variant. [Google Uta-Garuta] The game itself doesn't seem that traditional to me; it's the Hyakkunin Isshu theme. If you want a traditionally valued sports, I'd probably look towards kendo, or maybe archery (which was Kana's first club). *** About the "Empress": I don't see her change of mind so much as a conversion, as I see it as getting used to a new club. Her earlier enthusiasm from tennis, I assume, has developed over years. I don't think this is the first year she advised that club. Again, I don't expect to ever learn what the tennis club thinks about her sudden change of mind. After all, they don't matter. |
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2011-12-22, 20:03 | Link #774 | |
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Age: 35
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However, the standardization of rules and competitive play as a sport are, I think it would be fair to say, modern developments. And even the adaptation of the game as an educational activity for elementary school students. So I think it would be more accurate to say that it's not that karuta isn't traditional; but that they way it is generally most actively played, in practice, today, is not traditional. Which may or may not be okay/for the best. |
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2011-12-23, 16:30 | Link #775 |
Lost at Sea
Join Date: Mar 2010
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Anyone interested in the meaning of the poems and their relation to the narrative should take a look at the Chihayafuru wiki, at
http://chihayafuru.wikia.com/wiki/Ogura_100_Poems See, for example, what it says about #77, "Swift Waters Parted by the Jagged Rocks:" "A nature poem which implicitly expresses the vow of parting lovers, who swear they will eventually meet again. As Kanade quoted it in Episode 10, this may be the theme poem of the relationship between Chihaya and Arata. It must be more than coincidence that this is Chihaya's very first card she won at her first Karuta game against Arata. " Is that a great wailing I hear rising from the tents of Team Taichi? ---- The show really really wants you to learn more about the Hyakunin Isshu. The animators show the ISBN of the book about them Miyauchi-sensei borrows, so you can go out and get it for yourself. Amusingly, the book is the show's own guide to the world of the 100 poets: http://translate.google.com/translat...6x%3D0%26y%3D0 Last edited by hyperborealis; 2011-12-23 at 16:57. |
2011-12-23, 19:54 | Link #777 | |
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1. Romance seems to be the furthest thing from Chihaya's mind. 2. Arata's screen time over the past half-dozen episodes or more is almost non-existent. While I might be welcoming of love triangle drama in this anime at some point, it currently works perfectly fine without it, imo.
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2011-12-24, 03:02 | Link #779 | ||
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Join Date: Feb 2011
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2011-12-24, 12:52 | Link #780 | ||
Lost at Sea
Join Date: Mar 2010
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But if competitive karuta is not traditional, it is at least in the process of becoming so. Official competitions date from the late 50's, so the sport has spanned several generations. The Japan Society for Karuta traces the game back to the Meiji era, ie the latter half of the 19th century. More, the show itself--in its depiction of Arata's relationship with his grandfather--understands karuta to be traditional. Arata is understood to be carrying on a tradition handed down by his grandfather. Chihayafuru's own involvement with the game amounts to a contribution to the process whereby something new becomes traditional. But I'm glad Sol Falling and Dawnstorm have brought out the relative modernity of competitive karuta. As a matter of historical fact, competitive karuta is no doubt a relative recent phenomenon. But to say that is only to bring out, by contrast, the show's own attitude, its own perspective, which is clearly a traditional and conservative one. That is what we care about, or need to appreciate, as reflective viewers of the show. I very much appreciated your analogies between karuta and other national sports, since they illustrate perfectly this idea that karuta connects with Japanese identity. Quote:
I was reading in Ivan Morris' book, The World of the Shining Prince, a contemporary description of Murasaki Shikibu, the author of The Tale of Genji, and she sounded exactly like Kana! I wonder if the show's romantic situation echoes a story out the novel? As far as shipping goes, I merely note that both of Kana's extended explications of the poems involve frustrated and tragic love affairs. Otherwise, Dawnstorm's closing words in his last post work for me as well. *Can't resist: he could even be gay for Taichi! Last edited by hyperborealis; 2011-12-25 at 00:35. |
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josei, karuta, madhouse |
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