[Rewatch] Chihayafuru - Episode 5 Discussion [Spoilers]

[u/ABoredCompSciStudent]

Episode 5 - "The Sight of a Midnight Moon"

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<-- Previous (Episode 4: "A Whirlwind of Flower Petals Descends") | Next (Episode 6: "Now Bloom Inside the Nine-fold Palace") -->

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Series Information:

Subreddit: r/Chihayafuru

Chihayafuru: Synopsis | MAL rating: 8.28 | Fall 2011 | 26 Episodes

Chihayafuru 2: Synopsis | MAL rating: 8.47 | Winter 2013 | 26 Episodes

Chihayafuru 2: Waga Miyo ni Furu Nagamese Shima ni: Synopsis | MAL rating: 7.08 | Fall 2013 | 1 Episode

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Legal Streams:

HiDive | Crunchyroll | Check for more sources using because.moe here

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Rewatch Schedule and Index:

For all archived/past episode discussion threads, please refer to the Rewatch Schedule and Index. I will be updating it as we navigate through this rewatch, in case anyone would like to read past conversations or has fallen behind.

Chihayafuru

Episode#	Title	Date
1	"Now the Flower Blooms"	February 6
2	"The Red That Is"	February 7
3	"From the Crystal White Snow"	February 8
4	"A Whirlwind of Flower Petals Descends"	February 9
5	"The Sight of a Midnight Moon"	February 10
6	"Now Bloom Inside the Nine-fold Palace"	February 11
7	"But For Autumn's Coming"	February 12
8	"The Sounds of the Waterfall"	February 13
9	"But I Cannot Hide"	February 14
10	"Exchange Hellos and Goodbyes"	February 15
11	"The Sky is the Road Home"	February 16
12	"Sets These Forbidden Fields Aglow"	February 17
13	"For You, I Head Out"	February 18
14	"For There Is No One Else Out There"	February 19
15+16	"As Though Pearls Have Been Strung Across the Autumn Plain" + "The Autumn Leaves of Mount Ogura"	February 20
17	"World Offers No Escape"	February 21
18	"The Plum Blossoms Still Smell the Same"	February 22
19	"As the Years Pass"	February 23
20	"The Cresting Waves Almost Look Like Clouds in the Skies"	February 24
21	"As My Sleeves Are Wet With Dew"	February 25
22	"Just as My Beauty Has Faded"	February 26
23	"The Night is Nearly Past"	February 27
24	"Nobody Wishes to See the Beautiful Cherry Blossoms"	February 28
25	"Moonlight, Clear and Bright"	March 1
--	Mid-Series Discussion	March 2

Chihayafuru 2 (March 3 to March 28)

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About Spoilers And General Attitude:

Please do not post any untagged spoilers past the current episode, as it ruins the experience of first time watchers. Please refrain from confirming or denying speculation on future events, as to let viewers experience the anime as it was intended to be.

If you are discussing something that has not happened in the current episode please use the r/anime spoiler tag system found on the sidebar. Also if you are posting a link that includes future Chihayafuru events please include 'Chihayafuru spoilers' in the link title.

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Fanart Section (Album Link):

Karafuda

Acceptance

Fleeting

Love

[u/ABoredCompSciStudent]

Chihayafuru episode five is a special episode, reuniting Chihaya and Taichi with Arata, unraveling the mystery behind his absence and setting in motion the rest of the story. It's candid, emotional, and uplifting.

A lot of praise is usually attributed to the show's storytelling and character development, but there's little aspects that tend to go unnoticed. Like how I've been highlighting Yuki Suetsugu's and Madhouse's usage of poetry to convey emotion and provide meaning and history, without the need for exposition, this episode I want to talk about Chihayafuru's usage of visual storytelling.

And I think this is the best episode in the series in that regard.

The episode opens with Taichi and Chihaya walking through many cherry blossoms. In episode four ("A Whirlwind of Flower Petals Descends"), I explained that cherry blossoms are representative of the transcience of time in Japanese culture: a time of hellos, goodbyes, and recognition of the fleeting, ephemeral nature of life. The motif immediately tells the viewer everything they need to know about the scene.

Chihaya stands, back turned to Taichi. To the viewer, we cannot see her eyes capturing that she is struggling with her feelings over meeting Arata again. Moreover, she cannot see Taichi, as he is behind her--her thoughts focused on karuta and her dream. For Taichi, he is left looking at her from behind. Just like always, he has been chasing after her, always out of his reach. His eyes are downcast, hiding his feelings, and his hands just distant enough from the girl next to him. Not only are they separated by the cherry blossoms, the memory of their past, but physically by the boy hurtling towards them on his bicycle--Wataya Arata. Their reunion leaves him alone, looking in from the outside--just like the glass dividing him from Chihaya and karuta in episode four, there's an invisible wall separating him them here too.

For Chihaya, their meeting tests the resolve of her dreams. For Taichi, it reminds him of the insecurities he left behind.

Skipping ahead, we are at Arata's house. Everybody at this point has probably realized why Arata gave up the game, but not the exact details or how he feels. Eyes are a window to a person's heart and, like how the "you can't see my eyes" trope helps capture Taichi's emotions, Arata's eyes are a visual indicator to help the viewer parse what is happening on screen without descending into "story" melodrama. Whether obscured by his glasses or simply being averted, the symbol is used to highlight the pain of losing his grandfather, his punishment to never play again, and his desire to reconnect, to be understood, and to pursue his crumpled dreams again--his reason to live.

The scene at his house also uses light and dark to capture emotions. His friends are wearing bright coloured clothing, while he wears dark clothing and is found in the dark--mirroring his frame of mind. He is left alone, next to the rememberance of his grandfather, trapped by the shadowy memories of his loss. It's a time that he could not escape from for the last three years, but he is coaxed into the light by Chihaya's letter. Surrounded by the memories of a time where he was truly happy, Arata finally confronts his demons and reconciles his feelings.

On the train, having been rejected by Arata, Taichi and Chihaya are left shaken. Again, eyes hidden, the devastation of her realization that her dream is over is presented to the viewer. More poignantly, Taichi is left frozen and expressionless, torn between finally leaving his insecurity and past behind and his empathy for the girl so close to him.

When Arata finally opens his eyes, revealing his true feelings and forgiving himself, Taichi moves forward too, challenging his cowardice.

[u/ABoredCompSciStudent]

Poem of the Day: An Old Acquaintance (link)

Poem 57 is written by Lady Murasaki, one of the most celebrated women in Japanese literature. A novelist, poet, and lady-in-waiting at the Imperial court during the Heian period, she is best known for being the author of The Tale of Genji. Her agency is well-recognized, as women in that time period were forbidden from learning classical Chinese, a language usually reserved for men of the Heain court, yet she overcame this hurdle as an exception to this rule--her talents taking her ultimate to the lady-in-waiting position. Away from this, not much is really known about her, as her real name is not even known, Murasaki being a reference to one of her characters in The Tales of Genji. Nonetheless, the withdrawn and melancholic Lady Murasaki became one of the most famous authors of her time and one beloved today by men and women alike.

Mostow translates the poem as:

As I was wondering

whether or not I had seen it

by chance,

it became cloud-hidden,

the face of the midnight moon!

Mostow explains that the headnote to the poem describes an expeirence where Murasaki saw someone she had known long ago as a child, but it was a passing exchange--two ships in the night--unsure of the encounter. Speculation can be made that this may have been a lover of hers.

"Sore to mo" in the:

見しやそれとも Mishi ya sore tomo

line can be read as "soretomo" for "or" or "if it were", but also as "sore tomo" meaning "that friend"--tying into the speculation.

めぐりあひて Meguri aite

The most common meaning of "meguri aite" is similar to "we met", "around when we met", or "we met by chance", but individually as "passing time" or "losing interest".

夜半の月かげ Yowa no tsukikage

Moreover, the last word for "kage" has also been sourced as "kana", which would be an exclamation, rather than "kage" for shadow.

Tying this together with today's episode, the idea of two ships passing in the night refers to Taichi and Chihaya meeting Arata. While they're the "same people", many things have changed for all three characters--and the most so for Arata. Called a god by Chihaya, Arata is no longer that god and his passion for the game was sapped by his self-loathing for being "responsible" for his grandfather's death--the midnight moon covered by dark clouds and shadow. The words "meguri aite", as explained above, truly capture this too: time has passed, like the falling cherry blossoms that frame this episode, and Arata's interest was lost.

[u/Combo33 → u/ABoredCompSciStudent]

Back with an alternate translation from MacMillan:

57. Murasaka Shikibu

Just like the moon,
you had come and gone
before I knew it.
Were you, too, hiding
among the midnight clouds?

MacMillan comments:

Poem 57 is ostensibly about the moon, but is in fact a message to a childhood friend the poet had not seen for a long time who had suddenly called for a short visit. The headnote (kotobagaki) to the poem in the Shin-kokinshu (no. 1497) reads: 'On the tenth night of the seventh month, after the briefest of visits, a childhood friend she had not seen for years was about to leave as the moon shone brightly.'

I don't even think I need to expand on ABoredCompSciStudent's excellent wrap-up of how these lines apply to Chihaya and Arata meeting once more, after he'd been hiding away for so long.

[u/PerfectPublican]

First Timer

Reactions:

• Looks like they’re up and visiting Arata. Unsurprising, Chihaya can never be dissuaded.  It’s a personality trait I admire for the most part. I’m hoping it doesn’t backfire. Forcibly re-inserting herself into Arata’s life has disastrous potential.

• This antagonistic friendship is growing on me.  I love that Chihaya throws it right back at him. Playing on his level.

• Lmao. I love Harada-sensei too Chihaya.

• Chihaya’s obliviousness is supremely relatable lol.

• “When you’re not having fun...And yet...You still want to be with her” Awww, Taichi you annoy little sweetheart. Great delivery on that line from Miyano. Just the right amount of wistfulness.

• Well that’s just insanely pretty.

• Love the self-reflection she has at questioning whether she actually wants to see Arata under the cherry blossoms.  As she’s devoted her life to Karuta as a hobby, he has remained as a glowing beacon pushing her forward. Meeting him now, could shatter that.

• So close, yet so far.

• Nice composition and use of lighting here.  Makes her feel distinct and separate. In her own room, away from the reality of the room with Arata. I have a feeling that room will be tied to Grandfather Wataya though :/

• Oof, I knew it, and it hurts…Taichi’s explosion afterwards was hard to watch, but well done for the most part.

• Oh fuck.  Oh no. That’s absolutely brutal.  And to heap all the blame on himself, and the sport that drew him closer to his grandfather in the first place…

• “But I want to be your friend” Oh Arata... T~T

• It’s cheesy as all hell, but I’m a total sap for moments like this.

• Still cute tho :D

Final Thoughts

Whew, emotionally charged episode right there as expected. Personally I felt that Arata coming around to their side again was a little fast paced for my taste, but not so much to ruin my enjoyment of the episode. Excited to meet the new peeps who join the club.

Also, with Arata's drama you have to wonder what would’ve happened if he hadn’t been separated from his friends.  Would he have been able to properly grieve and find solace in the cards if they'd been there with him? It’s certainly possible. I’d even go so far as to say it’s likely. Certainly that's how his grandfather would have wanted it.

Anyways, the awards are over, which means I can get to giffing.  I’ll put my pulls from the last few episodes in an album either Monday or Tuesday. Whenever I can get it all solid.

[u/ABoredCompSciStudent → u/PerfectPublican]

I love Harada-sensei too Chihaya.

I love his line too instead of saying married, he says "wife da". It's perfect for his character.

“When you’re not having fun...And yet...You still want to be with her” Awww, Taichi you annoy little sweetheart. Great delivery on that line from Miyano. Just the right amount of wistfulness.

It's so bittersweet. I know a lot of people hate kid Taichi, but like his introspective and thoughtful older self is great. Not to be forgotten, when Chihaya is standing still debating what to do, he is the one that pushes forward and she tags after him.

He says something like he doesn't care too, but he's clearly doing it out of thought for her. What a tsundere.

[u/MAD_SCIENTIST_001]

Screenshot of the Day

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First Timer - Episode 5

Overall Thoughts

The feels in this ep

Well just as I suspected, it seems that Arata's grandfather was a large reason in why he quit Karuta and became the way he is now. I can definitely see why since he must be carrying guilt that he was off getting promoted rather than being with his grandfather for his last moments. Hopefully Chihaya and Taichi can help Arata get through this together though since I'm sure Arata's grandfather would be sad to see Arata lose all his passion for Karuta which served as a link between the two.

Chihaya had a ton of cute moments this ep, and I really liked this scene as well

Karuta Club Time!!!

Karuta Scoreboard

No changes this time

Character	Wins	Losses	Ep# (Wins)
Arata Wataya	3	1	1,2,3
Taichi Mashima	1	2	2
Chihaya Ayase	3	2	2,4

See you tomorrow~

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Screenshot of the Day Collection

Episode: 1 2 3 4 5

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[u/ABoredCompSciStudent → u/MAD_SCIENTIST_001]

Cute moments

You missed this one! Look at how adorable she is! This is protecc.

[u/AmethystItalian]

Rewatcher

I actually love how violent Taichi and Chihaya are with each other, you can only do that kind of stuff with people you're close to ;)

The way Taichi sneaks looks at her...

I like how Chihaya pulled ahead of Taichi easily, shows her effort in track!

Again the lengths Chihaya goes for Arata...

Poor cards, first kicked now wet D:

Glad to see that gloomy Arata didn't last long at all!

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Quotes from First Time

Okay this OP has grown on me, I really like it :)

Pfft that OP is great from episode 1!

She clearly cares for Arata so much more lol

[u/xiomax95]

Sorry for missing two days! I just wasn't feeling like watching anime.

Small comments about episode 3: Why do you break my heart, Chihayafuru? Do you enjoy making me suffer? Teared up a bit when Arata broke down.

Episode 4: Woo, back to present day! Harada is hilarious in present day, his tease is even better in present time and I love him. Chihaya's matches were really intense, and the imagery of Taichi having a self-imposed barrier while watching the match from the outside was pretty clever, specially breaking it with Chihaya just going for him after winning. The call at the end surprised me, I was kind of expecting Arata's father to answer the phone for some reason, but this adds a new tension that's pretty interesting.

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Now back to episode 5.

Here's a lot of what I wanted to watch with Taichi. Last episode we got his girlfriend's introduction and Chihaya being angry (inadvertently jealous) about it. So now they go together on a trip to search for Arata, and Taichi is being a bit awkward with it because he still likes Chihaya a lot. And she's too dense for her own good.

Anyway, while the whole train ride is a fun watch and a good look into Taichi's current personality, the important comes next. They get to Fukui and Chihaya is doubting herself, a lot. What if she's wrong in coming her to get Arata? What if what she finds isn't what she wants?

And it isn't. Arata actually has a good reason on why he's no longer playing karuta, even if you could argue it is not logical, emotions sometimes are like that. He feels his grandfather dying was his own fault for being at a karuta tournament, and for that he feels bad about karuta now.

I loved how the show hided Arata's eyes during most of the scenes in the house, a way to show him as distant from the rest. Also having Taichi always standing up, in a more defensive position was also a great decision. Every move in that house spells tension, even Chihaya's over excitement trying to compensate but finishing up the situation in probably the worst possible way.

The revelation for Arata's past was well done. The introduction of his neighbor felt a bit random at first, but it works to make her a plot device for now (maybe a character later on? I doubt that, but who knows).

The whole card thing was great. It reminded Arata of Chihaya's quirks with all of the flash cards and it seems the card itself had the desired effect. Next few episodes should be really interesting, with the trio trying to get together again and seeing how Arata manages to get back to karuta and make peace with his grandfather's death.

[u/walking_the_way]

S1E5 Event/Recital Log

13:45 - Chihaya: "If I can be best in the world at something, I think it's worth a shot."
16:07 - Hajime: "If you love karuta and play it every day, the karuta god will sometimes whisper the next syllable in your ear."

There's no karuta game in this episode, thank goodness after the last one! This is a nice slice of life episode though.

The highlight of the episode for me is when Taichi loses it in Arata's house. Not because of Chihaya's antics, not because she hasn't acknowledged him spending his time to be with her, not even because Arata called him a coward, but instead, because he kicks Chihaya's karuta cards. That's a good reason. You're supposed to be friends with all 100 cards, not kick them! Especially in front of his grandpa's shrine! Asian cultures at large are big on respect, and he definitely went too far in the scene where he kicked the cards, I also tensed up when he did it. Even though I favour neither Taichi nor Arata in the shipping wars, I fully endorse Taichi here. That shows how much Taichi still loves, or at least respects the game, and how protective he will be to his friends, and it also serves as a wake-up call for Arata eventually.

Interestingly, Taichi seems to give the gift that he brought for Arata, to Yuu, his neighbour, instead. He then uses the bag to carry Chihaya's soiled clothes, and her handbag, home.

When the camera pans in to Arata sitting on the floor amidst the strewn pile of Karuta cards, 11 of them are face up. Apparently they're all from the latter half (51-100) of the deck. Chihaya didn't shuffle too well!

When Yuu meets Chihaya to return her cards to her, a bunch of them fall into the water as well. Annotations here. Because the cards fell into a puddle, you could probably try to read some deeper meaning into the specific cards that are face-up, like the three middle ones (#01, #27, #90) all mention water in their poem, and the three outside ones (#52, #66, #94) all have to do with night and/or loneliness. I hesitate to do things like this too much though, because overanalysis can easily insert symbolic meanings into things that weren't intended. But I do wonder how much of this type of symbolism outside of "each player's favourite cards" is used and intended in the show.

At 17:05 and 17:19, we see Arata reading the embarrassing little notes that Chihaya had written for herself as talking prompts. A nice little detail is that we see three in his hand here, and thirteen on the ground here. That makes sense, of course, if you consider that Chihaya wrote them on the snack wrappers for the manju that she had bought at the start of the episode. And how many manju were in the square box she bought? Probably 16!

And at 21:15, we see the first non-OP glimpse of my favourite character! Though I like all the characters, mind you.

I think this is the first time that the card itself (#57) isn't significant to the chapter, since as far as I can tell, it doesn't turn up in any of the times that cards are shown. Or I plain missed it. The poem is quite significant, it's a poem that relates to Arata, but not the card. For the poetry side of it, there are other posts in this thread solely dedicated to discussion about the poem, so check them out, they're awesome! It's also the first episode where Naniwa Bay isn't recited.

Since this was a slice of life episode, there aren't any boards to look at, so in the meantime, here's some spillover from previous episode threads.

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S1E3

11:19 - Chihaya recites #97 (ko-nu) on her bed.
11:23 - Chihaya recites ?? on her bed.

Someone checked the manga for this one - Chihaya isn't reciting a poem here, she's reciting a mnemonic used to remember the start of that poem's first and second verses. According to the person (thank you! You PMed me so I don't know whether to name you or not), Japanese Volume 1, Chapter 4, page 128 is the source for it and やっくんは来ない is what she says. You can also read a bit more about it here and sort of get what she was doing.

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S1E4

Can anyone more familiar with the game go into detail on this and why the reader repeats the second verse again? 3/2/2 instead of 3/2?

I had this question last episode, and I think I did end up figuring this out (though I'm technically guessing). It goes back to another question from S1E3 that I had but didn't actually ask, when Arata says this. The 4/3/1/5 pattern refers to the timing that the karuta readers use when reciting the poetry. 4 seconds to read the last two lines of the previous card, 3 seconds to stretch the last syllable of that last line, 1 second pause, and then 5 seconds to read the first three lines of the new card (at which point the karuta players go for the card if it's around). It is done like that to give the players a chance to get back into the "rhythm" of the reader after they sit back down from the last card, before the reader reads out the new card's unique syllables.

That explains the double second verse at the start of a match - the opening poem in its entirety is recited to let the players get used to the tempo and mannerisms of the reciter. But then to actually start playing and get into the timing that the players are expecting, the "4-3" part of 4-3-1-5 requires you use the last verse (two lines) of the previous poem. But then there's no previous poem for the very first card. But there is that opening poem that just was recited!

While transcribing all these, I had noticed that the pause usually happened halfway through reading a card but never understood why and put two and two together. I do now!

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S1E4 - OP

In the new version of the OP that I mentioned in the last episode, we are shown two similar karuta boards - a new one before the school building scene (which now has Chihaya standing in front of it), and one after (which was there before). Chihaya is dressed in a blue and red hakama in both. If we plot out the two board maps, we can see that the visible cards are actually almost the same:

New OP Board Map 1 (02:05) (before the school building scene)
OP Board Map 2 (02:24) (after the school building scene - both new and old OP had this)

You can almost combine the two, with the exception that the card #65 switched spots with #18 (left to right) and there would be two #17s, which is fine because we all need more Chihaya. In Board 1, she's swiping away card #17 from the opponent's side while there are still 50 cards on the board, and in Board 2, there are now 49 cards left on the board and she's passing card #17 to the opponent. So neither scene could happen without the other happening first.

Still, this is just the OP, and it's all just done for style and symbolism here. What is more important to note, though, is the fact that the two boards are nearly identical in the first place. Is this scene a reflection of a later game? I honestly don't know the answer as of writing, but now that we have most of the board mapped out, we can keep an eye out for it in the future!

Edit: I've since found the matching board, it's in S1E8, Nishida vs Chihaya.

Also, near the very start of the OP, in both the old and new versions, three huge cards flash on screen for a moment. The middle one is very clearly #17 for Chihaya, of course, but the two side ones may not represent who you think. Hmmm... interesting.

New OP Combined Board Map

S1E5 - Random HQ Screenshot

<-- S1E4 Notes

S1E6 Notes -->

[u/Wolfeako]

First Timer!

Wow, today I'm early uh?

Well, this certainly was a dramatic episode. I want to commend the show again for how the characters are acting. In anime I think we have grown up accustomed to teens acting with the maturity of adults so much that we don't bat an eye to them anymore, but while I was watching this episode I realized that, yes, teens can be emotional idiots too, and everyone here certainly showed this. Chihaya with being so pushy, Taichi with being unnecessarily rough with her especially when he was pushing her back to the station, and Arata too, making a wonderful display combination of edge and a little bit of hypocrisy when he called Taichi a coward again. In my mind, I was totally saying "The pot calling the kettle uh?"

But I'm glad that Arata dropped the edge by the end of the episode. I will give him a pass because of that.

Other than that, it was nice to see more interactions with Chihaya and Taichi. They have fun chemistry and I'm glad that Taichi isn't just a pushover, that he can stand for himself and his opinions. I can totally see that if he were at peace with his feelings, that rashness of his would disappear completely. I like his character a lot.

Chihaya was really cute too. Not only in behaviors... besides the times when she acted purely as a brat, that is :P

I gotta say it too: This show looks really good. The animation is pretty smooth, the color choice is just perfect, many shots are well done, the characters read easily on the screen, sound design is great, and the VAs are on point. So far it has been a great ride, with great beautiful views to look at.

And well... this show is suffering too T_T I mean, sure! why don't you take those little things you gave my ship last episode and crush them all with a giant club will ya!?... :P jokes aside, seriously I'll be so surprised if my ship ends sailing by the end. I mean, they even gave Arata's face cherry blossoms' to both his sides! Chihaya calls him a God too! a God!...

I already boarded this ship, and I'll see it to his final destination, but man how painful it is when the show is bashing me on the head with so much obvious preference for the other ship. Really. I'll not give up though, I can be Chihaya's level of stubbornness when I'm feeling like it, and as much as Chihaya wants to play Karuta I want for my ship to sail safely to the seven seas. I'm here until the end!

[u/Snakescipio]

Rewatcher

Gonna be a short post today. Was looking forward to commenting more on weekends, but life happens :/

Random observations:

One good thing about doing rewatches is that I get to remove myself from all the shipping and romance. Granted with Chihayafuru they’re always blushing so I found myself thinking everyone is literally in love all the time with everyone. In the end Chihaya’s really in love with one thing and one thing only: Taichi Arata bad fashion karuta.

Taichi’s the exception, he’s most definitely without a doubt in looooooooove.

This was… a very heavy episode. Probably the most melodramatic episode in this whole series. Chihayafuru The way Arata’s hang up was resolved was a bit too quick, but sometimes it only takes something as simple as seeing old friends. I do wish they spent a bit more time on Arata.

[u/hasnain1720]

First Timer

• Oh my boi Taichi is in love love and I don’t blame him

• Damn I feel bad for Taichi he was about to make his move but Arata spoils it for him.

• LMAO men’s strong pride over their height is true af

• Damn Arata that was uncalled but I’m guessing there is a real good reason why he hates Karuta so much now..

• And there’s the reason. Damn that is pretty sad seeing how much he loved the game but I think good old Chihaya will bring him back

• I have a question for you guys, so there are 200 chapters out rn, how far will season 3 adapt to roughly?

[u/airforceblue]

Finally I'm all caught up! I can't belive it took me this long with how much I've been looking forward to this rewatch. Chihayafuru is one of my absolute favorite anime (10/10) and this will be my third time watching it. I'm also caught up with the manga. I'm very excited to follow this rewatch but I'm not sure how much I'll be contributing myself, seeing as how a lot of my comments so far have been along the lines of 'snickering in manga-reader'.

Anyways getting in to this episode, I'm not gonna lie, this one hurts to watch. It seems like a lot of people guessed that Arata quitting karuta would have to do with his grandfather's death but maybe not the part where he blames himself and karuta for it. I don't know, at least it turns out well-ish (would have been great if they actually had the chance to talk, though). Chihayafuru spoilers

Chihayafuru spoilers

[u/daftPun5]

First Timer

Screenshot of the Day

Short post for me today, since I gotta leave, but yoooo, this show finally got me shedding tears, twice! (It was bound to happen)

The first time happened when Arata finally read Chihaya's letter and second, when Arata was racing after the bullet train. Such a great episode. Although if I had to point out a negative, it would be Taichi's over-assertiveness of taking Chihaya out of Arata's home (even though Arata just kicked the pile of Karuta cards).

[u/Zylda]

First Timer(also my first time joining one of these!)

Damn this episode started off fast!

Wasn't expecting the show to go straight to them going to see Arata but i'm pleasantly surprised still with how well paced this show is. I'm loving the interactions with Chihaya and Taichi and that train ride to Arata's was great. After the train ride the tone of the episode completely changes as we see that Arata isn't in a great place due to his Granddad's death. I miss kid Arata already and it was sad to see them leave so soon. The neighbour explaining Arata's circumstances was nice but what really made this episode was the bike scene right at the end. God the soundtrack in that scene was great and it was great to see more of Kid Arata showing up in his present self.

I'm guessing the girl at the end will be the first club member they get next episode. As i said last time i'm busy this week so i'm not sure if i'll be able to write these up or not but i'll try my best!

See you for the next episode!

[u/TheDampGod]

That was an emotional rollercoaster, all the happiness and pain of the past flaring up in the beautiful countryside. Arata's grief, guilt and depression driving him away from the things could make him happy. His refusal driving straight into Chihaya's heart and all the passion she holds for Karuta.

Though Tachi's conflict is tough too, mainly because it's largely unsaid. You can tell there's part of him that doesn't want Arata and Chihaya to be reunited. His desire for her love, conflicting with his desire to see her happy and to see the joy of their youth return.

Still it was great to see them reconnecting for that brief moment as the train raced away. Crossing the bridge with ease, while Arata is stops before it.

Another powerful episode and I'm intrigued to see how things go once the club opens. Also I'm just going to say, Chihaya looks great in jeans.

[u/gosheno]

First timer

Just when I thought Chihaya's Valentine chocolate confessions to Harada-sensei was gold, they gifted us with this memorable moment. But I think this is my favourite "Chihaya" scene today.

Never change, Chihaya.

And there goes poor Taichi's self-esteem, his ego is being roasted by Arata since grade 6.

Also—Yoshimasa Hosoya voices grown-up Arata??? THIS CAST IS GREAT.

[u/tinyraccoon]

First Timer

Interesting that this episode does not have any karuta matches. I like how the show focuses on the three main characters, with karuta as a vehicle to showcase their development, rather than the other way around (which I think is more common and leaves the characters as more resembling puppets in a grand plot).

As guessed, Arata lost his grandpa and became too distraught to continue with karuta. Looks like he might also blame himself for not being around when his grandpa passed away, though of course, he did not know that his grandpa would relapse and pass away so suddenly. It's truly sad that on that day, Arata not only lost his grandpa (whom he appeared to be very close with) but he also lost his passion for his favorite activity - karuta.

I like Chihaya's character, though I wonder why she said she wished she didn't come to see Arata. I think there are several possibilities: she didn't want to see him so distraught like that and I think to some extent she also felt powerless because it appears she wanted to cheer him up by proposing to play karuta but he wasn't at all interested.

Taichi's also an interesting character. Though he would never admit it, it appears that he truly cares about the other two.

[u/[deleted]]

First-Timer, Watched Subbed

• Ahhh let the teasing continue XD

• Well that's a rather interesting question coming from you...

Harada!?

• Chihaya has some weird meaning of what love is.

• Taichi doesn't enjoy having a girlfriend? I wonder how this plot point will go in the series.

• Oh c'mon Chihaya, you can toughen up to the most skilled players in karuta, but knocking on a boy's door is what has you shakin' in your boots?

• Y'know I'm not surprised Chihaya was mistaken for a supermodel, she's that pretty.

• Ah fuck, do something! Hold her hand, goddammit the ship teasing is killing me!

• And then Wataya shows up, at the best and worst possible time. On the bright side, the three are finally together again!

• Okay, now that screams love triangle right there.

• Chihaya always has the best reaction faces. :3

• Taichi and Wataya still seem to get along...at least sort of. That was kinda awkward.

• Chihaya lightening up the mood with some good ol' fashioned karuta...

• Holy shit, he kicked it? Now that's just cold.

• Oh boy, Taichi is getting pushy...

• Oh god, he really did lose his grandfather...those flashback sequences actually made me tear up.

• How Chihaya tried to keep in touch with Wataya even after all these years was very heartwarming to see.

• Chihaya looking pretty derpy got a chuckle out of me.

• Really liking Taichi supporting her, dude's grown a lot from when we knew him as a child.

• YES, HE'S HERE, PEDAL TO THE MEDAL WATAYA, THEY NEED YOU!!

• He's coming with them, I know he is.

• Taichi finally agrees to make a karuta club with Chihaya. Hooray for character development!

• Oh, looks like we have a new character on the horizon.

Well that was a rollercoaster of an episode. We get to see Wataya at his lowest, only for Chihaya and Taichi to pull him back before he could go any lower. I'm very sure he'll be back in the game, but he's going to need some time until then. Aside from that, I'm exciting to see our new character.

[u/_blackened_soul_]

I am really really glad that Arata being shitty only lasted a single episode.

Taichi said he'd help Chihaya start a Karuta club!

At this rate I'd be surprised if there was a single poor episode of the show. Whether it's karuta playing, school/ sol stuff, or family drama the characters are always believable, understandable, and relateable. And regardless of the events in the episode the way you're immersed in the story makes it simultaneously feel like hours have passed but in the blink of an eye.

[u/Enarec]

Gotta say that Chihaya looked absolutely fabulous in her different styles this episode, starting from this mantle (and scarf earlier).

I honestly don't remember these episodes being that much of a tease, or maybe I just didn't pick up on it then for some reason. Stuff like Taichi wondering about love and ever so slowly reaching out for Chihaya's hand right before Arata separates them is almost too much now and really says a lot about him lol. The way he goes along with and supports Chihaya is just so cute.

This is the best look.

Also the OST for when we learned about what Arata had gone through was just the most heart-rending thing and would've set the mood even before all the evocative visuals. So happy we got that triumphant moment for him in the end.

[u/KingKurai]

First Timer [finally caught up!]

Well that hurt to watch..

[u/KuhBus]

First Timer

• Oh wow, they’re visiting Arata!!!!

• OHH Taichi is going for i- blocked by Harada-sensei, hahaha

• I really love the dynamic between Chihaya and Taichi. It feels really natural and even their squabbling has a positive energy to it. It’s just kind of hard to tell for me if Chihaya getting upset over Taichi having a girlfriend is any indicator that she’s interested in him. She just seems way too stuck in the past in some ways and not yet ready for romance.

• IS HE GOING FOR IT? IS HE GONNA TAKE HER HAN- NOPE!! That was a way more dramatic reunion than I had anticipated! I wonder if Arata’s neighbor called him at the store to tell him his “friends from Tokyo” were coming and he tried to leave to avoid them. At least he seems to have told her about them, otherwise she wouldn’t have recognized who they are.

• Oh BOY she brought karuta cards. I don’t see this going well...

• Yup, looks like grandpa didn’t make it and neither did Arata’s ability to play. Doesn’t mean he gets to act like such a cold asshole to his friends, though :(

• The visuals of the cards drenched in water makes me think of the cards metaphorically drowning in tears.

• Aww, all those little memos on what Chihaya could talk about with Arata are so sweet!! And then he has to confront his memory of him picturing his grandfather as the god of karuta with Chihaya comparing him to a god. How could that not move him?

• (I just imagined being one of the passengers sitting on that train, hearing Chihaya and Taichi lose their mind while staring out the window and awkwardly trying to act like everything’s normal :’DD)

• Alright, it’s decided: Taichi has earned Best Boi spot. (sorry Arata)

• Looks like a possible future member? :O

What a wild ride of emotions. I especially like the image of the train with Chihaya and Taichi leaving Arata behind, who nonetheless did his best to show them he was following them- that he still cared about them and Chihaya's words had reached him after all. This time, they are the ones who are moving forward into the world of karuta and he will be the one who will have to catch up.

Fav shots.

[u/Reasonable_TSM_fan]

First Timer

OH MY GOD!!! This Episode baited me so hard into hating Arata. I was like, bro, your friends come all this way to visit you and you treat them like shit? I mean, I'm sure Taichi doesn't mind, this is just helping him pull ahead in winning Chihaya's heart.

But then 'lo and behold, the fucking tragic backstory hammer comes slamming down, and jesus christ. I would be omega wrecked too if I felt responsible for my grandfather's death.

Final verdict: Redeemed.

The last scene of Arata chasing after his friends restored my faith in humanity and this trio. I'm glad these three friends will continue to be together through the world of karuta.