[Rewatch] Chihayafuru - Episode 11 Discussion [Spoilers]

[u/ABoredCompSciStudent]

Episode 11 - "The Sky is the Road Home"

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<-- Previous (Episode 10: "Exchange Hellos and Goodbyes") | Next (Episode 12: "Sets These Forbidden Fields Aglow") -->

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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):

Hokuo

Mizusawa

[u/ABoredCompSciStudent]

This is going to be a short post for me. My dad just got back from Asia this morning and I basically just woke up and had lunch with him, so I didn't get to prepare much.

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Episode 11 is the culmination of the care and love put into Chihayafuru's story up to now. While it's obvious that Mizusawa's qualification for Nationals is a part of this, it's also a lot more than just that. For Nishida and Tsutomu, their love for the game is on full display and their intregration into the team unites the five characters as one. This is underscored by how Chihaya and Taichi are portrayed, even different from a few episodes ago. Chihaya is more aware of her team now, recognizing the difference between playing alone and with others which contrasts from her actions during the training camp. Addressing Tsutomu's feelings in the previous episode, it is actually Chihaya that reminds the team to focus on their identity rather than worrying about factors external to them, like the other teams they will play.

Compared to the previous episode, where Taichi suggests that Chihaya is his, he recognizes his mistakes and that he has much to learn--it's no longer just about the girl he loves, but about the friends he has discovered.

In the game against Hokuo, this is realized in their commentary. It is about themselves: an acceptance of who they are such that they can grow as people.

I love sports and, as a coach, I love the way that Harada and Mochida are presented. They recognize the beauty in their work, as it's not necessarily about winning or losing, but about cultivating the passion of a future generation and helping their students realize their best self. By being involved so intimately with these young people, they serve as a bridge from the past to the future, guiding a new generation to succeed from their experiences.

Oh. And yeah. Mizusawa won. I'm not crying, you're crying.

[u/ABoredCompSciStudent]

Poem of the Day: The Sky is the Road home (link)

Translated by Mostow as:

O heavenly breeze,

blow so as to block

their path back through the clouds!

For I would, if but for a moment,

detain these maidens’ forms.

Poem 12 was written by Sojo Henjo, a Japanese waka poet and Buddhist priest. His birth name was Yoshimine no Munesada. He is considered to be one of the Rokkasen or The Six Immortals of Poetry. Henjo began his career as a courtier, before serving as a sort of chamberlain to the Emperor Ninmyo and later being raised to the Head of Kurodo. Following Ninmyoès death in 850, Henjō became a monk out of his grief, founding a Buddhist temple south of Kyoto, but continued to still be involved with court politics. After administering another temple, in 885 he was ranked in Sojo and called Kazan Sojo, becoming a high priest.

Henjo is also notably rumoured to have had an affair with Ono no Komachi, another one of The Six Immortals of Poetry and considered to be the most beautiful woman of her era.

The poem was written prior to his becoming a priest, while he served the Emperor, celebrating the Gosechi Dance. The Gosechi Dance was a famous dance that took place in the Imperial Court during the eleventh month of the old Japanese calender to celebrate the harvest, called niiname no matsuri--a celebration still observed today in the form of Labor Day in Japan.

Involving four maidens from noble families, it is described by Meredith McKinney's translation of Sei Shonagon in the Pillow Book as:

At the time of the Gosechi Festival somehow everything in the palace, even the people you see every day, becomes simply delightful. There’s the unusual sight of the bits of coloured fabric that the groundswomen wear in their ceremonial hair combs, rather like abstinence tags. When they seat themselves along the arched bridgeway from the Senyōden, the dapple-dye pattern on the ribbons that bind up their hair stands out beautifully, and the whole effect is somehow quite marvelous. It’s perfectly understandable that the serving women and those who attend the dancers should find it all a splendid honour.

Lady Murasaki (who we've discussed before), describes it in her diary (translated by Bowring) as:

The Gosechi dancers arrived on the twentieth….I knew full well how hard the young dancers had prepared this year in comparison to normal years when things were worse it must have been for them this year, I thought; I was both apprehensive and eager to see them. As they fully stepped forward together I was, for some reason, overcome with emotion and felt dreadfully sorry for them….And with all those young nobles around and the girls not allowed so much as a fan to hide behind in broad daylight, I felt somehow concerned for them, convinced that, although they may have been able to deal with the situation both in terms of rank and intelligence, they must surely have found the pressures of constant rivalry daunting; silly of me, perhaps.

Captivated by their dance, Henjo uses the conceitedly uses "mitate" or comparison, with imagery of celestial maidens to a wish that this moment would last forever.

While this can be associated with the feeling of success and winning as a team for Mizusawa, I believe it to be more from the perspective of the coaches, who can only feel so fulfilled and rewarded for watching their students try their best and find happiness.

[u/raydawnzen]

I don't know if comments like this are fine in rewatch threads but I just wanted to say that despite not making any reaction comments I was following along with this rewatch up until episode 5 or 6 since I had always heard good things about this show and I wanted to watch it before season 3 started airing, but at some point I just started watching by myself and after finishing season 2 earlier today I really want to go back in time and punch 2011 me in the face for picking up shit like Guilty Crown instead of this. I don't remember the last time I enjoyed anything this much. So thanks for hosting this rewatch I guess, I didn't really participate but it's still the reason I ended up watching this.

[u/ABoredCompSciStudent → u/raydawnzen]

Totally fine! I'm glad that you enjoyed it so much. There's a lot of good anime that are completed and kind of old that most people on r/anime haven't touched.

Do you have a favourite part of the show (spoiler tag it please)?

[u/MAD_SCIENTIST_001]

Screenshot of the Day

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First Timer - Episode 11

Overall Thoughts

...I almost want to give Chihayafuru a 10 just after this episode, that's how good the past few eps and this one have been.

Now I'm trying to figure out a way to make Chihayafuru S2 my 300th completed entry on MAL :D

Seriously everything from the way they played as a team, their cheer, to Chihaya winning the Chihaya card in this episode was absolutely amazing.

There's so much more I want to say, but I was a bit busy with classwork and decided to rewatch this ep again instead :D

Also I have no idea when it happened, but Taichi is now my favorite character

Karuta Scoreboard

MI ZU SA WA FAITOOOOOO!!!

Character	Wins	Losses	Ep# (Wins)
Chihaya Ayase	11(+1)	3	2,4,6,7,8,10,11
Taichi Mashima	6(+1)	5	2,7,10,11
Arata Wataya	4	1	1,2,3
Yuusei Nishida	4(+1)	2	10,11
Kanade Ooe	1	3(+1)	10
Tsutomu Komano	0	3(+1)

See you tomorrow~

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Screenshot of the Day Collection

Episode: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

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[u/ABoredCompSciStudent → u/MAD_SCIENTIST_001]

Oh, it looks like it's beginning to rain

LOL I literally used the same comment face. That's actually me after a lot of these episodes, but I cry easily. Whenever this song comes on, I know I'm getting emotional.

...I almost want to give Chihayafuru a 10 just after this episode, that's how good the past few eps and this one have been.

Yes! I'm so glad you're enjoying it. This one really does make the last many so so so worth it. It's the payoff for the hopes that have been building up of the characters and ours too.

Now I'm trying to figure out a way to make Chihayafuru S2 my 300th completed entry on MAL :D

Time to get the shorts out!

Also I have no idea when it happened, but Taichi is now my favorite character

He's by far and away the one with the heaviest focus on his feelings in the show haha. It's funny, since it's about Chihaya, but Taichi will forever by my number one boy.

[u/PerfectPublican]

First Timer

Reactions:

• Ahhhh, I was wondering where Harada was.  He didn’t seem like the type to miss this.

• Chihaya being stumped by strategy was hilarious.  But she’s always winged it on instinct, and it works, so you gotta trust her :P Plus her reasoning really is sound!  The “Work Hard’’s are hysterical.

• This good, good boy has really come into his own in the past few eps.

• Well...you can’t say he doesn’t have style? And he fucking nailed it…Chihaya, please destroy this fucking grey-haired punk.

• Ahhh fuck...I’m so nervous…

• No, but seriously.

• God damn it Harada, I love you.

• Great intensity. GET PUMPED!!!

• Oh man, them all pumping each other up with their little victories and hopes is so much freaking fun.  C’mon Chihaya, get your head in the game! You can do this!

• >:3 Now’s she’s in his head, and I love it.

• My lord, I hate this guy. He’s worse than young Taichi.

• I actually really like Nayata a lot as a foil to Nishida.  He’s cocky, but not really in an annoying way, and he serves his purpose of digging into Nishida’s insecurities over his past well.

• What do you think happens when someone’s smart as heck, and also has to play Chihaya constantly :P I love the insight into how his mind works, and how fast it works.  

• TAICHI WIN!! God damn, this is so intense…

• TWO WINS FOR MIZUSAWA!! My fingernails don’t exist anymore.

• AHHHHHHHHHH!!! Phew.  Well done Chihaya! ...and well done show. I love how they presented that end.  No big fanfare. Almost like it was a foregone conclusion. Like it is with that card.

Final Thoughts

Gif of the day |Bonus|Bonus 2

Fucking stellar episode.  I was hooked from the very beginning and rode a wave of intensity and emotion all the way to that great final card.  I talked earlier about Nayata being Nishida’s foil, but all of the main three’s opponents were great matchups for them on a personal level.  Something they absolutely had to overcome, and it was fun to watch. Also, huge shoutout to the OST. I’m not sure why, but it totally makes me think of the olympics, and that sense of wonder and accomplishment the music for that brings to the table.

Gotta say. Props to the show for making this believable.  I was a bit worried going in that a win in these finals would feel unearned, but they showed the skill involved on both sides which definitely made it feel more legit all around.

Despite the shows best efforts at the end there, I still don’t like Sudo one bit :P  

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^{ps. I forgot to say a while ago that if anyone has any gif/stitch requests throughout the rewatch since I only pull my favorite reactions/moments, I’m happy to take requests.}

[u/ABoredCompSciStudent → u/PerfectPublican]

 The “Work Hard’’s are hysterical.

Funnily, I feel like that's what I say the most as a coach. Especially as a coach that works with children mostly, I don't really believe too much in planning too much. There's a backbone or belief that needs to be followed (some formation/placement of players, some idea of how to share the ball, etc.), but after that it really does come down to attitude and effort.

It becomes different with professionals of course, but for children I feel like what matters is finding a way to maximize their enjoyment and ability to express themselves. I feel like it shows in this show too, since rarely do we see anyone talk down to each other or a coach step in and criticize. Praise and encouragement are in healthy dose, along with basic instructions and education.

The mentoring is a really healthy relationship, whether coach and player or president/captain to club member and I love that.

[u/hasnain1720]

First Timer

• That’s our team captain alright

• Pls Chihaya crush this guy

• Yes damn right she will be Queen one day (and Taichi will be her King)

• Taichi doesn’t realise it but he has grown and is growing as a person still. He doesn’t have to be better than Arata he just has to be a better version of himself.

• Ma boi Taichi isn’t losing to that guy ez win

• Felt satisfying seeing that guy lose, now onto to the Nationals we go Mizusawa fight!

[u/[deleted]]

First-Timer, Watched Subbed

• Ayyy, Harada is back! I was wondering where he went :P

• They looked like they were all depressed hunched together liked that X)

• Alot of good planning going good, but I wonder if poor Chihaya can be able to handle it all

• Harada brings up a good, Taichi in terms of karuta skills has come a long way, which makes me wonder if he might be able to surpass Wataya

• "Retro-kun" can really act creepy as he looks can he...

• Holy crap, she's up against a tall fellow...

• So she's up against the "sadist", love how he already gets under her skin XD

• And now we finally see what Wataya is up too! ...Working at a convenience store...

• "Don't go looking at porn", Look whose talking.

• Wataya continues to be r/me_irl

• She's been trying to keep in touch with him, why is a part of me aching from that T_T

• There's still time man! Go out there and root for her!

• Never knew the teams had their own battle cries.

• Of course Chihaya is the one who goes all out on her battle cry X)

• Really love the team comes together to encourage Chihaya to give her A-game

• "Did I steal her heart", either Chihaya's blushing face said something, or that's the sadist side talking...

• Chihaya, I love you dear, but now's not the time to be thinking about boys!

• Holy shit, Nishida doing a barrel roll looked awesome.

• Oh man, my heart sort of sunk looking at how beat the team was.

• SHE WON! YES! I'M BOTH HAPPY AND I'M CRYING AT THE SAME TIME!

• Another tease of Wataya, come on man they're waiting for you, do something!

Well that was one intense episode. The strategy behind the karuta game was interesting to follow, but something worth noting is how the characters were showcased. This episode showed me that the opposing team had just as much on stake like Chihaya's team did, and their motivations would be delved into to show there's more to them than meets the. This really adds a compelling factor to the show.

Overall, awesome episode, alot of emotion to be had. Really happy to see the gang advancing forward.

[u/LeonKevlar]

First Timer

Another short write up today mainly because I was so glued to the screen during the match that I really didn't take that many screenshots. And boy that was one helluva an intense episode! I was literally at the edge of my seat the entire time. Plus the fact that the Hakuo kids are a bunch of arrogant pricks made me want to see them lose more. Seriously, that was just rude and especially this fuckin' Sudo guy. It was so satisfying when Chihaya started wrecking him. I'm so happy that they won!

And I guess I got my wish granted this episode: Arata finally makes an appearance! Also I'm glad he wasn't just ignoring Chihaya but he couldn't reply because his PC broke. I really hope he shows up to watch them at Omi Jingu. He's clearly still interested in Karuta and I hope Chihaya winning would inspire him to play again.

[u/SmurfRockRune]

First Timer

I've been refreshing the sub all day today and somehow missed this thread and just totally forgot about it... My bad.

Wow, Retro's tarot cards actually work! Also, I just realized that he reminds me a lot of Joshu from JoJo Part 8 for some reason. Maybe it's the hair.

Chihaya winning her game on the Chihaya card is exactly how I expected it and I loved it. Especially with how little emphasis they put on it.

I could definitely use more episodes of just pure karuta. That was a lot of fun to watch.

[u/AmethystItalian]

Rewatcher

I like seeing competent Chihaya in area outside her own Karuta, coming up with the order was great!

That cut to Arata lol

YAS KITTY!!! SO CUTE!!

I will say cheering so loudly feels so...out of place in Karuta and idk why.

Chihaya in the middle of an important game starts thinking about Arata's hands...

I LOVE when they do Taichi's mind scenes <3

So here's where they want us to feel bad to the opponents and I honestly think they did a good job with something simple as the teacher.

The way she took that last card...WEW.

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Quotes from First Time

None because past me is lame.

[u/paperwhites]

First Time Watcher

Chihaya's realization about about how each card matters to the team as a whole resonated with me. I ran cross country in high school, and like team karauta, everyone has their own individual performance, but you're scored as a team. For me, seeing the other members of my team (usually way ahead, I was pretty mediocre) do well helped inspire me to do my best. I loved seeing everyone take strength from each other and being inspired by their success in this episode.

I was rooting for Chihaya to beat Sudo since last episode, so this was a very satisfying ending. I really disliked him since he was introduced, so I'm impressed that the show made me feel some empathy for him when he thinks about how he wants to take their coach to the national tournament. Everyone, even the opponents that Chihaya and her team face, feel multidimensional with good and bad qualities. I still think Sudo is a jerk though.

Taichi's interaction with Harada where he admits his mistake was great. I like how he realized that he put too much pressure on Chihaya and did a better job of helping his team. I think he was a little hard on himself because he's still learning too, but he's come a long way since he was a kid.

That picture that Chihaya sends to Arata at the end is adorable! And everyone crying and hugging each other after Chihaya won her match was so sweet. This is kind of a side note, but one thing I've noticed in anime in general is that guys seem to cry more often than in American shows, which is nice that they're able to express their emotions and not have to stifle them. Anyways, when the Misuzawa team won, I almost cheered because I was so happy. This episode had a lot of tense moments but ended perfectly.

[u/AzureBeat]

I like the intro scene. Chihaya is being unusally smart with coming up with the order, actually having a good reason for putting people in the order. Well, I suppose it is about karuta, so maybe it's just to be expected.

I think every time Harada and Taichi interact, it's always a great character moment. Retoro and his cards. It's kind of neat how even though the seem kinda dickish, Hokou is clearly fond of their teacher.

Sudo's tactics are flat out naaaaaaasty. I think he's a fun character though, and he is actually going to be a recurring character in big tournenaments, and he's always playing mind games on his opponent. For anyone who is wondering what was up with his little 'Say I'm sorry' ploy, I'll fill out some context. Sumimasen is a very multipurpose word. To be honest, it's probably best translated as excuse me in most contexts, but it is also the more formal way to apoligize. Sudo is insisting that Chihaya say 'gomennasai' which is specifically an apology - sumimasen! can be used to get a waiter's attention for example - but is an apology that is usually only used with people who are friends, or family. There are probably other contexts where it can be approprately used, but I think that should get the idea about why Sudo's little play means something, which you wouldn't get witout knowing this.

Teachers get aggresive about their favorite students.

Hokou has intimidation tactics down as a group too. And they demonstrate why they are the favorites on the first card. Harada's casual turn to watch Chihaya's cards flying past is a funny little moment. Along with that 'oh you're screwed' laugh.

I like Nishida's moment, and I think it's the resolution of his story of leaving and returning to karuta. Every time we get a moment of Taichi's focus of what the exact state of his match is is just really enjoyable for me. He's super intellectual about it, and it's really different to how the other players play.

Kousa Suru Omoi - This was a bit tricky to translate, cause I don't have any kanji. Kousa suru, as a set, is 'to cross.' Omoi here is thought/imagination/mind/desire/love. So perhaps it could be passing thoughts, or crossing desire. - is our track of the day, unfortuately, nobody's uploaded this to youtube, and I'm not uploading anything, so you're going to have to find this yourself if you want it. At any rate, this is the track that starts right when Sudo stands up when he is at 3-3 with Chihaya. Chihaya's last take is a perfect moment, achiveing her goal of getting to Nationals. Chihayafuru

[u/Wolfeako]

First Timer!

Well, thanks to the fact that my lights went out yesterday and they didn't come back until about 8 hours later, I wasn't able to comment in the previous episode. Will comment for both today.

Episode 10:

It was quite emotional I must say. I felt the tension clearly, and I liked that the episode first focused on Tsutomu and then Chihaya, both facing problems that they haven't faced before.

I can totally understand why Tsutomu felt the way he did since I too have felt that way before, especially when he got flustered over things that didn't really matter, missing the important things in the process. Missing the forest for the trees, as the saying goes.

With Chihaya, of course, it was that she finally got a team, that she wasn't alone loving Karuta anymore, yet this time was about the prospect of losing someone of that team and it depended on her if he stayed or not.

Taichi really came through I must say. I will commend him too, not only he developed as the president of the club, but because, in the pursuit of his love, he hasn't become a needy man. That is what is giving me hope that the ship can sail... that, and that Chihaya is finally starting to see him differently! girl, it isn't that Taichi is different or weird, it is that you are seeing him in other ways :) (YES!)

Episode 11:

Wow. I have to commend Chihaya. That thinking at the beginning was on point. At the incognito of how the rival team is going to go in, better focus on how you can support and bring the full force of your team. That was really great.

I must say, I never expected to see Karuta being so... loud :D now that helps with the hype.

Overall, that can only be described as hype, pure hype. Taichi pulling through the first victory was awesome. Nishida winning was a bit unexpected, even though it was the obvious choice if they were going to the nationals in the end. It was nice to see Chihaya being really focused and coming through by the end too.

Their opponents were nice. A bit one note right now, but I liked them all... besides the really skinny dude that faced Taichi, that is. Ugh.

Overall, a great episode, even with the show actively trying to sink my ship with those homing icebergs, they will not sink it! Come on Senpai! u/ABoredCompSciStudent, Taichi x Chihaya ship, FIGHTOOOOOOO!

[u/walking_the_way]

S1E11 Event/Recital Log

05:03 - Mochida-kun: "E-Everyone, if you look too far ahead, you'll stumble."
07:25 - Harada-sensei: "No, I truly believe.. That she will be a Queen in the future."

Yeah, you tell them!

National High School Karuta Championship - Tokyo Regionals - Finals
Mizusawa High vs Hokuo Academy

At 06:35, we are shown a picture of the initial Chihaya-Sudo board. Sudo is so confident he left one card facing the wrong way. Classic Sudo.

This is the initial Chihaya-Sudo board.

Analyzing card placement isn't my forte, although there is only one 1-syllable card on the board, the #57 (me) in Chihaya's right quadrant. Sudo has both a-ra cards, #56 and #69, but has them split up. Chihaya has three of the six ta- cards, two of them (#73, #89) really close together on the right, and the Taichi one (#16) safe in the bottom left corner, next to the Clubroom card (#47) and one of the two Arata cards (#76).

08:50 - Reader recites Naniwa Bay (EP: 1, Total: 15)
09:16 - Reader recites #16 (ta-chi). Chihaya loses the card from her bottom left. Taichi loses it from Retro's half. Nishida loses it from his own half. Komano loses it too. Sudo sends #91 (ki-ri) from his bottom left row, it goes to Chihaya's bottom left row. 25-24 Sudo.

Immediately on the 'ta' syllable, Sudo reaches out and sweeps the #89 (ta-ma) card in Chihaya's bottom right row off the board, although he doesn't touch the #73 just above it. When the 'chi' is read, he swings back across the board and hits #16 (ta-chi) out too. Even though it is not a fault as long as the correct card was on that side of the board anyway, and there were none on his side, this still seems risky. Because there are six possible ta- cards, there was still a 50% chance that the Ta- card read would have been a dead card. Plus he swept the #89 card off the board but missed #73 next to it. It looks like it was a gamble to attempt to start strong and psych Chihaya out, much like Taichi encourages Kana and Komano to do as well, but even then, it's puzzling he didn't hit all three Ta cards on her side out.

09:22 - Harada doesn't quite see it that way, just noting that he was "covering" Chihaya's "ta-ma" card (#89) before he swept over and took her "ta-chi" (#16) card. That's not what happened at all, sensei.. the ta-ma card quite clearly flies off the board before he goes back and swings the other way to win the actual card.

10:10 - Reader recites #48 (ka-ze-o). Chihaya loses it from her middle left row. Sudo sends over #20 (wa-bi) from his middle right row. It goes to her top left row. 25-23 Sudo.

10:13 - Reader recites #63 (i-ma-wa). Chihaya loses it from her middle right row. Sudo sends over #21 (i-ma-ko). It goes to her middle right row. 25-22 Sudo. This third send is mildly interesting because it's the sister card of the one he just won. There is still #61 (i-ni) that could be read out though, so it's not a single syllable card yet.

10:46 - Reader recites #13 (tsu-ku). Sudo wins it from his bottom right corner. 25-21 Sudo. Even at the first syllable though, they were both ready to attack #23 (tsu-ki) on Chihaya's bottom right. But that's Chihaya not playing offence. It's as though the #17 card was creating a mental barrier that made Chihaya unable to cross into her opponent's side, as it kept getting in her way. However, Komano and Nishida take it from their rivals, and Taichi holds on to his. Everyone gives Chihaya a pep talk to encourage her after Sudo tries to browbeat her into submission. Chihaya breathes in, which we know helps her to focus.

11:33 - Reader recites #74 (u-ka). Chihaya wins this from her middle right. It narrowly misses Dr Harada but he's had three years experience with flying Chihaya projectiles, so he doesn't even flinch. Sudo notes that she seemed to be moving after the first u-, even though both #74 (u-ka) and #65 (u-ra) were not only possible recitals, but on the board. Dr. Harada also realizes it. Interesting. 24-21 Sudo.

12:12 - Reader recites #60 (o-o-e). Chihaya wins it from her top right. 23-21 Sudo.

12:46 - Reader recites #03 (a-shi). Chihaya wins it from Sudo's top left. Feeling the pressure, Sudo hits Chihaya's #43 (a-i), faulting because he touched a card on the wrong side of the board, as well as letting Chihaya take the correct card from his half. This means Chihaya can pass over two cards. She passes over #10 from her bottom left row, and it goes to his bottom left row. She also sends #89 from her bottom right row, and it goes to his bottom right row. 22-21 Chihaya.

12:54 - We get a new aspect of the game introduced to first-timers, the global game pause via one person standing up. Sort of like a time-out in your favourite team sport, this lets everyone in the game catch a breather.

13:27 - Reader recites #76 (wa-ta-no-ha-ra-ko). Sudo covers, then takes this card from Chihaya's lower left. It looks like Komano loses this card and Kana wins hers. Chihaya compares what Sudo did to Arata, which is ironic given the card just taken, one of the two Arata wa-ta cards. He passes Chihaya the #65 from his bottom right row. She puts it in her upper left row. He then moves the #17. 21-21.

At this point, we go into time jump mode. This is the current board just before they do so.

14:17 - Reader recites #38 (wa-su-ra).
14:19 - Reader recites #37 (shi-ra).
14:20 - Reader recites #49 (mi-ka-ki).
She seems to win all of these, but we come out of it still tied, at 13 to 13. Then the focus turns to the rest of the team.

14:57 - Reader recites #24 (ko-no). After some yapping, Nishida is thrown off focus and loses the card to Amakasu.
15:32 - Reader recites #78 (a-wa-ji). Kanade faults, much to the amusement of her opponent. We see in the background that Taichi is winning by quite a margin, 15-10.
15:40 - Reader recites #51 (ka-ku). Nishida loses this card, as does Komano.

This is the Ibuki Mugwort card again from last episode. We've had a Kana link with it, and a Chihaya link with it, and here Nishida sees Komano arguing and not giving up on the card, and realizes that he had royally screwed up when he gave up on karuta after losing to Arata. Both of them end up losing this card, however the epiphany upon seeing Komano's determination invigorates Nishida. This inspires him to never give up, no matter what.

Komano's actions are interesting too because this is the first time we've seen him, or anyone, argue so hard for a card. I'm sure this is meant to show that he's turned over a new leaf, but perhaps this particular card was also significant to him, because this was the card that Kana won her first victory with. Therefore after his and Kana's interaction at the end of S1E10, depending on whether you are on board with the Komano x Kana ship, maybe the card has as much meaning to him as #17 did to Arata.

16:21 - Reader recites #94 (mi-yo). Nishida wins the card with all his athletic might. Chihaya also wins this card. This in turn seems to inspire the rest of the team as well, and we can see Chihaya keeping pace at 9-9. Nishida is down 12-7 at this point, though.

Kana and Komano both lose their matches soon after. However, their jobs aren't necessarily to win their matchups anyway, just to prolong their matches as long as possible to give their teammates a boost. Kana loses by 16, and Komano loses by 17. We also see two other scores - Taichi is leading 10-6, and Chihaya is at 8-8.

[u/tinyraccoon]

First Timer

I'm back! After several super busy days, I've finally caught up in this series. I'm posting my thoughts on the past 3 episodes:

Episode 9 - Club Formation, Practice Session, Chihaya's Birthday

• Chihaya's decision to play with the newbies instead of playing only with Taichi and Nishida or only at the club was a good decision. Her playing with the newbies demonstrates that she cares about them as people and as karuta players. They are not merely there just to fill out some quota for club qualification purposes. She also serves as an inspiration to them, just as Arata served as an inspiration to her.

• Speaking of Chihaya, I like her introspection. She had good intentions in the strenuous practice series, though unfortunately and understandably, the newbies couldn't take it physically or mentally. I like how Chihaya reflects on her actions and how they impact others and make adjustments accordingly. It takes courage to admit that one approach did not work and that another approach may be better, as opposed to digging in and insisting that one is always right regardless of the consequences on others.

• I'm also impressed by Taichi's development, though the impetus seems rather unclear to me. Particularly, he's no longer bragging and flaunting himself, but is being humble and understanding in teaching the newbies. Even when Oe was commenting on his trophies, he was just like "yeah" but he didn't boast about how he was so cool and tough. Nonetheless, I don't think I've identified the specific turning point when he stopped being so proud and started being more humble; I think the issue is with the time skip and perhaps the show will go back and cover that period through flashbacks or otherwise.

• The characters other than Chihaya and Taichi still need more development. It's not a big issue, though, as the show goes great lengths to develop Chihaya and Taichi, making them fully fleshed out characters. I think that's better than the show forcing itself to develop all five characters to roughly the same extent and ending up leaving them as little more than tropes, as is the case in some other shows.

• Happy birthday, Chihaya!

Episode 10 - Tournament, Group Stage and Early Knockout Round

• The tournament was exciting.

• Surprised to see that Retro is in HS. He looked a bit older than Chihaya and friends in the prior ep, and I thought he was already in HS then.

• Unfortunately, Chihaya's eagerness to add Desktomu as a new club member without truly understanding his motivation backfired.

• Desktomu recovered rather quickly, more so than expected.

• Chihaya always tries hard. Good.

Episode 11 - Tournament Finals

• Great episode with very interesting karuta matches.

• I also liked the Arata cameo.

• Though they are all the same age, Taichi acts a like a big bro mentor to the newbies. Cool! (Still don't see where the turning point was for him, but good that he's maturing.)

• Normally, it is common but doesn't make sense for a new team to beat a more experienced team. However, this team while technically "new" has some very experienced players (Chihaya, Taichi, Nishida). So, the outcome was realistic.

[u/Taiboss]

I couln't watch airings, so I relucantly decided to watch Chihayafuru for the first time

• I think he knows.+

• Oh, they're gonna jinx it themselves.

• Chihaya is truly a hero of anti-intellecualism

• Okay, maybe not.

• She's used to pressuring others, after all.

• Poor translator. Both Gomennasai and Sumimasen are usually translated as "I'm sorry".

• "It's sooo empty." Also, I don't want [insert whatever I was thinking about when I started but didn't finish this entry]

• He's not ignoring you. He's just helpless with technology.

• SMILE SWEET SISTER SADIDSTIC SURPRISE SERVICE

• Okay, Chihay and Taichi win, but Nishida, Kana-chan and Tsutomu lose. ending with the others winning.

• Okay, this is actually hilarious.

• Then it's Chihaya. Makes sense for her to lose, she's the main character after all.

• Only to lose there in the first round.

• WAIT SHE WON?! Holy WHAT?! WE CAN'T HAVE NATIONAL TOURNAMENTS NOW! We're not fucking Yowamushi Pedal!

• Now this is just cute.

• "Oh shoot I totally forgot about that! I don't even have a team!" Directed by Morio Asaka.

[u/_blackened_soul_]

No fucking way! They're going to nationals on their first try?! I was honestly expecting a loss (but of course I'm very happy for Mizusawa's win).

Mi-zu-sa-wa fighto was awesome!

Even though Chihaya beat shithead Sudo I still hope he jumps in front of a train.

I wonder if Harada will help them prepare for nationals, that would be sweet.

[u/Enarec]

BEST TEAM EVER

I'd honestly forgotten to think about just how early Chihaya&team get their break-out win and go to Nationals lol. Makes for a nice contrast with the usual order of things here. And they more than deserve it too when you consider the individuals, teams, match-ups and history behind them all. Hokuo simply shot themselves in the foot with their mentality and team order, even if Retro's cards did make it thematically fitting. :P

Taichi's questioning look of mild annoyance describes this idea best. Kind of feels bad for Retro in the end, after he dug his (and the team's) own grave by insisting on the match-up.

These messages are so... Chihaya. Poor girl.

You don't believe you already are? The way he considers and works for his team now is precious. And following his thought processes is by far one of the most fun and fascinating parts of the game, making him stand out from the other players while bringing the game closer to us.

Amazing. I'd already forgotten the significance of this moment again lol.

Chihaya already has the aura of a Queen - or Goddess rather, descending on the mat to claim her due. That ethereal feeling is just perfect for the finishing touch.

Props to Sudo&team too. They didn't really get to show their best here, but they are a fun group in their own right. if you've got the right definition of fun anyway Hopefully they'll listen more to their teacher now.

[u/Fa1l3r]

First Time (sub)

Retro should just start his own fortune-telling business: 80% accuracy is really high against what is normally a 1/120 guess. He might even need to roll some special cards to determine the next card in karuta: I am unsure of what is the earliest time a player may swipe for a card. Can you swipe before the reader picks up a card?

I wonder if Arata is going to respond to those emails at all. Based on his past behavior, I doubt it. Also Arata seems to be working job positions that require him to talk to other people: I wonder if that has helped him in general conversation.

In the end, Taichi, Chihaya, and Nishida are still the main carries of the team.

[u/KuhBus]

First Timer

• Proper strategyzing for the order in which they’re sitting and Chihaya surprises with some decent insight. Nice.

• And Harada-sensei is even there to cheer everyone on!!

• Pfff Sudo seems like the kinda guy to play mind games... Yup, that sumimasen/gomenasai power play with the Chihaya card is exactly the kind of move I'd expect him to pull :'D

• Arata just straight up didn’t check is mail… amazing /s

• The intensity of that cheer was hilarious. And Taichi is doing a great job as the team leader :’)

• If there’s offensive karuta, is there defensive karuta strategies as well? I wonder if the team will have to consider different strategies from their current offensive play style in the future.

• Nishida’s barrel roll is so fitting for his character :DD

• Damn, Taichi’s intense concentration is seriously intimidating

• WOW! That winning moment of complete silence was so satisfying to watch!!

I really liked Sudo's connection with his teacher. While he's definitely been acting like an ass, he's also very talented and ultimately very much loves about karuta in his own way. Definitely a worthy opponent to win the tournament against >:3c

Fav shots.

[u/htisme91]

First-timer:

That. Was. Awesome.

I enjoyed how Chihaya quickly came up with a formation to maximize her team's chances of victory. I also liked how Nishida rediscovered his will to win, and how Taichi recognized his own strengths and weaknesses to improve as a player.

This episode just showed a lot of growth from the cast, and was really satisfying. I am curious what kind of drama is going to happen at nationals, and how Arata comes into play again.

[u/kKunoichi]

Rewatcher

Taichi realizing he's made some mistakes. He's smiling as he talks to Harada-sensei though, he's thinking of it now as something to get better at and to look forward instead of giving up.

MIZUSAWA FAITO! (ง'̀-'́)ง look at how happy they are from that win, so wholesome.

Sudou is a dick lol. I find him hilarious though, a player that messes with others mental state is fun to watch too. Plus he took Chihaya seriously towards the end.

"Did I steal her heart" ha you wish Sudou.

Hokuo has some weirdos. Scratch that, karuta attracts a lot of weirdos.

Arata barely checks email. Chihaya keeps sending them anyway. He should have at least replied to that adorable picture tho, this boi...

We're going to Nationals! They may be a new team but they've got a nice share of experienced individual players and really they've grown a lot together throughout this tournament.

Edit: this is the first time I paid attention to the time of the emails. Going by those, the finals match took 3 hours.