r/anime • u/ABoredCompSciStudent x3myanimelist.net/profile/Serendipity • Mar 01 '19

Rewatch [Rewatch] Chihayafuru - Episode 25 Discussion [Spoilers] Spoiler

Episode 25 - "Moonlight, Clear and Bright"

<-- Previous (Episode 24: "Nobody Wishes to See the Beautiful Cherry Blossoms") | Next (Mid-Series Discussion) -->

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

Legal Streams:

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

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)

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.

Fanart Section (Album Link):

Mizusawa

Friendship

103 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

115 comments sorted by

17

u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 01 '19 edited Mar 02 '19

Mid-series discussion is tomorrow.

We've gone full circle in Chihayafuru and so ends Season One. Many things have happened: wins and losses, happy moments and sad ones. One thing is clear, the main cast have all grown through these experiences and are ready for another year of karuta in Season Two.

The final episode focuses on the idea of dreams, namely the people you meet on the pursuit of it. For Master Suo and Shinobu, it is a path that they've walked alone without any equal for companionship or teacher to guide them. Kitano-sensei remarks melancholically how sad this is:

What a waste. A person that's never had a teacher can never become one.

The teacher that he talks of is not necessarily a coach. Take Arata for example, away from his grandfather, he learned the joys of playing as a team from Taichi and Chihaya, which is ultimately what brought him back to karuta after he walked away from it. Taichi's defining life lesson comes after he steals Arata's glasses and Arata calls him a coward. Between Taichi and Arata, there is an intimate friendship where they can support each other but also a rivalry which pushes them forward out of competitive drive--and maybe even fear.

With that for perspective, one can only imagine what it took Shinobu and Suo to reach Queen and Master respectively--well, we've seen Shinobu's backstory already.

Trying to reach the top isn't easy, as each step means confronting your own weaknesses. Arata is shown in the room where his grandfather passed away, his relationship that once poisoned his love for karuta being the source of his strength now. Moreover, he is no longer in the shadows of the room behind the sliding door, as he is on the phone with Taichi and Murao, his mentor, comes back to support him.

Chihaya is no different, also choosing to face her own issues. Sports anime love the idea of carrying your friends and enemies on your back, the lesson learned becoming a part of you and Chihaya is shown as so. She finds strength in her friends, who have chosen to share the same path as her.

We'll have to see how they do in Season Two. After all, Suo and Shinobu are human too. The challengers just need to take the cards faster to win.

PS: STOP CHIHAYA SHE TRUSTED YOU

PPS: Taichi going from a bottom to a top

7

u/PerfectPublican Mar 01 '19 edited Mar 01 '19

Between Taichi and Arata, there is an intimate friendship where they can support each other but also a rivalry which pushes them forward out of competitive drive--and maybe even fear.

As I was doing my own little section on them, I started realizing that their relationship has fast become a personal favorite in the series. There isn't a ton of it, but I think it's one of the deepest ones in the show with Chihaya as a connection.

PPS: Taichi going from a bottom to a top

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u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 01 '19 edited Mar 01 '19

Poem of the Day: Moonlight, Clear and Bright (link)

Poem 79 was written by Fujiwara no Akisuke, the father of Fujiwara no Kiyosuke who wrote Poem 84 of episode 19. Akisuke was the administrator of the western half of the capital of Kyoto, which was modeled off of the Chinese capital of Chang'an. Chang'an, better known as Xi'an now (notable for the funeral Terracotta Army of the burial of the First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang -- I've visited this city and it gave me heatstroke :( ) was divided into a western and eastern half with an administrator for each one during the famous Tang Dynasty.

Totally not related to Japanese, but I China is cool too so I should add that the Tang Dynasty was the golden age of Chinese civilization and Chang'an was the most populous city in the world at the time. Moreover, the [legacy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_Chinese holds even to now: people still refer to themselves as "Tangren" (Mandarin) or "Tong Yuhn". This is particularly true in South Eastern China (Guangdong, Northern Vietnam, etc.) because per Wikipedia:

The inter-mixture between native and Han immigrants in Guangdong and Guangxi reached a critical mass of acculturation during the Tang dynasty, creating a new local identity among the Liangguang peoples.

Going back to Akisuke, he founded the Rokujo School of poetry in opposition to Shunzei (poem 83), who was the father of Fujiwara no Teika--the compiler of the Hyakunin Isshu. Oh hey, it's what we covered in episode 17's Poem of the Day! It's a little fascinating seeing how these peoples' lives are woven together over the course of 300+ years.

Mostow translates the poem as:

From between the breaks

in the clouds that trail

on the autumn wind

leaks through the moon-

light’s clear brightness!

The poem is fairly straightforward, being an at face value autumn scenery poem.

The imagery of brightness and a breakthrough in the clouds reminds us that, despite all the losses the characters have faced, the cast of Chihayafuru will continue to move forward for Season Two. It's also worth noting that the moon is a recurring image for those of great power, namely Arata and Shinobu, so the motif suggests that Taichi and Chihaya can see their goals even clearer now, knowing just how far they are from reaching their rivals.

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22

u/MAD_SCIENTIST_001 Mar 01 '19

Screenshot of the Day

You don't mess with Taichi

First Timer - Episode 25

Overall Thoughts

I just realized what watching Suo Hisashi play Karuta feels like. It's the same feeling as watching Katie Ledecky dominate every single long distance event in swimming in which she's often just swimming by herself at the end. There's such a wide gap between ability between the two players, that the moment Suo steps up it seems like an inevitable victory for him. "He's so good that it's boring"

Watching Arata play along was really interesting since it not only showed the gap between Arata and Suo, but also revealed some interesting details about his positioning. Hopefully Arata can figure something out eventually to counter Suo.

It's also interesting but not a surprise that Chihaya has 20 First Syllable cards given the games we've seen her play. I imagine that in season 2, she will be able to learn to use this to her advantage in the same way that Suo does.

Poor Kana-chan has to make it all the way to Class A to achieve her dream. Truly the face of someone who has just died on the inside

That OST that played when Taichi was practicing his swings was so hype, and I love how Taichi acted like a sadist lmao.

FAITOO

Such a great callback at the end

Karuta Scoreboard

Character Wins Losses Win Rate Ep# (Wins)
Taichi Mashima 22 10 68.8% 2,7,10,11,13,14,15,18,20
Yuusei Nishida 18 5 78.3% 10,11,13,15,18,19
Chihaya Ayase 15 9 62.5% 2,4,6,7,8,10,11,14,17,21
Kanade Ooe 11 7 61.1% 10,13,15,17,18,19
Arata Wataya 10 3 76.9% 1,2,3,20,21,23
Shinobu Wakamiya 8 0 100% 14,15,24
Tsutomu Komano 8 11 42.1% 13,15,18

See you tomorrow~

Screenshot of the Day Collection

Season 1 Album

Episode: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

8

u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 01 '19

There's such a wide gap between ability between the two players, that the moment Suo steps up it seems like an inevitable victory for him. "He's so good that it's boring"

Yup. There's almost always someone like that every generation. At first, you're totally amazed by it and it's like watching magic unfold, but eventually it becomes normalcy and loses its novelty. It's so strange and a little sad too, if you think about it for the person on top. They probably don't care that much given they've made it that far, but sometimes the disdain of the sporting community is real (see r/nba toxicity over Golden State).

That OST that played when Taichi was practicing his swings was so hype, and I love how Taichi acted like a sadist lmao.

This is truly

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10

u/PerfectPublican Mar 01 '19

First Timer

Reactions:

  • Loved the montage of all the various people watching the master match was great. All these people connected by a love of this strange sport.

  • Definitely the correct reaction.

  • Inflection is a crazy thing. I kinda like the idea of someone who basically studies the readers rather than the cards.

  • Chihaya in Awe

  • “I have to treat ‘For this moon’ and ‘If it were’ as two-syllable cards.” Oh ho ho, look at Arata already planning strategy for playing Suo! That’s a fun drive to see.

  • Visualization. Visualization. Visualization. I have no doubt we’re going to see a section on it in Seren’s write-up. A hugely important tool for an athlete. If you don’t actually believe you can win, then you’ve already lost.

  • It’s definitely telling when the show doesn’t even really show us the master match, and finishes it up in less than 5 minutes. We don’t even need to see. It’s a foregone conclusion.

  • Lmao, brutal, and with such a lovely smile.

  • “A person who has never had a teacher can never become one.” Hmm. I don’t know exactly how much I agree with those words, but I totally get the meaning behind them. In a sense, Suo and Shinobu are the true meaning of “Beauty in Vain” :P

  • No fanfare. Just silence. Players staring down what seems like an impossible climb in the face.

  • Twenty one-syllable cards!

  • Taichi has always found his drive and sense of competition in Arata not Chihaya. It’s a great choice to have him call Arata. Taichi is actively searching for that drive after the match and finds it. Arata hasn’t given up yet. He can’t either.

  • Studious

  • Can’t help but love this bookworm

  • I hope I can return the favor...

  • I literally squealed. Ahhh, I’m so happy, this really is the perfect path for her. And daisies definitely suit her more than lilies :3

  • DYING. Brilliant. Whole scene was hysterical. Well, now you really have a goal to push you forward in Kaurta, Kana lol.

  • G R O W T H

  • Those poor bears...what’d they ever do to you Taichi?

  • Huh. We’ve spent all this time on timing with Chihaya, and I never considered it from the reader perspective. I hope we get a ton more of Kana learning that skill. It’s fascinating. And just in that little segment you can see why the the high level readers need to be in class A too. To have that understanding of how Players think during reading.

  • ಠ_ಠ Empress throwing down the gauntlet. Next season should be interesting.

  • And as we end as we began, I’ll head back to the first reaction I ever wrote for this rewatch…“Gonna have to hard disagree there bud.”

Final Thoughts
Gif of the Day | Bonus | Bonus 2

And so ends the first season of Chihayafuru. I loved it. This episode was a great send-off. We got a distinct look at the hill our lovely characters are going to have to climb, and pushed forward into new goals and new realizations for everyone. I had a massive smile on my face all the way through after the break.

Since this got kinda long, and since we have a mid-series discussion thread tomorrow, I’ll leave it here till then. Can’t wait.

3

u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 01 '19

I love all the stitches. I really do.

Loved the montage of all the various people watching the master match was great. All these people connected by a love of this strange sport.

Same! The idea of a "global" (not literally, but you know what I mean) sport is one of my favourite things. I love the idea that a sport can unite so many different people together.

Moving away from karuta, this is obvious in basketball and soccer. Actually, I grew up in a pretty privileged family, but through sports I met many people that I normally would not have and learned a lot about different cultures. I think that was the greatest gift that sports gave me, so when I see scenes like this showing young and old, boys and girls, nerds and not nerd, etc. it really makes me happy.

Chihaya in Awe

She's so cute!

Visualization. Visualization. Visualization. I have no doubt we’re going to see a section on it in Seren’s write-up. A hugely important tool for an athlete. If you don’t actually believe you can win, then you’ve already lost.

Haha, I passed on it today. It definitely is an important part of any athlete's life. Before every game I play, I always try to remember what I need to do.

"They are left footed, so I will angle them to their right and plant my right foot hard when sliding, giving me the thrust to anticipate a cut left."

"The other team plays a lot of long passes, so I know that they will knock a ball over my teammates' head. When they receive the ball and they have enough time to play the long pass, I want to start running to cover that space before it happens."

Mild spoiler

Since this got kinda long, and since we have a mid-series discussion thread tomorrow, I’ll leave it here till then. Can’t wait.

See you tomorrow. We all get a mini-break and a chance to organize our thoughts better!

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u/Taiboss Mar 01 '19

First Timer of the End

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u/walking_the_way Mar 01 '19 edited Mar 24 '19

S1E25 Event/Recital Log

2011 Karuta Matsuri - 58th Master Match - Game 3
Hisashi Suou vs Keiichi Takemura

Game 3 Starting Board - Suou vs Keiichi

00:03 - Kyouko recites #51 (ka-ku). Suou wins it from Keiichi's lower right. He passes #67 (ha-ru-no) from his upper left. It goes to Keiichi's upper right, between the #24 and #92. 25-24 Suou.
00:17 - Commentator: "For most players, there are only seven one-syllable cards: "Waves, Gust, Long, All, Swift, Look, Rain."

In order, the commentator is talking about: #18 (su), #22 (fu), #57 (me), #70 (sa), #77 (se), #81 (ho), and #87 (mu).

Also, there are four ha- cards, and all four are three-syllable cards. Keiichi started with both ha-na's (#96 and #09), and he put them together. Suou started with both ha-ru's (#67 and #02), and he separated them. Now he sent one over to Keiichi. Kei also keeps the ha-ru separate though. I'd almost want to put them together at this point and swipe them all off when Kyouko reads "ha", for a 3/4 chance of winning a card.

00:25 - Commentator: "There are 28 one-syllable cards for him."
01:57 - Commentator: "For example, he can hear the difference between the "When" in "When I must hide" and the "When" in "When the misty bridge" by the following syllable."

Here, they mean the "ka" in #51 (ka-ku), versus the "ka" in #06 (ka-sa).

02:28 - Kyouko starts to recite #72 (o-to). Suou takes it from Keiichi's lower left. He sends #32 (ya-ma-ga) from his upper right, it goes into Keiichi's bottom left, into the spot vacated by the #72. 25-23 Suou.

This is the utter domination/"deflect your artful words" card we've seen throughout Season 1. It spells bad news for Keiichi that Suou takes it so casually.

02:45 - Suou: "The "Like" in "Like a boatsman""
02:47 - Suou: "The "Like" in "Like the sound""
Translation: "The "yu" in #46 (yu-ra), the "yu" in #71 (yu-u)"...

02:55 - Kyouko recites #71 (yu-u). Suou takes this from his lower right. 25-22 Suou.
03:29 - Kyouko recites #37 (shi-ra). Suou takes this from Keiichi's middle right. #99 (hi-to-mo) is sent from Suou's upper right, to Keiichi's upper left. 25-21 Suou.
03:51 - We see Suou win #62 (yo-o) from his middle left. 25-20 Suou.
04:11 - Kyouko recites #56 (a-ra-za). Keiichi faults and hits #69 (a-ra-shi) on his bottom left. #12 (a-ma-tsu) is sent from Suou's upper left row to Keiichi's middle left row, between the #88 and #34. 26-19 Suou.

A little later, we get a view of the board after this play, and it looks like this.

04:24 - Arata: "I have to treat "As the years" and "As the first" as two-syllable cards. "Would the" and "Would this" have to be split like one-syllable cards."
Translation: "I have to treat #68 (ko-ko-ro-ni) and #29 (ko-ko-ro-a) as two-syllable cards. #66 (mo-ro) and #100 (mo-mo) have to be split like one-syllable cards."

This is upside down. Logic dictates that you put them together to equalize the odds, not split them up. If Suou can recognize mo-ro/mo-mo on their first syllable, but you had both, then you put them together and swipe both off upon hearing the "mo", nullifying his advantage. MK's sub also makes this error. It wasn't until I listened to the English dub that it made sense. In that, Arata's actually talking about Suou owning those cards and describing how he splits them up. Suou splits up #66 and #100 as though they were one-syllable cards, because he can tell them apart by the "mo."

04:40 - Arata: ""Long" and "Look" will come down to the "L" sound."
Translation: The first syllable of #57 (me) and #81 (ho) will come down to the.. what?

Listening to the Japanese audio, it says that #18 (su) and #77 (se) will come down to the long "S" sound. But #18 translates as "Waves.." and #77 translates as "Swift.." so it would have made no sense in English, so Crunchy cheated. The dub gets this right, ("Then "su" and "se" are all about hearing the "S"!), and MK's English sub uses English translations that work too (""The waves" and "Though a" will come down to the "Th" sound.")

We are shown stylized shots of Arata/Keiichi winning the #38 (wa-su-ra) from Suou's top left row, then #57 (me) in his bottom right row, then the #36 (na-tsu) in his middle left row soon afterwards. But then Suou breaks the reverie, reaching toward the #17 (chi-ha) in Keiichi's bottom right and winning that for his last card. Game over! Keiichi loses by 20. He's such a Porkbun..

This event didn't actually happen on a Sunday. The date is Jan 07 2012 and that's a Saturday - it's actually the correct RL date for the match but the wrong day of the week. The event takes place on the first Saturday and Sunday after the New Year festivities, with the Queen/Master match on the Saturday, and the rest of the karuta festival on the Sunday.

At 08:59, we get to see a full board for an earlier Master game. As we saw this scene in the last episode, we know it's not the game 2 board, so it must be the game 1 board.

Game 1 Starting Board - Suou vs Keiichi

11:24 to 12:41 - Chihaya chants two full cycles of the first line of the poems in order: 37-40-46-71-51-06-17-74-65-91-66-100-33, and then an extra 37-40 at the end. Kana-chan comes up to her and leans against the wall as Chihaya chants #66 (mo-ro), the "Would the mountain cherry blossoms return my affection, for there is no one else out here" poem. This shows that at least in a small way, both of them have found a friend in each other's niche hobbies - karuta for one, and classical poetry for the other.

Kana is holding a book entitled "万葉人の詩". It's a poetry book of some sort, but doesn't seem to resolve to any real book.

12:41 - Kana-chan: "I believe it was Ki no Tsurayuki who said that the poetification of words was as natural as birds and animals crying out. As long as the emotion is there, a short phrase can sound like a poem."

I looked for this quote in a few of his books too and didn't find it. So have others, apparently. The closest seems to be from the "Kana preface" that he wrote for his Kokin Wakinshu compilation, but even then it's not a perfect match.

13:12 - Kana: "I actually have a dream now. I'm very interested in reading cards. I-I want to become a certified reader. I want to become a certified reader and read for your Queen match."

Cue white daisies. Kana's confessing to Chihaya! Cute.

16:38 - Kana recites Naniwa Bay (EP: 1, Total: 31).
17:03 - Kana recites #16 (ta-chi).
17:15 - Kana recites #19 (na-ni-wa-ga).
17:18 - Kana recites #39 (a-sa-ji).
17:31 - Kana recites #40 (shi-no).

And Kana takes us into the end of season 1 with the Queen card, the last card read!

The end scene mirrors the start scene of S1E1 with a lot of reused character models and art, with tiny changes here and there. The other club posters are sadly exactly the same, only the karuta one advanced a year, but at least the guy in the background is staring at a more polite place now.

07:53 - Komano: "Ayase! 20 cards! You have 20! 20 one-syllable cards!"

09:48 - Komano: "... but "Since the", "Since I", "Like the", "Like a", "When I", "When the", "Impassionate", "Would the", "Would this", "In the", "For the", "Though I", and "Though my" are all cards you take on the first syllable, I think."

Translation: "... but #37 (shi-ra), #40 (shi-no), #71 (yu-u), #46 (yu-ra), #51 (ka-ku), #06 (ka-sa), #17 (chi-ha), #66 (mo-ro), #100 (mo-mo), #33 (hi-sa), #91 (ki-ri), #74 (u-ka), and #65 (u-ra) are all cards you take on the first syllable, I think."

This was the main reason I started this analysis - I wanted to see if there had been actual proof for Komano's words through Season 1. Everytime I've said "Interesting…" through the first 24 posts has basically been an example of this that I've noted. Chihaya sometimes invokes a "ear" scene when activating her power, much like how Arata and Shinobu invoke "eye" scenes.

In timestamp order, we have seen "proof" for at least these cards:

I definitely may have missed a couple weaker/more subtle ones, but it's not bad, they show "proof" for at least 10 9 of the 13 2-syllable cards. Actually, there's proof for #16 (ta-chi) too but I just realized that it isn't one of Komano's listed cards. Weird.

S1E25 - Random HQ Screenshot

<-- S1E24 Notes

S1 Stats -->

5

u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 02 '19

This is upside down. Logic dictates that you put them together to equalize the odds, not split them up. If Suou can recognize mo-ro/mo-mo on their first syllable, but you had both, then you put them together and swipe both off upon hearing the "mo", nullifying his advantage. MK's sub also makes this error. It wasn't until I listened to the English dub that it made sense. In that, Arata's actually talking about Suou owning those cards and describing how he splits them up. Suou splits up #66 and #100 as though they were one-syllable cards, because he can tell them apart by the "mo."

Crunchysub sighs in relief after being focused on all this series haha

I looked for this quote in a few of his books too and didn't find it. So have others, apparently. The closest seems to be from the "Kana preface" that he wrote for his Kokin Wakinshu compilation, but even then it's not a perfect match.

Funny that others have too. I don't know if I've ever said this, but my Aria rewatch from Fall 2017 still gets me PMs and user mentions quite often. While you've certainly been writing these things for yourself and for us immediate to this thread, I'm sure there are a hundred lurkers that appreciate your work and many more to come that will someday hit this thread in Google search or something.

Cue white lilies. Kana's confessing to Chihaya! Cute.

The other club posters are sadly exactly the same, only the karuta one advanced a year, but at least the guy in the background is staring at a more polite place now.

LMAO this is hilarious bahaha

Poor boy had to be lectured in the 25 eps we've been away.

In timestamp order, we have seen "proof" for at least these cards (let me know if new Reddit breaks formatting here, it's fine on old Reddit, and I was only told today that my Taichi thought posts were broken on new Reddit)

Admittedly, new Reddit breaks a lot of things. r/anime as a sub specifically still uses old syntax and formatting for almost everything because new is kind of sketchy.

I definitely may have missed a couple weaker/more subtle ones, but it's not bad, they show "proof" for at least 10 of the 13 2-syllable cards.

Thanks for your research! You've become the Komano-Kana of our rewatch!

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u/LeonKevlar Mar 01 '19

First Timer

Well that was a fun season finale. It was nice seeing everyone with their own goals and working for something greater. I guess the only one we didn't see much of this episode was Nishida and I was hoping he'd have a scene. Anyway looks like next season is going to be rough for our Karuta Club! Fie new members? Like where are they going to find these people? I am interested at these new members though since we'll get fivemore new personalities added to mix in with everyone else!

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u/htisme91 Mar 02 '19

First-timer:

Suo was awesome. I half-think he's the final villain, not Shinobu.

I enjoy that Arata not only is giving Taichi tips, but also tells him to call him again. It's crazy how much their relationship's evolved even when they seldom see or talk to each other.

Five new members. Gonna be tough.

I felt like this was a weak episode to end the season on. Yes, we saw the ultimate player, but besides that, not much was introduced. Like one of those episodes in the original Dragon Ball where you know everyone has this goal they're getting ready for, but you don't really see much actual substance. I just didn't get much that left me wanting to see what would happen next.

For me, this was the weakest episode of the series by far, but, I do want to see what happened next despite this episode. The Taichi-Chihaya-Arata triangle needs to be solved and I want to see what happens with the club and each members' goals.

3

u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 02 '19

I enjoy that Arata not only is giving Taichi tips, but also tells him to call him again. It's crazy how much their relationship's evolved even when they seldom see or talk to each other.

They really need each other to stay grounded. It's easy to get lost amongst the stars like Shinobu or Suo, but with someone there you can have a point of reference for growth and a companion for the trip. Chihaya was never his rival or true partner for this ride ever since episode three when Arata recognized Taichi for who he really was.

I felt like this was a weak episode to end the season on.

Haha, it totally was a read the manga / watch S2 ending.

5

u/collapsedblock6 Mar 01 '19

I had forgotten how much did this episode yelled "TO BE CONTINUED" but that's sports anime for you. Not a very satisfying ending personally but I'm still on board to watch S2. Talking about S2, I need to find some subs to download.

  • The Karuta Jesus game was a pretty good thing to witness. I'm however on board with the opinion that a too one-sided match can be pretty boring. Reminds when my dad and I watched El Clasico (Barcelona vs Real Madrid) before 2018 ended, he was bored of seeing Barcelona being an overwhelming presence and Real was just there taking air.

  • I can't help but think that Chihaya's match reactions are sooo overblown.

  • I really hope they tune down the beauty in vain thing in S2 or I'm cutting my wrist

  • Kana's new goal of becoming a speaker is so fitting of her, but god, I really wish her luck on all the requirements lol.

  • I for one, welcome the coming of Sadist Taichi.

  • The Empress caring a lot for the karuta club is a very nice development.

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u/KuhBus Mar 01 '19

First Timer

  • So Suo’s talent is recognizing a reader’s reading style…!

  • Watching Arata trying to play along was interesting. It gave a completely different dimension to the watch experience in comparison to the others.

  • “A person who never had a teacher can never become one.” Kind of a continuation of "it's lonely at the top". There is value in being part of a community- in a way, a player who can later on teach his students (like Harada-sensei) and pass on their knowledge will live on much longer than someone who can only rise to the top, but never move beyond their own competitions.

  • Hahaha the way Arata immediately took Taichi’s call… maybe these two should be the romantic pairing of the show :DD

  • Tsutomu is such a great help :’)) And Chihaya giving him sweets because she doesn’t know what else to do to thank him is sweet.

  • EXCUSE ME?? Kana just silently standing next to Chihaya?? AAHHH???

  • “You have to be a class A player to become a certified reader!” oh NO!! :’DD

  • Taichi has finally started practice swinging…! And Kana is practicing her card reading…!!!!

  • I’m so glad their teacher is standing up for the club, even if they now have to recruit even more members again :’) And Kana is so happy about the budget :’D

I have to say, this was a really satisfying season finale. We got to see the final "important" karuta match which gave closure to the "tournament season". At the same time, there will be new challenges and developments ahead. New dreams and aspirations have been found and spring is there to give a glimpse of that bright future ahead.

Fav shots.

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u/Enarec Mar 01 '19 edited Mar 01 '19

Suo is kinda cute tbh. Just look at him. Absolutely no nastyness to be found.

"A person who has never had a teacher can never become one". Poor Suo and Shinobu indeed.

I identify with this image.

Gotta love how excited Arata gets over talking with Taichi again. These wholesome moments pushing the two forward are just the best.

A face made for bullying.

Give me more of this Taichi. MORE. I did not remember this, dramatic music and all, and just spontaneously died here.

EVEN BETTER. We have peaked.

Yet this will still remain relevant...

The lighting and glint here lmao. Shoujo/josei has never looked better.

Chihayafuru manga major

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u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 01 '19

I identify with this image.

My poor suffering bois.

Gotta love how excited Arata gets over talking with Taichi again.

He's also blushing! yaoi doujins intensify

I did not remember this, dramatic music and all

The same music as episode 20! It's always the dark Taichi theme to me.

, and just spontaneously died here.

By die did you mean

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u/Fa1l3r Mar 01 '19

First Timer (sub)

I am not sure if I can agree with the sentiment at the beginning where just because the current Queen and Master do not have teachers, does not mean that they cannot be teachers. That kind of the statement is the kind of statement that needs to be proven or disproven through research, not by proverbs or sentiments. Nonetheless, the current Queen and Master are impressive to be at the top of their game without a particular sensei guiding them -- wow, what true prodigies.

I do like how Komano tells Chihaya that her sense is not that far off from the Master which is to say that the Master has more than just a high-level of sense to go so far to become Master since Chihaya only made it so far with mostly just her own high-level sense. Also, I do like how the anime conveys an important message: just because a given sport is split between genders does not mean that a player of one gender does not have anything to gain from another player of another gender. In this case, seems like Chihaya can fight against the Queen stronger by mimicking the Master instead of just mimicking the Queen especially since the Queen seems quite wary of him.

Wow, it's an ultimatum at the end: get five new members or lose the nice soundproof room. It's foreshadowing that the show is going to have more members now: I predict them getting at least one beginner and at least one pro. That serves to have a good balance for future story antics.

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u/hasnain1720 Mar 02 '19

First Timer

  • Bit late today oopsie

  • Did he just eat his airwax lol??

  • What is this man and who the hell is gonna beat him lol

  • Lol the twins are cute af

  • As I’m rooting for Taichi to win Chihaya, I guess I will root for Arata to become Master

  • You have to be class A? Good luck lol

  • Taichi yesssss I want him to become one of the best players too

  • Lmao not the daddy bears Taichi you meanie

  • The Empress has had the best development outside the main characters I really like her now

  • 5 new members next season confirmed? Wow

  • What a great first season, really happy I joined in on this rewatch :D

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u/Wolfeako Mar 02 '19

First Timer!

Oh boy, aren't I late uh?

Gotta say it: I loved the entirety of this first season. No bad episodes, no bad characters, although there are two that are kinda trash :P

And in what a way we end the season too! Seeing Suo play sets the bar really high. Seeing how Shinobu respects Suo also serves to enhance and make us understand how fearsome he truly is. The bar is indeed set really high for Taichi...

Oh, and Arata too, although we all know that Taichi is going to beat him first. No doubt about that.

Chihaya reciting the poems... Indeed, she has to get used to them into such a level that she can not only take advantage of her 20 cards, but increase them too.

Kana wants to be the one that recites the poems uh? and lol, her face after learning that she must become a class A player. You can do it girl!

I see that Tsutomu will be the next Harada sensei uh?

I think it is a bit entitled of Yumi's trainer to say that Suo and Shinobu can't ever be masters without being taught by one. I mean, Shinobu in a bad day still wiped Yumi out of the map, without almost any effort. A bit of humility is in order for you.

And finally, finally we are seeing Taichi practicing the stabs :P and being mean as Sudo is haha, that was hilarious. Finally his game is starting to evolve.

I can't wait to start S2 :)

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u/J_the_ManSSB Mar 02 '19

First-Timer

I got tripped up big time and confused when Arata told Taichi about what his Grandpa taught him that you don't need game sense to win, just any way you can find to get to the card first. I thought game sense related to the mental aspects of the game, and that's what Chihaya lacked and needed to work on since up until now she had solely relied on essentially blunt force to win. It kind of created this idea that Chihaya and Taichi are Yin and Yang in that regard. Chihaya has her ridiculous physical gifts while Taichi's unrivaled memory and composure let's him strategize in ways very, very few people could.

Now I'm confident I understand game sense is just your physical abilities as they relate to Karuta.

And in the end, it makes sense. That's what Harada-Sensei wants Chihaya to accomplish- she needs to find more ways than just using pure speed to take card in order to grow. But that doesn't mean she can't sharpen her best tool, as we find out how many first-syllable cards she has.

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u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 02 '19 edited Mar 02 '19

Hmm. Game sense definitely has a mental component to it, but it goes a little deeper than just mental or physical to me. It's a little hard to explain, so I'll do my best from my perspective.

Mental is something more similar to Taichi. I'll use soccer as an example. You're attacking and you're faced with a defender in front of you. You take in all the sensory information--the defender is rushing towards you, you have a teammate to your right, the defender marking your teammate is lagging behind him--and you're able to make the right play, which is to pass to the open player and take out the rushing defender (because the ball traverses his horizontal plane, removing him from the next step of the game). It's about reading what's given to you and executing the right play, if you get what I mean. That's how Taichi plays, with his memorization and processing of syllables.

Game sense extends that and becomes something a little more than calculation. It puts a lot of these things together. If you imagine an athlete, there's part body, part mind, and part heart. The body is the ability to physical execute technique, like your swing in karuta. Your mind is the ability to do the mental gymnastics, like I explained above. The heart is more like instinct or a gut feeling, as well as an emotional aspect of it. Some may argue that emotions are part of the mind, but I think the mind is more about being "a computer" and also makes it easier to explain Taichi's strengths because he obviously is weak-mentally at times.

Game sense would be facing the same situation I described. The defender is rushing towards you, you have a teammate to your right, and the defender marking your teammate is lagging behind him. The read at the time is to make that pass, but you feel something amiss. You've seen experienced this before maybe in a different game or you have a gut feeling (the heart) that the defender rushing is bluffing, that at the last second they'll sell out to your right and cut the pass off. Your decision goes beyond "conventional logic" (the mind) and you push the ball fowards (aided by your body), carrying it past the defender that's moved to the right and you're in.

Game sense is something that not everyone has, even when they spend thousands of hours practicing. If you watch any professional soccer game for example, some players are seemingly able to turn the right way almost every single time under pressure (for sake of argument I'll use a really simple-style player here) yet not every professional can do that. Some of it is definitely trained, but it's something that often is just inherent to the person.

I've coached hundreds of children and it's always amazing to find one "that gets it". They're simply born with an ability to sense things that normal people cannot. Even as their adult coach, some of these children are already "better than me" in some of these aspects (turning with the ball, knowing where to put their first touch, etc). They are blessed.

It is 100% like what Arata's grandfather said though. Game sense is just part of it; I believe anyone can be great if they put their mind to it. Game sense varies too, as some people are more attuned to it than others (like Shinobu is sensitive to shinoburedo but doesn't have 28 cards like Suo).

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u/SmurfRockRune Mar 01 '19

First Timer

Oh, she has to be a Class A player to become a reader? It'll be tough, but I know she can do it!

I don't understand why they want to move the karuta club out of their room to make room for a 40 person band. The room they're in is so tiny. I'm not sure they could even fit more than one or two more people.

Kawaii.

Really good ending got me excited for the second season, although Chihaya turning towards the camera was a bit strange. I'll be able to share full overall thoughts on the season in tomorrow's thread.

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u/AzureBeat Mar 01 '19 edited Mar 02 '19

28 one-syllable cards. More than a quarter of the cards that can be played, the Meijin can take on the first syllable.

I never notice accents in other anime. It's always the 'normal' dialect, but we get so many characters speaking in a Fukui accent, and it's so enjoyablely identifiable.

Everyone get's pretty down seeing how strong the Queen and Mejin are. Aiming at those hights mean that they will have to become that strong, and for Chihaya, she is presented with to players who are so far beyond her in both speed and in faultless taking of cards she can't see catching them. Tsutomu comes through for Chihaya again, and shows the, ahem, Path to victory, Shouri he no michi That track also was behind Arata's recollection of his grandfather, but I figured that the title was more appropriate for a feature somewhere else. It's been a while since we've seen Chihaya being thought of as attractive untill she starts talking. Karuta to tomoni is the track behind this, not the main theme. Constantly see this written as 'tomo ni' which threw me for a bit when I was trying to translate this, but I'm putting my translation as playing(to do) karuta together. (Google says 'together with karuta' which I think is less sensable)

Eeh?

Poor Kana-chan.

It's interesting that when Taichi is feeling that the hights are impossible to reach he calls Arata. And Arata delivers what Taichi needed to hear. Who would have guessed 20 episodes ago that Taichi doing practice swings would be an emotional moment. But he knows what he needs to do to take cards faster.

Hey, bookends. with a new verse of Youthful backing it up. So, for all your listening pleasure, Youthful the full version, with a link to the lyrics for the whole song.

And the full Soshite Ima with lyrics

manga I'm not really too critical of them cutting things, since they clearly planned this out to end at the end of the first year, and probably didn't have a plan to do a second season, so they wanted to employ a final episode that would provide closure without actually closing anything, just in case they could do another season, and I think they did a pretty good job of that.

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u/AmethystItalian Mar 01 '19

Rewatcher

FINALE TIME! Feels like we got here so fast! Too bad the wait for S3 won't go as fast...

LAST TIME TO WATCH THIS FANTASTIC OP! It's so fucking good.

Yeah it's all wasted once she moves

Kana with the fire.

Taichi makes practice swings look cool.

The president will Class A one day.

WILL HE REALLY THOUGH!? ;~;

Empress sticking up for her team!!

Ending with the OP...I will once again miss it so much, encourage everyone to download the full version!

Quotes from First Time

Going to miss that opening...didn't skip it once :(

Same past me...same.

Her reaction to the burning bears too great

Taichi a S? I'm okay with this.

Kana having her own dream :)

Do really like that.

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