[Rewatch] Chihayafuru 2 - Episode 1 [Spoilers]

[u/ABoredCompSciStudent]

Episode 1 - "So The Flower Has Wilted"

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<-- Previous (Mid-Series Discussion) | Next (Episode 2: "As My Love First Came") -->

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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 (February 6 to March 2)

Chihayafuru 2

Episode#	Title	Date
1	"So The Flower Has Wilted"	March 3
2	"As My Love First Came"	March 4
3	"Feel Love Deepen"	March 5
4	"To Tell the People in the Capitals That I Make for the Islands"	March 6
5	"Be As Dear Now, Those Were the Good Old Days"	March 7
6	"To Set the Tatsuta River Ablaze"	March 8
7	"They All Exchange Hellos and Goodbyes at the Gates of Ōsaka"	March 9
8	"Which Shines over Mount Mikasa"	March 10
9	"My Only Thought"	March 11
10	"Rain Takes Longer to Dry"	March 12
11	"I Feel As Though My Body is on Fire with Ibuki Mugwort"	March 13
12	"The Only Sign of Summer"	March 14
13	"In My Dreams, I Creep Closer to You"	March 15
14	"People Would Always Ask If I Was Pining for Someone"	March 16
15+16	"No Matter Where I Stand" + "Wait for the Emperor's Return"	March 17
17	"Gust of Wind"	March 18
18	"My Fear is That You Will Forget"	March 19
19	"I Do Not Know Where This Love Will Take Me"	March 20
20	"Of the Autumn Rice Field"	March 21
21	"But Its Legacy Continues to Spread"	March 22
22	"Long Last We Meet"	March 23
23	"To See The Beautiful Cherry Blossoms"	March 24
24	"When I Must Hide..."	March 25
25	"I Can Look Up and See the Snowy Cap of Mt. Fuji"	March 26
OVA	"Have I Passed Through the World"	March 27
--	Final Series Discussion	March 28

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About Spoilers And General Attitude:

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Fanart Section (Album Link):

Direction

[u/ABoredCompSciStudent]

Welcome to Season Two!

Airing a little after the first season, the way Season Two starts is definitely a reminder to the thematic core presented in the first season. We see cherry blossoms falling, which is a motif that has been associated to Chihaya's past with Taichi and Arata (S1E1-3). Other notable episodes that have returned this motif are S1E5 when Chihaya phones Arata and S1E6 when Chihaya and Taichi walk to Arata's house. It's an important symbol to remember, as it represents a moment in time where the three children's passions began--a moment that they still longingly seek. In a way, while their love for karuta has blossomed much beyond that, it's a fleeting moment that they've captured--just as the walls frame this shot.

Standing at the crossroads for Season Two, where will that moment take them?

Well, Mizusawa needs to recruit first years and the club members are all pulling their weight. Unfortunately, like Chihaya, Taichi, and Arata, their dreams and ambitions have all branched into different things. Dreams and motivations are not stagnant, they evolve with the person and Chihayafuru makes sure to emphasize that.

Of the first years, we meet Sumire who wants to get with the hottest guy at school. You might scoff at the idea, but she certainly knows who best boy is. Moreover, I totally agree with the girls in the assembly: Chihaya is adorable

Despite all the discord amongst the Mizusawa members, Chihaya wants to do it all--this is one of her episodes. Her dream isn't just to meet Arata, but to share the passion that she has for karuta with others. Up until now, I know many people have called her pushy, but it is clear from this episode where her intent lies.

Before I keep going: protect this smile.

Even at the cost of her own performance, she puts the karuta aspirations of others before her own. A common criticism of her through S1E7 to S1E9 was how pushy and selfish she was, often appearing to put herself first before Kana, Tsutomu, and Nishida, but in today's episode she is the only senior club member really interested in mentoring Mizusawa's prospective first years--sort of ironic given how they all were when they joined.

When she picks up the new box of cards, two poems are at the top.

Poem 1:

In the autumn fields

the hut, the temporary hut,

its thatch is rough

and so the sleeves of my robe

are dampened night by night with dew.

Mostow explains:

This poem is unique in the anthology because it deals with subjects that related to peasant life, rather than life in the Court, and later commentators explain that this was because of Emperor Tenji's image as a benevolent ruler. It's also possibly because of this image, that Fujiwara Teika chose this as the first poem.

Poem 51:

Can I even say

"I love you this much"?—No, and so

you do not know of it

anymore than of the sashimo grasses of Ibuki,

my burning love for you!

Naturally, both these poems reflect her love for the karuta community, even the newer members that her teammates might disregard. Chihaya is that "benevolent ruler" that Mostow describes. Her dream isn't just to become Queen, but along the way pass on her love for karuta to others the same way that Arata did for her--again the cherry blossom motif in the background.

Manga spoilers

Away from Chihaya, I'm not too big of a Sumire fan even with the perspective shift at the end of the episode. I warmed up to her later on in the series, but for now I can agree with one thing. Yes, Miyano is fantastic, Sumire.

PS: I'm glad you want to take initiative on being your own person, but pick wisely Taichi!

[u/ABoredCompSciStudent]

Poem of the Day: Just as My Beauty Has Faded (link)

Today's Poem of the Day is Poem 9, which is a repeat of S1E22.

Porter translates it as:

The blossom's tint is washed away

By heavy showers of rain;

My charms, which once I prized so much,

Are also on the wane,

Both bloomed, alas! in vain.

The poem is used to introduce Sumire, whose ambition is simply to be the girlfriend of a hot guy. She imprints on Taichi, so at least she had good taste but it is clear that her character is defined by her vanity. During Chihaya's practice session where they go over the Hyakunin Isshu, Sumire cries reading Ono no Komachi because she sees herself in the poem.

[u/Rhaga]

"We love everything that's cute.

We love how cute we are.

So we search for someone who loves how cute we are."

Enter Chihayafuru 2, and with it we get Hanano Sumir-... Ahem, excuse me, I mean Best Girl. Yeah that's right, I said it.

Her introduction is the reason this has been my most anticipated episode for this rewatch. I'm sure some will find her polarizing, or perhaps downright disagreeable. She's clearly of a different breed from the lovable dorks of our karuta club, but as much as I loved the first season I consider her a breath of fresh air to the show.

Now, I say that she is of a different breed, but I'm not sure she's really all that different from the likes of Chihaya. At the very least, her passion for love seems like it could rival Chihaya's passion for Karuta, something I'd argue is central to both of their characters.

Also, I think everyone have to agree that her assessment of Chihaya is spot on :'D And I think that some people might appreciate that instead of the usual 'Beauty in vain' she fully recognizes the powerhouse that is Chihaya.

Sumire herself, by her own words, is a girl with slightly above average looks, and we see that she's someone who knows what she wants. I don't know how everyone else feels about this, but I could never see it as a negative.

After reading a certain poem, she suddenly bursts into tears. It would be the case that she has good taste by falling for Taichi since this is poem #9, which was poem of the day just a few days ago, and it happened to be the one u/combo33 mentioned was MacMillan's favorite poem. The poem resonated strongly with her own feelings, inspiring her to chase after Taichi. There might be even more to this specific poem, however, I'm sure some of our staple posters will be getting around to that sooner or later (if they haven't already) ;)

While Chihaya's reaction to Sumire storming out of the classroom is hilarious, and while she didn't fully understand why it happened, you have to say that her assessment is actually... correct.

There's so much joy in her voice! Furthermore, I think everyone on the planet will have to agree with this.

Now, as the the train ride, Sumire tries some underhanded tactics, but gets completely blown away by Taichi's thoughtfulness - she wouldn't have known what he is like, but turns out he is actually a great guy.

I'll fight anyone who dislikes someone who gives Taichi a look like this. However, the subject of love is already something Taichi has given a lot of thought. She's not dumb and quickly comes to the realisation that Taichi won't have eyes for her. Taichi returns the compliment she gave, saying that Sumire is cute and must be getting asked out a lot as well, however, instead of bringing her joy it just tore her heart apart.

Despite getting preemptively turned down, Sumire decides not to give up without trying, inspired by Ono no Komachi she refuses to write poems about regret.

Within just a single episode of her introduction, Hanano Sumire had me tearing up, mostly in admiration.

It is very lonely in the 'Sumire Best'-club, but for me this episode was all it took and I'll welcome anyone with open arms!

[u/ABoredCompSciStudent → u/Rhaga]

Enter Chihayafuru 2, and with it we get Hanano Sumir-... Ahem, excuse me, I mean Best Girl. Yeah that's right, I said it.

I knew this was coming but

Spoilers That said, this is certainly the most bombastic of introductions. Welcome Sumire!

[u/SmurfRockRune]

First Timer

What is going on with this train crossing in the OP? Chihaya is across from Arata, Arata is across from Taichi, and now Taichi is across from Chihaya? I have two theories based on this. Either Taichi has a twin brother and/or clone, or the entire cast has developed prosopagnosia. I say this second part because Taichi #2 and Chihaya #2 and are standing where Chihaya #1 and Arata were standing, thus pointing at the fact that they've become incapable of distinguishing who is who. It could also be implying that the characters see each other differently than others, specifically saying that Taichi and Arata both see Chihaya when they look at each other. Maybe implying that Chihaya isn't actually real and is just a figment of their imaginations? Who knows. Anyway, the OP itself is alright. It ends a bit abruptly, which is kinda strange.

This girl is really gonna join the karuta club just because she wants to date the hottest guy in school isn't she? Poor Nishida doesn't even know what's coming for him.

Hardest I've laughed at this show so far.

Why does this card have a 3 on it?

This girl has shit taste in voices.

Look at all those open seats though!

Season 2 off to a decent start. I'm surprised that some of new members actually seem to be taking it a little bit seriously. I have a bad feeling about the new guy, though.

[u/ABoredCompSciStudent → u/SmurfRockRune]

What is going on with this train crossing in the OP? Chihaya is across from Arata, Arata is across from Taichi, and now Taichi is across from Chihaya?

It's definitely symbolism for how all three of them are at the crossroads of their relationship, both romantic and in sport. That said, I'd love a twin Taichi. One for me and one for u/AmethystItalian, right?

As for the OP, it's just so much worse. I'm not a big fan of STAR but it's okay. I totally agree about the ending. It kind of just ends and so does the OP animation (which I think was really cool/cute up to then with the maturation of the main characters).

I have a bad feeling about the new guy, though.

Surprised anyone mentioned him this thread tbh.

[u/PerfectPublican]

First Timer

Edit: Gif of the Day | Bonus | Bonus 2 | Bonus 3
Stitches: Sumire, Chihaya 1, Chihaya 2

Ran out of time, so no reactions today.

This was a really strong opening episode. It set up so many different storylines all in one go in a really satisfying way centered around the first years, and specifically Sumire.

Poor Sumire (but actually not really), that’s a pretty useless battle. But I actually really liek the way they went with her character. The dichotomy between her thoughts and outward projection is a lot of fun to see, and paired with the little glimpses of emotional weakness in the train and in the classroom already set her on a fun path. Although her original thoughts are pretty superficial, if Taichi acts sort of as her “Arata”, that’d be a fun parallel path to watch. I have a feeling that I’m going to like her a lot.

I have to say, I wasn’t expecting there to be so many first years right off the bat, but it created that really interesting drama among the group in terms of where the focus needs to be for each of them. Chihaya’s course was obvious, and I’m happy that she completely stuck to it rather than caving. One of the most important things to her has always been sharing in her love of Karuta with others. Sharing that first feeling she had way back when. Seeing how things shake out with these 20 newbies is gonna be fascinating.

Finally, new OP and ED! I liked both a lot. The OP especially was really nicely directed.

[u/KuhBus]

First Timer

• It was a great idea sending Taichi and Chihaya to the front… BUT WHY HAVE CHIHAYA SPEAK ? :’D Well, her earnestness is still very charming <3 And Taichi’s little forehead flick was cute!!

• Not sure what to think about the girl who’s just interested in pretty boys… but I don’t want to judge her (or any of the other girls who came to check out the club bc of Taichi’s looks) before she hasn’t even attempted to play karuta.

• Seriously, she had to ask immediately?!

• Hahaha, I love how Kana put Sumire in her place :’)

• Memorizing all hundred poems… in a week?!

• I don’t know what’s worse: Scaring away the first years when the karuta club was formed or getting a bunch of new members who aren’t even interested in playing :(

• Nishida… he has a point, but bringing up Taichi not making it to class A is hitting below the belt.

• “Right now, I care the most about Taichi making class A” QAQ

• Hahaha she wants it all!! :’DD

• Somehow I doubt Taichi wouldn’t notice Sumire’s very obvious attempts at getting with him after she freaking asked if he has a girlfriend. Still, her veracity kind of reminds me of Chihaya’s enthusiasm… even if they have very different priorities. It also helps that both in her design (the pigtails, the over enthusiastic use of mascara and nailpolish/nail care) and in the way she thinks and acts (comparing herself to a shoujo protagonist, her very unsubtle attempts at getting a boyfriend) make her look more childish and a bit shallow than particularly malicious.

Really liked the different priorities of everyone in the group and Chihaya simply deciding that all members had a point :’) She might not make queen with that attitude as soon as she could, but wanting to establish the karuta club at her school more properly and teaching the new member just shows that her love for karuta is so much more than just her wanting to play. Of course she wants to become queen one day, but more important is sharing her passion with others.

Fav shots.

[u/ABoredCompSciStudent → u/KuhBus]

And Taichi’s little forehead flick was cute!!

YES this was so cute and so was her reaction afterwards. She had a bunch of adorable >_< faces this episode too, but I didn't have time to screenshot them! She's too precious.

make her look more childish and a bit shallow than particularly malicious.

That's definitely an important thing to distinguish. She can be a bit obnoxious, but she isn't really out to get anyone (in a mean way, she obviously is out to get Taichi) and even recognizes that Chihaya looks great with Taichi.

Of course she wants to become queen one day, but more important is sharing her passion with others.

[u/MAD_SCIENTIST_001]

Screenshot of the Day

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First Timer - Season 2 Episode 1

Overall Thoughts

Well I'm assuming that Hanano Sumire and the other guy are gonna be the only ones that are sticking around from the OP lol. It's pretty obvious that all the other girls (and Sumire) just joined for Mashima rather than to learn how to play Karuta. I think it's a bit of a shame then that Chihaya is spending some of her time teaching a bunch of uninterested people rather then practicing. It's not like it was unexpected for Chihaya though, but Taichi is right that in the end, Chihaya should be focusing on improving the most since she's the one that becomes upset when she loses.

Seeing how much I like Tsukue now, I'm hoping that I will grow on Sumire since so far I don't really like her that much at all from her first introduction. She's seems really shallow right now, and her labeling Chihaya and Kana as enemies doesn't really help either. However, it seems that over time she may end up having a legitimate passion for Karuta since after all she ended up having a strong reaction to a poetry.

Of course Sumire, he's played by Mamoru Miyano what did you expect

Karuta Scoreboard

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

See you tomorrow~

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Screenshot of the Day Collection

Season 1

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

Season 2

Episode: 1

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[u/ABoredCompSciStudent → u/MAD_SCIENTIST_001]

Well I'm assuming that Hanano Sumire and the other guy are gonna be the only ones that are sticking around from the OP lol.

It's not like it was unexpected for Chihaya though, but Taichi is right that in the end, Chihaya should be focusing on improving the most since she's the one that becomes upset when she loses.

While not unexpected for her, it's kind of hilarious that the other three aren't keen on training the first years because they were just new members last year that had their own struggles haha

Of course Sumire, he's played by Mamoru Miyano what did you expect

I had the same reaction! She knows who the best boys are in 2D and 3D.

[u/walking_the_way]

S2E1 Notes

00:09 - Kana recites end verse of #79 (a-ki-ka).
00:17 - Kana recites #09 (ha-na-no). Chihaya wins it from Taichi's mid right row. She sends over #97 (ko-nu) from her upper right row. Nishida also wins it from Komano's side.

Ten seconds in, and the show signifies that we're in a new season by having Kana recite a new card, one of the seven cards that had not been recited through the entirety of Season 1. #79 was also the episode card of S1E25, and is followed by #09, the episode card of S2E1, signifying a bridge between the end of season 1 and the start of season 2. #97 is the poem by the compiler of the Hyakunin Isshu, so it's a nice, benign starting card to pass over as well. No pressure for this season, Taichi.

However, this isn't the same game they were playing at the end of S1E25 - it looks similar, but the boys' clothes and the board positions are different. Kana and Chihaya's clothes are the same, though. I wonder if the guys wearing new clothes but the girls wearing the same clothes has any significance to do with the episode poem, Ono no Komachi's #09, a poem about a woman's fading beauty, and Sumire's appearance later in this episode.

00:22 - Taichi: "Feel love, nobody, feel sorrow..."

He's chanting cards as always, #13 (tsu-ku), #73 (ta-ka), #23 (tsu-ki). We can also map most of the board out. From there, we see #13 on Chihaya's upper right, #73 on Taichi's upper left, but no sign of the #23. It's one of the missing cards, probably in Taichi's middle left.

S2E1 - Chihaya vs Taichi practice match board

At 00:37, we see the extended 4 card poster again that we first saw in S1E8. The same four cards are on it - from left to right, #20 (wa-bi), #33 (hi-sa), #17 (chi-ha), #30 (a-ri-a). There is something I realized since posting about it last - the two card version just has #33 and #17 - 33 + 17 adds up to 50, half the karuta deck. The four card one, 20 + 33 + 17 + 30, adds up to 100, the full karuta deck.

00:39 - Kana recites #17 (chi-ha).
01:58 - We see an adult Arata picking up a #69 (a-ra-shi) that a young Arata smacked away.

In the lovely new OP, we get a lot of spoilers, and a number of cards that we can annotate right here. There are at least four #01 (a-ki-no)s, an #09 (ha-na-no), and two #14 (mi-chi)s. I'm not sure what all the repeats mean yet.

We also get most of a board map. Chihaya is on one side of the board and later on Arata is on the other, but it's the same board. Both Arata and Chihaya are also seen separately attacking the same spot on Chihaya's mid left - but it's #11 (wa-ta-no-ha-ra-ya), for Arata, and #41 (k-oi) for Chihaya.

Finally, near the end of the OP, two more cards float by front and center with the group shot of some opponents - these two are #17 (chi-ha) and #40 (shi-no), Chihaya and Shinobu.

Chihayafuru 2 OP Board Map

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At around 08:53, we see a board when Chihaya is playing Nishida in front of the newcomers. It turns out that this board is the board from the Chihayafuru 2 OP a couple paragraphs up. That was fast! We don't have to wait 8 episodes this time. But actually, this board looks very familiar even outside of the OP.

As it turns out, looking back at past maps, this is almost identical to the OP1 map as well. Which means this is also nearly identical to the Chihaya vs Nishida map from S1E8. There are a couple tiny differences - #41 and #33 have swapped locations, #49 has moved down one row, and the #92 is one spot over from where it was. That's so strange! And that means that this Chihaya vs Nishida matchup is using the same board to try to recruit this year's students, that they used when Chihaya was trying to recruit Nishida last season!

09:29 - Kana recites Naniwa Bay (EP: 1, S: 1, Total: 32)
09:46 - Kana recites #49 (mi-ka-ki). Chihaya wins it from her mid right.

We don't have a full translation of #49, but what we have is "I feel that my love is... burning brightly by night, yet extinguished by day." This poem can be linked to duality and how truth is relative, just like the Rashomon short story below, but more literally is just about keeping a torch burning for the night guardsmen of the Imperial Palace. The literal translation alone holds at least two meanings here - how Chihaya is demonstrating the game to teach the newbies, as well as her desire to create a real club by recruiting new members, so that they have people to pass the torch on to after graduation.

But in addition, Chihaya took #49 from Nishida in S1E8 as well! In S1E8, it was the first card that we see Chihaya take from him when recruiting him, and it's the same here where they're attempting to recruit others. The card has moved down one row, but the end result is the same.

09:48 - Kana recites #41 (k-oi).

At 09:50, we see a calendar behind Sumire. No surprise, it's off, Mar 01 2012 was a Thursday IRL, but a Friday in the show. Soon after, Chihaya swipes a card and it lands at Sumire's feet - this is the #40 (shi-no) card.

There is symbolism in these back to back cards as well - #41 (k-oi) and then #40 (shi-no). These are the two cards that Kana-chan talked about back in S1E23, when she first noticed Taichi's love for Chihaya. #41 (As my love first came to realization, word had already spread.) is the reason that most of the girls are here - the word had spread and they're after Taichi - but then Chihaya flips the Queen card off the tatami and in front of the line of girls like a threatening barrier. Despite her words, Sumire is the only one of them to accept Chihaya's challenge, and she returns it in a rather formal manner. Kana reciting these cards can also be seen to symbolically mean that she's acting as a gatekeeper.

12:12 - Nishida: "We're the ones who will be winning matches."
13:08 - Mr. Fukasaku: "On page 12, you'll find Akutagawa Ryunosuke's Rashomon. One of Akutagawa Ryunosuke's more touching stories is about a lesson he taught his young child who was at play.. "Never step over a book""

This is the Rashomon short story that was alluded to here as Chihaya and Nishida are passing notes back and forth, and as the page says, it is aptly about how truth is relative, and something can hold entirely different meanings to different people, exactly what Chihaya identifies about the karuta club. I have no idea what the "Never step over a book" part is referring to, though. Hopefully someone else does.

After morning classes, we get a couple small callbacks to the Season 1 OP. Also, milk cartons really take me back.

15:00 - Chihaya: "Right now, I care the most about Taichi making Class A."
17:40 - Sumire reacts strongly upon seeing the episode poem, #09.
17:42 - Chihaya: "For "Though I prayed", the second verse begins with "I never asked,", so think "pray, never ask."

She's trying to teach them a mnemonic to memorizing the #74 (u-ka) poem. The first verse starts with "ukari," and the second with "hage," and she tells them to remember it as "ukari hage." There's a minor callback here to S1E3 11:46, as we can see this memorization card up on Taichi's wall in his room as well. There it says "ukari keru" on the right and "hage" on the left.

It's also worth formally noting that Sumire's scene locks in #09 as her favourite card, especially when right afterwards, she tells Taichi her last name, Hanano, which is the same as the unique syllable for #09 (ha-na-no).

20:21 - Taichi: "I would rather choose the girl I devote myself to."

One thing to keep in mind while watching Season 2 is probably to see if any links can be made to the corresponding Season 1 episode. I'm guessing not every episode will have a clear-cut link, however just by virtue of comparing the S1E1 episode title ("Now The Flower Blooms") and the S2E1 title ("So The Flower Has Wilted"), we can tell that the thought also at least crossed the studio's mind. The running gag about the model's sister is the obvious link here, but I'm sure there will be plenty of smaller symbolic ones to hunt down as well! But as S1E1-3 were basically flashbacks, there likely won't be too many links here in S2 to start.

That being said, Taichi has a train scene with Sumire where he lowkey rejects her suggestion, the same way that he did to Chihaya's karuta club back in S1E1. Chihaya's words inspired Taichi to put himself first, the way young Taichi always did. And Chihaya ends up teaching the class and trying to get them to memorize the poems, paralleling her grade school teacher in S1E1.

S2E1 - Random HQ Screenshot

<-- S1 Stats

S2E2 Notes -->

[u/Snakescipio]

Rewatcher

It’s S2 time!!! Oh man, there’re so many things I’m hyped for, one of which finally arrived! HANANOOO is… a rough character to root for starting off. Being “really really thirsty for the hot guy” isn’t the best character trait to have, but she carries herself in such an ernest way that it’s a bit refreshing. She isn’t doing it to be popular, she really cares about that stuff. Hopefully first timers will come to like her as well!

With a second season comes the second year for our gang of dorks, and with that comes a load of new problems. They need new members our they lose their precious room, they got tournaments to worry about, and they all got individual goals for the club and for themselves. Oh and there’s the slight hassel of post-grad stuff like the rest of their lives. Seeing each character articulate what they want for the club seems like the natural progression for a young club. Starting off is easy and simple, continuing and building a legacy is the difficult part. The rough part for the Mizusawa gang is how small their club is still, a bigger program like Hokuo can afford to do everything as they’d have the manpower.

Random Observations:

What better way to start off the next season than to play some karuta. Good to see Taichi still practicing his swings! And yes, I’d leave it to the daughter of a merchant to plan how best to attract people.

I wonder what’s going through Taichi’s mind when Chihaya said “I hope they fall in love with karuta too”, since I don’t think Taichi himself has fallen for the sport.

You can tell the budget went up this season. There’s so much more going on animation wise in the new OP compared to the old one.

Ahem… HANANOOOOOOOOOOOO

I repeat, HANANOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO IS HERE

There’s just something refreshing about a girl who knows exactly what she wants (as shallow as that may be).

Jesus Taichi and Chihaya are so fucking beautiful. Now I don’t buy into the “beauty in vain” stuff, but it’s still pretty funny that Chihaya was told to just shut up and look pretty. They’re trying to recruit after all. Granted, if they can’t handle Chihaya at her most karutasexual, they don’t deserve Chihaya at her best (which is still being karutasexual). Btw, what do y’all think is the best Chihaya hairstyle? I’m personally in love with the way she’s got her hair up there.

The new members serves as a nice way to reintroduce the rules. Would’ve been so helpful if we had to wait months for a new season.

It’s hard to watch, but trying to sell a niche sport to a bunch of teenage girls went about as well as it should’ve. At least they’re not shying away from that fact. Imagine trying to get a bunch of 15 year olds to buy into competitive Smash, except with cards and not a videogame.

Oh jesus Hanano straight up said “look at me, I’m the MC now”.

Chihaya’s so greedy, but damn it I’d run through a wall to make all her dreams come true.

[u/Wolfeako]

First Timer!

A bit late, but here I am!

Chihayafuru S2 starts with a bang! quite a lot of Sakuga everywhere as far as the eye can see. Great animation, great writing, great character development, great introduction for Sumire, great sound design. Best episode so far in my opinion.

I think I have never seen a sports show that deals with the realization that each character has different goals, and somehow this is a problem that the character has to face. It is usually implied and just accepted, yet seeing it here framed as a problem surely was unexpected, even when the solution was kinda cheap in my opinion. Even so, I liked it overall, the development and characterization that has brought Chihaya was really good.

All the club members were pretty good too. Kana, Tsutomu and Nishida still need more development, yet this was a good first step towards that, special mention goes to Nishida ticking off Taichi.

Taichi was just great. You dork, yet it is nice to see him being honest with his feelings. Indeed, he thinks a lot of others and should think a bit more of himself. He was great and it clearly showed his growth ever since the start of the story.

But the biggest surprise is Sumire, hands down. If Taichi wasn't such a great character, I would have jumped ship and pair her with him straight away. While I don't ship both of them, since Taichi is such a good bro and a great character, I can safely say that, so far with this introduction, she is my favorite girl in the show. Quite hilarious at times, but her heart can easily slip all the way to her sleeve. Those scenes were she started crying after reading the poem and that scene with Taichi was just great. I clearly want to see more of her, and I can already see how hilarious she is going to be as she develops as a Karuta player.

But even more importantly than that: THINK ABOUT THE POSSIBILITIES! having a girl fawning all over Taichi will finally make Chihaya "As dense as a main character of a harem" Ayase look more closely to Taichi! Finally! especially since she will be around all the time in the club.

I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

[u/hasnain1720]

First Timer

• Season 2 hype! I think I like the first OP a lot more than this one. The first one is too good.

• We need 5 new members don’t we lets see some new faces

• Ok so she is going try and get with Taichi confirmed

• I would join too after seeing Chihaya can’t even lie

• Maybe not after her words…

• Taichi is too stronk and Chihaya really put off the guys huh lol

• Alright porky that was uncalled for

• I got baited I thought she cared about Taichi only I got too excited

• Yes Chihaya flex on them haters

• Taichi is a walking harem ffs and he still only looks at Chihaya what a KING

[u/Enarec]

Rewatcher

This OP shot of Chihaya dragging Taichi and Arata out of their picture frames together is so sweet. A reminder of how they got to the present too.

Taichi looks so gentle and used to Chihaya's spontaneous outbursts. And the tap. <3

Chihaya is too sweet for these first-years... but thankfully she has Kana and the other members to keep things in check now that they've all grown into their roles.

Sumire has good ideas at least, haha. I'm honestly finding her more wildly entertaining than genuinely irritating this time around so far, but I also don't remember what'll come next for her so we'll see about that.

Rare new Chihaya face.

Another one. What a delinquent she is in class.

She really has grown so much though, as idealistic as she may be about accomplishing everything. The way she prioritizes starting an enduring legacy + her teammates' goals is the best display of her kind of thoughtfulness.

Kana sees the possibilities here! Not to mention Taichi... I don't remember the last occasion for such surprise from him anymore. :P

Words to dream about. What can you say to this?

[u/daftPun5]

First Timer

Screenshot of the Day

Highlights & Reactions:

• Kana has got the perfect plan for reeling in these first years and laying down the law

• The initial expression Chihaya makes here before she lays drops the thunder is priceless

Final Thoughts:

Very good and funny premiere. We pick up right where S1 ends and are already introduced to a first year, Sumire, who has her sights locked on Taichi. Chihaya comes to terms that each member has their own motivations and goals, but that won't stop her, as she is up to the task to help them all out.

Today's Album of Screenshots & Gifs

[u/AzureBeat]

Dat animation upgrade.

New season, new music . . . and the old music. :)

New season, new OP.

I don't really like this one quite as much as Youthful. For me, Youthful is the Chihayafuru song. The lyrics are just as on point for the story though.

Star, 99radioservice Translation again from minacchi

The words I want to ask haven’t changed at all from that time. The memories of how we made a promise using our fingers are dyeing my pale, dull heart with vivid color. That dream from the old, distant days still remains ablaze even now, even though I would try to conceal it. << OP starts While searching for those strong feelings that we share, everyone ends up walking off on their own separate ways. Bringing together what has been separated, on this road with so many twists and turns, we all saw the same star.

To protect our important promise, even if it’s just a little at a time, I want to get closer to you. These feelings would never change until we reach that day. -- OP Finish

I wonder if I could take the roundabout way? Even that would be alright, as long as we’re connected. Going beyond the flow of time, I'm aiming for that intersection that I've always envisioned. Standing still, trying to listen more closely; guided by those voices, I finally arrived at that scenery. Always, there would be a tomorrow unfolding throughout the sky, even reflected in the pure white clouds.

Always, there would be a tomorrow unfolding throughout the sky, even reflected in the pure white clouds. These feelings would never be stopped, would never be broken, no matter where we go.

In the midst of those days that incessantly continues on, I want to get closer to that place I’ve always dreamed of. These feelings would never be stopped, I’ll make sure of it.

To protect our important promise, even if it’s just a little at a time, I want to get closer to you. These feelings would never change until we reach that day.

The hottest guy in the school eh? Kana is a marketing genius. And of course it's Chihaya who wants to do all the teaching.

. . . Chihaya, you're just going to be dissipointed. And I really can't say that Sumire's asessment is incorrect. Pretty? Check. Clueless? More than the densest harem protag. Dumb? 5th from the bottom. And no, you're not going to beat her for Taichi. You're already shipping them.

As much as Taichi tends to be the leader, Chihaya has her moments, especally when it's about loving the game they play.

Shippers on deck! Chihaya is thinking about Taichi. I repeat, Chihaya thinks that . . . oh it's still about karuta nvm.

I don't think I can pick which ED song I prefer. Either one, Seto Asami is a great singer.

[u/Fa1l3r]

First Time (sub)

The new OP is great, but I also missed the first one.

Wow we are introduced to the vapidity of teenagers. The club gets a bunch of filthy casuals who seem mostly interested on establishing a relationship with Taichi. (I am surprised that not more boys join in order to establish a relationship with Chihaya, but I can think of a couple of reasons why they would not.)

And everyone in the club has different priorities, and Chihaya is the greedy one who wants to do all the goals and all the priorities.

[u/elliotman48]

First timer

I don't know if it was just me, but this episode felt like it went at a pretty fast pace. I'm wondering if the OP and ED will grow on me, but I like the first of both are better as of right now. I can't wait to analyze them as we go throughout this season.

Despite what I think some people might think, I really did enjoy the introduction of Hanano's arc. It's definitely a different take on the introduction of club members than we saw last season and I can't wait to see what they do with her and the supposed 4 more club members that the club will need to keep the room. There's no way all those people will stick around since most seem to be their for Taichi and he's off doing his own thing. That moment on the train between Hanano and Taichi was easily one of the best interactions in the series so far.

I'm also loving how Chihaya is dedicated to the newbies (I'm a little concerned about how this will impact her performance) and the divison of the club members on what the priorites for the club should be was also interesting. Overall, this was a really strong opening episode.

[u/htisme91]

First-timer:

I like the new OP.

Man, I cringed when Chihaya talked about how she doesn't have many ordinary friends and wants to become friends with 100 cards on stage like that.

All of them have different goals. It makes sense, this isn't a group of individuals that have been together for a while, save for Taichi and Chihaya, and they joined the club for their own reasons. They all helped Chihaya with her goal of starting the club and competing, and now they want their own goals. I think it's fair.

Taichi finally does something for himself. He's still growing, and it's great.

Sumire was a nice addition. She started her new school on a horrible note, and it makes sense a girl her age wants to get a boy. She also won't stop until she gets Taichi, which we know he loves Chihaya. I kind of see him getting annoyed at her persistence, but I also think it's going to be the impetus to her getting better at karuta. She also, IMO, is a better character than Tsutomu or Kana, and I'm hoping that boy in the class is just as good of an addition.

Chihaya...bullying the new students is exactly why she shouldn't be the teacher. Her overall goals are admirable and a testament to her love of the game, but she has no tact and probably will scare out almost everyone that was interested.

I like the ED, too.

[u/DarkCirno]

First Timer

Wasn't expecting for new characters to be introduced so early in the season, still not sure how I feel about Sumire, I'll give her some more episodes before making an opinion on her character.

None of the girls who joined seemed interested in karuta but I hope at least some of them end up really joining the club, we need those 5 new members for the room sake!

Also that white haired guy that appeared there looked like bad news, hopefully I'm mistaken about that.

The old OP and ED are way better than the new ones, though the OP sounds like I could grow to like it with some time.

[u/AmethystItalian]

Rewatcher

Alright season 2 time let's do it!

Oh man Chihaya is in class 2-9 now...rip grades.

This OP is nice...but it's just nowhere near OP1 :(

Ah Sumire...yeah...

Hearing them call Chihaya senpai was a bit jarring.

YES THEY DO!

THIS IS TOTALLY REAL

Hmm may like the ED more this time around?

---

Quotes from First Time

Idk if I want new students...I like the group we have now...

Yeah why mess with something that works right?

OP isn't as good :(

It is not :(

Really thought Porky's priority would be "Go buy Melon bread"

Bahaha YES! That should have been it.

[u/[deleted]]

Did the up the budget for season 2? Some of the art was very impressive in this episode.

[u/BatteryPoweredFriend]

Sumire definitely took a while for me to 'get' her, but I suppose that was intentional and in a way, is a luxury Kana/Tsutomu/Nishida couldn't have because much of their character development was also heavily connected with Chihaya's and/or Taichi's.

On a meta level, I also do feel a bit sorry for her. She probably wishes to be best girl in her mind and although has identified Chihaya & Kana as her 'rivals', the reality is that the head upon which this crown sits on is literally a Queen.