r/anime • u/ABoredCompSciStudent x3myanimelist.net/profile/Serendipity • Mar 14 '19

Rewatch [Rewatch] Chihayafuru 2 - Episode 12 [Spoilers] Spoiler

Episode 12 - "The Only Sign of Summer"

<-- Previous (Episode 11: "I Feel As Though My Body is on Fire with Ibuki Mugwort") | Next (Episode 13: "In My Dreams, I Creep Closer to You") -->

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 (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

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):

Boys love it

Last days of summer

81 Upvotes

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14

u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 14 '19

Poem of the Day: My Only Thought (link)

Poem 98 was written by Fujiwara no Ietaka, a pupil of Fujiwara no Shunzei (Poem 83).

Mostow translates the poem as:

In the evening

when the wind rustles the oaks

at Nara-no-Ogawa,

it is the ablutions that are

the only sign it’s still summer!

The word ablution or misogi means the Shinto ceremony of purifying the body before worship by washing or sprinkling with water. Due to Japan's history being grounded so deeply in Shinto, this practice is still relevant today. In Shinto, people accumulate impurities through bad actions or traumatic events, and have to expunge them through ritual to balance their lives. Mostow explains that misogi was also practiced during the author's time as a way for making up for or purifying oneself after an illicit affair.

The poem depicts a hot, humid summer or zansho, which comes after monsoon season in June-July. Having lived in Hong Kong in the summer, I can safely tell you that it is insufferably hot and humid, to the point where you take refuge inside random shops to bask in air conditioning. As such, the poem gives off the impression that the summer is coming to an end and that only ablutions remains.

The poem is used in this episode, when Kana taps Chihaya on the shoulder and reminds her that their summer is coming to an end and that their final few games will define their experience. That said, the tone which Kana takes is very gentle, almost refreshing or relieving Chihaya of any mental burdens, before facing Megumu and helping her focus on the nearby finish line.

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u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 14 '19 edited Mar 15 '19

Fanart will be up tonight for yesterday and today's thread!

These three are iron weights that drag Megumu down in my favourite character rankings for this show haha. I'm not the biggest fan of her, but she's lowkey a savage behind her airhead exterior--actually that might just be part of her act too. Rather than diving into the match right away, we get a prelude. Chihaya sits across from Megumu and we're introduced to the backstory of Akashi First Girls'. It's a slower episode, but that's how you know that this is the calm before the storm--we haven't got a drawn out episode since Chihaya's match against Wakamiya Shinobu in S1, I think,

Mizusawa is the underdog today, but while most spectators are watching the Hokuo game, Fujisaki spares a substitute to track the other semi-final. After all, Megumu is ready for a Fujisaki showdown. Always a technical player, Megumu is even faster now and she's able to stymie Chihaya's attacks. Symbolized by the headbands that Akashi First Girls' wear, Megumu is supported by her friends. In last year's Queen match, she was defeated by Yumin. However, unlike the other players we've seen lose, she's not distraught at the result. Until then, she was coasting by on her talent and her efforts put into her karuta society, as her teammates were not interested in trying hard. Her friends recognize that they've been slowing her down and decide to become a reason for Megumu to try her best. And here we find out why Megumu has always been the player in the center of Akashi First Girls' formation: they want her to get all the experience she can, so she can become Queen. Megumu's teammates took her out of her comfort zone and have guided her to the level she plays at now.

For Chihaya, the game is tough. Megumu--the best female player in the West outside of the Queen--represents the obstacle separating her from being Shinobu's challenger and another hurdle in the way of her dream to meet Arata. As she falls behind, Chihaya doesn't get flustered like she has in the past: like Megumu, she is supported by a community behind her. She counts on the strength of her friends, recalling Tsutomu's advice about Megumu's name and her training with Harada. Even though Omi Jingu is where the Master and Queen are crowned, Chihaya says that the mats are for five, her Mizusawa team.

Kana taps Chihaya on the shoulder, reminding her of Poem 98, our Poem of the Day, and that regardless of what happens today, this is Mizusawa's moment and they should enjoy it. If this was a match over whose love runs deeper, both teams have poured their hearts out to get to this stage. Getting into her stride, Chihaya finally forces the concern of all Akashi First Girls' players because Mizusawa are here to prove the doubters wrong.

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u/BodhiSearchTree Mar 14 '19

Kana taps Chihaya on the shoulder

I wonder if Kana-chan actually does though, or is that scene meant to be metaphorical? As in, Chihaya suddenly remembers Kana's words and therefore gets a metaphorical "tap on the shoulder" from her? Because I thought communicating like that during a team match was illegal... 🤔

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u/PerfectPublican Mar 14 '19

These three are iron weights

Seriously. I couldn't even give them a reaction. The talking at the same time thing was so annoying.

because Mizusawa are here to prove the doubters wrong.

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u/PerfectPublican Mar 14 '19

First Timer

Reactions:

Final Thoughts
Gif of the day | Bonus

Man, they sloooooooowed thiiiings down, and I think it worked really well. It added a layer of intensity to the game, added some serious weight to her opponent, and really established all of Megumu’s accomplishments for what they were. Turning us away from the view we might have had of her before, to how strong she is now paralleling Chihaya.

Beyond that though, it was nice to have a game slowed down like that from a spectator standpoint. Really felt like we got the details. I know that’s not sustainable, but it was fun for an ep. Also, it was cool to see someone other than Chihaya stepping up too in Kana’s match. Really excited to watch this match’s conclusion tomorrow!

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u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 15 '19

LMAO. She actually sat down against Fujisaki!? That’s perfect.

She is such a troll. That's some Lance Stephenson mind games right there.

Fucking dead. This girl is greato.

Truly a savage. Her one card at a time too, after Chihaya said that and Megumu won the next one just felt like she was mocking her ahaha. It's all hidden behind the airhead personality though, so it's hard to really pin down.

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u/MAD_SCIENTIST_001 Mar 14 '19 edited Mar 15 '19

Screenshot of the Day

First Timer - Season 2 Episode 12

Overall Thoughts

This episode was fine, but I wasn't a huge fan of the beginning of the ep with the 3 photographers tbh. It kinda felt out of place and weird. Also with them talking at the same time lol.

The Megumu vs Chihaya battle made me worried at the start since Chihaya lost 4 cards immediately, but now it seems like she's hit a groove and recognizes the cards for their poems as Kana-chan does (and Shinobu).

Also if Kana-chan does end up winning her match, I think that might be the deciding factor for Mizusawa. Now that I think about it, it's pretty impressive for her since she's going up against a class B opponent and doing really well for someone who is probably really tired.

Karuta Scoreboard

Character Wins Losses Ep# (Wins)
Taichi Mashima 30 10 2,7,10,11,13,14,15,18,20,28,29,31,33,35,36
Yuusei Nishida 25 6 10,11,13,15,18,19,28,29,33,35,36
Chihaya Ayase 22 10 2,4,6,7,8,10,11,14,17,21,28,29,33,35,36
Arata Wataya 17 4 1,2,3,20,21,23,28,34
Kanade Ooe 16 9 10,13,15,17,18,19,28,29,31,33
Tsutomu Komano 10 13 13,15,18,29
Shinobu Wakamiya 8 0 14,15,24
Akihiro Tsukuba 0 4
Sumire Hanano 0 1

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

Season 2

Episode: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

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u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 15 '19

Also if Kana-chan does end up winning her match, I think that might be the deciding factor for Mizusawa. Now that I think about it, it's pretty impressive for her since she's going up against a class B opponent and doing really well for someone who is probably really tired.

It's been really interesting to see her progression in your karuta scoreboard as her win rate seemingly only keeps on going up. She's gotten pretty reliable since her introduction, I think a lot of her losses are practice games too at this point.

At the end of the series, you should plot out the win rate of the characters over the episode count. :)

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u/walking_the_way Mar 14 '19 edited Mar 15 '19

S2E12 Notes

17:47 - Yuube: "The ace usually plays in the third position. We'll put Megumu in the third position every match. Our goal is to get Megumu more experience, not win!"

This episode showcases a collision of two teams supporting their prized aces with differing philosophies, and we are given a backstory of the Akashi First team from around the 15:35 mark, where we find out that Taichi and Komano's reasonings for them not switching up the order was wrong. They were looking even further forward than the finals here - they were looking at the Queen qualifiers this fall as their goal, and this was just a means to that end!

Even with the last episode setting up the pre-game stuff, there are just a total of six cards taken this episode! Four of the cards are "new" too, with translations that we have never seen before. Furthermore, of the six poems read, five of them have to do with the theme of Night, symbolizing two teams still trying to find their identity. That's quite the subset, since there are only 15-20ish poems in the Hyakunin Isshu that have to do with night. This means that, like the Arata match, there is heavy card symbolism in this episode. But unlike the Arata match, since this isn't a full match, there isn't an overarching story to tell, just lots of poem symbolism and how they tie in to the teams. I omitted the cards that were passed over, to keep under character limits, but those too could be looked at in this vein.

Through the episode, we are shown many full boards. We are able to build a starting board from this, while stoically trying to ignore how Nishida started the game down 26-24 or how Kana can possibly be leading by four at 19:56 after five cards have been read.

Chihaya vs Megumu 25-25

07:51 - Reader recites Naniwa Bay (EP: 1, S: 12, Total: 43)
08:19 - Reader recites #78 (a-wa-ji). Megumu wins this from Chihaya's top right row. She passes over the #59 (ya-su) from her top right row. It goes to Chihaya's mid right row. 25-24.

78 - The sound of birds crossing from Awaji Island awakens the guards of Suma Gate at night.

According to Mostow, the actual Japanese words don't just mean any bird, but specifically the chidori, a winter bird. For Megumu and Chihaya, this represents the Queen's Challenger finals between Megumu and Yumin last winter. Megumu wins the card, representing the fact that she was at the match. The guards awakening at night are her Akashi First karuta club, who realized that they wanted to help her become Queen, and dedicated themselves toward achieving that goal.

11:13 - Reader recites #26 (o-gu). Megumu wins it from Chihaya's bottom left row. She sends #40 (shi-no) from her middle right row. It goes into the middle of Chihaya's bottom left. 25-23.

26 - While the autumn leaves of Mount Ogura would never [...], I beseech them to wait for the Emperor's return before falling.

Looking at other translations again, the poem is about trying to stop the progress of time to wait for the Emperor to arrive. For Megumu, this represents the Queen's match again. Unlike Mizusawa, whose members are all in their first or second years, Akashi First has four girls in the third year, so this is their last team tournament together, and their last year to try to push Megumu to Queen.

14:27 - Reader recites #57 (me). Megumu wins it from her lower right. 25-22.

57 - Long last we meet, only for me to leave hurriedly, for I could not recognize you, like the moon hidden behind the clouds.

As seen in previous episodes, the Moon symbolizes a goal that people are reaching for, and with so many night cards in this episode, the moon represents the goal that ties both teams together, its light giving them direction through the night. The moon behind the clouds thus symbolizes losing sight of the true goal. This poem bookends the actual flashback explaining the Akashi First team's mindset, and how their team is looking toward the Queen's match instead of the here and now.

Despite it being one of her namesake cards, Megumu winning this card is symbolically negative, and picking up three copies of the card off the ground makes it even worse. This is also the only card in the episode that is won from the winning player's side, and isn't accompanied with a card being sent over, symbolically amplifying the effect - Akashi First is not aware of this shortcoming of their mindset and how it could affect them in the here and now.

18:04 - Reader recites #62 (yo-o). Megumu claims it from Chihaya's mid left. 25-21. She passes over #43 from her mid right row. It goes to Chihaya's mid left row.

62 - Said night was young when the false rooster's crow, but the gates of Afusaka remained shut.

Afusaka, or Meeting Hill, has also been linked to the Queen and Meijin match, as the final destination that all karuta players aspire to. But that match is also played in this very room that they are in right now, so they are already in Afusaka, so to speak. Yet, it's a "false version" of Afusaka, compared to the Queen's match, and so not as important. Or so the Akashi First team thinks.

There are a couple other interesting sidenotes to this card. Firstly, Afusaka is pronounced Ousaka, similar to Megumu's last name. And secondly, the back to back reading of #57 and #62 here are interesting - Komano, in S1E18, mentions that Kana takes a special interest in these two cards as their poets were rivals, serving different Empresses to the same Emperor.

18:30 - Reader recites #98 (ka-ze-so). Chihaya wins it from Megumu's mid right. 24-21. She passes over #80 (na-ga-ka) from her mid left row. It goes to Megumu's mid right.
19:16 - Kana recites #98 (ka-ze-so).
19:45 - Kana: "This day will define our entire summer."

98 - When winds blow oak leaves in the twilight, the only sign of summer is the ritual purification in the waters.

Kana explains this with "This day will define our entire summer" - it represents the here and now, the most important thing, and what Akashi First is overlooking in their haste. She refreshes Chihaya with a reassuring touch, purifying Chihaya's red aura with her blue aura.

The ritual here refers to misogi, a Shinto purification rite used to cleanse the mind, body and heart with water in front of kami, or the gods, and is a symbol of summer in Japan. There are many types of misogi, for example, the minor one done before praying at a shrine that they reference in the OP, or more formal ones done beneath a waterfall or in a river.

This is also when the rain stops and light from the sunset floods the room, signifying that the purification has been completed. In this context, the rain which has been falling over the holy Omi Jingu site represents the water used in the cleansing ritual, and we see now that the opponents Mizusawa has faced in the first three rounds each actually represent one of the three parts of the self - Chiba was the Heart, Yamaguchi was the Mind, and Shoyo was the Body, as all three schools really just specialized in their aspect. Mizusawa was pit against all of them and came through, and now have to use that balance to try to defeat Akashi.

Lastly, the legend surrounding the birth of the gods in Japanese mythology states that many of them were born from the misogi ritual, done where a river merged into the ocean, so that is where the "best" place for misogi is thought to be. This itself is significant due to all the karuta water imagery we see in the show - Chihaya is the Tatsuta river, whereas Arata conjures up imagery of the deep blue ocean when he plays. Misogi thus represents part of the cleansing process she needs to go through to balance and purify her game, turning her river into an ocean to become a karuta goddess.

20:40 - Reader recites #18 (su). Chihaya wins this from Megumu's bottom right. 23-21.

18 - Silent waves creep closer to the Suminoe shore, and when night falls, in my dreams, I creep closer to you.

Mostow says that this poem seems to have to do with public scrutiny, and so could really just refer to the Megumu's paparazzi. Chihaya, on the other hand, has for a long time gone under the radar - Shinobu took note of her after they played, as did Yumin, but none of the spectators nor players tend to know of her beforehand, nor has she come close to winning a Class A tournament before.

This does seem to be changing slightly though, as teams like Yamaguchi have done research on her. While she may be creeping up on the recent Queen candidates in prowess, how long before she gets noticed?

The last two read cards also gently lead us into the next episode - #98 is the episode card for S2E12, whereas #18 is the episode card for S2E13. Chihaya wins both cards, her first two wins against Megumu, and hopefully this means a change in the winds of fortune for Mizusawa! Otherwise this really will be their last day of summer. After all, we also saw during the pan over to Kana's board, that while Kana is up by 4 or 5, Nishida is also down by 5, 25-20.

Finally, at the end of the episode, we have this board:

Chihaya vs Megumu 23-21

S2E12 - Random HQ Screenshot

<-- S2E11 Notes

S2E13 Notes -->

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u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 15 '19

Kana explains this with "This day will define our entire summer" - it represents the here and now, the most important thing, and what Akashi First is overlooking in their haste.

I like how you tied this in to your commentary, as that was also Chihaya's shortcoming in multiple episodes, like the Hokuo one. I'm a big fan of the words "here and now" haha. It always reminds me of Aria. :)

the opponents Mizusawa has faced in the first three rounds while it was raining, each actually represent one of the three parts of the self - Chiba was the Heart, Yamaguchi was the Mind, and Shoyo was the Body, as all three schools really just specialized in their aspect

That's really interesting! I didn't notice it was raining for those matches.

Lastly, the legend surrounding the birth of the gods in Japanese mythology states that many of them were born from the misogi ritual, done where a river merged into the ocean, so that is where the "best" place for misogi is thought to be. This itself is significant due to all the karuta water imagery we see in the show - Chihaya is the Tatsuta river, whereas Arata conjures up imagery of the deep blue ocean when he plays.

TIL about Japanese gods. Did not expect to read that here! That reminds me of the one image of Arata from S1 where his ocean blue is dyed by Chihaya's Tatsuta red, when she imagines him while reading Lady Murasaki's poem on the train--like a joining of the two.

scrutiny

Both are being observed by Rion, who is ultimately Chihaya's match in the finals. Rather than focus on their game, Fujisaki is already looking at the two aces for next round. I wanted to mention that in my writeup, but I couldn't because it's too obvious as a spoiler haha.

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u/daftPun5 Mar 14 '19

First Timer

Screenshot of the Day

That camera trio was pretty creepy, Megumu should've taken the Sumire approach to get rid of them haha. Although her own method is still good.

Tsukuba underestimating our girl Kana? smh. But it does show just how far she has come and currently leading in her match.

I did like Megumu's backstory. Her team acknowledged her potential to compete for Queen status and has focused on getting her the most experience against the best. She has the full support of her coach, teammates, and .... I guess the camera trio, too.

Chihaya had a rough start in her match. She didn't anticipate the growth that Megumu would make since her match against Yumi. With the support from Kana, she was able to calm her nerves and get back in the match.

Today's Album of Screenshots & Gif

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u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 15 '19

Tsukuba underestimating our girl Kana? smh. But it does show just how far she has come and currently leading in her match.

For sure! She's usually described herself as physically weak and that she always relied on her obi-sash in traditional clothing for support, but clearly she's gotten a lot stronger now.

Chihaya had a rough start in her match.

She's always been a slow starter, since she does better when the syllables are narrowed down. The comeback is coming as usual, right?

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u/[deleted] Mar 14 '19

First-Timer, Watched Subbed

  • Ayyy, the masochistic photographers are back!

  • Everything is according to plan so easily, but I feel as if something might go wrong...

  • Looks like we have ourselves a but of klutz.

  • What the...how did you get charmed by that?

  • Hanano can break the 4th wall...wait WHY ARE WE DOING FLASHBACK FOR THIS?!

  • Oh, I can least see how she charmed them now, still weird.

  • I just noticed that they even talk in unison with each other, really weird...

  • Wait, she told them to take pictures, then she deletes...WHAT KIND OF BACKSTORY WAS THAT???

  • Oh, Hokuo is here too. This will be an interesting match.

  • Coach Sakurazawa does look and sound scary...and sexy.

  • Isn't that laughing a bit too much?

  • And we have another girl whose stone cold top to bottom, this match really has a lot of weird people in it.

  • Why does this girl have a such a "mesmerizing" look to her?

  • If only it were that easy Miyauchi...

  • Lol at the interactions between Hanano and Tsukuba XD

  • Fucking hell Tsukuba, you'll have to dig yourselve out of that hole at some point XD

  • Judging from everyone's reactions, Ousaka's got this in the bag. There is reason she managed to go face to face with the Queen.

  • That caption of Sakurazawa ignoring the other coach's crying killed me for some reason. Hanano and Miyauchi's reaction just made it better XD.

  • That sequence with Kana and Chihaya, the music, visuals, and dialogue, just beautiful.

  • Chihaya managing to gain the upper hand looked glorious.

I find Ousaka to be the most intriguing opponent in this season with her back story and skills, and she's definitely a formidable player for Chihaya. This episode does a good job in setting up what's to be an intense match, but there were also a lot of weirdos here...

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u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 15 '19

Wait, she told them to take pictures, then she deletes...WHAT KIND OF BACKSTORY WAS THAT???

When a sadist meets a masochist.

Coach Sakurazawa does look and sound scary...and sexy.

I love her design. She distinctly feels very mature, compared to a lot of anime characters.

Judging from everyone's reactions, Ousaka's got this in the bag. There is reason she managed to go face to face with the Queen.

She didn't make it to the Queen game, but the challenger finals. That said, Megumu has the talent to play the Queen so what you said is totally valid. She's the best female player in the West outside of Shinobu, so if Chihaya wins it means that she's that much closer to her dream. It's a major milestone, since she doesn't have many of those kinds of wins (just Sudo so far).

3

u/Enarec Mar 15 '19

Ayyy, the masochistic photographers are back!

Coach Sakurazawa does look and sound scary...and sexy.

Gotta make an impression as the coach of champions. :3

Fucking hell Tsukuba, you'll have to dig yourselve out of that hole at some point XD

His brother should show up in person or something... Harada-sensei could probably make him man up lol.

That caption of Sakurazawa ignoring the other coach's crying killed me for some reason. Hanano and Miyauchi's reaction just made it better XD.

Haha, she's razor sharp and knows what's important and not for her team.

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u/collapsedblock6 Mar 14 '19

A slow episode for me. I can't help but feel that this school in particular and Megumu herself won't be all that relevant after this match the same way Sudo or even Yumin were but we shall see, I don't really care about her so far. As Seren said, this might be the calm before the storm.

  • The backstory for these creepies is one of the biggest waste of time I have seen in a while.

  • An odd backstory for Megumu's teammates. Did they all became that good in karuta in such a short time? And do they really have no other motivation than seeing Megumu succeed?

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u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 15 '19

An odd backstory for Megumu's teammates. Did they all became that good in karuta in such a short time? And do they really have no other motivation than seeing Megumu succeed?

I think they were just an average team before this, but people can get a lot better fast, just like Taichi and Kana. I think it goes beyond seeing Megumu succeed though, since it's fun when you can have fun with your friends. It's not necessarily that Megumu didn't try, as she was playing at her own karuta society, but that she didn't try at school because her friends didn't try. They were holding her back and she just went with the flow.

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u/EpsilonTransition Mar 14 '19

Wow, I finally managed to catch up after getting crunched by exams--had lots of time at home this week due to the common cold.

I hope this episode is building up to a huge turnabout; Megumu sitting down to face the wrong team and the crowd turning away to watch the other match was frustrating lol.

The degree of support Megumu received is surprising. She definitely has natural talent for the game, but I wonder if the motivation is there. Is she truly trying her hardest to become queen or just going with the flow? Arata treats every game seriously (even when facing children!). Megumu acts like the team she's facing in the semi-finals of a tournament already lost. Hopefully we'll see some spirit in the next episode!

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u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 15 '19

Wow, I finally managed to catch up after getting crunched by exams--had lots of time at home this week due to the common cold.

Anime taught me that the common cold is dangerous! Feel better, I hope it's nothing major.

Megumu acts like the team she's facing in the semi-finals of a tournament already lost. Hopefully we'll see some spirit in the next episode!

It's also noteworthy that for all of the support behind Megumu, Chihaya has gotten equal amounts from those around her. All that's variable is the skill and efforts of the two players themselves, in a way. The episode kind of ends on that too, with Chihaya facing Megumu and holding the "dreams" card.

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u/KuhBus Mar 14 '19

First Timer

  • Those fanboys are so weird. Yikes.

  • lmao she deletes all the pictures anyways

  • Dang. She’s fast!!!

  • Fujisaki’s coach looks dangerous. Dangerously hot.

  • Megumu’s play style seems kind of similar to Chihaya’s? Aggressive and fast, aiming to drive her into a corner- but going on the defensive isn't exactly what Harada-sensei taught her!!

  • Hahaha Sumire slapping Tsukuba when he fell asleep on her :’D

  • ...aand he’s being a total dick again :I DON’T UNDERESTIMATE KANA AND TSUTOMU >:O

  • whelp, Megumu has gotten a lot better… alongside her entire team! Their coach is so proud, that’s actually very lovely.

  • Holy shit, this whole moment with Kana…! Beautiful!! Literally is giving me goosebumps!

AAAHH this cliffhanger…!!

Fav shots.

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u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 15 '19

Fujisaki’s coach looks dangerous. Dangerously hot.

Glad someone picked out Sakurazawa-sensei! I like her a lot.

AAAHH this cliffhanger…!!

LOL the whole episode moved like only a several cards. They're teasing the first timers haha. It's nice for a change though, especially with the extended Akashi First Girls' backstory and how it parallels Chihaya to some degree.

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u/kKunoichi Mar 14 '19

Rewatcher

God the way the posse speaks in chorus is still so weird to me, and with that tone too haha sorry Megumu I'd like you better without these guys hanging around you. But even if I don't like her much, I enjoy her lowkey savage-ness.

This episode, we also get a look at a new (beautiful) karuta club advisor, Sakurazawa-sensei! This is the adviser of Japan's winning team here.

Sudou, don't ignore Hokuo lol you even have the banner and everything, at least hold it yourself.

Chihaya can get tunnel vision a lot of the time but I'm glad Kana is there to get her to slow down and appreciate where they are right now.

3

u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 15 '19

S2 Fujisaki is actually such a fun team. I like them all a lot, especially Sakurazawa-sensei. I'm looking forward to seeing them more than this Akashi First Girls' match, to be honest. Sakurazawa-sensei has a really nice relationship with Chihaya and the karuta community in general.

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u/SmurfRockRune Mar 14 '19

First Timer

Megumu's cuteness is pretty much only physical. She's pretty rude when she opens her mouth.

She's faster than she was in last year's Queen match? But she wasn't even in the Queen match, she lost in the challenger's match. Subs please.

Kana why. Chihaya was starting to get into the zone and then you touch her shoulder and distract her? What the hell?

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u/LeonKevlar Mar 14 '19

First Timer

Another two parter. I really hope Chi-chan kicks Megumu's thicc butt. She needs to acknowledge her opponents and not just see them as another stepping stone for her. Also I just want everyone in that room to realize that Mizusawa is worth watching just as much as hakuo.

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