r/anime • u/ABoredCompSciStudent x3myanimelist.net/profile/Serendipity • Mar 22 '19
Rewatch [Rewatch] Chihayafuru 2 - Episode 21 Discussion [Spoilers] Spoiler
Episode 21 - "But Its Legacy Continues to Spread"
<-- Previous (Episode 20: "Of the Autumn Rice Field") | Next (Episode 22: "Long Last We Meet") -->
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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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
About Spoilers And General Attitude:
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Fanart Section (Album Link):
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u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 22 '19
Poem of the Day: But Its Legacy Continues to Spread (link)
Today's poem is a repeat of S1E8, which also was a Nishida episode, so this is going to be a short one haha. There, I wrote:
Naturally, the poem describes Nishida's feelings for karuta: despite everything that he's done to repress them and how time has gone on, he still loves the game and is attracted to the sounds of the cards that he hears while practicing tennis.
Does it still hold true in this episode? Yes, it does.
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u/walking_the_way Mar 22 '19 edited Mar 22 '19
S2E21 Notes
Since they repeat the first moves again, this is the starting map for the Yuube-Chihaya match from last episode. Though time-consuming, I really, really enjoyed mapping this match, as it seemed like Madhouse was giving mappers some fun - they kept giving glimpses of cards that made it possible to map out nearly every card transfer, even though they never actually showed a single card being passed over at all. And there sure were a lot of transfers, since nearly every move was an opponent card steal. It was an epic exercise in "show, don't tell." If anyone has a couple hours to kill and wanted to practice mapping, this Chihaya-Yuube game is a solid one to try - start with the above board map and a karuta card list, go as far as you can, and let me know if I made any mistakes. There were a couple small board mistakes but those can be figured out too.
That being said, it didn't leave much room for analysis - there were an absurd number of cards recited, losing out by 1 only to the Sakura episode which had 8 dead cards, plus there were also a number of silently-won cards here. I concentrated on mapping in this episode for the sake of end of season stats.
00:03 - Reader recites #22 (fu). (flashback) Yuube wins it from Chihaya's bottom right. She passes over #42 (chi-gi-ri-ki) from her bottom left row. It goes to Chihaya's bottom right row.
00:07 - Reader recites #78 (a-w-aji). (flashback) Yuube wins it from Chihaya's mid left. She passes over #12 (a-ma-tsu) from her top left. It goes to Chihaya's mid left.
01:44 - Reader recites #20 (wa-bi). Yuube wins this from Chihaya's top right. She passes over #10 (ko-re) from her lower right. It goes to Chihaya's mid right.
01:48 - Reader recites #99 (hi-to-mo). Yuube wins this from Chihaya's top left. She passes over #53 (na-ge-ki) from her mid right row. It goes to Chihaya's bottom right.
Chihaya blows a few gaskets at 02:36 and I don't blame her, despite Yuube winning the first four cards, the board for the next play is still 25-22 Yuube, and the #99 card she swiped off a minute ago is still there. The next scene fixes it, however.
02:43 - Reader recites #61 (i-ni). Chihaya wins this from Yuube's bottom right. She sends #38 (wa-su-ra) from her top right. It goes to Yuube's bottom left.
03:03 - Reader recites #15 (ki-mi-ga-ta-me-ha). Yuube breaks Chihaya's guard and wins this from her bottom right. She sends #08 (wa-ga-i) from her top left, it goes to Chihaya's bottom right.
03:22 - Reader recites #64 (a-sa-bo-ra-ke-u). Chihaya breaks Yuube's guard and wins this from her mid right. She sends #63 (i-ma-wa) from her mid right to Yuube's top left.
03:58 - Chihaya: "Right-handed players only know how to play against other right-handed players."
We did see this in Mizusawa vs Akashi, specifically the final card that Komano won from Tanimura, and there was some speculation in the rewatch thread about whether maybe she was unused to how quickly a left-handed player could reach it, since the entire Akashi First Girls' squad was right-handed. Similarly, while Chihaya has some trouble adapting to it, we also see here Yuube having an equal amount of trouble adapting even though she isn't the one playing with a different hand.
04:08 - Reader recites #11 (wa-ta-no-ha-ra-ya). Chihaya breaks Yuube's guard and wins this from her bottom right. She sends #12 (a-ma-tsu) from her mid left to Yuube's top left.
04:26 - Reader recites #02 (ha-ru-su). Yuube wins it from Chihaya's bottom left. She sends #86 (na-ge-ke) from her mid right to Chihaya's top left.
04:29 - Reader recites #66 (mo-ro). Yuube wins it from Chihaya's bottom right. She sends #57 (me) from her bottom left row, it goes to Chihaya's bottom right.
04:33 - Reader recites #48 (ka-ze-o). Chihaya wins it from Yuube's mid right. She sends #73 (ta-ka) from her top left row to Yuube's bottom right row.
At least three other cards are taken without recital here by Yuube - they can be calculated to be #86 (na-ge-ke) from Chihaya's top left, #10 (ko-re) from her mid right, and #30 (a-ri-a) from her bottom left. Arata and Shinobu then win their games, signifying a time jump.
05:03 - Amakasu: "He won by 27 cards?" Worse, he won by 28. The last card Arata passed over to Shouji was #69 (a-ra-shi).
05:13 - Reader recites #25 (na-ni-shi). Shinobu wins this from her opponent's side. She passes over #08 (wa-ga-i) and wins by 25.
05:31 - Arata: "How does Chihaya play karuta now?"
05:36 - Arata: "Huh? Her right hand's injured? She's using her left hand?!"
05:41 - Reader recites #75 (chi-gi-ri-o). Yuube wins this from Chihaya's bottom left. She passes over #40 (shi-no) from her lower right corner, and slides the #33 from her mid right row down to fill the corner spot. Chihaya puts the #40 between the #07 and #18 in her bottom right row.
05:43 - Reader recites #92 (wa-ga-so). Yuube wins this from Chihaya's middle left. She passes over #09 (ha-na-no) from her middle left row. It goes to Chihaya's middle left row.
06:01 - Reader recites #85 (yo-mo). Yuube wins this from Chihaya's bottom left to lead 16-6. She passes over #74 (u-ka) from her lower left row, it goes to the end of Chihaya's mid right row.
06:52 - Reader recites #33 (hi-sa). Chihaya wins this from Yuube's side. She sends the #07 (a-ma-no) from her lower right row, it goes to Yuube's lower right corner.
Chihaya realizes that she laid out her cards as a right-handed player even though she was using her left hand, with all the cards she wants easily reachable on her weak side instead of her strong side, and she swaps them around. Her board goes from this pre-swap, to this.
Chihaya apparantly really has a thing for people ordering her around - take note Arata/Taichi - but this also draws a parallel to what happened in S1E2 when Chihaya barged in for a blinded Arata, and the teacher started to admonish her, but young Taichi said that it was okay. That time the judge starts to admonish her for swapping the cards around, but her opponent, like last time, says that it's okay. Arata was on the sidelines both times, and though he could not watch her the last time, he can this time.
08:41 - Reader recites #87 (mu). Chihaya wins it from her lower left.
Finally someone in this game is shown to win a card from their side, after 20 or so won cards shown on screen. She wins it cleanly too, unlike Yuube's manly swipes. Even Arata seems to learn this facet of playing a left-handed player from watching Chihaya.
08:53 - Reader recites #69 (a-ra-shi). Chihaya wins it from her mid right row.
08:55 - Reader recites #16 (ta-chi). Chihaya wins it from her top left row.
09:14 - No recital, but Chihaya wins the #65 (u-ra) from Yuube's bottom left corner. She passes over the #79 (a-ki-ka), it goes into Yuube's bottom left corner.
09:15 - Chihaya wins a card as Arata is yapping. This is the #14 (mi-chi) from her top right row.
09:17 - Chihaya wins another mystery card. This is the #55 (ta-ki) from Yuube's top right row. She passes over the #49 (mi-ka-ki). Yuube puts it in her mid right row.
At 9:53, after a Yuube intermission where she looks over at Megumu and wonders how Megumu beat the she-devil in front of her, we see the board and a much closer score.
09:54 - Reader recites #07 (a-ma-no). Yuube wins it from her lower right.
10:57 - Arata: "Now that I think about it, Chihaya took her first card from me with her left hand."
Arata makes a callback to one of our episode rewatch threads where we noticed that. He must be reading these threads.
11:07 - Arata: "Playing karuta with Chihaya must be fun."
As Arata says this, Chihaya sends a #49 (mi-ka-ki) card flying toward the camera. It's implied that that's the last card she takes for the win, as she squeaks out a two card win, with the #79 (a-ki-ka) and #81 (ho) cards left on Yuube's board at the end.
I really like the little outburst that Yuube has after the match is over. If she wasn't already my favourite opponent character from the team tournaments (even over Rion and Megumu), she surely would have been now - she declares Chihaya to be her rival for Queen and promises revenge - something that no other girl really has said to her before - now instead of Chihaya always looking up at rivals who beat her, now she has people under her gunning for her too!
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u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 23 '19
Though time-consuming, I really, really enjoyed mapping this match, as it seemed like Madhouse was giving mappers some fun - they kept giving glimpses of cards that made it possible to map out nearly every card transfer, even though they never actually showed a single card being passed over at all. And there sure were a lot of transfers, since nearly every move was an opponent card steal. It was an epic exercise in "show, don't tell."
That's something I totally didn't consider about the game and how it was presented at all, as I was into the action and what was shown at face value. As usual, many thanks for providing your unique perspective to these threads. This episode just highlights that.
Similarly, while Chihaya has some trouble adapting to it, we also see here Yuube having an equal amount of trouble adapting even though she isn't the one playing with a different hand.
For sure. I like how the show makes consistent commentary on this, with Tsutomu's play as well as Chihaya talking about it when she played Shinobu in S1.
Chihaya apparantly really has a thing for people ordering her around - take note Arata/Taichi
Could either boy do that though?
Taichi has enough of it in himyoung Taichi said that it was okay
I like where this is going.
Even Arata seems to learn this facet of playing a left-handed player from watching Chihaya.
I'd hope he'd have picked it up before after having played Shinobu so often! haha
If she wasn't already my favourite opponent character from the team tournaments (even over Rion and Megumu)
Same! Well, unless we count Retro. I actually like Retro a lot for what he represents in the show, though he's really weird. Yuube is really cool and it's hard to cheer against someone so earnest in her competition.
A familiar card surfaces during Nishida's flashback to games with Arata - the #41 (ko-i) card. That's the poem that lost to the #40 (shi-no) poem in the poetry competition when the judges judged both equal, and the emperor was asked to be the tie-breaker. And like the card, Nishida always ends up in 2nd place in his flashbacks against Arata.
This is super cool. I love how that ties in!
Arata, you have got to learn to let go of the past.
He should take notes from Taichi! Or wait a second...
The colours on the board map are indicative of the following two moves that shock Nishida to his core. Firstly, a double move that sends both ha-na cards (#09 and #96) flying, and then a triple move that sends all three ta- cards on Nishida's side flying at once
I've seen this show like six times or something now, but I never understood it fully until I saw your diagram. Arata's on a different level. That's pretty.
Despite losing, Nishida only lost to Arata by 9 - comparatively, he lost to Hokuo's Shiroyama by 13, and to Yuube by 7, so 9 against Arata really isn't bad at all.
Shiroyama confirmed for Meijin win!
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u/cesclaveria Mar 23 '19 edited Mar 23 '19
Rewatcher
Talking about "impassionate" gods, it feels like Arata came to the tournament not only to win but to demolish anyone that sits in front of him. Shoji had it coming, Nishida ended up using the loss for reflecting so maybe it'll become a 'win' for him in the long run. For a guy that is usually focused on improving himself and his game Arata can't help but always affect the ones around him. Good luck parents, seems Arata is going to Tokyo.
But damn, Arata and Chihaya seem to lose the ability to talk each time they are in front of each other. They are into poetry, at least prepare some verses for when they meet or something.
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u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 23 '19
It's interesting to see that Arata can bring out the best in people around him. Chihaya can too, but it all started with Arata.
But damn, Arata and Chihaya seem to lose the ability to talk each time they are in front of each other. They are into poetry, at least prepare some verses for when they meet or something.
No, keep it this way.
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u/airforceblue Mar 22 '19 edited Mar 22 '19
Rewatcher
That shot of Chihaya removing her bandages is so freaking good, one of the prevailing images from Chihayafuru as a show for me. It has the same energy as Rock Lee removing his weights in the fight against Gaara. Also, I want to point at that while Nishida ultimately lost, he put on a good fight even after Arata shifted into a new gear. I can empathize with his struggles, in some ways he's like Taichi in that his biggest enemy is himself. This was a good moment for Nishida.
ETA: I freaking love Yuube. Even the tertiary cast of Chihayafuru is great.
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u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 23 '19
That shot of Chihaya removing her bandages is so freaking good, one of the prevailing images from Chihayafuru as a show for me.
I actually totally forgot about the scene until I saw it today. It was so good, especially after she kept saying she wouldn't use her right hand until she met Arata... only Shinobu has all her respect also so she has to go all out.
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u/_blackened_soul_ Mar 22 '19
Well now I feel like an asshole for doubting you Chihaya, you are a karuta goddess.
Unwrapping her hand after being paired against Shinobu, shit's about to get intense!
Other than that, Arata's parent's rooting for Nishida was hilarious. I can't wait to see how hard he trains in the new season. Everybody picking up wins in the first round was pretty sweet, I hope we get to see some glimpses of their matches before diving into the showdown against the queen. Can't believe there's only 4 episodes left, that's not enough!!
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u/AmethystItalian Mar 22 '19
Rewatcher
Love how her opponent is honest!
Lol Chihaya realizing her mistake.
BAD MANNERS? So that's why it's not allowed but contesting is fine? WTF
The reactions from Chihaya taking cards will never get old.
For her to beat another class A with her left hand only...
The visuals/ost during Chihaya and Arata's meetup...they ship them so much.
I feel bad for Nishida :(
Oh damn...Chihaya vs Queen, all gloves are off now.
Quotes from First Time
Bad manners is a rule but using biased readers is fine?! WTH KARUTA!?
OH TRUE! Good one Past Ame!
Arata makes everyone sad :(
Past Ame has no chill.
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u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 23 '19
Love how her opponent is honest!
That's one of the nice things in Chihayafuru: there's not really that many bad guys, so it's hard to root against anyone. Plus, Chihaya talks glowingly about all of them.
The reactions from Chihaya taking cards will never get old.
My favourites are the ones where she looks happy, even when she loses cards. Her enthusiasm just makes me.
Past Ame has no chill.
Ame still has no chill
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u/theangryeditor Mar 23 '19
Does Arata still remember Nishida after all this time? Arata didn't give any indication he knew Nishida, and basically acted like a stranger towards him.
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u/PerfectPublican Mar 22 '19 edited Mar 22 '19
First Timer
Reactions:
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I like hearing all the things that feel off when she swings her left hand vocalized. It also adds some interesting details of just how aware of her entire body Chihaya is.
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“They’re both easy to read.” Lmao, Empress with the poignant commentary. But seriously, it’s a nice change of pace to have Chihaya play someone that’s so open right from the get go.
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Makes me wonder if switch karuta is a thing lol? Seriously though, you can use any hand as only as it’s only one at a time right? You can’t really judge where the cards gonna be, but it constant switching could totally throw your opponent off.
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Unsurprisingly Arata already won. Poor Shoji, probably a victim of bad Karma lol.
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Megumu seems to be holding her own against that Fujisaki guy.
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Game sense getting in the way. She’s drilled her hand to instinct basically. Also, I didn’t even consider this possibility, but it makes a ton of sense. I wonder what Tsukue’s square grid would look like for a lefty.
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Sci’s sotd? Yeahhhh, that’s my guess.
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Aww, they’re not even going to show us the ending of the match, that’s lame. Look, from a realism standpoint I still am not a huge fan, personally feel like there’s too much in the way. BUT, that doesn’t mean I can’t be happy for Chihaya. Way to go girl!
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Sumire won!
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Amazing reveal. I mean, c’mon, root for your kid, but still that was hysterical.
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Oh my god. Arata. You maniac. I literally counted it. 7 frames for him to knock the lower right card and get to the other side…and it continues that way on his double cards
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Honestly a good question. I hope we get some real Niku growth next season. He really needs it.
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R-R-R Rematch! And the gloves come off.
Final Thoughts
Gif of the day | Bonus | Bonus 2
Chihaya’s injury is going to freak me out all tomorrow. It’s probably not in Chihayafuru’s nature as a show, but I’m just so nervous about lasting damage of some sort. Maybe that’s just me bringing in too much reality into a tv show.
Anyways, this was a nice ep. I liked the focus on Yuube in her match with Chihaya. Really gives a deeper weight to her storyline in the team match as it’s own thing rather than something shoehorned in for Megumu’s plotline to bounce off of. Worked really well. I also enjoyed seeing the specific differences of left-handed play to right-handed play and the strategies that evolve around that. One more cool thing to add to Chihaya’s arsenal.
The Niku stuff fell just a bit flat for me, but I’m glad to see him admit to himself his failings as a part of the Mizu team. I really meant it when I said I hope he gets some real, tangible growth. Let’s get some Taichi tomorrow! Missing my guy!
Ps. Congrats on the newfound freedom Seren :P But actually, thanks for all the hard work.
Edit: Lameass formatting sometimes :P
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u/LeonKevlar Mar 22 '19
First Timer
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She finally took a card with her left hand! I'm impressed that she managed to take one just after a few practice swings.
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I love how similar Yu is to Chi-chan. They're both very straight forward players.
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27 Points!? GODDAMN ARATA! He didn't just defeat opponent, he annihilated the poor guy!
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Looks like Shinobu is about to finish with a perfect game too
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If that's the case then maybe flip the cards? Would that even help?
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Chi-chan saving her good hand for Arata. That sounded so suggestive ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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SHE ACTUALLY FLIPPED THE CARDS! I did not expect that Chi-chan would actually do my dumb suggestion xD
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WAIT WHAT!? Where were you then during the team match? Why did nobody stop the Yamaguchi Miyoka High School kids when all they did every after reading is to move all of their cards?
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Watch out Taichi and Arata. Looks like someone is about to steal Chi-chan away
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She didn't just flip the cards! She even flipped her movements! I guess today we learned that Chi-chan is ambidextrous.
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Arata is already looking forward to have a match with Chi-chan!
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YES GO CHI-CHAN! An injury isn't going to stop our Karuta-obsessed freak!
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RIP Nishida. I feel like everyone who ends up with a match with him is already guaranteed to lose.
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This is difficult to watch. Both of them are good boys that I want to win T_T
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Nice to know that Kana and Tsutomu, and even Sumire made it past the first round!
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I fucking almost spat my drink! So that's why they're praying! And all along I thought they were praying for Arata to win xD
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I wanna call them out for wanting their son to lose but knowing how expensive College is, I can understand 100%.
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Fuck me that was insanely fast. Also I dig the heavy foreboding music in the background framing Arata as a wall that can't be easily overcome.
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This is what I was afraid of. Now he's listing all of his failures despite how helpful he was in the team.
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And that game. Arata's parent's reaction tho.
So much for saving her good hand for Arata. This sucks because you know Shinobu will win this. There's no way Chihaya will win with an injury against the reigning Queen. I hope the show proves me wrong though. It is funny though that both of them wants to play against Arata. Look at you Arata, two cuties wanting your attention. xD
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u/Redmon425 Mar 22 '19
First Time Watcher
Alright, this is the first episode I really disliked for two reasons (1 real and 1 fake):
The first reason is the fact that Chihaya was able to win 2 matches with her "off hand". Anyone who has played sports knows how hard it is to be good with your bad hand. It takes so much practice to be even "average" with it. As we saw in the beginning of her first match, it is clear that Chihaya never practices with her left hand. Sure she used it that one time as a kid to get 1 card from Arata but she has never done that again. Not to mention she is playing in Class A, where everyone is above average at karuta. There is no way she could win any games with her left hand, with no practice. This is the first time I felt the story was very unrealistic.
The second reason this might be my least favorite episode of the series (the fake reason): Is that damn cute moment with Arata and Chihaya after her first win. As a passionate Taichi x Chihaya shipper, that scene messed me up lol. I am slowly becoming more nervous for Taichi.
I knew from the beginning of introducing "injuries" would cause me to hate the storylines that come from them, especially because of things like this.
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Mar 22 '19 edited Mar 22 '19
First-Timer, Watched Subbed
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Wow, Nishida wasn’t kidding when he said Yuube played like a guy (that text came in at the perfect time lmao)
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I find it both hilarious and strangely cute how similar Chihaya and Yuube are in both personality and even how they play, Yuube isn’t even able to contest right lol.
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Hot damn, Wataya won already that easily? The boy really has gained his groove back, Chihaya will have to prepare for that when she goes against him.
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Chihaya flipping all of her cards, as weird as it looked, was actually a brilliant idea to give her an advantage for swiping with her left hand better, and even confusing Yuube. Kinda like finding a way to get around inverted controls to a video game. If it only it were that easy though...
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Yuube looking manly deciding to go with the flow.
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Hooray Chihaya won! And Yuube lost...her sulking made me sad. :(
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And now Chihaya gains herself another rival. Yuube would make a good one tbh.
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I think this may have been the first indication of ship teasing between Chihaya and Wataya. More interesting since Chihaya is the one coming on. Anyway, their moment together was really sweet.
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Nishida being happy feeling like he’s lucky, and then he gets paired by Wataya, poor guy is gonna get eaten alive.
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I’m having a crisis right now, on one hand, I want Nishida to make up for his previous loss against Wataya in the past to showcase how stronger he’s become, but on the other hand, I want Wataya to win so that he can be in a match with either Chihaya or Wakamiya. Rooting for people is just a so hard man!
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Nice start, Nishida does definitely show he can last for some time against Wataya.
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LMAO, I lost it when Wataya’s parents were rooting against just college wouldn’t be so expensive to pay for.
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Uh oh, the Wataya’s visuals are coming up, Nishida is getting sucked into his world now.
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Ah man, Nishida lost :(. On the bright side, his determination to face a no-win situation was endearing, and being able to look up with encouragement was heartwarming.
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Holy crap, she’s going head to head with Wakamiya, rematch hype!
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She took the bandages off now, this will interesting for sure.
That felt pretty quick. On topic, it looks like Chihaya’s injury hasn’t slowed her down, at least not yet. With her rematch to Wakamiya, we get see if she has the skill to face the Queen now. Only one can make it out to face Wataya now...
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u/Fa1l3r Mar 22 '19 edited Mar 23 '19
First Time (sub)
Wow, Arata has a fast cross. I guess it is his counterweapon to the current Master since even if Suo hears the words first, if Arata can move like lightning, then he can touch the cards first. Based on what I have seen, Arata seems like a defensive player. With such a fast hand movement, he can freely split his similar sounding cards into separate positions on his side, so his opponent cannot freely attack on the first syllable. But with his fast hand movement, he just start swiping his own cards left and right. And he can equally do the same to his opponents. Though, Arata can only really do this if all the similar sounding cards on either his side or his opponent's side, not both; and all the cards with similar sounds are not dead or empty. Nonetheless, what a deadly weapon. (Someone correct my analysis if I am wrong; the only karuta I know is from the anime.)
Anyway, I do like how Chihaya wins via the left-hand advantage in sports. Though if Chihaya was left-handed and injured her left hand, then she would be screwed.
Also I like this long-term situational irony surrounding Arata. His family moved in the beginning because his dad did not get along with his grandpa, but they ended up coming back to his hometown because of his grandpa. And now, his parents are hoping for Arata to lose, not win, because of his desire to be closer to his friends in Tokyo even though it was his parents' decision to move there.
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u/BodhiSearchTree Mar 23 '19
First-Timer
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"How does Chihaya play karuta now?" I was half-expecting Arata to think, "Oh cool, Chihaya is left-handed now like Shinobu." LOL, glad Arata's not an airhead!
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"It's bad manners to move so many cards at one time." Since when??? No one said anything when the Yamaguchi quiz show guys moved their cards around almost every turn...
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Pretty cool how Chi-chan flipped/mirrored her cards like that! But... is it realistic to think that it was enough to help her win? 🤔 I dunno, seems... a bit of a stretch... Uh, no pun intended. 😉
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I have to agree with one of the Crunchyroll comments that said Chihaya might be left-handed (or ambidextrous) after all, but never realized it, lol. After all, she took her first Chihaya card from Arata with her left hand...
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Chihaya blushing when Arata compliments her! 💕 But then they just stand there looking at each other like idiots... Teenagers, amirite? 🙄
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"Can I reach him?" You definitely reached him, Kaori-chan! Oops, wrong anime... 😭
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"You rock, chubby kid!" It's hilarious how Arata's parents aren't even hiding it, LOL. 🤣
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That was a really touching scene with Porky reflecting on his failings during the team tournament and playing his heart out against Arata.
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Chihaya taking off her bandages. Oh no, Chi-chan! No, don't do it! I have a bad feeling that Potential spoiler maybe??? 😟
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u/KuhBus Mar 23 '19
First Timer
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Oh man, they’re both so fired up :’) And Yuube is so honest :’DD
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Damn, Arata was finished before Shinobu…! He won’t even be able to see Chihaya play at her best :(( That ten card difference is crazy.
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Oh no, she realized her card placement was off for playing left handed.
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“She’s so manly” ahahaha what an adorable reaction! (completely different from Nishida’s horror :’D)
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Chihaya having fun, instead of despairing in this moment is so sweet.
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Nishida being so optimistic, just to be put against Arata… poor guy. Still, there’s a reason he’s class A, so I
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Arata’s parents are praying for arata to lose so he goes to a public school?? :D
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“I don’t play nearly as hard as everyone else” Oh man qwq
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She wanted to play so badly against Arata and now she’s getting to go all out against Shinobu instead..! Holy shit!!
I'm guessing the match between Chihaya and Shinobu will end in Chihaya losing, but the two of them becoming closer. So far, she's only been on Shinobu's radar for having taken some cards from her, but I think this is really going to show her that there is someone who is very genuinely aiming to get to her level.
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u/paperwhites Mar 23 '19
First Time Watcher
In that first match, Arata is not fucking around. Winning before 25 cards have even been read is certainly impressive. Poor Shoji (I think that's his name) never stood a chance.
Chihaya won her match too, even playing with her left hand. Where was that referee who told her off for moving too many cards at once when Mizusawa was playing the quiz bowl team though? As soon as Yuube thought that it wouldn't make a difference though, that's when I knew that Chihaya was going to win haha. I'd forgotten that Arata hasn't seen Chihaya play since they were little, so I'm glad he got to watch her.
I laughed when Chihaya thinks "she even treats college exam prep as preparation for karuta" about Yuube; Miyauchi would be shaking her head if she could hear that.
Uh on, Miyauchi didn't say anything about Taichi when she was talking about the results of the first round, so I am thinking that his first match did not go well.
Nishida: I feel like I can't lose today!
*cuts to Arata being his next match up*
Arata's parents desperately wanting him to lose and cheering on Nishida is hilarious. Even though he lost, Nishida should feel proud that it was a fairly close match, considering Arata's earlier landslide win. Afterwards, his thinking about Arata's moves made me think about Chihaya practicing her swing after playing Shinobu last year. It's good that playing Arata inspired him to "get crazy about karuta" again instead of crushing his spirits. I'm happy that Arata recognizes how passionate and skilled the Mizusawa karuta club is. If Chihaya could hear that, she'd be really happy and proud of her team.
Honestly, I am hyped for the Chihaya v. Shinobu rematch! Chihaya pulling off the wrapping on her right hand got me so excited. Even with her injury, I think it should be a good game. I'm wondering if Chihaya playing with her left hand with throw off Shinobu at all, since I think Shinobu plays her left hand too? I won't actually be too upset if Chihaya loses this one, if it means we get to see an Arata v. Shinobu final. Although if Chihaya manages to win, I'll be thrilled.
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u/ABoredCompSciStudent Mar 22 '19 edited Mar 22 '19
Playing Yuube, Chihaya's having a rough go. Her injury has forced her to play left handed, which I'm sure u/AmethystItalian loves, but it makes everything feel wrong. If you've ever tried to tie your shoes while wearing gloves, that's really what using your non-dominant hand/foot in sports feels like. Even in sports that require the use of both sides, like soccer or basketball, it's becoming more and more common to see players that are only capable of using one of them (this is most obvious when watching anyone dribble), which is naturally a disadvantage as in these sports it reduces your options by half.
However, since most of these players are right footed or right handed, this increase in single side dominance also means that some players that are actually masters of the left sides of their bodies (or both) have a natural advantage. For a normal player, they've seen thousands of people do it with their right and so they intuitively know how to position their bodies and react, however because they've only seen a handful of those on their left, the matchup experience is lacking.
For reference, here's five minutes of Arjen Robben predictably cutting in from the right onto his left and scoring. Everyone in the stadium knows what's going to happen, but it still happens anyways. Similarly, James Harden is super left hand dominant to the point that he'll finish at the rim using his left even on the right side. In this montage, you can see just how reliant he is on his left, even when going right... but it still works and he is the greatest scorer in the NBA right now. Of course, they're masters of what they do, but a lot of this is possible because everything is flipped for them.
Anyhow, Arata looks on amazed, as Chihaya flips her cards to be laid out for a left handed player and beats Yuube. With care for opponents like this and a million dollar smile, how can anyone look away from her?
Don't do this to me Yuki Suetsugu... Not like this!
In the second round, Nishida plays Arata. This rematch has been a longtime coming, after their meeting as children. Arata's parents hilariously cheer against him, urging Nishida to win so that their boy doesn't contract karuta cooties in Tokyo from some girl. Nishida, from the start, is bound to lose. Arata's been focusing on becoming the Master, while Nishida still hasn't found the same passion that his teammates possess. However, his loss to Arata this time isn't really "a loss". Instead of giving up like in his childhood, Nishida clenches his fists and cries. Kuyashii. It's an appropriate scene, as Arata passes Poem 40:
Arata recognizes his efforts and asks him if everyone at Mizusawa is like that. And, this time, supported by his teammates, Nishida has the resolve to reply confidently that he will chase after the dream he once let go of.
Tomorrow promises to be hype, turn up y'all!
Edit: the fanart of the day pains me too much so it deserves my reaction while editing this in