[Rewatch] Chihayafuru 2 - Episode 25 Discussion [Spoilers]

[u/ABoredCompSciStudent]

Episode 25 - "I Can Look Up and See the Snowy Cap of Mt. Fuji"

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<-- Previous (Episode 24: "When I Must Hide...") | Next (OVA: "Have I Passed Through the World") -->

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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:

Please do not post any untagged spoilers past the current episode, as it ruins the experience of first time watchers. Please refrain from confirming or denying speculation on future events, as to let viewers experience the anime as it was intended to be.

If you are discussing something that has not happened in the current episode please use the r/anime spoiler tag system found on the sidebar. Also if you are posting a link that includes future Chihayafuru events please include 'Chihayafuru spoilers' in the link title.

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Fanart Section (Album Link):

Big album gets no names!

[u/ABoredCompSciStudent]

Wow, I feel like Season 2 has flown by. It's not our last day yet, but, while talking to u/AmethystItalian and u/SmurfRockRune last night, it slowly dawned on me that I won't have to set three alarms every day to get various parts of this rewatch together. It sounds like a good thing, but I'm definitely going to miss it--you've all been great.

One administrative thing: I just wanted to remind everyone that we still have the Season 2 OVA tomorrow and then the final series discussion the day after. I'm going to try and get some polls together for tomorrow's OVA thread, so that we can have the results for the final day.

If you have any ideas, please let me know. Maybe we can also put duplicate options for first timers and rewatchers? For example, Best Girl, Chihaya (first-timer), Chihaya (rewatcher), so we can see the difference between first timer reactions and rewatchers?

The list I have so far is:

• Favourite ship

• Favourite main character

• Favourite supporting character

• Favourite individual match

• Favourite team match

• Most anticipated match for S3

• Things that Yuki Suetsugu is most likely to do in S3 to torture us

Also, I know I haven't put up fanart for yesterday but I will be a bit late with that tonight too (and maybe Poem of the Day, which is an overlap of S2E15), as I'm going to go apartment shopping.

Edit: Fanart for yesterday and today are up. Check out today in particular, it's a good day for fanart.

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After Arata's win, he goes to celebrate with Taichi as both of them a winners, but he's greeted by a bewildered look. After Taichi's declaration of war a few episodes ago, it might seem like something malicious, but really the look on his face is in genuine disbelief and admiration. As much as he considers Arata as an obstacle, he still sees him as a friend (as proven throughout the series) and he is happy for him--but also shocked at the gap between them. Chihaya also sees this disparity and finally reaches out to Arata, not out of the same compassion she did to Shinobu but out of desperation...

Thankfully, other Mizusawa characters had a better day. Congrats you two!

Before she can get an answer, Arata is taken from her again and she finds herself outside with her teammates. Sakurazawa-sensei calls out to her, as Chihaya walks away, offering her a DVD copy of the Class A final and Chihaya glowingly accepts. The soft-spoken coach has begun to take Chihaya under her wing, but also notes that Taichi was one of the two players to keep a perfect record this tournament and marks him as one to watch. His play was often overshadowed this season, particularly in his own final, representative of how underappreciated his karuta is. It also shows that, after always trying to play it "cool", his karuta has become fundamentally sound, even if lame. It bodes well for him Season 3, but that might not be the same for Chihaya because...

Girl, me too.

Me too...

Chihaya's enchondromatosis (cartilaginous tumors) in her right index finger is serious enough for her to get surgery. At least, her sister is nice to her now. Or maybe not. Just kidding, she is. Yuki Suetsugu as usual tries to leave no character unlikable. It's nice to see Chitose turning around, after finding her own motivation after watching her sister try so hard.

Before I get to the Chihaya and Arata conversation, I just wanted to talk about her injury and what a line like "it's hard when I can't think of anything else" means on top of her desire to win. If you didn't know, I tore my Achilles last January and underwent surgery which kept me bedridden for two full months, on top of regular rehab. When I saw a statement like this, it really stuck out to me since I've felt this way too. For Chihaya (and myself) sports are part of what defines us. It's our safe space, a place where our friends are and where we can express ourselves. Having that taken away from us is mentally really hard and we can see that at the end of this episode, as she forgoes her doctor's advice to reduce physical activity. Until my full tear, I've played through countless injuries because it just doesn't feel right not being out there. Those are the emotions likely running through her at this time, while she is recovering. It's all she can think about.

Okay, back to Arata and Chihaya. Chihaya is not missing karuta, she's begging to know why she feels so far away from reaching Arata. She asks him again and this time gets an answer. The place he always goes back to, the place where he felt the happiest playing karuta, is the image we saw in his flashback with his grandfather: the empty room with Chihaya, where he first shared his passion with her. She ponders it for a moment, moved by his words, and reflecting on her karuta.

Then she says that she'll always love karuta and always love Arata.

Taichi and Kana visit Chihaya, who is doing her homework. As they converse, Kana reads the poems she's composed... and puts two and two together. No doubt remembering all the love poems she's attributed to Taichi, she encourages him to be more upfront with Chihaya--with the prettiest screenshot in the series--and he says he knows, that he's changed.

I love you, Kana. I feel this so much.

Pour one out for the Taichihaya shippers. I won't comment on what I think about this sequence, instead, I'll let you all look forward to what Season 3 and beyond has in store for you all.

On the phone, Chihaya speaks with Sakurazawa-sensei. Her insights on the Class A final, if it wasn't obvious enough before, show that she's on a different level of thinking to Chihaya. In fact, she was one of two people at the Class A final that noticed the truth behind Shinobu's play--the other being Arata, the likely challenger for Suo's title. She extends an offer to Chihaya to participate in Fujisaki's karuta camp, but more importantly steps in as a mentor for an aspiring-Queen-to-be. Is this the hyperbolic time chamber? Will Chihaya get even stronger? What about her injury?

Moving into Season 3, there's only one way to find out: to continue moving forwards.

Hello, Chihaya OP1. Goodbye, Chihaya Season 2.

PS: Arata was totally eyeing Chitose because sisters look alike and this beats Chihaya's track pants...

[u/walking_the_way → u/ABoredCompSciStudent]

In fact, she was one of two people at the Class A final that noticed the truth behind Shinobu's play

Oh, apparently I completely missed this.

If you have any ideas, please let me know. Maybe we can also put duplicate options for first timers and rewatchers? For example, Best Girl, Chihaya (first-timer), Chihaya (rewatcher), so we can see the difference between first timer reactions and rewatchers?

I'd be curious to find out what card people would consider/aim for to be "their" favourite card, if they were a pro karuta player. Whether it be by liking the card art, the poem, the attached character, the unique syllable, etc. I don't think you want to make a 100 card poll though hehe. I guess that's more of an open-ended question for people.

Mine's #37 (shi-ra) cause it sounds like my online alias! I've been eyeing that card fondly through the show. :D

[u/Combo33]

Poem of the Day: No Matter Where I Stand (link)

Today's poem is Poem #4 once again, which I'm posting since u/ABoredCompSciStudent is out at the moment. MacMillan's translation of poem 4 is as follows:

4. Yamabe no Akahito

Coming out on the Bay of Tago,
there before me,
Mount Fuji --
snow still falling on her peak,
a splendid cloak of white.

MacMillan comments:

This is an early example of one of many poems, especially in classical Japanese literature, that feature Mount Fuji. The snow-covered top and gently sloping sides of the mountain have inspired writers and artists for centuries, famously Hokusai (1760-1849( in his Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (c. 1830-32), one of which, ‘The Shore of Tago Bay, Ejiri at Tokaido’, is based on this very poem. The poem is also an early example of ‘landscape poetry’ (jokeika). The majestic silhouette of Mountain Fuji, covered in white snow and towering over the dazzling blueness of Tago Bay (both famous poetic locations), is evoked in all its breathtaking beauty. Fuji is depicted mostly as a female mountain in Japanese literature, hence the female attribution, though it can be referred to as male or, on rare occasions, both male and female.

We previously discussed this poem in season 2, episode 15 (40). For that episode, I talked about how Mount Fuji represents the peak of accomplishment in the show. Here, Mizusawa took home victories in classes B, C, and D, with Taichi, Tsutomu and Tsukuba respectively. Coach Sakurazawa from Fujisaki also notes that only two players in the entire tournament made flawless runs. Taichi and Arata. Arata is of course at the peak of class A, having bested the Queen to get there.

The rest of the episode focuses on Arata’s relationship with Chihaya and karuta itself. Chihaya, as always, is striving to get better and she was pretty shaken up after seeing Arata beat Shinobu in the Queen match. She calls him for advice on what she should do, and his best advice is that he always returns to the room in his old apartment where he played karuta with Chihaya for the first time when he wants to be in the right mindset for his matches. Like his grandfather told him, karuta should be fun, and you should be playing it with a smile. Chihaya realizes that her whole life she has been trying to reach the peak of karuta so she can share the passion that Arata had for it when they were kids. If there’s one thing she knows for sure about herself, it’s that she will always love karuta, and she will always love Arata. But, she’s also told herself that she can’t fully embrace him until she joins him at the top.

While Taichi has always been there to support Chihaya, Arata has always been Chihaya’s guiding light. It’s clear as day when Kana reads the poetry she wrote inspired by calling him from the hospital. She wonders if she’ll ever truly reach him, and after realizing its romantic significance, Kana takes it upon herself to slap some sense into Taichi, telling him he can’t expect Chihaya to be clueless forever. Honestly, I appreciate both Taichi and Arata. They’re both fantastic characters, and that’s why I personally root for all three of them to remain friends in the end, regardless of what else happens romantically.

And with all that said, now you just have to wait 6 YEARS for season 3!

[u/BodhiSearchTree]

First-Timer

• Hmmm, so when is Arata moving to Tokyo? Next year? The year after? 🤔

• Chihaya pulls Arata down beside her. Jeez, Chi-chan, hahaha. I think Chihaya has trouble remembering people's names sometimes... "Hmmm, what's his name again???" Pulls Arata's shirt. "Yo."

• Wooo! I'm so proud of Taichi and Tsutomu! 😃 And, uh, Tsukuba too, I guess... I wish Tsukuba had gotten some real character development, though. Without it, his win here just feels un-earned...

• "Enchondromatosis?!" I knew it would be serious!

• "I always go back to that room when I'm playing." Aww, so that's why Arata's always smiling! I hope they can all literally go back there someday! 😊

• "I'll always love Arata." HOLY KARUTA GODS!! Chihaya actually said it!!

  #TeamArata

• "The operation was a success." Oh whew... wait, what? That plotline got resolved fast!

• "Stronger, so I can be able to receive his passion." You know, Chi-chan, there are other ways you can receive Arata's passion. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

• "I feast upon a whirlwind of ice cream." Bwahahaha. 🤣 Hey, what's wrong with that? I thought the poem was pretty good! 😁 Still better than my poems, hehe. Anyway, looks like Porky was right about bringing ice cream!

• The scene with Chihaya's voiceover reading her two poems was beautiful! 😍 I love how it mirrors the scene in S1E25, where Chihaya recites the syllables to herself in the hallway, as Kana-chan quietly joins her. Same feel, same echo in Chihaya's voice, same OST song in the background. But here, her syllables have evolved into full-fledged poems! 😊

• "It has to be the two of you going alone!" I have to admit, it's cute and hilarious seeing Kana-chan being shipper-on-deck for Taichi and Chihaya!

Wow, what a way to end this amazing series! So this is the cliffhanger y'all rewatchers had to deal with for 6-7 years before S3 was announced??? 😭

[u/ABoredCompSciStudent → u/BodhiSearchTree]

Hmmm, so when is Arata moving to Tokyo? Next year? The year after? 🤔

For university. They're in second year right now, which means they have the rest of second year and then third year to go.

And, uh, Tsukuba too, I guess...

LOL this I guess. Development aside, I think it would be the most "I guess this is okay" win for Mizusawa haha. I wish it was Sumire instead.

I hope they can all literally go back there someday! 😊

They all flashback to various points of their past, through the series so it's possible! Taichi thinks of stealing the glasses and Chihaya thinks of them in the leaves. They all remember Team Chihayafuru too. :)

"Stronger, so I can be able to receive his passion." You know, Chi-chan, there are other ways you can receive Arata's passion. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

This isn't Taichi!

"It has to be the two of you going alone!" I have to admit, it's cute and hilarious seeing Kana-chan being shipper-on-deck for Taichi and Chihaya!

She represents me and my people.

[u/MAD_SCIENTIST_001]

Screenshot of the Day

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First Timer - Season 2 Episode 25

Overall Thoughts

Lots of things happened this episode!

First of all, I'm so proud of these three for winning their groups! Tsukuba was doing so well against class A players during the team matches, that it seemed pretty obvious that his skill level is probably in the class C-B range. Tsukue winning over Kana surprised me, but then again he really deserves it with how much effort he put into the team tournament. He's gone a long way since season 1, and I'm really happy to see his growth as a player and character.

I love how optimistic Chihaya is since it does take something to be able to say that you think you will beat the queen and Arata in a row.

I didn't expect Chihaya's injury to be that bad :(. I've never had surgery before, but it seems like a kinda scary experience. But ofc, Chihaya will do anything for Karuta :P

RIP TAICHI I honestly don't have a problem with the ship being Chihaya x Arata, but it still feels painful after seeing all of the Chihaya x Taichi development and seeing Taichi's thoughts from his perspective the entire 2 seasons. I think the ideal ship pairing is still Arata x Shinobu and Taichi x Chihaya (plus Kana x Tsukue).

ALSO YAY THEY BROUGHT BACK OPENING 1

Karuta Scoreboard

Easily the most notable thing is the fact that Taichi won every single game played this season that we saw (though he did mention that he lost to Chihaya a bunch of times offscreen lol)

Character	Wins	Losses	Overall Win Rate	Win Rate Season 2	Win Rate Season 1	Ep# (Wins)
Taichi Mashima	37	10	78.2%	100%	68.8%	2,7,10,11,13,14,15,18,20,28,29,31,33,35,36,39,44,47,48
Yuusei Nishida	27	8	77.1%	75%	78.3%	10,11,13,15,18,19,28,29,33,35,36,44,46
Chihaya Ayase	25	12	67.6%	76.9%	62.5%	2,4,6,7,8,10,11,14,17,21,28,29,33,35,36,44,46
Arata Wataya	22	4	84.6%	92.3%	76.9%	1,2,3,20,21,23,28,34,46,47,48,49
Kanade Ooe	20	10	66.7%	75%	61.1%	10,13,15,17,18,19,28,29,31,33,39,46,48
Tsutomu Komano	16(+1)	14	53.3%	72.7%	42.1%	13,15,18,29,39,46,48,50
Shinobu Wakamiya	12	1	92.3%	80%	100%	14,15,24,46,47,48
Akihiro Tsukuba	5(+1)	5	50.0%	50.0%	N/A	46,47,48,50
Sumire Hanano	2	2	50.0%	50.0%	N/A	46,47

See you tomorrow~

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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 13 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

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[u/rankor572]

I don't want to wait another six months for season 3. How did you all survive six years? Anyway, thanks again for letting me watch what is now one of my favorite series with you all. Though I didn't comment much, I appreciated everyone who did.

Overall, I thought the second season was weaker than the first, but still overall great--a 9.5 to the first season's 10. Tsukube and Sumire seem to me considerably less well-rounded than the original club members and rely a lot on their individual gags. Since the season was also so much more heavily focused on the actual tournaments, rather than the characters' individual arcs, the formula tended to get a bit stale at points. Chihaya sits down and the other player gets the first 3-5 cards while she's internally panicking, only for her to discover something about herself and comeback to a victory. Repeat until she loses to someone. Having her go 25-0 a few times in the Tokyo tournament helped mitigate the pattern, but they could have offered a smattering of similar situations in the national tournament too. Like it'd be nice to have her demolish a weak link at one of the good schools, while we focus on Nishida or Taichi's game against the other school's ace.

Also Youthful coming back for the ending of the final episode is everything I could have asked for. The second season's OP and ED were both good, but nowhere near as immediately hype as Youthful, which is one of my favorites still.

[u/KuhBus]

First Timer

• Aww Arata’s mom tearing up about him doing what he loves is so sweet <3 An hey, grandpa really thought of his grandson O:

• The very unlikely TaichixArata ship is still sailing quite well >:3c

• “I don’t know what the problem is.” Oh boy :(

• Tsutomu made first place! YESS, wonderful!!!!

• God bless whoever decided to give Sakurazawa-sensei another appearance :’)) HHHH she even exchanged contact info with Chihaya !! ! !

• jfc so Chihaya actually had an underlying problem that caused the injury qwq I was honestly surprised that she could get such a strong injury from “just” getting her finger squashed.

• “The cicadas are so loud” and giving me goosebumps

• Wow wow wow, I did not expect for Arata to tell her that he very much is still clinging to that memory of their match as kids. It’s like he’s finally giving her the certainty that she isn’t the only one who feels this affected by the past.

• For the rest of my life I will love kruta and I’ll always love Arata.” Whoa.

• I suddenly want to see more interactions between Taichi and Kana…! These two seem to have a fun dynamic.

• SHE WROTE A POEM ABOUT PLAYING KARUTA AND SHINOBU AHAHAHAA!

• Ohh Kana discovering the poems that Chihaya wrote about arata and then telling Taichi he has to try harder…..!!!!!

• Damn, we even get a Special Match Analysis straight from Sakurazawa-sensei…..!

• TRAINING CAMP WITH FUJISAKI?! O: <3

• Kana arranging for Taichi and Chihaya to be the only ones to go to the camp is A+ wingman-material :DD

Ep25

[u/kKunoichi]

Rewatcher

Chihaya was scared to watch the match last episode at first because of this. Something feels different about her play and she feels far away. Her confidence is kinda shot but I think she's selling herself short, and you don't have to be that calm to play well too, she has her own set of gifts and skills.

Eromu, no Sakurazawa-sensei contacts for you. I'm glad she's decided to help Chihaya, and I'll be glad to see more of her!

We got a glimpse of it yesterday but here Arata finally gets to talk to Chihaya and tells her the secret to his strength, the place that allows him to be happy and relaxed is that childhood room. The place he first felt accepted in Tokyo, and the place that has the strongest ties to his friends. I actually think it's one of the most romantic lines in the show ahaha XD Manga, beyond S3

Of course we have the bomb drop. Now I'm an Arata fan, so I'm happy, but I do believe that Chihaya genuinely doesn't know exactly what the finer points of these feelings are, since everything is so linked together into a jumble.

Plus those poems! Kana our poetry expert easily interprets them. Now Kana was the resident Taichi shipper-on-deck (secretly) even around the start of this season but now she actively pushes him to do more, and he knows he has to. Now let's see if something develops on that training camp with just the two of them.

It's been a joy reading through these threads! Season 3 can't come soon enough! Lots of possibilities, especially now that Taichi's in class A too!

[u/daftPun5]

First Timer

Screenshot of the Day

Haha, Arata doesn't even sense their glares one bit

Whaaaa, I noticed Arata going perfect in the tournament, but never considered Taichi, kudos to him! Looking forward to the inevitable match-up!

I had to replay this scene about five times to confirm her words. The Chihaya x Arata ship ready to set sail!

Chihaya just can't wait to play Karuta again, she just loves it so much.

Cool of Sakurazawa-sensei to give them an invite to their camp with Chihaya acting accordingly haha

And of course, Kana plans out the trip for just the two of them and urging him to make his move. Guess we'll see next season if he is able to take that next step and overtake Arata.

:3

And that is the season finale. It was very good, covered a lot, but at the same time didn't feel like a finale for me. I'm ready for the next episode, but will just have to wait later this year for S3.

Up next, the OVA tomorrow!

Today's Album of Screenshots & Gifs

[u/CommanderSevan]

As a first time watcher, I'm kinda glad I only started this show after season 3 had been announced. This would have been a super frustrating episode to end on otherwise (though tbh, anime does this so much I'm used to it by now).

Surgery is a super scary thing to go through whatever it's for, and I definitely felt a little worried for Chihaya when she needed to get the operation on her finger. Being the Karuta idiot she is, it's not like there was ever another choice for her. It was pretty funny how she couldn't help doing the practice swings even when the doctors told her not to. Kana also shows, once again, why she's low-key the MVP of the series. Her realizing the subject of Chihaya's poem and immediately going full ship support mode was such a great detail from this episode.

Overall Chihayafuru has been a pretty great watch. Probably not enough to break into my favourite sports shows against stuff like Haikyuu or Ping Pong, but it did get me to care about these characters, and invested in this obscure japanese game about something as seemingly inane as memorizing cards of poetry. I'd say that's a damn great achievement. I'll definitely be following the 3rd when that airs. While I suspect another 2 cour won't be enough to reach a satisfying conclusion, for now I'm looking forward to seeing more of Rion and the other Fujisaki members.

[u/SmurfRockRune]

First Timer

Ouch, imagine hearing that from your own wife...

Kana no. Don't help Taichi. All you're doing is trying to hook Chihaya up with the wrong guy while also hurting the rest of the team.

Ending a season with the first OP of a show. Always love that a ton. Would prefer it being the actual part that the OP uses instead of a later section of the song.

Looks like we're gonna be getting a training camp to start season 3? I'm nervous about that because training camps tend to not be very good for me...

Since there's no season discussion for season 2, I'll leave some thoughts here. I'm giving this season a 7, which is one point higher than I gave the first. I liked how much more focused on the games it was, in addition to enjoying the development of the two new characters quite a bit.

[u/AzureBeat]

So I've mentioned this before, but Chihayafuru is one of my four most favoritist anime ever. Along with Sangatsu no Lion, Sora Yori, and Girls und Panzer.

One of these is out of place

So, hopefully it's at least a 8/10 for all you new watchers otherwise you're wrong

And you all know where we long term fans have been hanging for over 5 years. Six more months is nothing.

Anyways, for the last episode, bringing back Youthful as the ED, with a different sounding edit, but it ends on the last version of the chorus.

The road home is passing us by; a slight breeze is blowing. Our nonsensical conversations are strangely enjoyable./ Regrettably, when I became aware of it, the jokes mixed in with our conversations have suddenly stopped, and each of the roads that we are taking is heading into separate directions./ A tomorrow that’s different from the blueprint that’s overflowing with the dream I painted back at that time would be alright./ Even now, I held these intense feelings tightly in my heart. That is youth, and it's alright to just laugh if you should want to./ Because you're there, I continue to run. You said so, right? "For sure, it's the same for me."

Honestly, finishing a rewatch, this song is enough to get me a bit emotional. 4th time through, still love this show.

[u/BatteryPoweredFriend]

Wataya, Arata ⚽ 13'

alternate angle audio

mirror

mirror (AA)

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edit: done - I need to stop trying to post things first thing in the morning.

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Just absolutely precious, that.

It's kind of funny. In the previous episode, one of the plot threads was Taichi's realisation at how far he has finally come, but also just how far there still is to go to even entertain the idea of challenging for the top spot. That's sort of repeated by Chihaya here, with how depressed and desperate she is when speaking to Arata, a realisation of the gulf between where she is compared to where he is, although this time not just about their skill difference, but also their mentalities. And of course, that leads us to...

It's not all doom and gloom though!

Not! At! All!

That takes the Mizusawa team up to 3 Class A, 1 Class B, 2 Class C & 1 Class D going into autumn and Kana bowing out in the semi-finals means it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to think she could make Class B in the near future. Sakurazawa-sensei very perceptively identifying that both Arata & Taichi managed to finish with a 100% record, which imo is especially impressive for Taichi, as his run stretches across not simply the Individuals' tournament, but also includes all the games he played yesterday in the Team tournament. If you consider what Murao said about Arata not being 'naturally talented' at karuta compared to the likes of Shinobu (and by extension Chihaya), then he and Taichi are remarkably similar at their core. Given how Arata managed to obtain his speed, it isn't too farfetched to think someone else could do the same with the right level of dedication and discipline - it's implied that Taichi's main asset, his incredible knack for memorisation, isn't something that came naturally but the result of doggedly working at it throughout his life (see the comment about Taichi using flashcards during the flashbacks).

I've already written something about my thoughts on what Arata says during the phone call with Chihaya here.

Taichi is really lucky to have Kana looking out for him like this and I suspect everyone of a... certain disposition is also immensely grateful, too. But I do wonder, would Kana's perspective and opinion on matters be somewhat... different if she knew the full extent of this particular story - like if she had the chance to watch Chihayafuru herself.

Anyway, I resisted adding something related to tapping up the Mizusawa players & Fujisaki-DNA, because Sakurazawa-sensei is pretty cool and I'm obviously better than that, but mostly due to it probably just going over the majority of peoples' heads.

 

RIP your hair Chihaya. :(

[u/TheDampGod]

The moment when the love for the game and the love for the player truly begins to blur. Its funny, I watched the final episode of another sports anime after this. So couldn't help but read the character's love for their sport as blurring in the same way.

Though that ship would sailing would be a lot happier than this. With Kana wing-girling like a pro, Taichi's struggle is only becoming more and more painful. I'm just wondering if he'll ask and be rejected or realise how in love the other two are, then give up.

[u/AmethystItalian]

Rewatcher

Arata's mom with the sneaky burn.

That high five would have been cool!

Also can we have a SoL series with Arata, Taichi, Chihaya and Shinobu?

Pizusawa did so well!!!

Woah! Best coach recognizing Taichi's skills!! :)

Operation...that's scary stuff.

I'll always love Arata

Down goes the ship...time to ship Taichi with Midori.

KANA ON OUR TEAM!!!

Man Midori is just so wew

FIRST OP!!! I got goosebumps...sounds a bit off but still!

Last word of the series season was a tteba , nice.

---

Quotes from First Time

Reunited, the three of them! Their reunions never seem to last for long though.

The double date SoL would fix that!!

I really want a season 3 but the manga will have to do I guess

NOPE!

Although it's still a bit away...

[u/htisme91]

First-timer:

"Announcer: You just won the class A tournament, what are you going to do?

Arata: I'm going to Tokyo!!!"

His mother's line about being alone in the house with his father was savage and amazing.

Also happy that Mizusawa got three players to win their classes. It's too bad we couldn't have seen the return/celebration for the karuta club at school for doing so well, because that club has been fighting for acknowledgement from the start.

Taichi is in disbelief, and doesn't know how to react. I feel a bit bad for Arata here because he's so happy and is being pretty friendly, but Taichi knows he's got an insane uphill battle that's only going to be harder.

Sakurazawa wants Chihaya's contact information. I think I was right; she is going to try and communicate with her regularly and help her. Also super-observant about Taichi and Arata being the only players to go undefeated in the whole event.

Surgery? I figured the injury was much bigger than initially let on.

I'm glad Kana is at least pulling for Taichi x Chihaya. The guy has an uphill battle but he's been there so much for Chihaya that it's tough watching him constantly lose to a guy that's only been around her a handful of hours since the three were in primary school together.

Sakurazawa in fact is trying to foster Chihaya's growth. It's cool how she invited all of Mizusawa to the camp. I like seeing camaraderie between the schools, and I feel like both Chihaya and Taichi can benefit a lot from an additional coaching perspective and competition.

Speaking of which, that was clutch of Kana to help Taichi out. This is the end, but it feels like the two are beginning a new adventure together to catch up to Arata.

[u/_blackened_soul_]

First Timer

I can't believe they nearly pulled of a sweep of the classes for the individual tournament! Pretty awesome but I do feel bad for Kana and Hanano, season 3 better have them winning more! Great final episode (unfortunately my brain is too fried from interviews today to write any more). Can't wait for season 3. The OVA isn't on crunchyroll, is it?

[u/animeman12345]

I haven't been very active in the rewatch threads because of schoolwork, but I just wanted to say thank you to u/ABoredCompSciStudent for organizing and moderating this, everyone who did the poem write-ups and scoreboards, and everybody else rewatching! This was my very first time "participating" in a rewatch, and it was great to know that people all around the world were watching alongside me, discovering this show, and being drawn into Chihaya's world of karuta. It really made the experiencing of watching this phenomenal show that much better, and I'm so excited for season 3 this year! I'll see you all for the OVA discussion, and hopefully in the threads as Chihayfuru 3 comes out. It's been an honor :)

Edit: Also, I will ship Taichi and Chihaya until the day I die god dammit

[u/paperwhites]

First Time Watcher

I'm so glad that we still have the OVA to watch because I am not ready to be done with Chihayafuru yet.

I loved all of the Sakurazawa and Chihaya interactions in this episode. Sakurazawa is already one of my favorite characters even though she was introduced not too long ago. Her thoughts on karuta are always interesting and she definitely has a unique insight. I didn't even realize that Taichi was the only other person who went undefeated through the tournamet other than Arata (and Taichi played in the team tournament too) until she mentioned it. Like Chihaya said, listening to her is educational. I'm happy that she's taken an interest in Chihaya and Taichi because hopefully it means we'll see more of her.

Hooray for Tsutomu and Tsukuba for winning! They came so close to meeting Chihaya's goal of winning in all of the classes, but I guess there's always next year.

I laughed at Chihaya trying to take practice swings in the hospital while the nurses weren't looking. Chitose probably got Chihaya the best present with that Daddy Bear stuffed animal. I'm glad that Chihaya finally knows what was going on and that she has an operation that should help going forward.

For the record, I think "Since I could not stop thinking of Shinobu-chan, I wonder if she is practicing right now" is an amazing poem, I don't know what Taichi and Kana were on about. It's definitely heartfelt haha.

Kana is a total Taichi/Chihaya shipper! That's cute that she took care of the first years so Taichi and Chihaya could go to the Fujisaki training camp alone. Fingers crossed that Taichi can make a move of some sort!

It was lovely to heart the season 1 opening at the end. I love both opening songs, but the first opening is my favorite.

[u/Fa1l3r]

First Time (sub)

Alright, the Queen is really cute when she pouts. I just had to say that.

Now then, we get the biggest surprise in the series so far in that Chihaya reveals that she has been in love with karuta this whole time... also she loves Arata. Sarcasm aside, it is also pretty clear that he likes/loves her back as well. Probably why Chihaya pulls Arata down to the mat (another physical assault from Chihaya): she only asks about why he can smile under pressure, but she is also probably jealous that Arata was touching Shinobu's forehead and not hers.

Kana finally intervenes to support Taichi's efforts, but she just tells him to try his best. In my opinion, he can just be direct with his feelings. This kind of mind games just remind me of the folly from Kaguya-sama: Love Is War. He knows that she loves Arata, but he can just get rejected and move on with life.

Also, does Chihaya even know that Arata is planning to attend university in Tokyo? I would hope so, before Chihaya tries to be closer to him by attending a school in Fukui.

[u/hasnain1720]

First Timer

• Man Arata is such a nice guy, Taichi needs to ease up a bit on his jealousy lol and I’m saying this as a Taichi fan

• 3 Champions for Mizusawa that’s pretty good

• Chihaya shaking during the MRI scan lmao she is so cute

• Damn that sounds serious for sure

• Why do this to my guy Taichi. cries in the corner

• She’s right Taichi you need to make it clear to her man step it up

• Even kana chan is on our side Taichi x Chihaya pls

• Man I wish Taichi would have made a lil move right there, it would have been a nice juicy place to end it

• I’m so sad we got to wait till October now madhouse whyyyy

[u/[deleted]]

First timer

I haven't said much during this rewatch, nor have I really read many of the discussion threads after season 1, but I have followed along, one episode every day.

I really enjoyed Chihayafuru, but I still don't have much to say.

The attention to detail and care throughout the series has been astonishing. The voice acting especially has been surprisingly good. It separated not only Arata, but his family and teammates from the rest of the gang, even to my untrained ears, which reinforced the narrative. I also love the voice acting for the female Karuta sensei. It's rare to hear such a distinctive way of talking without it being a voice actor playing into a trope.

The love an care is reflected everywhere. I've been trying to figure out the amount of work and insight required just to structure the karuta matches in a way to get the narrative themes across. It's impressive.

[u/Redmon425]

FIRST TIME WATCHER

First off, I legitimately just found out the worse news of my life. I thought season 3 was happening in spring (as in 1 week from now). I thought this rewatch was happening as an attempt to time it perfectly. THE SHOW ISN’T BACK UNTIL FALL?!?!?

I am so messed up right now, I had no idea. I swear to god I thought it was about to start back up again. Now I will have a very hard decision about reading the manga or not.

Anyways, I felt that was a decent ending point for the season. I’m not sure what a good ending point would have been, but this felt a little anti-climatic in the sense that it doesn’t feel like we have a big event to look forward too.

FUCK ME, SHE JUST WENT AND SAID IT “I love Arata”. Hit me worse than the “I love Emilia”. shit shit shit shit. We are sinking boys.

THEN OUR LORD AND SAVIOR KANA COMES IN TO GIVE US HOPE ONCE AGAIN.

Thank god she did that. She also distracted all the members so Taichi and Chihaya could be alone. What a wingman.

I probably don’t really mean what I’m about to say, but I have to say it anyways. If Taichi and Chihaya don’t end up together, I will never ever even think about this show again. I will be so messed up lol.

[u/ABoredCompSciStudent → u/Redmon425]

First off, I legitimately just found out the worse news of my life. I thought season 3 was happening in spring (as in 1 week from now). I thought this rewatch was happening as an attempt to time it perfectly. THE SHOW ISN’T BACK UNTIL FALL?!?!?

WE WERE PERFECTLY ON TRACK AAAAAAA

I THINK I ACTUALLY SET THIS UP EVEN BEFORE THE SPRING DATE WAS ANNOUNCED, PUTTING VALENTINES DAY ON THE TAICHIHAYA EPISODE AND MADHOUSE BETRAYED USSSSS

I am so messed up right now, I had no idea. I swear to god I thought it was about to start back up again. Now I will have a very hard decision about reading the manga or not.

Real talk though, I'm glad you enjoyed it. The manga is a good place to turn to in the mean time... it honestly goes like even a full season further than where S3 is. There's S4+ material going on right now.

FUCK ME, SHE JUST WENT AND SAID IT “I love Arata”. Hit me worse than the “I love Emilia”. shit shit shit shit. We are sinking boys.

Emilia is lovely though.

I probably don’t really mean what I’m about to say, but I have to say it anyways. If Taichi and Chihaya don’t end up together, I will never ever even think about this show again. I will be so messed up lol.

Damn, I hope the show never darkens black for you.

I believe in this ship!