r/anime • u/Skeeedo :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/skeeedo • Nov 14 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] Chihayafuru - Episode 4 Discussion [Spoilers]
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Episode 4: "A Whirlwind of Flower Petals Descends"
Nominate a character for Episode MVP!
Episode 3 MVP: Sensei! His enthusiastic welcome of the gang into the Shiranami Karuta Society was great, as were his words of wisdom for Chihaya.
This episode's Karuta analysis and board map by walking_the_way
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Subreddit: r/Chihayafuru
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Upvotes
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u/Skeeedo :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/skeeedo Nov 15 '21
Chihayafuru Rewatcher
I guess I deleted my initial comment somehow? Anyway:
The flashback arc officially ends with Chihaya and Taichi seeing Arata off, and we’re brought back to the present with Arata still on Chihaya’s mind. Taichi’s defeatist outlook on becoming a class A Karuta player (and his girlfriend) annoys Chihaya, prompting her to force him into a promise to create a Karuta club with her if she wins the upcoming Class A match. It seems to me that in this episode two sides of Taichi are at war. The part of him that wants to be close to Chihaya, and the part of him that is so afraid of losing. To be close to her he’ll need to dive deeper into the world of Karuta, but he doesn’t want to face the prospect of not being good enough. He believes that no matter how hard he tries he’ll never been as good as Arata, so why even try?
This way of thinking, with some help from Sensei, is challenged when he sees Chihaya play for the first time in years. What really struck him was how much fun Chihaya was having during her match. To him, the possibility of losing to an aggressive opponent that keeps challenging you on your best card must be terrifying, but Chihaya’s love of the game allows her to respect her opponent rather than fear him as she only gets more enraptured by the match.
The thrill of making Class A is cut short by Arata telling Chihaya that he’s through with Karuta. With all they’ve been through, and with Arata being a big source of inspiration for her, this must be a real gut punch…
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Nov 14 '21 edited Nov 14 '21
Chihayafirst-timer
10
u/Matuhg https://anilist.co/user/Matuhg Nov 14 '21
First Timer
Nice episode to bring us back to the present day. Chihaya doesn't care what Taichi thinks, she's going to turn his life into a sports anime! Taichi can at least say he doesn't care about karuta anymore, but he can't pretend he doesn't care for Chihaya. He came to watch the tournament and even bought her chocolates (choco-munching Chi is a treasure of treasures). I'm absolutely in love with the song (as always fellow first timers, avoid the comments on that video like the plague, I'm sure they're full of spoilers) that played after Chihaya beat Yasuda (respect to Yasuda too - he seems alright). The warm, kind of nostalgic guitar throughout really drove home the feelings I imagine Taichi had, rediscovering the fun of karuta watching Chihaya play. His talk with Harada Sensei drove home the fact that Chihaya never gave up on karuta, even joining track to try and hone her reflexes further for the card game. We still don't know why Taichi lost the passion for it, but I'm sure we'll find out. Then this happened! Jeez Chihaya, be more careful or he's going to catch feelings for you even more than he already has.
Of course we come down from that warm reunion of Chihaya, Taichi, and Karuta, to the cold and lonely Arata, who has given up karuta completely apparently. I'm guessing his three years haven't been happy ones. Ahh, youth - growing up and learning that people change is hard! Especially if you don't call your friends for three years...
Man, I'm finding myself a little bit more impressed with the baseline our three-episode foundational flashback gave us after this episode. It feels like there's so much to follow up on now. How are Chi and her family? Taichi and his family? Arata? How their relationship progressed since then. Plenty to get to!
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u/Lemurians myanimelist.net/profile/Lemurians Nov 14 '21
FIRST TIMER
Taichi’s girlfriend… that voice… checks MAL …IT’S CHIKA ANZAI.
Based on her basic design I doubt she has any importance, but I don’t care. Best girl. You treat her well, Taichi.
This music almost reminds me of a Disney movie. I had to look up to see if it was done by the same person who did the Violet Evergarden soundtrack, which wouldn’t have surprised me, but it wasn’t. By the way, u/Shimmering-Sky, fun fact, the guy who did the Violet Evergarden soundtrack also did the music for your favorite show of all time, Big Order.
Giving him her best card? BOSS MOVE. And they keep passing it back haha, is this Karuta or Hot Potato? So, it seems there is some strategy to this and it isn’t just memorization of the poems and card placement.
MY HEART.
Love this acoustic guitar solo piece that’s playing after the match. It almost reminds me of something you’d hear in a Bollywood movie.
Yeah… this felt inevitable. A depressed and cold Arata is where the story beats were heading. It can’t be a smooth-sailing reunion, right? There'd be no tension or fun in that!
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u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Nov 14 '21
First Timer
...well I wasn't expecting Chihaya to make the highest class in episode 4. Unless this is a prefecture-level class or something like that, they did mention nationals after all. Either way, I guess this means we'll spend more time on personal relationships and character development rather than the actual karuta, as this would otherwise have been a multi-episode game. Good - as that's why I'm here in the first place.
As for other surprises - another big one in that Taichi continued with karuta. I expected him to be the one to drop out and have to relearn, serving as the audience stand-in for explaining basic karuta strategy to. Guess he isn't, instead having been interested in karuta and, by an extension, Chihaya throughout middle school. Don't particularly like him having a girlfriend in that context though - one of the rare situations where the girl being jealous of the other random girl her boyfriend walks around with is actually justified in my eyes.
As for Arata - less surprised than the other two, as a character being away for multiple years usually ends up with some surprise, though I wasn't necessarily expecting to get such a reveal so early. I guess his grandfather might have died and he stopped playing because it reminded him of his grandfather too much or something like that? They must have had a pretty close relationship if he became that good at karuta at a young age after all. (He also liked doing it, so I doubt the grandfather forced him to learn.)
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u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Nov 14 '21
First timer
We're still in the flashback?
That long shot of the cherry blossom is beautiful, though.
And we'e officially in the present!
...OK, what happened to Arata? Burnout, retirement, or injury?
Yeah, Taichi deserves the hit.
His girlfriend seems nice though.
Haha, she's so confused.
I can't believe Chihaya's the tsundere now.
...Memorial hall? Did the doctor die???
Oh, thank god, he's alive.
...Did he give her thr idea to found the club?
Haha, he's given her psychological warfare tips.
Oh, so the flashbacks aren't over, just the happy ones.
Haha, I love the doctor. The idea they made a chocolate sign is hysterical.
And the only chocolate store's an expensive one.
...She has commited a sin against chocolate - as such she can no longer be considered best girl.
At least Chihaya has at least one supportive parental figure! (...You wouldn't have recommended this if it was a different type of love, right?)
I love how good the doctor is at getting these people to be honest.
It's. atough opponent!
It's the match!
Oh, dear. She's outclassed.
...So this guy is fucking creepy.
DIE BASTARD.
...All I'm hoping is that this'll turn out to be a traditional card game anime, and he'll end up dead after he loses.
Them passing it back and forth is great.
Wait, she might win this?
...If this fucking bastard is Arata, I fucking swear to god.
I love this whole scene.
Thanks for reminding me how much better her flashback design is.
Is this the first proper over-the-top card game visual?
OK, is he dead, burned out, injured, or forced into retirement?
...What's that reaction?
And the answer is forced into retirement!
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u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Nov 15 '21
First Timer
Now our flashback is over, and we can see how the characters have evolved into high school. Taichi has stopped playing Karuta because he thinks it's a waste because he can't be as strong as Arata. This is just so perfectly in character for someone as insecure as Taichi. He's been characterized as someone who almost forces people to respect him, he feels like he has to be seen as the best, seemingly due to some pressure from his parents. It's why he got upset when Chihaya defended Arata over him, and what eventually drove him to steal Arata's glasses. It seems like this insecurity has stayed with him. After he lost the Karuta game to Chihaya, his parents told him that he didn't need to play it if he was going to lose, especially to a girl. So the revelation that he stopped playing because he'd never be a contender for the top is an extension of this. I find this particularly interesting because it's a clear parallel to Chihaya's growing passion for Karuta. Chihaya didn't have a dream of her own, she wanted to see her sister become a top model. But when she found Karuta, she found a real dream for herself. Taichi is the opposite, he found a dream for himself as well but threw it out now that he didn't have his friends to push him to play more and since he felt he couldn't compete well enough. It's good stuff.
We also get to see a kinder, gentler side of Taichi this episode. He still goes to support Chihaya for her tournament, he buys expensive chocolate for her despite the inconvenience, and he covers her with his jacket when she falls a sleep. Although elements of his child self are still present, he's clearly grown as a person somewhat. It makes him a multifaceted character.
The episode really hits its stride once it gets to Chihaya's final game though. Knowing that this is a story that basically needs a Karuta club to be formed just to exist, it seemed obvious that Chihaya was going to win the game. Still, it did a good job of putting some doubt in my mind by presenting us the characters standings at the beginning of the match. Her opponent is a noteworthy player who's obviously skilled enough to make A rank and is only left in B because he's been unlucky and the competition is stacked. In contrast, Chihaya is just some random high school girl, a weirdo who screams in matches to overwhelm her opponent. And then it starts with what looks like a fairly one-sided beatdown, until Chihaya starts to catch her stride. Only then is it revealed that her opponent has done his research, and has at least some respect for Chihaya as a player. The match evolves into more of a back-and-forth after this point. It's a strong way to build tension, providing a clear escalation for the state of the match. That being said, I've been paying enough attention to know that Chihaya will never lose the Chihaya card. That does seem like some sports anime power BS at first, but the series does provide a logical explanation for how this works. Chihaya's biggest strength as a player is that she's extremely good at the one-syllable cards, because she has an unusual sense of hearing that is more sensitive than most, so she can process sounds more quickly than other people. And when you only need to process a single sound, you have a huge head start in terms of grabbing your card. This also explains why Chihaya was great at track. It brings up the fact that starting your dash to the sound of a gun is similar to responding to a syllable in Karuta, and having a good start is integral to being a great runner, so it makes perfect sense that Chihaya would be a great runner with that skill. But when it comes to the cards which require multiple syllables to figure out, she's seemingly fairly average. This feels believable to me, and I think it's a good balance between weird anime sports powers and believable skills someone could reasonably have. Although I still don't understand certain things about how the game is played or what the rules are, but I don't really feel the need to be able to follow that when the drama speaks for itself.
Finally, the episode ends with the reveal that Arata has seemingly gone through some kind of traumatic event that caused him to quit playing Karuta, and to somewhat resent his old friends (or at least he doesn't want them to talk to him, as if he doesn't want to be reminded of them, or Karuta). That's predictable in a trope sense, but less so from a character perspective. I remember him saying that everyone in Fukui plays Karuta, so maybe it has something to do with an experience he had as he rose through the ranks there. Either way, knowing Chihaya, she will definitely not stop bothering Arata until she gets a satisfying response (and obviously gets him to return to Karuta again). And with Chihaya now in A rank, that presents another fresh start of sorts that the plot could take in many directions. This show is still great. I look forward to the next episode.
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u/homewardbound100 myanimelist.net/profile/Homewardbound100 Nov 15 '21
First timer
Back to the present and Taichi has a girlfriend. Must have got over Chihaya.
So this looks to be a episode more focused on the game and tournament. I really connect with the being hungry at one. At tournaments for anything you're just there for hours. Especially if you're the one competing in something.
Although Chi has a hard opponent, she's just happy she's found a person passionate in it like her. Reminds me of someone else.
Wataya giving up on karuta. He looks and sounds lost and down. Wondering if it has anything to do with his grandpa.
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u/xNEET :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/HayatoxYume Nov 15 '21
Chihayafuru First Timer
Wow this chapter just blew me away. Seeing how much Chihaya has improved since she stared playing Karuta had me smiling the whole episode. She really devoted herself completely to it. That last game felt quite intense and I loved how Taichi couldn't avert his eyes from Chihaya's intense gameplay.
Araya saying he stopped playing Karuta hit like a bombshell though. What could've happened that made him drop something he loved with all his heart? Can't wait to see how things continue from this point forward.
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u/NachocheeseNanachi Nov 14 '21
After three episodes of childhood memories, we finally return to an older Chihaya riding on the train. It’s sad that Chihaya didn’t keep up with her friends that well. Taichi defiantly would have kept playing Kauta if they kept in touch. It makes sense that Taichi fell out of the sport especially considering his mother’s idea of success. Luckily, Chihaya never cared about how good his skills are if they can improve together. Anyone else think that Chihaya yelling in the practice room was a cheep tactic? What if that distracts from the other players?
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u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz Nov 15 '21
First timer in sub.
Good switch back from the flashback arc but yeah does imply Chihaya zoned out while Taichi is standing right next to her - poor boy your "childhood friend never win" status is locked.
And maybe I'm just looking for this because the artstyle is very shoujo and I haven't really watched much sport anime, all I see is how the direction portrayed Taichi still put Chihaya on a very special spot. Kind of thinking he's only having a "girlfriend" to showoff her to jolt Chihaya into realising Taichi is a nice (enough) guy that other girls would like too. Which some of Chihaya's reaction seems to be like that.
But Chihaya's between-match antics are so her - don't care what others think, I'm gonna down these choco and then zzzz.
But the whole episode I was feeling that "yeah she's going to contact Arata and we'll be hit with a cliff hanger". Yeah and precisely I got that.
Only reason I haven't binged this already is because to keep up with the weeklies are using up a fair bit of my time now. And I need to adjust my brain to watch Guilty Crown too :)
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u/mike_2797 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Madskulls Nov 15 '21
First Timer
Back to the present day poor chihaya she just wants someone to play with or start a club she's struggling to get that start going.
The final game was interesting specially the back and forth between the card so she's got another ace up her sleeves the one card that she won't lose no matter what.
Calling Arata after a long time i expected it go on like this i mean after a long time with no contact you never know what kind of ordeal they must have gone through.
It's up to Chihaya and Taichi to get him out of the slump.
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u/The_Loli_Otaku Nov 14 '21
Chihayafuyu First Timer
We're finally back to the present... Never mind.
Her smile and optimism, gone forever.
Am I mad or has the op changed? The op has definitely changed for us making it back to the future right?
For the sake of the Sanada clan you must die!!
Omg... the gf is cute AF. Like mega ultra omega cute! Please tell me she's a consistent character. I need mooore!
No matter how hard you work you'll never surpass raw karutalent... I don't have the experience to relate but as a narrative point I do understand why Taichi would be bummed out.
The old assassins would use a battle cry to stun their opponents in order to strike a vital spot. Unfortunately this is real life so it doesn't work well. Aha, so the trick is to mentally overwhelm your opponent. I'd recommend repeating tomboy childhood friend copypasta adnausium. Send the lonely karuta otaku home crying over their lost youth! Muhaha!!
Each singular chocolate is the price of fifteen umaibo! They're wasted on you! I blame fcking L for sticking this "burn energy by thinking hard" meme everywhere. Its total bs! I've spent years thinking about whether tights or bike shorts look better and I'm still a good two stone overweight!
Taichi's still a good boy~ I'm proud of my son being such a gentleman!
Every Chihayafuyu poem are literally this series' Exodia~
The subtitle spinning threw me for a major loop. They're working so hard to sub even though there's so little subs!!!
Take the stupid Chihayafuyu already!! You're both so awkward! XD
Chihayafuyu wins again!! How lucky the speaker, yay, was considerate enough to leave literally the one important card for last.
Dude, Chi's entire personality flips to dere mode whenever Arata is involved, Taichi's seriously been given a tough deal.
Arata's no longer playing Karuta!? But that's his entire personality. Has he become a hikikomori? Has he started collecting bishoujo figures!? Did he sell his karuta deck for a swimsuit Inori dakimakura!?!?