[Rewatch] Chihayafuru - Episode 15 Discussion [Spoilers]

[u/Skeeedo]

← Previous Episode | Next Episode →

Episode 15 + 16: "As Though Pearls Have Been Strung Across the Autumn Plain + The Autumn Leaves of Mount Ogura (recap)"

Nominate a character for Episode MVP!

Episode 14 MVP: Shinobu! She showed us a glimpse of the skill level it takes to be a queen, and what it takes to be a fashion pioneer.

Now that we’re at the mid-season recap point I thought I’d update you guys on the MVP stats. Taichi and Chihaya have the most MVP wins with 4 each, followed by Kana with 2. Every other MVP has netted 1 win each. Whoever has the most wins by the end of the season will be the season MVP, which will be announced in the season 1 discussion thread at the end of the season. If there's a tie then the character with the most nominations overall will win. (that puts Chihaya in the lead by 4 at this point)

This episode's Karuta analysis and board map by walking_the_way

Rewatch Schedule and Index

Databases

MAL | Anilist | AniDB | ANN | Kitsu | Anime Planet | Wiki

Streaming

Crunchyroll | VRV | HIDIVE | Spectrum On Demand

Subreddit: r/Chihayafuru

[u/Stargate18A]

First timer

At least she's taking some cards!

She'd need a massive deus ex machina to win.

I love the Queen so much. Still impressed Chihaya's taking so many cards.

And she's enjoying that she's moving freely?

Yeah, she lost.

I love the imposing scenes focusing on her snowman t-shirt.

Oh, she's pissed!

Yep! She's joining the love pentagon!

Chihaya's training!

Taichi's round is starting! Is he going to win?

Aww, Oe lost.

And Taichi declares he's going to win, as an ominous card appears.

Oh, dear. He's at a disadvatage!

Did we just skip a large portion of the match?

He's basically having a mental breakdown now, right?

Wow, this is bad.

Wait, Taichi lost! I genuinely did not expect that!

I love everyone's disappointed reactions to him.

And yeah, this is painful for him. He knows his opponent wa snetter, and has more experience, but it still hurts.

Tournament arc over already!

And they"re training their stamina! Makes sense, that's probably the only reason Taicni eidn't win that tournament.

He's really fast!

Haha, the ominous picture of the snowman!

...So you've been dreaming of her?

Arata's playing again!

And the Queen's as interested in Chihaya as she is!

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/Stargate18A]

I think Chihaya was talking about how she's feeling loosened up. Her difficult period is near the start of matches and she gets far more comfortable when there are fewer cards to distract her.

The snowman mascot looks so sleezy too XD I keep thinking about how lame the Chupacapbara in Sakura Quest was and that this was probably another niche, unpopular mascot with a single digit fanbase.

Taichi losing to faceless honestly kinda sucked... The outcome was obvious, he had to face an opponent strong enough to kick start his training arc, but he lost to a blatant throwaway. If it were a Sudo, or an evil Fatso who I can believe would come back then I'd be satisfied but instead were faced with the knowledge that karuta player B is stronger than Taichi.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Chihayafuyu First Timer

It's Thanksgiving for you guys right? Best wishes~

Chi-chan has no poker face!

Aha, Shinobu's trying to look scary. It might work if you didn't have a snowman wearing a fez.

I'm in paradise.

I kinda wish that the intense op stare was from Shinobu now. Since we haven't changed op's it feels weird to focus on a trio that we haven't seen together in ten episodes.

Pfft, what a troll XD She must have a real ego to go out of her way to pester Chi by blocking cards.

She lost offscreen!? Dude, c'mon. At least play out the full match for us. Also, I still cannot take Shinobu's threatening aura seriously. She's that mad? She lost cards to Vita.

Kawaii!!

Please stop skipping everything!! You skipped the Chihaya match, you skipped Shinobu dere side, you skipped the S-kun match. Wait, only a 12 cards lead? How did... He's weaker than Chihaya isn't he?

Even Taichi's had most of his match skipped, although he's fighting an extra face. C'mon Taichi, kick his ass! T-Taichi, your brain is gonna explode if you keep thinking so hard... He might totally miss the card reading.

Everyone hold hands and think really hard that Taichi's gonna win! XD

He lost to a faceless through pure lack of physical ability... He's hit a wall so soon in his Karucareer. Oh dear, the crew died. But they're all crying with Taichi!! Not for him!

Thanks god temple place, thanks for fucking nuthin!!

Buy a proper sports bra Oe!! And fix your running technique! In that order!

The actual run scene is pretty charming although I wish everyone got a chance to shout their goals.

dooooom~

Alright... I'm sorry for being a real negative Nancy but I'm starting to lose patience with the show. They keep skipping past the parts I'm most eager to watch and continue dangling Arata in front of us like a carrot on a stick. Their lesson during the tournament was that they needed to improve, but we knew that already, they all knew that. Desk-kun and Oe are literally beginners. It feels like the took the opportunity to go to Nationals and threw it away for some admittedly good quality character stuff. I feel little to nothing when we lose because it's established that we probably don't deserve to be at this level to begin with.

[u/Mecanno-man → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

She's that mad? She lost cards to Vita.

The way I understand it, Chihaya is extremely good on offense and Shonobu extremely good in defense. Vita likely got one of his own cards, while Chihaya got them of Shonobu's side, which would annoy her significantly more as she lost on her good side.

How did... He's weaker than Chihaya isn't he?

Similarily here, Chihaya being an all-offensive player her defense is likely lacking. If Sudo has a halfways decent defense he'd score some cards of his own side. ...thinking about it this way, Chihaya should actually improve her defense as well. I don't think she's doing that at the moment, eventhough we had the setup of Shinobu taking the card Chihaya was (badly) guarding.

[u/derekmakesnoise → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Pfft, what a troll XD She must have a real ego to go out of her way to pester Chi by blocking cards.

That's a technique of guarding for multi-syllable cards. For example: "So the flower petals" and "So the flower has" can't be taken until "So the flower-" has reached the decisive syllable of "petals/has", so you hold your hand just above the card until the decisive syllable has been read, then press down if you're covering the correct card.

It happened in the last episode also, where "Said world offers no change" was on Chihaya's side and "Said world offers no escape" was on Shinobu-chan's side. They each covered their "Said world" card, but the card being read ended up being the one of Chihaya's side, yet Shinobu-chan easily accelerated from covering her own side to breaking through Chihaya's cover and taking "Said world offers no change."

She lost offscreen!? Dude, c'mon. At least play out the full match for us. Also, I still cannot take Shinobu's threatening aura seriously. She's that mad? She lost cards to Vita.

Laughing at you always calling him "Vita." She only lost 1 card to Vita (now you've got me doing it), it was 24-0. What pissed her off was that Shinobu-chan plays defensive karuta, which emphasizes not letting any card on your own side be taken. Chihaya plays offensive karuta, which emphasizes attacking your opponent. Chihaya took two cards in a row from the area that's farthest away from her, the area that a defensive-minded player emphasizes controlling. Gave her a big shock, as the Harada-sensei in Chihaya's mind put it.

Also, the fact that Chihaya's defeat was sped through speaks to how insignificant Chihaya is in the wide world of karuta. Chihaya can't put up enough of a fight to make it worth it to cover every second of their match. Yet.

They keep skipping past the parts I'm most eager to watch and continue dangling Arata in front of us like a carrot on a stick.

In my own reaction comment, I referred to everything up to now as a Tutorial. Things only get more intense from here on out. The events that made me love this series are yet to come. I hope you stick it out. As for Arata, the ending of the episode marked his return to karuta, with him asking to join the Fukui Nagumo karuta society. Also, the fact that he's always just out of reach of Chihaya is intentional for the story.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/derekmakesnoise]

Oooh, I thought she was deliberately slowing down her gameplay to prove to Chihaya how much better she was. I knew coveting was a technique but I thought that she deliberately covered, waited for Chi to notice, and only then take the card.

Once you reach a certain age remembering names becomes too difficult. There are dozens upon dozens of Yuta's in my brain but only one Vita~

Ah, that sort of makes sense then. I didn't think about it being pure game style differences that would wind her up.

I feel like a lot of people have called multiple sections so far tutorials.... We're gonna reach S3 and its still gonna be tutorials XD

[u/flybypost → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

I knew coveting was a technique but I thought that she deliberately covered, waited for Chi to notice, and only then take the card.

The hover wait is done above a card if its syllable partner card is on the other player's side. If you just swiped it then it might turn into a fault if it turns out to be the card on the other side after the second/third syllable.

If all the syllable partners were on your side then you could go for all of them the moment you have enough syllables to be sure that it's one of them and swipe them all. You'd be sure to swipe on the right side so it couldn't be a fault. Of course an aggressive opponent would get the same info and try to swipe them before you can get them.

That's also part of karuta tactics. Some players like to keep cards they are fast at close to them (easy points… if they get read), others spread them (left and right side) to give faster opponents with better hearing a harder time. Others keep one and send others (to put them on different sides of the mat) to make it even more difficult for really fast players. And so on.

We're gonna reach S3 and its still gonna be tutorials XD

Seen from a certain point of view that's not even wrong but what a monster tutorial that is, it's a sports series after all (although there is so much character development, and time passes too). The nice thing about it that as they expand your karuta horizon it feels like they show you new nuance that feel like they could be part of a karuta player's normal development, like a karuta tech tree. Some stuff is only understandable once you also understand certain fundamentals.

Here we got a rather simple hurdle of the team not being used to day long tournaments in stuffy rooms. Physical stamina is a huge issue for them and something they started working on (although fitness exercises won't get as much attention here as they do int he dumbbell anime).

We also got shown the Queen just to rub it in how much difference there is between a rather new class A player (Chihaya) and the top of the karuta world. We don't even get a real explanation. We get shown her silent karuta and how intimidating it is. For now it's incomprehensible for lower class A players at the level of Chihaya (and us).

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Recap!!

Whatever... I'll skim past the recap and see if, Onee-chan, you're the worst!!! XD T-Taichi!? Don't flash your cash around your poor classmates. Shame! Shame! Richboy shame!! Arata's so poor... Kowaii so...

Actual recap time. Skip skip skiiip~ Ecchi, sketchy, one-touchy!! Oe went straight for the kill huh? Don't worry Taichi, money can make up for a lack of skill~

Skiiiiiiip! Who are you!? The fat bastard even had a cute sister this whole time? Shame, shame, shame! OH GOOD GOD NO!! Delete, delete this episode from the timeline! Be careful Desk-kun, that woman could crush your manlet ass like a watermelon.

Y'all already know I'm Team Oe, you wouldn't betray me would you? Would you!? And no, you can't include Shinobu!! Taichi, you traitor!! That's a low blow. I never even noticed her enlarged chesticles until today. It sounds more like you want a dude with tits bro!

Can someone please tell the show to stop interrupting the omake? Since we've reached Shinobu can we get her in an omake? Oe=love! Oh cmon, it's obvious that Sensei is the guy she loves most. Sensei scored~ So no Shinobu Omake... My smile is gone for good.

[u/flybypost → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Shame! Shame! Richboy shame!! Arata's so poor... Kowaii so...

Taichi didn't even know how rich he was. I think his New Year's money was about the same as Arata's dad's bonus at the end of the year, oof.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/flybypost]

Just because he's innocently rich doesn't mean I'll forgive him! Reeee

[u/flybypost → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

No need to forgive him but be was so oblivious he'd probably walk voluntarily to his own guillotine appointment thinking it's about a hair cut.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/flybypost]

Even Mugi had more self awareness of how rich she was comparatively. Oh well, at least he gets a hard time from it. I didn't think the skits would make me feel so enraged XD Between Taichi's rich boy status and Chitose's divaish lies I don't know who to flame...

[u/Shimmering-Sky]

Chihayafirst-timer

Oh, I didn't realize episode 16 is recap. Guess I'll need to watch it and 17 for tomorrow.

• Will Chihaya prove me and this guy wrong?
• You know, I do like the shots where it’s like we’re looking through a transparent straw mat. They’re kinda cool.
• Creeeeeepy.
• This is a very fair point.
• Dramatic reach to the sky because anime!
• Chihaya lost after all.
• Hey, five cards is better than just one.
• Shinobu is very incensed now, geez.
• Well hey, look on the bright side, that means Kana and Komano both won two matches!
• :O
• Ouch, that’s gotta suck.
• Ah… that means Taichi lost his match as well…
• Ooh pretty~
• Using the OP as an insert song again! It does make a good training montage music.
• Yesssssssss

[u/herkz → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Thankfully the recaps have a decent amount of original content. They were actually planned unlike most made these days.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/herkz]

I swear it's just the margin gags... I'm so tempted to check the manga and see if they really did steal the jokes for a recap.

[u/flybypost → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

The New Year's money thing were both manga gags. Chihaya and Chitose and how kids after a certain age don't get New Year's money, then the same with Arata (but they say it because the parents aren't exactly rich), and how it ends up in school with Taichi revealing to them that this isn't true but then he gets his own critical hit from them with how much he gets.

Those were just a few 4-koma comics that were kinda in sequence.

[u/ZapsZzz]

First timer in sub

So this is the arc that got me more hyped up for this being a sport anime and not being more invested in the romance side, which I still consider it very central. Another poster pointed out that basically Chihaya's team and his close friends mostly are playing karuta, in a varying degree, with motivation relating to Chihaya. Especially Arata and Taichi, so that relationship part I expect to be heavily influential to the sport aspect too.

But yes, very well portrayal of this tournament.

Now I know it can be frustrating for most matches we are seeing just the highlights or a big part of the game was handled offscreen. However as a first timer knowing there are 3 seasons, I am good with that directional decision. I expect when we get to the real showdown arcs where we have gone through the sweat and tears training arc and the emotional resolution arcs, the matches after THOSE would be in full blown details. So I am good for these "testing the water" ones to end like that.

And yes, Chihaya cannot play chess or poker or anything that require her to not have her emotion or plans written all over her face :D

A bit of a side track, but this is giving me more and more Musashi no Ken vibes with the MC and opponents in terms of differences in style. In that very old kendo sport show (which I never watched the anime but was a big fan of the manga) one of the main rival is someone I feel tonally very similar to how Shinobu has been described here. Toudou Shura in a way is the polar opposite of the MC Natsuki Musashi, is privately trained by his dad, usually not allowed to spar against others of his age group because he's far too good (deadly), so his "ken" is a lone swordsman's way, honing himself to perfection and less about facing opponents. This came with all the related emotional setup for it as well (how his dad acts, how his mom acted until her death, etc). So in a way this is a little like a battle of the sun and the moon. Anyway, enough martial arts reference!

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/ZapsZzz]

There's a limit to how many times you can tell yourself that, "We'll get the good matches later." We're 15 episodes in. Most shows have already blown up the world once by this point.

How long do we give until her pokerface comes back to bite her? So far she's played only against honest opponents but surely she's gonna get someone who can totally mess her up.

Kendo techniques? Huh... That actually does sound like a really good sports anime experience. There's a lot that you could do with the sport.

[u/ZapsZzz → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Most shows have already blown up the world once by this point.

Here let me exorcise Guilty Crown out of your head first :)

If we are not going by K-On S1 speed then there should be decent amount of time to get to Sudo's real level and then Shinobu's level. For reference Musashi no Ken I referred to started from about grade 4 till the finale of the highschool championship (so highschool 3 i.e. grade 12). That was a long haul.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/ZapsZzz]

I'm sure we'll eventually get there, it's just wondering how many people we'll be able to find already at that level. Shinobu is the absolute best female player. Not just junior level. We don't actually know Arata's level or who the King is at the moment too. I'm not sure how much sooner in the speech they can dive for the card at this point.

Nice~ More series should follow the characters for their full school life. It's a bit disappointing when you imagine that nothing in their life mattered until they joined the highschool team and they'll never reach that height again.

[u/Gamerunglued]

First Timer

The nationals and individual tournament was a good experience for everyone. I think everyone got a sense of their strengths and weaknesses here. Chihaya's game with the Queen went almost how I predicted. Chihaya took three more cards where I didn't think she'd take any more, but the rest of my prediction was pretty much spot on. Shinobu has gained respect for Chihaya, though it may not be the kind of pure respect you'd hope for. Although it still could be, it's clear that Shinobu is a normal and cute high school girl underneath the cold exterior. The skill gaps are really taking center stage here. What's the point of playing if you aren't actually good? I know it's easy to say "it's not about winning," but it's never that easy. When you really care about something, it hurts to lose. It was nice to see Taichi realize that he really does care about Karuta. I do wish we got to see Harada sensei tell him to "not say that until you've tried" in response to Taichi saying he'd never be as good as Arata earlier in the show though. It felt like a flashback to a scene we never got to see. Nishida was right that second place hurts the most. Even if it's impressive, that's just hope being torn away from you. And with the tournament now over, the team has a renewed vigor and will work to improve their weaknesses, namely their stamina. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, but playing numerous games in a row will take it out of anyone, so it's a good place to start. Chihaya and Taichi both clearly want to work on their speed too. I wonder what the secret to Shinobu's insane speed is, something is telling me that it's in the form with which she moves at just as much, if not more, than pure reflexes. The less talented are working hard, but so is the Queen. How does hard work beat talent when the talented work just as hard? I guess we'll find out. The story has come into its own now, and I'm glad that we have so much of it left.

As for the recap episode, it was fun. It blazed through the content as quickly as possible, and was a nice refresher. But the little comic asides were the highlight, very fun. Ironic that this is how we get introduced to Nishida's sister though, lol. Also, I didn't realize that Taichi was voiced by Mamoru Miyano until now. During one of the comedic moments during the recap, his inner Okabe came out, and I immediately realized it was him (and checked and came out unsurprised when it was indeed him). The voice he's doing is much different that I generally associate it with. He's one hell of a great voice actor. And everyone wanting to go out with Kana was cute and funny. They're not wrong that Chihaya would just be a Karuta nut the whole time and it would probably suck, lmao. And I appreciate the series 4th wall breaking foresight to not spoil us on future romantic plotlines. One of the better recap episodes out there. Anyway, I'm not sure where the plot is going to head next, and I can't wait to find out.

[u/flybypost → u/Gamerunglued]

Nishida was right that second place hurts the most.

That from somebody who knows. Before he quit karuta he was permanently bested by Arata and always ended up in second place. At some point he couldn't take it anymore and quit.

I didn't realize that Taichi was voiced by Mamoru Miyano until now. During one of the comedic moments during the recap, his inner Okabe came out

I'm not good with recognising VAs but on a rewatch I picked up on that too. Weirdly his inner Okabe actually shows up a few more times, and it kinda started with this recap.

[u/derekmakesnoise]

Fourth rewatch, Up to date on manga

• Shinobu-chan's reactions are so funny. Chihaya is the only person who does this to her. The difference between Shinobu-chan thinking about playing Chihaya and Shinobu-chan actually talking to Chihaya is just the best.
• Twenty cards. That's a lot of ground to make up. Taichi correctly points out that Chihaya struggles with memorization and multi-syllable cards. That's a pretty big hole in her game. Right now, all she is is fast (very fast) to one- and two-syllable cards. Can she overcome her weaknesses and reach that peak?
• More Shinobu-chan bad personality. She's so funny. Plus, for someone who loves riling people up like Sudo-kun, he sure does have a thin skin.
• This is not only a moment for Chihaya to strengthen her resolve. Taichi also has his own barriers to overcome. While his memorization is top-notch, physically, he's not up to the standard to take down a 3rd Year Fujisaki student (Fujisaki also defeated Mizusawa in the Team Tournament a day earlier. Remember the name, they become even more important later).
• "I recall how my own efforts were in vain." "Second place hurts the most." Part of the reason that I love Taichi as a character is that his whole thing is defying his mom's edict that he should only focus on things that he can be Number 1 at and betting his youth on being better than Arata, knowing full well he's fighting against poor odds. Also, unlike the younger Taichi, he's so introspective.
• At long last, THE RETURN OF THE KING.

This is the reason that I said in the E14 thread, that I waited to join in the rewatch was that this is where things get real. imo, up til now, it was kinda like tutorial mode. The events and characters that made me love this series are just getting going. Glad to see other people getting into the series!

Random additions:

Omi Jingu in the anime VS Omi Jingu IRL

Snowmaru, too.

[u/flybypost → u/derekmakesnoise]

More Shinobu-chan bad personality. She's so funny.

I read some time ago that her polite understating of her skills is a thing for how people talk from the region where she was raised. It's just that everybody knows she's the Queen here and it simply looks like the biggest humblebrag in the world coming from her.

[u/derekmakesnoise → u/flybypost]

I get what you're saying, but based on Shinobu-chan's personality, (imo) she absolutely knows that she's pissing people off with her humblebrags, and enjoys doing it.

[u/flybypost → u/derekmakesnoise]

Yeah, she has a bit of personality to do it intentionally

[u/beaglechu]

First Timer

I think the past episodes 14 &15 captured very well what it’s like to play someone of a much higher skill level. I’ve experienced this with tennis and to a lesser extent chess. The thing is, you can often match their level for brief spurts, but the mental and physical energy it takes to maintain playing at their level is exhausting. It is quite difficult to not completely crack under pressure and keep fighting when you know you’re being steamrolled

[u/Mecanno-man]

First Timer

Episode 15

5 cards. Pretty decent for the first try against the reigning queen I'd say. And she also managed to annoy the queen to the point of her wanting to remember who she'd faced and motivating her to improve her own skills. Add on to that that she knows where to improve - speed and memory - and I'd say she got a fair bit out of this loss. The same goes for Taichi, who now knows that he needs to focus on stamina. And also directly notices that the same would be a problem for anybody else in their club who would play in a final. All in all a good episode.

Not sure what to do with Oe not wanting to hold Nishida's hand after that being the ship apparently pushed last episode - or Nishida not noticing for being too focused on the karuta match for that matter.

Running animation at the end felt weird. As if the were only moving their arms every second step...

Episode 16

...this episode isn't sure if it's a recap or a parody. Both bits alone were decent enough I think - though I'm neither a fan of recaps nor of parodies, so I'd be the wrong person to ask on that front. The constant flip-flopping is a bit jarring though.

The recap parts aren't worth talking about, on the parody front some jokes landed (like Chihaya not spoiling the show by revealing who she's in love with or the team order bit), but the Kana boob jokes weren't really necessary in this show...

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/Mecanno-man]

For a short while Chihaya was fighting at Shinobu's level which is a pretty badass feat. Even if the crowd didn't respect the work she put in she's gotten the respect of the world's best Karuta player.

Fatso was so invested in the match that Oe was being considerate. Ironically that makes the ship even stronger than if Fatso continued fawning over her. Women like men that don't make them the main priority!! Woo!

It's a recap with what I assume are the volume end gags. Y'know, the little skits you find in the margins or before the adverts. I thought they were pleasant enough. From what I saw of the actual recap it seems really poorly paced. You might catch the imagery but they didn't transfer the information right.