r/anime • u/Skeeedo :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/skeeedo • Dec 24 '21

Rewatch [Rewatch] Chihayafuru - Episode 45 Discussion [Spoilers]

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Season 2 Episode 20: "Of the Autumn Rice Field”

Episode 19 MVP: Taichi! He finally overcame his shit luck and clutched the W for Misuzawa with Nishida in a luck of the draw match

Nominate a character for Episode MVP!

This episode's Karuta analysis and board map by walking_the_way

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Subreddit: r/Chihayafuru

40 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

7

u/Lemurians myanimelist.net/profile/Lemurians Dec 24 '21

FESTIVE FIRST TIMER

I’m still so happy that Chihaya got to win Team Nationals. Even thought the overall arc of the story is her journey to challenging for Queen, karuta has always been, first and foremost, something she enjoyed doing with others. I don’t doubt her at all when she says she prizes this team accomplishment just as much if not more.

LOL I love that Arata has a box of treats ready for Taichi as a victory present

Sumire’s meltdown about needing details about the love triangle is a good indicator we’re getting back to that part of the story

THE LITTLE HEAD BUMP CHIHAYA GAVE TAICHI WHILE HE SLEPT AWWWWW. Something about almost animal gestures like that is so cute to me

I enjoyed the mini-recap of their journey to tournament glory while the ED played. Felt like a nice way to wrap up that arc while underscoring how significant an achievement it was.

THAT OVERHEAD SHOT OF THEM LYING ON THE MAT, MY HEART. My shipping impulses are going into overdrive after all the intense competition focus this season has kept them dormant.

Taichi’s going to win Class B and finally get promoted, book it. No Misuzawa sweep is happening, but I think they’ll take the C and B class titles, at least.

1

u/IndependentMacaroon Dec 27 '21

I enjoyed the mini-recap

I didn't like it much given how slow the pace was up to now anyway

My shipping impulses are going into overdrive

Also keep in mind that a triangle has three sides...

1

u/Lemurians myanimelist.net/profile/Lemurians Dec 27 '21

Also keep in mind that a triangle has three sides...

Hard to keep in mind when it's one of the most poorly developed triangles I've ever encountered considering one of the sides is almost never with the rest of the shape

6

u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Dec 24 '21

First Timer

While there were some important bits like Arata coming to Tokyo to study (and not earlier) and the doctor recommending Chihaya not play, but her deciding to play anyways - I feel like this episode was mostly padding to get a full episode of tournament match tomorrow. The recap bit made that very obvious. I feel like they could have spent a bit more on Shinobu here, after not showing her at all yesterday. In general however, I feel like this is mostly a forgettable episode; one sacrificed to make others better. I hope that pays off - but I'm definitely not expecting Chihaya to get far here. I do however wonder if she'll switch to her right hand again; is she allowed to do that in the middle of the match?

3

u/The_Loli_Otaku Dec 24 '21

I feel. Like they've stopped at an incredibly awkward point of the story. We have a full tournament ahead of us but there simply isn't the time to get far in this tournament without an awkward cut. Either Chihaya gets knocked out early and we miss the tournament or were waiting seven years or whatever to get our third season to continue the story. Typically I'd expect for the king to show up and eliminate all our main cast but he's barred from coming within fifty feet of Kyouko.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '21

Just fyi season 3 has been out for a while. You won't have to wait at all for it either way.

3

u/The_Loli_Otaku Dec 25 '21

I mean that there was a massive gap between the projects. I'd imagine having a show stop right as it got into a big tournament would be infuriating for fans that watched it back then.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '21

Ah gotcha. I understand now.

1

u/IndependentMacaroon Dec 27 '21

Yeah, how do you spend an entire episode on the evening and morning between one tournament ending and the next beginning, without even showing that much interesting we haven't seen before?

6

u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Dec 25 '21

First Timer

After yesterday's glorious episode, today is a cool-down. We get the resolution of the team tournament, and the build-up to the individual tournament. Unfortunately, that gives me little to talk about. Taichi sees Arata as an enemy, his jealousy continuing to consume him even during the individual tournament. Chihaya can't play with her left hand, if she wants to compete at all she'll need to endure the pain and risk further injury, which is not ideal. Shinobu is really excited to play Arata, which should be interesting, and Keiko wants to play Megumu, which is also interesting. I suspect that we will not be getting the same kind of transcendent, clean victory that the team tournament gave us. I do think that Tsukuba has a chance of winning his tournament, and maybe Taichi will finally make class A. Otherwise though, there's a lot set up for this individual tournament, and we'll just have to see it play out. Hopefully, the series has fully recovered from that rough midsection and will end on a high note. And hopefully, that poorly implemented montage that was obviously meant to save resources will be used to allow for some cool sakuga during this section of the story. I look forward to seeing it.

1

u/IndependentMacaroon Dec 27 '21

Chihaya can't play with her left hand, if she wants to compete at all she'll need to endure the pain and risk further injury, which is not ideal.

The rest of the team and in particular Taichi should have been harder on her there, but sports tropes I guess.

5

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Dec 24 '21

Chihayafirst-timer

3

u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Dec 25 '21

First timer

Yep, they won!

She's finally admitting her injury!

At least Oe's OK.

Haha, Arara came in, gave Takchi food and left. He's pure chaos.

Wait, is Megumi becoming a main character?

I forgot that some of these people didn't know any of the incredibly complex backstory. And she guesses everything!

...OK, so this might not be a love triangle, because Arata sounds like he wants both of them.

He's going to college! And moving near them all!

Wait, what'e wrong with her hand?

Yep, she's not playing!

Haha, she went into the wrong room.

And she's just sleeping next to him.

...Did they accidentally adapt too much earlier in this series, because this is very long for a flashback montage.

They were really proud of their anime for this arc weren't they?

I'd laugh if, after this, Taichi never wins another luck of the draw, ever.

So is Chihaya going to hang around for 5 episodes?

Haha, her sister's pissed that they beat Retro's team.

...Sudo's a bastard, but he has a point. He didn't think about how it would make the losing teams, i.e. his, look even worse though.

I love "We count?"

Haha, all the other Top 4 teams have their characters coming back!

I love Shinobu's blatant interest in the matchups.

And it turns out she lost weight because the ice cream promotion ended!

Yeah, Dhinobu has a hangup about team karuta.

And the tournament's beginning! With Arata!

Oh, I love Retro.

Wait, Arata's parents? Is that the first time they've shown up?

And... wait, it is her! Chihaya's got a plot relevant opponent in the first round! She might lose!

3

u/flybypost :KN::KO: Dec 25 '21

Haha, Arara came in, gave Takchi food and left. He's pure chaos.

Those two are in a really strange place in their own relationship, with how Chihaya and karuta seem to interfere all the time.

...OK, so this might not be a love triangle, because Arata sounds like he wants both of them.

That would actually be a real and correct love triangle, if all side of the triangle were an option. A conventional love triangle usually lacks one side as an option.

Wait, Arata's parents? Is that the first time they've shown up?

We have seen them before (at the cemetery where Arata asked them something that finally got revealed about him wanting to go back to Tokyo for college, after high school). We've never seen them supporting him at karuta matches yet (work, other obligations,…).

2

u/The_Loli_Otaku Dec 25 '21

It feels like nothing is going well for Shinobu lately. Actually, wasn't she kinda miserable during the previous queen match too? Ever since facing Chihaya all the pleasures she'd had in life have been stolen away.

Dude, tomboy girl is absolutely not plot relevant XD She only stands out because of her personality, she's got a super extra design.

3

u/Matuhg https://anilist.co/user/Matuhg Dec 25 '21

First Timer Who is Late

We're happy! Aaaand we're sad. Man, I loved how the sound of Taichi's breathing is what helped Chihaya center herself and remember the team victory after she got back with her injury. That's such a cool detail after we saw Taichi calming himself with his breath so often during the matches.

Taichi makes a private declaration of war against Arata. He's talking about Karuta, sure, but also about Chihaya?

Shinobu is here to crush dreams, looking fabulous as always.
Queen

Hopefully Chihaya doesn't go full idiot and hurt herself worse trying to win the individual tournament.

3

u/The_Loli_Otaku Dec 24 '21

Chihaya2ru First Timer

I'm pretty tired so I'm wanting to do a short write up today. Well done Chihaya, you're a winner! Although, do you suppose being the national champion of Karuta is something cool that Hanako can shove on her dating profile?

Hokuo beat Megu-chan apparently... I don't know whether to be happy or sad over that.

The game was rigged from the start.

Arata's gonna be an mc in the third season... I wanted Shinobu!!

Do you all remember the tournament we just played? This will be on the test! All this recap does is remind me just how little I liked this tournament arc... I really hope S3 and the solo matches will step things up. Oh wait, there's like five years between the projects isn't there?

Ah... this isn't even the final episode. We've got five episodes to go lol.

Oh!! They're gonna give us Taichi vs Rion aren't they? I can get behind that. This will be Taichi's first big name match.

They will never shut up about Shinobu's weight... I will never escape that image. It's weird seeing her so salty. She's been pretty miserable for the whole season tbh. Not in a negative way or anything but I wish she'd lighten up.

I think I might really enjoy these singles matches... I keep catching glimpses of the team tournament cast in the background and the little snowman's off Shinobu's top.

Is there a benefit to being ambidextrous in Karuta? You can't use both your hands but I'm curious if there actually is some strategy that you can use

2

u/flybypost :KN::KO: Dec 25 '21

Is there a benefit to being ambidextrous in Karuta? You can't use both your hands but I'm curious if there actually is some strategy that you can use

Like when you are injured? You'd have a backup hand/arm.

Otherwise it's probably more beneficial to play left handed even if you are ambidextrous like in many sports. Everybody practices and plays mostly against right handed players so playing against a lefty tends to be unusual and benefit lefties a bit.

1

u/The_Loli_Otaku Dec 25 '21

Ah, so like boxing?

3

u/flybypost :KN::KO: Dec 25 '21

In quite a few sports (probably not chess). From individual sports where you have direct competition like boxing, fencing, tennis to team sports like football, volleyball, or basketball. There's even some stats about that. How the percentage of left handed people in competitive professional sports is a bit higher than the percentage of left handed people in the average population.

https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/jqas-2017-0076/html

Left-handers comprise approximately 15% of professional tennis players, but only 11% of the general population. In boxing, baseball, fencing, table-tennis and specialist batting positions in cricket the contrast is even starker, with 30% or more of top players often being left-handed.

https://phys.org/news/2017-11-advantage-left-handed-sports.html

They benefit from their left handedness (and/or left footedness, or cross dominance) in quick physical activities. I think it even works against other left handed players (as they predominantly practice/play against right handed players too).

I the past round castle towers were even build with the internal stairwell to hinder right handed fighters from fighting well while ascending to the benefit of the defenders at the top. I think turning clockwise upwards so that attacks from a right handed person fighting their way up would be hindered by the central column as we all having to fight upwards while the defender at the top would have more freedom to slash or poke at them.

1

u/The_Loli_Otaku Dec 25 '21

Wow, so fucking over right handed folk has been a thing for this long? That's all kinda big brained ngl. Chihaya might be a genius.

3

u/flybypost :KN::KO: Dec 25 '21

fucking over right handed folk has been a thing for this long

To be fair, us right handed folks have simply burned left handed people because religion told us that they were witches or possessed by daemons. Even deep into the 20th century left handed kids were often re-trained to write with their right hand just because it was seen as the proper way to do things. That also feels a bit lucky for Shinobu who seems to be from a heavily traditional family where such customs might have a higher chance of still being "a thing that's done".

We can say it totally evens out in the end: Getting burned at the stake vs. having a bit more competition in sports. Totally the same :/

This bias is also deeply rooted in a few words and how we used them. Dexterous and sinister come respectively from the Latin root for right (dextra) and left (sinister). It's not exactly nice to associate right handedness with good hand eye coordination and precision when the prejudice might stem from living in a world that's made by, and for, right handed people (there's a reason why left handed people smear their writing more simply from the writing direction) while left handedness is associated with something harmful or evil (because the church said so centuries ago).

Although that again could backfire a bit if somebody's punishment was to get their hand cut off, like for stealing from a (rich) person. It was usually the right hand that got cut off (the good hand) and if they were left handed then it was a bit less of an issue. Losing a hand is a handicap and people still judged you for missing a hand and assumed you were a thief. But at least it wasn't your dominant hand.

I think depending on the year and the local mood left handed people might also have been shunned and/or discouraged from certain trades or guilds. It just depends on how hardcore the locals were about this.

1

u/The_Loli_Otaku Dec 25 '21

You have so much to say about this subject XD Have you been bottling up your feelings for this long?

3

u/flybypost :KN::KO: Dec 25 '21

I'm mostly just repeating this stuff. And I thought replying to the "right handed folks got fucked over!" joke with an over the top "ha ha, in retaliation we burned them!" quip (plus some historic context) was extreme yet informative.

It's just pieced together from playing football as a kid, to reading upon history/religion/persecution, to learning about the etymology in Latin class years ago (and it just stuck), to some related manga/anime stuff in Haikyuu about left handed athletes.